Former Millwall, Oxford United and Portsmouth striker Harvey Bradbury has sealed a move to Farnborough, as per their website.
Bradbury is the son of former Manchester City striker Lee Bradbury, and he’s most recently been playing for Dartford. Farnborough have paid a nominal fee for the striker, something that has delighted boss Spencer Day.
“He was one of my major targets in the summer. He’s a fabulous player, he’s visited the club quite a lot, and we’re much more local as he lives in Portsmouth,” said Day. “Harvey’s six-foot-three, he’s strong, he’ll run through a wall. I know he’s very popular at Dartford. We were desperate to get him in, and he wanted to come.
“We’ve paid a fee, which is quite staggering for us. He runs as well, he’s got so much energy, scores goals, and we’re delighted to get him. Very, very exciting.”
Bradbury began his career with Portsmouth, enjoying a loan spell with Havant and Waterlooville, but he didn’t make a first-team appearance for Pompey. Following his release, he joined Watford’s Under 23 side, and whilst he failed to appear for the then-Premier League side, he did have further loan spells with St Albans and Hungerford. Whilst with St Albans, he scored his first senior goal against Concord Rangers.
He then went back to Hungerford, scored on his debut (against St Albans) and earned a deal with Oxford United. He remained with The Crusaders on loan before returning to the Kassam and finally making his EFL debut for Oxford against Gillingham. After loan spells with Woking, he was released.
Since then, he’s been something of a journeyman in the lower leagues, with a prolific spell at Oxford City perhaps his most notable achievement. Now 25, he joins Farnborough as they sit 14th in the National League South, just one place and two points above Dartford.
Bradbury joins another former Millwall player at Cherrywood Road, Sid Nelson, although he joined in 2019, the same year Nelson left. However, the striker did spend time with veteran Ricky Holmes, another Boro player, at Oxford.
Writer’s View
Bradbury has a good pedigree – his Dad was a sought-after lower-league striker, and when he came on for Oxford, they became the first father/son duo to turn out for the club.
He has the attributes to be a top player at this level – he scores goals, he’s big, and he can move well. His aspiration will be another stab at the Football League, and who knows, with a good run for Boro, he might catch the eye of scouts once more.
As for Farnborough, the top flight of non-league has eluded them since 2005, and their headline-catching FA Cup run in 2002/03 must seem a long way in the past. However, with a big focal point for their attack, they might just be able to trouble the upper echelons of the National League South.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief at The Real EFL, Gary is a passionate Lincoln City fan with extensive content creation across the Championship and EFL. He also shares expert football betting tips.
