Bromley sell Academy prospect Liam Vincent to Portsmouth for an undisclosed transfer fee and signs three-year deal at Fratton Park

The 18-year-old Bromley-born left-back has a long association with the Hayes Lane club, having first arrived at the club to play for its youth section in the under 14s.

Vincent progressed through the age groups, before joining the Academy at the age of 16.

Having come through the pathway from Youth to Academy, Vincent combined his education studies at Ravensbourne School alongside daily training sessions.

Following impressive performances for his Academy side, Vincent was invited to train with the first-team squad and it was here when where he would really make his mark.

Soon afterwards, he signed first-team forms and became on the club’s first year professionals, whilst also continuing to play in the Academy set-up.  He also heavily featured for Roger Johnson’s under 23 side, plying his trade with three different Bromley teams.

Vincent was heavily involved in the under 18s FA Youth Cup campaign, which saw the club reach the Third Round for the first time ever, under the leadership of Jamel Wojtczak, Steve Aris, Tom Beaumont and Neil Salmon.

Vincent featured in all of the five rounds, scoring in three of them, including the equaliser in a memorable 2-1 win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Vincent made his first-team debut in December 2020, coming on as a substitute for James Alabi in a FA Trophy tie against National League South side Hemel Hempstead Town.

He would then go on to make his National League debut as a substitute in the Lillywhites’ 2-0 win over King’s Lynn Town on Tuesday 9 February 2021.

Vincent would go on to make another substitute appearance before making his first senior start in a 2-2 home draw against Wealdstone.

Vincent made a further four appearances, three of which were starts and joins Louis Dennis and Reeco Hackett-Fairchild in leaving Hayes Lane to sign for Pompey in the past three years and manager Danny Cowley has given Vincent a three-year contract.

A Bromley statement said: “Vincent now moves to the South coast to join up with his new team-mates for the 2021-22 season.  Everyone at the club wishes Liam all the best and we look forward to following his progress in the years to come.”

Cowley told Portsmouth's website: "We are delighted to sign Liam on a development contract. He first came to our attention when he played for Bromley against our Under 18's in the FA Youth Cup.

“He has subsequently made a number of first-team appearances at National League level, playing a part in helping Bromley reach the play-offs.

“While there was lots of interest from a number of Premier League and Championship clubs, he believed Pompey to be the right club for his continued development. Having played senior football already, he wanted to go into a first-team environment.

“The recruitment team identified Liam and watched him play for both the youth and first teams at Bromley.

“He has a lovely left foot and excellent physical attributes. Offensively, he carries real threat with ball carrying skills and crossing ability. He is also a set-piece taker.

“He has work to do on the defensive aspect of his game and we look forward to working with him on the training ground to develop this area of his performance.

“What was most impressive about Liam when we met him was his humility to learn and to get better.

“We now have two exciting young, attacking full-backs at the club in Haji Mnoga and Liam – both have outstanding athletic potential and we will work with them to develop their game.

“This, accompanied by an excellent learning capacity, are qualities we look for when signing young players.

“Our plan for both of them is to provide an engaging environment and challenging games programme.

“We will monitor their progress during pre-season. Our aim is to get them regular football at first-team level this season – this is vital at this stage of their development.

“We anticipate this being via a loan pathway, but are always open-minded. As we have seen many times before, young players can make outstanding progress and force their way into the side.”

Bromley finished in seventh-place in the Vanarama National League after substitute striker Ben Williamson came off the bench to score in a 1-0 win over Notts County at Hayes Lane last Saturday.

Andy Woodman’s side now travel to Hartlepool United for the eliminator play-offs on Sunday 6 June 2021 (16:00).

The winners shall travel to Stockport County in the Semi-Finals seven days later before the Promotion Final, which this year takes place at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate on Sunday 20 June.

It is Bromley’s first time in the National League play-offs and aim to reach League Two alongside champions Sutton United, who have started the process of ripping up their artificial pitch at their Gander Green Lane home.

Visit Bromley’s website: www.bromleyfc.tv