Paul Birch FC

Here a season by season run down since the club was formed back in 1996:

1996-1997

In the 1996-1997 season the club played in The Greenwich & Lewisham League and played all of their home games on Blackheath Common. The team had been donated a kit which was blue and white vertical stripes, black shorts & blue shorts. The first season wasn’t a very successful one and the team finished bottom of the league and barely won a game. The team didn’t have a proper manager and didn’t train regularly but that didn’t bother the players as it was as much of a social event as playing football. The club also became famous when a local Newspaper published an article on the ‘Front Page’ of their paper. At the end of the season Paul’s father Dave provided trophies for all players and Tristan Tipper was voted the first Player of the year for Paul Birch FC.

1997-1998

For the 1997-1998 the club decided to leave The Greenwich & Lewisham League, mainly because it wasn’t very well organised and there was a lot of trouble with other clubs. It was decided to move to The London & Kent Border League. New players were signed and one of them, Scott Major, was made Captain. Scott was to go on being Captain for 6 whole seasons until he left in 2003 with over 100 appearances for the club. The team improved slightly on the season before and training became more regular with several drinkers from “The Guy” taking the job as being manager which was really just picking 11 players to start instead of one of the players doing it (which by then had created a few “differences” between the players). The 1997-1998 Season was not a successful one but a definite improvement on the season before. The club played most of their home games at Danson Park and had a new kit, red shirts, black shorts with red socks, which was sponsored by “The Guy”. The team managed to win a few games this time round and the new teams they played against were much better attitude wise, which made playing much more enjoyable. It was good that most of the players were still Paul’s friends and that it was still as much a social occasion as it was a football team.

1998-1999

The 1998-1999 Season saw the team start to improve a bit more and by now training had become a regular thing. Team selection by now done by the captain Scott Major and the running of the club was much more organised. Lee Martin, one of Paul’s best friends that he’d known his whole life, was the person most responsible for this. The team continued to play their home games at Danson Park and midway through the season “The Guy” sponsored the club again a new kit was bought. The new colours were vertical yellow and blue stripes, yellow shorts and yellow socks. A very nice kit but washing it during the winter was a nightmare. The season to be a proved a much more successful one and the end of the season the club was promoted, which was by far the biggest achievement for PBFC so far. The main reason for this was a more settled side and the players having now played together for a few years meant they had started to play well as a team for the first time. In the end the 1998-1999 was a successful season for PBFC gaining promotion and now winning not losing most of the time.

1999-2000

The 1999-2000 Season was a much anticipated one. The club changed their venue for home games to Eltham Town which was a big improvement on Danson Park. Training was happening weekly and a few new players were brought in and the club now a good blend of players. They now had the experience of having played together for 3 years and Scott Major was proving to be a big success as captain. The team now had Ian “Roughy” McLean (a former Scottish International) as goalkeeper and also had a promising new strike force in Paul Flanagan with his experience and heading ability and Steve Birch who after finding it hard in men’s football in the early days was starting to shows signs of his true ability after finishing the 1998-1999 season as top goal scorer with 17 goals. The good part was that the players were still regulars from “The Guy” and it was still just a bunch of mates having a kick about on Sunday morning, but now they was doing well. The new strike force delivered with 55 goals between them and “Roughy” in goal was almost impossible to beat. The season ended up being a successful one again as the club were promoted for the second year running. The team had improved yet again everyone continued to enjoy being part of the club.

2000-2001

The 2000-2001 Season saw a few of the players leave the club and the squad wasn’t as big as it was. Most of the players that had been there a long time had stayed but a few of the fringe players decided to leave. The season started very well however and Paul Birch were playing some of the best football they had ever played. “Roughy” was still unbeatable in goal and Steve Birch continued to put the goals away as did his new strike partner Andy Costin, who had been at the club a long time (since 1997) but had always played in midfield or deputised for the strikers. The team was doing very well and midway through the season PBFC appointed their first ever manager, and Dave Curtis became Player-Manager. Dave was a very experienced player and had played Semi-Professional football for most of his career. He had started the season as a player but it was decided he was now going to take full charge of the team. He started to change a lot of things in the club and things improved straight away. He changed the way team trained, the way they prepared for a game and they way the team thought about the game. He also suggested to the club they moved to a different League. Although the London & Kent Border League was run much better than The Greenwich & Lewisham League there were still a lot of times when the referee hadn’t turned up, and when they did the standard of refereeing was very poor. Because of this the club agreed and decided to change league. So the club applied to enter The Orpington & Bromley District Sunday Football League (O.B.D.S.F.L.) which had a good reputation of being run very well and also having referees turn up on a regular basis with over 95% of games having referees. The club’s application was successful and was entered into the Third Division. The team continued to play very well for the rest of the season and in the end finished Runners-up in the League (although this was disputed by the League and no medals were ever given to the players for their achievement). Again the club would have been promoted for the 3 rd season running but obviously they were moving to the O.B.D.S.F.L. Manager Dave Curtis supplied some awards and Ian ”Roughy” McLean was voted the PBFC’s first Players Player of the Year with Steve Birch being voted the clubs 2nd Player of the Year. (No trophies for Player of the Year were given to anybody from the 1997-98 season till 1999-2000 season)

2001-2002

For the 2001-2002 Season the club had embarked on a new Era. A lot of things within the club had to change. The new League’s rules stated that you had to have various club officials which had to do their job properly or the club gets fined, in fact it seemed you got fined for almost anything. This is the reason why the O.B.D.S.F.L is run very well and has an excellent reputation. It means every club has to be run very well too; otherwise they wouldn’t be able to pay their fines and would be thrown out of the League. This meant that Paul Birch FC would also have get organised and because of this, various people were given jobs. Dave Birch, Paul’s father, was made Chairman of the club, Scott Major became Treasurer, Andy Costin became Club Secretary and Ian McLean became Fixtures Secretary. With Dave Curtis as Player-Manager and everyone having their new jobs the 2001-2002 Season was a much anticipated one. PBFC also had a good reason to be happy. Three regulars from “The Guy” Paul Ralph, Stan & Toby sponsored the club and provided enough money for 2 new Kits (the home kit was red & black vertical stripes, black shorts and black socks with the away kit having the same shorts & socks but the shirts with black & white vertical stripes) and lots of equipment like balls and a First Aid kit. The squad remained pretty much the same with only a couple of new players joining. Dave Curtis had given the players a good pre-season and done a lot of coaching with the players so they went into the season full of confidence despite not knowing what sort of standard they would be playing at. There were different views on which League to go for, some said Division Two and some said Division Four. In the end everyone met in the middle and chose Division Three. The team won their first game in the O.B.D.S.F.L but then lost 2 and drew 1 of their next 3 games. The team had lost some confidence and wondered whether they should have gone for Division 4 instead. They then had to play League leaders FC Lee Green who were unbeaten. PBFC won 6-0 and confidence was restored. The team then went on an unbeaten run till the end of the season where they narrowly missed out on the title to Masters by 2 points, so for the second season running, finishing Runners-up. Again for the 4 th year running the club had gained promotion, an excellent achievement. The club had had its most successful season so far and under Dave Curtis playing its best football as well. It was no longer about turning up on a Sunday for a kick about, the football was being taken very seriously and that’s what manager Dave Curtis demanded from his players. This however didn’t please all of the players, especially some players who had been at the club since day one. A few of them left, most notably Matt Mein, the club founder, Lee Martin and Dave Martin (after a serious injury), who were all good friends of Paul’s when he was alive. Some wanted it to carrying on being more of a social event than a serious football club. Dave had asked the players if they wanted to carrying being a “pub” side or to try and improve and start winning things, which meant a lot of hard work and effort from the players. The majority chose to improve and some players found it hard to put in the commitment Dave required. It’s a great shame that some of the players left as some of them were friends of Paul and friends of the players in the team. This meant that by the end of the season Steve Birch, brother of Paul Birch, was the only player who remained at the club since it started back in 1996 and it was no longer a team that drunk at “The Guy”. There was still another chance for success during the 2001-02 season though as the League entered the Club into the Intermediate League Cup towards then end of the season. The Competition was for teams who had finished all of there fixtures well before the end of the season. There wasn’t much hope at the start as traditionally the club has not fared well in Cup competitions. However, they managed to get through their group which set up a Semi-Final with rivals FC Lee Green. Paul Birch won on penalties and was in the Final of a Cup competition for the first time. Could Paul Birch pick up their first piece if silverware? Unfortunately not!! The Final was not a good day in the end as Old Smiths scored a Golden Goal to win 2-1 and the club’s dream was over. Still, it was a very successful season with the players getting their first medals for club for finishing Runners-up in Division Three. They didn’t however get anything for finishing Runners-up in the Cup which was a shame. At the end of the season, for the second time, many trophies were given to the players. These were again supplied by Chairman Dave Birch as he had done back in 1997. Scott Major was voted Players Player of the Year & Player of the Year, Steve Birch was awarded for being Top goal scorer 3 years running, Damien Hopkins was given the Clubman award and Paul Partridge was the Most Improved Player.

2002-2003

The 2002-2003 Season started with everyone feeling very confident. Yet more of the original players left but everyone was still feeling good about the season before and now 3 or 4 very good new players had joined the club. The club and the players felt they could win the league. Was this to be the year PBFC finally won some silverware? The team started very well with some good results but not long onto the season things started to change. Some of the new players left the club and all of a sudden the manager was just about finding 11 players to play. Had the club paid a price for trying to be ambitious and successful? The weather during the season was terrible and therefore between November and January remarkably only 3 games were played. This wasn’t good news for the club as it meant that double bankers would have to be played to get all games played by the end of the season. Unfortunately to make things worse, the manager’s girlfriend was expecting a baby and he had also started to manage a Saturday team which meant that finding time to train the players was getting increasingly hard. Dave Curtis then announced he’d be leaving the club at of the end of the season, a big blow after how far he had brought the club on since he joined in the 2000-2001 season. By now it was a struggle to find 11 players to turn out on a Sunday and there were only 5 or 6 players at training every week. Inevitably it all stared to take its toll on the teams’ results especially in the double bankers. In the end the team finished 4 th which was an achievement in the end after all that had gone on. Again the team was promoted, more from luck than anything else because originally only the top 3 teams were due to be promoted. However it happened though, the club had managed to gain promotion for the 5 th season in a row, which is a remarkable achievement and proof of how the club has improved year after year since it began back in 1996. In saying that the 2002-2003 Season is probably the only year in which the club has seemed to go back a step. The season ended with Dave Birch again supplying trophies for the players. James Collins was voted Players Player of the Year and Danny Alder Player of the Year, Steve Birch again picked up Top Goal Scorer for the 4 th year running after scoring his 100 th goal for the club midway through the season, Andy Costin received the Clubman award but this time no player was given Most Improved Player as it was felt there wasn’t anyone who really deserved it. Also Steve Birch, Scott Major, Andy Costin & Danny Alder became the first players to receive an award for making over 100 appearances for the club. There was more bad news at the end of the season though, not only was manager Dave Curtis leaving but more players decided to follow him including captain Scott Major and Andy Costin who had been at the club since 1997. This meant there were only 5 players left at the club and no manager which meant if the club was to going to carry on, a lot of new players and a new manager would need to be found.

2003-2004

In June 2003 the club was on the brink of folding. There were only 5 players left at the club and no manager so things were not looking too good. The club did however manage to change things around. First of all a new manager was found in the shape of Paul Howe. Throughout the summer the remaining players all tried hard to find new players to join the club. By July 2003 pre-season training had begun and several players who’d helped out at the end of the season before re-joined. More new players were brought in and by August 2003 there were 16 players ready for the new season, so thankfully the club was saved. Amazingly the club had to turn some new players away as the squad would have been too big to keep everyone happy. By the time the season got underway five pre-season friendly’s had been played and won so the team went into the season full of confidence. Danny Alder had been made Captain and with Paul Howe at the helm, the club was now more organized than ever. There was a big turn out for training every week and a fabulous team spirit had been created, everyone was hopeful of doing well in Division 1, but was the step up a league going to be too much for a completely new side or would the new team finish the season triumphant…??? After showing great pre-season form things didn’t start as well as first hoped. Up until Christmas the team struggled to find any consistency and the form by then read Played: 11, Won: 4, Drawn: 1 & Lost: 6. Unfortunately things were going to get even worse. In the New Year the team struggled to find any form and somehow didn’t manage to win a single game in January, February & March. Despite the bad run there were some decent hard earned draws against FC Poverest, Valley Valiants & a narrowly missed win against senior side Farnborough Old Boys in the cup. Come April everyone knew results had to improve or else there was the threat of being relegated. A pivotal last game of the season against Lynwood Rangers (Last years Division 2 winners) would decide whether the club would finish mid table or depressingly go straight back down. After a hard earned 3-2 win the threat of relegation had passed and somehow the club finished an impressive 4 th. The season did not end there though. 5 friendlies were arranged with 4 resulting in victory and only 1 loss in the annual charity game with Prince of Wales. At the end of a long season everyone could be extremely happy with 4 th place, only 1 place away from promotion spot. All of the players had worked very hard over the season, with the club on the verge of finishing all together just 9 months before everyone involved with PBFC could go away for the end of season break happy. At the end of May it was time the PBFC presentation 2004. Chairman Dave Birch again generously provided a club trophy for each player as well as the usual main awards. The awards were as follows: John McGuigan was voted Player’s Player of the Year; John Wawrzewski was named Player of the Year; Steve Birch finished Top Goal Scorer for the 6 th year running (please can someone else win this??); Danny Alder received the Clubman Award and Vadim Vlasyuk was named Most Improved Player of the Year. Also, a special award was given to Paul Partridge for making 100 Appearances for Paul Birch FC, only the 5 th player to have achieved this feat.

2004-2005

At the start of the 2004/2005 the club was hopeful of doing well. There was now a settled squad and with Danny Page (signed from Saturday side Cray Valley) replacing the departed James Maxim the team was looking solid. Given the state of the club at the start of term Finishing 4 th in 2004 was a great achievement, so Manager Paul Howe felt that team had a good chance of wining things or at least gaining promotion this term. Things looked good at the start of the season as the team kept their selves at the right end of the table and also managed to progress in both cup competitions too. By Christmas we had won 5 of our league games, losing only 2 and also found themselves in the Quarter-Final of both Cup Competitions. Unfortunately the cup runs didn’t continue as PBFC were knocked in both competitions out by Division One rivals Peckham Town & bogey side Griffin Sports. The team did however keep up their good league form and by April there was still 4 teams capable of winning the league including PBFC, and with fellow rivals Peckham Town, Griffin Sports & Eltham Town Utd Reserves still to play the final part of the season was going to be a very interesting one. In the end 2 hard earned draws against Peckham & Griffin and a win against eventual League winners Eltham Town Utd Reserves left the club in 3 rd place on goal difference and only one point away from 1 st Place. This meant the club had again gained promotion to the OBDSFL Premier division - the highest level the club has played. The team also enjoyed an excellent end to the campaign as they beat Tropair a club record 10-1 in the final game of the season. All round it was a successful season and one which left Chairman Dave Birch, Manager Paul Howe and his players very proud and happy. At the of the season the Club also arranged a Memorial & Fundraising match against some of the Paul Birch FC Old Boys. The match went very well with the game finishing 2-2 showing that some of the old boys can still play a bit. Also over £100 was raised for the club and it was very nice to play a match in Memory of Paul. At the traditional Awards Presentation there were some worthy winners. This was also the first year the club was able to provide the trophies instead of Chairman Dave Birch. The Winners were: Player’s Player of the Year – Terry Paine, Player of the Year – John McGuigan, Top Goal Scorer – Steve Birch, Clubman Award – Ryan Marks & Most Improved Player – Nick Sheldrick. There were also Special awards for Paul Partridge – for reaching 100 appearances – and for Steve Birch for becoming the first player in the club’s history to make over 200 appearances.

2005-2006

The 2004/2005 season was probably the most eagerly anticipated season the club has ever looked forward to. The team would now be playing in the Premier Division of the O.B.D.S.F.L which was the highest standard we had played in during our then 9 year history. In order to compete at this level it was decided by Manager Paul Howe that the club would need to strengthen the squad and sign some new players. The club moved quickly and signed 4 new players including: Alan Selby, a very accomplished left footed player with a good touch and an eye for a goal, Craig Martin, who had played for club on numerous occasions before, Ben Henty & a new centre back in the shape of Vas Kyprianou. Paul Howe had arranged a schedule for pre season training which ensured all the players would be extremely fit for the start of the season. The pre season friendlies were all going well until Danny Page and Steve Birch both sustained long term injuries which proved the 19 man squad the manager had assembled was the right thing to do. Despite having a large squad the team didn’t start the season very well winning only one of our first 5 games and also being knocked out the Kent Cup which the club had entered for the first time. Things got even worse when Craig Martin and Gary Sparrow both left the club as the rotation system started to show how hard it is to keep such a big squad happy. There was more bad news when new centre back Vas Kyprianou left the club after the birth of his first baby. However, with the return of Steve Birch from his Achilles injury adding competition for places, the boys temporarily turned things around and stayed unbeaten until the New Year. After the Xmas break things went from bad to worse as we lost 6 consecutive games which meant relegation was a real possibility. The team could feel rather unlucky though as they were playing some of the best football in the division, this however wasn’t transferred into results and confidence was falling drastically. In the final few games of the season the good results returned as we beat promoted Eden Park Rangers 3-0 away in a thrilling match. Unfortunately it was too late as the club finished 2 nd from bottom and were duly relegated from the Premier Division. All in all it proved to be a disappointing season after so much promise at the start of the campaign. Manager Paul Howe felt the team shouldn’t feel too despondent as they were not beaten comprehensively by any side and had played some of the best passing football out of all the teams in the league. Unfortunately though no points are gained for good football and the lack of goals the team scored eventually took its toll. It was hoped with the right preparation the club could bounce straight back up to where we believed we belong in the Premier Division. The was a further low for the club as the now annual Paul Birch Memorial game was nearly cancelled due to the Paul Birch Old boys disappointingly struggling to get a team out. Instead through some hard work and many late phone calls, a mix and match Paul Birch XI was put together and in a thoroughly enjoyable game Paul Birch beat the PB XI 5-2. At the end of season awards presentation many players were rewarded for their efforts throughout the year, Steve Birch was voted Players Player by his fellow teammates, Danny Alder was awarded Manager’s Player of the Year, this year also see the introduction of a new award for Website Player of the Year (voted for by website manager Mike Smith) which went to new boy Alan Selby, the Most improved Player of the Year went to Ashley Watts, while Top goal scorer was shared between Terry Paine, Anthony Knight and Steve Birch. On top of all those awards, 3 players also reached the impressive milestone of 100 Appearances for Paul Birch FC, those players were John Wawrzewski, James Collins and Terry Paine.

2006-2007

Following relegation from the Premier Division the mood at the club was very somber. If the club had aspirations to return to league where it felt it deserved to be, then the player’s confidence would have to be restored quickly. At the start of pre-season the squad was very much the same as the previous year with only 3 new signings. Veteran Russell Elmes returned to the club for a second stint with brothers Sam & Tommy Reeves the only other new additions. However, after the annual pre-season friendlies several players left the club due to a variety of reasons, some of them players which had been at the club a long time. John Rees was forced to leave due to commitments away from football, with Terry Paine & Paul Partridge both deciding to give up football all together! This made the squad look very thin, especially with John McGuigan out injured and Sam Reeves awaiting the result of an appeal to overcome his suspension from the league. Some new players we’re quickly brought into the club but unfortunately some of them didn’t stay for long, so for the first 5 or 6 games the side was really just a team which the manager could scrape together for a Sunday. After Christmas, the club’s fortunes would turn round rather quickly. With John McGuigan back in the team, Sam Reeves back from suspension, plus new additions in the shape of Paul Smith and Ryan Tarrant there was now a regular squad for manager Paul Howe to pick from. Impressive results against the likes of unbeaten Coney Hall in the cup, showed what the new look PBFC we’re capable of. It was felt by the manager and the players that if the team went on a decent run till the end of the season, winning the league was a real possibility. This wouldn’t be an easy feat as Centresports Reserves were top having won all 9 of their games, plus an impressive new look Leabridge side looked like they would be up there too. After narrowly losing to Leabridge in January, the team went on an unbeaten run which saw them win 9 out of 11 games, this included their most impressive performance of the season against Masters winning 7-1. This excellent run gave the club a real chance of lifting the Division One trophy at the end of the season. With only 2 games left a victory in both games would ensure PBFC lifted the first trophy in its history, the only draw back was that both of the games were against league leaders Centresports Reserves who only needed a point to clinch the title. In yet more frustrating circumstances the games had to be played as a double banker due to Centresports reaching the final of the Paul Picard Cup (which they went on to win) and because extremely bad weather which had called many games off over the winter. This meant the season all came to a head on the final game of the season at Footscray Rugby Club. With a crowd of about 100 people watching the team felt very nervous, but extremely confident. Despite us needing a victory in both games and Centresports Reserves only needing a draw out of both, the manager and the players all felt the momentum was with them. Only 120 minutes of football stood between them and making PBFC history. The only player missing was new Striker Paul Smith (due to an operation to remove a lump from his neck) which meant there were no excuses for the team not to perform. After winning the first game 1-0 only 60 minutes stood between the team and the title. Nerves were high and a big performance was required to finally lift that elusive first trophy. The 2 nd game was as dramatic as they come. After a Centresports onslaught, they finally broke PBFC defence and went 0-1 up. However the team didn’t waste any time being upset and quickly bombarded the Centresports goal until Steve Birch scored an equalizer. Centresports didn’t waste any time either as they quickly put themselves back in front to make it 1-2. A lot of heads were down but the team refused to let their dream die and quickly set about scoring another equalizer. With only 5 left on the clock a Centresports player scored an own goal and suddenly the team could believe again. As nearly every player went forward in search of the winning goal it looked very likely it would come until Centresports player broke on the counter attack, only to be fouled just outside the area. Centresports scored the resulting freekick and the dream was over. In the end the team was pleased with their efforts as every player had given their all. After a season of turmoil to come within 5 mins of winning the league was a major achievement. The players had good reason to believe if the team which finished the season were there at the start of it, the title would have been ours. This meant the team could look forward with confidence to the 2007/2008 season and believe they can at least remain in the Premier Division next time round, which is where the club feels it belongs. Once again at the end of season there were many trophies to be shared out between the players. Every player was worthy of a trophy but in the end the lucky winners were as follows: Player’s Players of the Year – Alan Selby, Managers Player of the Year – Steve Birch, Website Player of the Year – Tommy Reeves, Top Goalscorer – Tommy Reeves, Most Improved – Danny Alder & Clubman Award – James Collins. Special awards were also handed to Russell Elmes, John McGuigan & Ashley Watts for playing over 100 games for the club.

2007-2008

At the end of the 2006/2007 season, OBDSFL Fifth Division side Bromley Rovers FC were contemplating their future. Rovers, managed by Gary Partridge, a friend of Steve Birch and Club Secretary Mike Smith, was about to fold the club when it was suggested that they move to Footscray Rugby club and become Paul Birch Reserves. Gary agreed and the reserves were born. They managed to keep a few of their players from the Rovers days and added a couple of former Paul Birch 1st team players such as Paul Partridge, Terry Paine and Gary Sparrow. Gary's dad Pete Sparrown came in to manage the side and they were ready for the new season. Meanwhile, the 1st team added Nick Byworth to their squad for their campaign in the Premier division and Danny Alder left the club. They had good wins over Griffin Sports and Albatross but the league was overrun by the power of new team FC Bickley and Keyworth and towards Christmans the results started to tail off and the side were struggling to stay up. Long-serving manager Paul Howe left the club in February 2008 and Captain James Collins took over until the end of the season and managed to keep the side up. The highlight of the season had to be reaching the final of the Paul Picard Cup. They were knocked out in the quarter-final by Midfield but by a stroke of luck, Eden Park and Milldean met in the semi-final and were then disqualified due to playing ineligible players. The team were then reinstated and beat Lessa Albion in the semi-final to reach the final. There they faced Centresports reserves in their first final in history and matched them man-for-man but to be undone and lost 1-0. A disappointing end to a fine day but the players could be proud in their performance and was alandmark moment for the club. As for the reserves, they had a transitional season and were looking to re-build their side. They had a run of wins but ended up 9th in the league. In relation to awards, James Collins picked up Player's player, Nick Byworth Managers Player, John Wawrzewski Clubman and Tom Reeves Top Goalscorer. The reserves awards went to Paul Partridge for Player's player, Ashley O'Shaughnessy Managers player and Gary Partridge clubman.

2008-2009

After a difficult previous season, this was always going to be a year of transition. For the first team, stand-in manager James Collins decided not to take on the post full-time and left the club. For the reserves, Pete Sparrow stood down at the end of the last season and therefore there were two management vacancies at the club. It was decided that longstanding players Steve Birch and Paul Partridge would take over reigns; Steve with the 1st team and Paul with the reserves. This was a new dawning for the club and a number of players left. Alot of hardwork was required to bring in new talent and it was a very busy pre-season. However, it was very productive and a number of good, young players were drafted in. As the managers were also playing they recruited Assistants, John Wawrzewski for the 1st team and Ashley O'Shaughnessy for the reserves. The 1st team looked like they were heading for a win in their first game at Coney Hall FC, leading 2-1 only to lose 3-2 in the last minute. After that, they had two further defeats on the trot before beating Eltham Progress 5-4 in a rain-sodden matach. From there, they hoped to kick on and really get the season going but it was not to be and they went on to lose the next three league games sandwiched in between defeats in the London cup and Paul Picard cup. Then came a fine win at Midway but then they went on a winless run until a further win at home to Eltham Progress 9-1. This was not enough to save the side and they ended up finishing bottom of the Premier Division after Midfield FC folded. It was always going to be a difficult season but the team certainly improved as the season went on and this youthful side will be hoping that it can mount a challenge in the First Division for the 2009/2010 season. As for the reserves, their season never got going, only picking up two wins and finishing bottom of the Fifth division. Again, like the first team, there was plenty of promise and the team will be hoping to produce more to finally mount a promotion challenge in the 2009/2010 season. This season, the club really pushed on in relation to its organisation and development and has a great chance to push on in the future.

			Welcome to Paul Birch Football Club Members of the Orpington & Bromley District Sunday Football League Affiliated to the London FA

	Club History	1996-2009		Honours	Home Ground	Club Colours
Home	Here a season by season run down since the club was formed back in 1996: 1996-1997 In the 1996-1997 season the club played in The Greenwich & Lewisham League and played all of their home games on Blackheath Common. The team had been donated a kit which was blue and white vertical stripes, black shorts & blue shorts. The first season wasn’t a very successful one and the team finished bottom of the league and barely won a game. The team didn’t have a proper manager and didn’t train regularly but that didn’t bother the players as it was as much of a social event as playing football. The club also became famous when a local Newspaper published an article on the ‘Front Page’ of their paper. At the end of the season Paul’s father Dave provided trophies for all players and Tristan Tipper was voted the first Player of the year for Paul Birch FC. 1997-1998 For the 1997-1998 the club decided to leave The Greenwich & Lewisham League, mainly because it wasn’t very well organised and there was a lot of trouble with other clubs. It was decided to move to The London & Kent Border League. New players were signed and one of them, Scott Major, was made Captain. Scott was to go on being Captain for 6 whole seasons until he left in 2003 with over 100 appearances for the club. The team improved slightly on the season before and training became more regular with several drinkers from “The Guy” taking the job as being manager which was really just picking 11 players to start instead of one of the players doing it (which by then had created a few “differences” between the players). The 1997-1998 Season was not a successful one but a definite improvement on the season before. The club played most of their home games at Danson Park and had a new kit, red shirts, black shorts with red socks, which was sponsored by “The Guy”. The team managed to win a few games this time round and the new teams they played against were much better attitude wise, which made playing much more enjoyable. It was good that most of the players were still Paul’s friends and that it was still as much a social occasion as it was a football team. 1998-1999 The 1998-1999 Season saw the team start to improve a bit more and by now training had become a regular thing. Team selection by now done by the captain Scott Major and the running of the club was much more organised. Lee Martin, one of Paul’s best friends that he’d known his whole life, was the person most responsible for this. The team continued to play their home games at Danson Park and midway through the season “The Guy” sponsored the club again a new kit was bought. The new colours were vertical yellow and blue stripes, yellow shorts and yellow socks. A very nice kit but washing it during the winter was a nightmare. The season to be a proved a much more successful one and the end of the season the club was promoted, which was by far the biggest achievement for PBFC so far. The main reason for this was a more settled side and the players having now played together for a few years meant they had started to play well as a team for the first time. In the end the 1998-1999 was a successful season for PBFC gaining promotion and now winning not losing most of the time. 1999-2000 The 1999-2000 Season was a much anticipated one. The club changed their venue for home games to Eltham Town which was a big improvement on Danson Park. Training was happening weekly and a few new players were brought in and the club now a good blend of players. They now had the experience of having played together for 3 years and Scott Major was proving to be a big success as captain. The team now had Ian “Roughy” McLean (a former Scottish International) as goalkeeper and also had a promising new strike force in Paul Flanagan with his experience and heading ability and Steve Birch who after finding it hard in men’s football in the early days was starting to shows signs of his true ability after finishing the 1998-1999 season as top goal scorer with 17 goals. The good part was that the players were still regulars from “The Guy” and it was still just a bunch of mates having a kick about on Sunday morning, but now they was doing well. The new strike force delivered with 55 goals between them and “Roughy” in goal was almost impossible to beat. The season ended up being a successful one again as the club were promoted for the second year running. The team had improved yet again everyone continued to enjoy being part of the club. 2000-2001 The 2000-2001 Season saw a few of the players leave the club and the squad wasn’t as big as it was. Most of the players that had been there a long time had stayed but a few of the fringe players decided to leave. The season started very well however and Paul Birch were playing some of the best football they had ever played. “Roughy” was still unbeatable in goal and Steve Birch continued to put the goals away as did his new strike partner Andy Costin, who had been at the club a long time (since 1997) but had always played in midfield or deputised for the strikers. The team was doing very well and midway through the season PBFC appointed their first ever manager, and Dave Curtis became Player-Manager. Dave was a very experienced player and had played Semi-Professional football for most of his career. He had started the season as a player but it was decided he was now going to take full charge of the team. He started to change a lot of things in the club and things improved straight away. He changed the way team trained, the way they prepared for a game and they way the team thought about the game. He also suggested to the club they moved to a different League. Although the London & Kent Border League was run much better than The Greenwich & Lewisham League there were still a lot of times when the referee hadn’t turned up, and when they did the standard of refereeing was very poor. Because of this the club agreed and decided to change league. So the club applied to enter The Orpington & Bromley District Sunday Football League (O.B.D.S.F.L.) which had a good reputation of being run very well and also having referees turn up on a regular basis with over 95% of games having referees. The club’s application was successful and was entered into the Third Division. The team continued to play very well for the rest of the season and in the end finished Runners-up in the League (although this was disputed by the League and no medals were ever given to the players for their achievement). Again the club would have been promoted for the 3 rd season running but obviously they were moving to the O.B.D.S.F.L. Manager Dave Curtis supplied some awards and Ian ”Roughy” McLean was voted the PBFC’s first Players Player of the Year with Steve Birch being voted the clubs 2nd Player of the Year. (No trophies for Player of the Year were given to anybody from the 1997-98 season till 1999-2000 season) 2001-2002 For the 2001-2002 Season the club had embarked on a new Era. A lot of things within the club had to change. The new League’s rules stated that you had to have various club officials which had to do their job properly or the club gets fined, in fact it seemed you got fined for almost anything. This is the reason why the O.B.D.S.F.L is run very well and has an excellent reputation. It means every club has to be run very well too; otherwise they wouldn’t be able to pay their fines and would be thrown out of the League. This meant that Paul Birch FC would also have get organised and because of this, various people were given jobs. Dave Birch, Paul’s father, was made Chairman of the club, Scott Major became Treasurer, Andy Costin became Club Secretary and Ian McLean became Fixtures Secretary. With Dave Curtis as Player-Manager and everyone having their new jobs the 2001-2002 Season was a much anticipated one. PBFC also had a good reason to be happy. Three regulars from “The Guy” Paul Ralph, Stan & Toby sponsored the club and provided enough money for 2 new Kits (the home kit was red & black vertical stripes, black shorts and black socks with the away kit having the same shorts & socks but the shirts with black & white vertical stripes) and lots of equipment like balls and a First Aid kit. The squad remained pretty much the same with only a couple of new players joining. Dave Curtis had given the players a good pre-season and done a lot of coaching with the players so they went into the season full of confidence despite not knowing what sort of standard they would be playing at. There were different views on which League to go for, some said Division Two and some said Division Four. In the end everyone met in the middle and chose Division Three. The team won their first game in the O.B.D.S.F.L but then lost 2 and drew 1 of their next 3 games. The team had lost some confidence and wondered whether they should have gone for Division 4 instead. They then had to play League leaders FC Lee Green who were unbeaten. PBFC won 6-0 and confidence was restored. The team then went on an unbeaten run till the end of the season where they narrowly missed out on the title to Masters by 2 points, so for the second season running, finishing Runners-up. Again for the 4 th year running the club had gained promotion, an excellent achievement. The club had had its most successful season so far and under Dave Curtis playing its best football as well. It was no longer about turning up on a Sunday for a kick about, the football was being taken very seriously and that’s what manager Dave Curtis demanded from his players. This however didn’t please all of the players, especially some players who had been at the club since day one. A few of them left, most notably Matt Mein, the club founder, Lee Martin and Dave Martin (after a serious injury), who were all good friends of Paul’s when he was alive. Some wanted it to carrying on being more of a social event than a serious football club. Dave had asked the players if they wanted to carrying being a “pub” side or to try and improve and start winning things, which meant a lot of hard work and effort from the players. The majority chose to improve and some players found it hard to put in the commitment Dave required. It’s a great shame that some of the players left as some of them were friends of Paul and friends of the players in the team. This meant that by the end of the season Steve Birch, brother of Paul Birch, was the only player who remained at the club since it started back in 1996 and it was no longer a team that drunk at “The Guy”. There was still another chance for success during the 2001-02 season though as the League entered the Club into the Intermediate League Cup towards then end of the season. The Competition was for teams who had finished all of there fixtures well before the end of the season. There wasn’t much hope at the start as traditionally the club has not fared well in Cup competitions. However, they managed to get through their group which set up a Semi-Final with rivals FC Lee Green. Paul Birch won on penalties and was in the Final of a Cup competition for the first time. Could Paul Birch pick up their first piece if silverware? Unfortunately not!! The Final was not a good day in the end as Old Smiths scored a Golden Goal to win 2-1 and the club’s dream was over. Still, it was a very successful season with the players getting their first medals for club for finishing Runners-up in Division Three. They didn’t however get anything for finishing Runners-up in the Cup which was a shame. At the end of the season, for the second time, many trophies were given to the players. These were again supplied by Chairman Dave Birch as he had done back in 1997. Scott Major was voted Players Player of the Year & Player of the Year, Steve Birch was awarded for being Top goal scorer 3 years running, Damien Hopkins was given the Clubman award and Paul Partridge was the Most Improved Player. 2002-2003 The 2002-2003 Season started with everyone feeling very confident. Yet more of the original players left but everyone was still feeling good about the season before and now 3 or 4 very good new players had joined the club. The club and the players felt they could win the league. Was this to be the year PBFC finally won some silverware? The team started very well with some good results but not long onto the season things started to change. Some of the new players left the club and all of a sudden the manager was just about finding 11 players to play. Had the club paid a price for trying to be ambitious and successful? The weather during the season was terrible and therefore between November and January remarkably only 3 games were played. This wasn’t good news for the club as it meant that double bankers would have to be played to get all games played by the end of the season. Unfortunately to make things worse, the manager’s girlfriend was expecting a baby and he had also started to manage a Saturday team which meant that finding time to train the players was getting increasingly hard. Dave Curtis then announced he’d be leaving the club at of the end of the season, a big blow after how far he had brought the club on since he joined in the 2000-2001 season. By now it was a struggle to find 11 players to turn out on a Sunday and there were only 5 or 6 players at training every week. Inevitably it all stared to take its toll on the teams’ results especially in the double bankers. In the end the team finished 4 th which was an achievement in the end after all that had gone on. Again the team was promoted, more from luck than anything else because originally only the top 3 teams were due to be promoted. However it happened though, the club had managed to gain promotion for the 5 th season in a row, which is a remarkable achievement and proof of how the club has improved year after year since it began back in 1996. In saying that the 2002-2003 Season is probably the only year in which the club has seemed to go back a step. The season ended with Dave Birch again supplying trophies for the players. James Collins was voted Players Player of the Year and Danny Alder Player of the Year, Steve Birch again picked up Top Goal Scorer for the 4 th year running after scoring his 100 th goal for the club midway through the season, Andy Costin received the Clubman award but this time no player was given Most Improved Player as it was felt there wasn’t anyone who really deserved it. Also Steve Birch, Scott Major, Andy Costin & Danny Alder became the first players to receive an award for making over 100 appearances for the club. There was more bad news at the end of the season though, not only was manager Dave Curtis leaving but more players decided to follow him including captain Scott Major and Andy Costin who had been at the club since 1997. This meant there were only 5 players left at the club and no manager which meant if the club was to going to carry on, a lot of new players and a new manager would need to be found. 2003-2004 In June 2003 the club was on the brink of folding. There were only 5 players left at the club and no manager so things were not looking too good. The club did however manage to change things around. First of all a new manager was found in the shape of Paul Howe. Throughout the summer the remaining players all tried hard to find new players to join the club. By July 2003 pre-season training had begun and several players who’d helped out at the end of the season before re-joined. More new players were brought in and by August 2003 there were 16 players ready for the new season, so thankfully the club was saved. Amazingly the club had to turn some new players away as the squad would have been too big to keep everyone happy. By the time the season got underway five pre-season friendly’s had been played and won so the team went into the season full of confidence. Danny Alder had been made Captain and with Paul Howe at the helm, the club was now more organized than ever. There was a big turn out for training every week and a fabulous team spirit had been created, everyone was hopeful of doing well in Division 1, but was the step up a league going to be too much for a completely new side or would the new team finish the season triumphant…??? After showing great pre-season form things didn’t start as well as first hoped. Up until Christmas the team struggled to find any consistency and the form by then read Played: 11, Won: 4, Drawn: 1 & Lost: 6. Unfortunately things were going to get even worse. In the New Year the team struggled to find any form and somehow didn’t manage to win a single game in January, February & March. Despite the bad run there were some decent hard earned draws against FC Poverest, Valley Valiants & a narrowly missed win against senior side Farnborough Old Boys in the cup. Come April everyone knew results had to improve or else there was the threat of being relegated. A pivotal last game of the season against Lynwood Rangers (Last years Division 2 winners) would decide whether the club would finish mid table or depressingly go straight back down. After a hard earned 3-2 win the threat of relegation had passed and somehow the club finished an impressive 4 th. The season did not end there though. 5 friendlies were arranged with 4 resulting in victory and only 1 loss in the annual charity game with Prince of Wales. At the end of a long season everyone could be extremely happy with 4 th place, only 1 place away from promotion spot. All of the players had worked very hard over the season, with the club on the verge of finishing all together just 9 months before everyone involved with PBFC could go away for the end of season break happy. At the end of May it was time the PBFC presentation 2004. Chairman Dave Birch again generously provided a club trophy for each player as well as the usual main awards. The awards were as follows: John McGuigan was voted Player’s Player of the Year; John Wawrzewski was named Player of the Year; Steve Birch finished Top Goal Scorer for the 6 th year running (please can someone else win this??); Danny Alder received the Clubman Award and Vadim Vlasyuk was named Most Improved Player of the Year. Also, a special award was given to Paul Partridge for making 100 Appearances for Paul Birch FC, only the 5 th player to have achieved this feat. 2004-2005 At the start of the 2004/2005 the club was hopeful of doing well. There was now a settled squad and with Danny Page (signed from Saturday side Cray Valley) replacing the departed James Maxim the team was looking solid. Given the state of the club at the start of term Finishing 4 th in 2004 was a great achievement, so Manager Paul Howe felt that team had a good chance of wining things or at least gaining promotion this term. Things looked good at the start of the season as the team kept their selves at the right end of the table and also managed to progress in both cup competitions too. By Christmas we had won 5 of our league games, losing only 2 and also found themselves in the Quarter-Final of both Cup Competitions. Unfortunately the cup runs didn’t continue as PBFC were knocked in both competitions out by Division One rivals Peckham Town & bogey side Griffin Sports. The team did however keep up their good league form and by April there was still 4 teams capable of winning the league including PBFC, and with fellow rivals Peckham Town, Griffin Sports & Eltham Town Utd Reserves still to play the final part of the season was going to be a very interesting one. In the end 2 hard earned draws against Peckham & Griffin and a win against eventual League winners Eltham Town Utd Reserves left the club in 3 rd place on goal difference and only one point away from 1 st Place. This meant the club had again gained promotion to the OBDSFL Premier division - the highest level the club has played. The team also enjoyed an excellent end to the campaign as they beat Tropair a club record 10-1 in the final game of the season. All round it was a successful season and one which left Chairman Dave Birch, Manager Paul Howe and his players very proud and happy. At the of the season the Club also arranged a Memorial & Fundraising match against some of the Paul Birch FC Old Boys. The match went very well with the game finishing 2-2 showing that some of the old boys can still play a bit. Also over £100 was raised for the club and it was very nice to play a match in Memory of Paul. At the traditional Awards Presentation there were some worthy winners. This was also the first year the club was able to provide the trophies instead of Chairman Dave Birch. The Winners were: Player’s Player of the Year – Terry Paine, Player of the Year – John McGuigan, Top Goal Scorer – Steve Birch, Clubman Award – Ryan Marks & Most Improved Player – Nick Sheldrick. There were also Special awards for Paul Partridge – for reaching 100 appearances – and for Steve Birch for becoming the first player in the club’s history to make over 200 appearances. 2005-2006 The 2004/2005 season was probably the most eagerly anticipated season the club has ever looked forward to. The team would now be playing in the Premier Division of the O.B.D.S.F.L which was the highest standard we had played in during our then 9 year history. In order to compete at this level it was decided by Manager Paul Howe that the club would need to strengthen the squad and sign some new players. The club moved quickly and signed 4 new players including: Alan Selby, a very accomplished left footed player with a good touch and an eye for a goal, Craig Martin, who had played for club on numerous occasions before, Ben Henty & a new centre back in the shape of Vas Kyprianou. Paul Howe had arranged a schedule for pre season training which ensured all the players would be extremely fit for the start of the season. The pre season friendlies were all going well until Danny Page and Steve Birch both sustained long term injuries which proved the 19 man squad the manager had assembled was the right thing to do. Despite having a large squad the team didn’t start the season very well winning only one of our first 5 games and also being knocked out the Kent Cup which the club had entered for the first time. Things got even worse when Craig Martin and Gary Sparrow both left the club as the rotation system started to show how hard it is to keep such a big squad happy. There was more bad news when new centre back Vas Kyprianou left the club after the birth of his first baby. However, with the return of Steve Birch from his Achilles injury adding competition for places, the boys temporarily turned things around and stayed unbeaten until the New Year. After the Xmas break things went from bad to worse as we lost 6 consecutive games which meant relegation was a real possibility. The team could feel rather unlucky though as they were playing some of the best football in the division, this however wasn’t transferred into results and confidence was falling drastically. In the final few games of the season the good results returned as we beat promoted Eden Park Rangers 3-0 away in a thrilling match. Unfortunately it was too late as the club finished 2 nd from bottom and were duly relegated from the Premier Division. All in all it proved to be a disappointing season after so much promise at the start of the campaign. Manager Paul Howe felt the team shouldn’t feel too despondent as they were not beaten comprehensively by any side and had played some of the best passing football out of all the teams in the league. Unfortunately though no points are gained for good football and the lack of goals the team scored eventually took its toll. It was hoped with the right preparation the club could bounce straight back up to where we believed we belong in the Premier Division. The was a further low for the club as the now annual Paul Birch Memorial game was nearly cancelled due to the Paul Birch Old boys disappointingly struggling to get a team out. Instead through some hard work and many late phone calls, a mix and match Paul Birch XI was put together and in a thoroughly enjoyable game Paul Birch beat the PB XI 5-2. At the end of season awards presentation many players were rewarded for their efforts throughout the year, Steve Birch was voted Players Player by his fellow teammates, Danny Alder was awarded Manager’s Player of the Year, this year also see the introduction of a new award for Website Player of the Year (voted for by website manager Mike Smith) which went to new boy Alan Selby, the Most improved Player of the Year went to Ashley Watts, while Top goal scorer was shared between Terry Paine, Anthony Knight and Steve Birch. On top of all those awards, 3 players also reached the impressive milestone of 100 Appearances for Paul Birch FC, those players were John Wawrzewski, James Collins and Terry Paine. 2006-2007 Following relegation from the Premier Division the mood at the club was very somber. If the club had aspirations to return to league where it felt it deserved to be, then the player’s confidence would have to be restored quickly. At the start of pre-season the squad was very much the same as the previous year with only 3 new signings. Veteran Russell Elmes returned to the club for a second stint with brothers Sam & Tommy Reeves the only other new additions. However, after the annual pre-season friendlies several players left the club due to a variety of reasons, some of them players which had been at the club a long time. John Rees was forced to leave due to commitments away from football, with Terry Paine & Paul Partridge both deciding to give up football all together! This made the squad look very thin, especially with John McGuigan out injured and Sam Reeves awaiting the result of an appeal to overcome his suspension from the league. Some new players we’re quickly brought into the club but unfortunately some of them didn’t stay for long, so for the first 5 or 6 games the side was really just a team which the manager could scrape together for a Sunday. After Christmas, the club’s fortunes would turn round rather quickly. With John McGuigan back in the team, Sam Reeves back from suspension, plus new additions in the shape of Paul Smith and Ryan Tarrant there was now a regular squad for manager Paul Howe to pick from. Impressive results against the likes of unbeaten Coney Hall in the cup, showed what the new look PBFC we’re capable of. It was felt by the manager and the players that if the team went on a decent run till the end of the season, winning the league was a real possibility. This wouldn’t be an easy feat as Centresports Reserves were top having won all 9 of their games, plus an impressive new look Leabridge side looked like they would be up there too. After narrowly losing to Leabridge in January, the team went on an unbeaten run which saw them win 9 out of 11 games, this included their most impressive performance of the season against Masters winning 7-1. This excellent run gave the club a real chance of lifting the Division One trophy at the end of the season. With only 2 games left a victory in both games would ensure PBFC lifted the first trophy in its history, the only draw back was that both of the games were against league leaders Centresports Reserves who only needed a point to clinch the title. In yet more frustrating circumstances the games had to be played as a double banker due to Centresports reaching the final of the Paul Picard Cup (which they went on to win) and because extremely bad weather which had called many games off over the winter. This meant the season all came to a head on the final game of the season at Footscray Rugby Club. With a crowd of about 100 people watching the team felt very nervous, but extremely confident. Despite us needing a victory in both games and Centresports Reserves only needing a draw out of both, the manager and the players all felt the momentum was with them. Only 120 minutes of football stood between them and making PBFC history. The only player missing was new Striker Paul Smith (due to an operation to remove a lump from his neck) which meant there were no excuses for the team not to perform. After winning the first game 1-0 only 60 minutes stood between the team and the title. Nerves were high and a big performance was required to finally lift that elusive first trophy. The 2 nd game was as dramatic as they come. After a Centresports onslaught, they finally broke PBFC defence and went 0-1 up. However the team didn’t waste any time being upset and quickly bombarded the Centresports goal until Steve Birch scored an equalizer. Centresports didn’t waste any time either as they quickly put themselves back in front to make it 1-2. A lot of heads were down but the team refused to let their dream die and quickly set about scoring another equalizer. With only 5 left on the clock a Centresports player scored an own goal and suddenly the team could believe again. As nearly every player went forward in search of the winning goal it looked very likely it would come until Centresports player broke on the counter attack, only to be fouled just outside the area. Centresports scored the resulting freekick and the dream was over. In the end the team was pleased with their efforts as every player had given their all. After a season of turmoil to come within 5 mins of winning the league was a major achievement. The players had good reason to believe if the team which finished the season were there at the start of it, the title would have been ours. This meant the team could look forward with confidence to the 2007/2008 season and believe they can at least remain in the Premier Division next time round, which is where the club feels it belongs. Once again at the end of season there were many trophies to be shared out between the players. Every player was worthy of a trophy but in the end the lucky winners were as follows: Player’s Players of the Year – Alan Selby, Managers Player of the Year – Steve Birch, Website Player of the Year – Tommy Reeves, Top Goalscorer – Tommy Reeves, Most Improved – Danny Alder & Clubman Award – James Collins. Special awards were also handed to Russell Elmes, John McGuigan & Ashley Watts for playing over 100 games for the club. 2007-2008 At the end of the 2006/2007 season, OBDSFL Fifth Division side Bromley Rovers FC were contemplating their future. Rovers, managed by Gary Partridge, a friend of Steve Birch and Club Secretary Mike Smith, was about to fold the club when it was suggested that they move to Footscray Rugby club and become Paul Birch Reserves. Gary agreed and the reserves were born. They managed to keep a few of their players from the Rovers days and added a couple of former Paul Birch 1st team players such as Paul Partridge, Terry Paine and Gary Sparrow. Gary's dad Pete Sparrown came in to manage the side and they were ready for the new season. Meanwhile, the 1st team added Nick Byworth to their squad for their campaign in the Premier division and Danny Alder left the club. They had good wins over Griffin Sports and Albatross but the league was overrun by the power of new team FC Bickley and Keyworth and towards Christmans the results started to tail off and the side were struggling to stay up. Long-serving manager Paul Howe left the club in February 2008 and Captain James Collins took over until the end of the season and managed to keep the side up. The highlight of the season had to be reaching the final of the Paul Picard Cup. They were knocked out in the quarter-final by Midfield but by a stroke of luck, Eden Park and Milldean met in the semi-final and were then disqualified due to playing ineligible players. The team were then reinstated and beat Lessa Albion in the semi-final to reach the final. There they faced Centresports reserves in their first final in history and matched them man-for-man but to be undone and lost 1-0. A disappointing end to a fine day but the players could be proud in their performance and was alandmark moment for the club. As for the reserves, they had a transitional season and were looking to re-build their side. They had a run of wins but ended up 9th in the league. In relation to awards, James Collins picked up Player's player, Nick Byworth Managers Player, John Wawrzewski Clubman and Tom Reeves Top Goalscorer. The reserves awards went to Paul Partridge for Player's player, Ashley O'Shaughnessy Managers player and Gary Partridge clubman. 2008-2009 After a difficult previous season, this was always going to be a year of transition. For the first team, stand-in manager James Collins decided not to take on the post full-time and left the club. For the reserves, Pete Sparrow stood down at the end of the last season and therefore there were two management vacancies at the club. It was decided that longstanding players Steve Birch and Paul Partridge would take over reigns; Steve with the 1st team and Paul with the reserves. This was a new dawning for the club and a number of players left. Alot of hardwork was required to bring in new talent and it was a very busy pre-season. However, it was very productive and a number of good, young players were drafted in. As the managers were also playing they recruited Assistants, John Wawrzewski for the 1st team and Ashley O'Shaughnessy for the reserves. The 1st team looked like they were heading for a win in their first game at Coney Hall FC, leading 2-1 only to lose 3-2 in the last minute. After that, they had two further defeats on the trot before beating Eltham Progress 5-4 in a rain-sodden matach. From there, they hoped to kick on and really get the season going but it was not to be and they went on to lose the next three league games sandwiched in between defeats in the London cup and Paul Picard cup. Then came a fine win at Midway but then they went on a winless run until a further win at home to Eltham Progress 9-1. This was not enough to save the side and they ended up finishing bottom of the Premier Division after Midfield FC folded. It was always going to be a difficult season but the team certainly improved as the season went on and this youthful side will be hoping that it can mount a challenge in the First Division for the 2009/2010 season. As for the reserves, their season never got going, only picking up two wins and finishing bottom of the Fifth division. Again, like the first team, there was plenty of promise and the team will be hoping to produce more to finally mount a promotion challenge in the 2009/2010 season. This season, the club really pushed on in relation to its organisation and development and has a great chance to push on in the future.
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