Welcome

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Colston Avenue for this Isthmian Premier fixture. I would especially like to welcome the officials, players, and fans of Bowers & Pitsea FC

Please can I remind you:

• We serve a selection of draft beers and real ale in our clubhouse.
• We serve a wide range of food from our matchday kitchens from midday.

I would like to wish both teams the best of luck in this important fixture.

Paul Dipre – Chairman

Match Officials

Team Officials

	Carshalton Athletic FC Peter Adeniyi
	Bowers & Pitsea FC Joe Flower

Recent Clashes

14/12/2024		0-3
21/01/2023		1-0
05/11/2022		1-0

History

Carshalton Athletic FC 1906

Bowers & PItsea

After the war years, once stability had come to the nation, many new sporting clubs sprang up. One such club was our own, BOWERS UNITED, started in 1946 by Bert Salmon, playing at Gun Meadow, Pitsea, in the Southend District League as a junior club before moving across to Thurrock & Thameside Combination, he was to be joined a few years later by his brother Len Salmon, who passed away in 2002 and is still sorely missed by everyone within the club. The biggest tribute Bowers Sport & Social Club could give him was to name his beloved football stadium after him.

In 1965 Bowers United entered the Essex Olympian League
and this was to be where they stayed until 1974 when the club was successful in their application to join the recently newly formed Essex Senior League. As well as moving to a new League the Club also moved from Gun Meadow (Behind the Gun Pub) into their current ground at 20 Crown avenue in 1975 a Tottenham Hotspur x1 helped open the ground on the day, Senior status was granted by the Essex FA in 1978.

Success was just around the corner as in 1980-1981 the club won their first Essex Senior League title under the guidance of ex Southend United winger Malcolm Slater. They also added the League Challenge Cup the following year. Before Slater departed the club.

In 1998-99 a clean sweep of all three cups was achieved as they won the The Essex Senior League title, League Challenge Cup and the Harry Fisher Trophy under Tony Cross’s all conquering team. They also won the Don Douglas Trophy for top goal scorer with David Hope as he scored 52 League and Cup goals that season.
With the club unable to apply for promotion the team was soon broken up and it was not until 2004/05 when we saw a new name on the footballing map when Bowers United took Pitsea Football clubs name to produce BOWERS & PITSEA FOOTBALL CLUB, and with a new start and a new team at the helm success was just around the corner because a strong link was established with the local community. and the clubs facilities that offered the residence a large Clubhouse, Bar and Function room Together with a ground capacity for 3000+ spectators, which includes seating for 400 in a well-appointed stand, excellent floodlighting is also an advantage at a higher level in which to play our football on. This showed that after years of being in the wilderness, Bowers & Pitsea Football Club (formerly Bowers United) now intended to take the football side of the club forward. Michael Barnard and Barry Hubbard joined forces to try to bring success to the club both on and off the field of play.

In season 2015/16 Rob Small topped his haul from the previous season by winning the Essex Senior League Championship, getting to the quarter finals of the Essex Senior Cup but more impressive was reaching the semi-finals of the FA Vase were Bowers were narrowly beaten by eventual winners Morpeth Town 2-1 away after drawing the home leg 2-2.
We finally achieved one of our goals to reach and play in the Isthmian League and we finished our first season in 6th place just three points outside the play-off positions. This followed with a third-place finish in season 2017/18 which saw us narrowly miss out on promotion, losing in the play-offs to Canvey Island.
The 2018/19 season saw us reach the Premier League as we finished the campaign with 92 points, 29 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses with a very healthy 71 goal difference.
Season 2019/20 saw our first ever season in the topflight and although sitting 14th the season was abruptly ended due to the Covid19 outbreak. and with the upgrade to a 3g pitch and new stands, changing rooms, bar and turnstiles things are heading in the right direction.

Season 2021/22 saw us hit another milestone as we reached the FA Cup 1st round, Gallantly losing to Lincoln City 1-0. This was also to be Rob Smalls last season at the managers helm as his departure was to herald a new era for the club.

The summer of 2022 saw the departure of not only Rob Small, but every member of the previous year’s playing squad. New Manager James Collins, brought in from Faversham Town, was left with the nigh impossible task of assembling a full squad in time for the new campaign that could compete against relegation.

Despite a valiant effort in the 2022/23 season, including an upturn in form after Christmas, Bowers succumbed to relegation. The 2022/23 season did see some success for James Collins’ men, as they overcame Grays Athletic 3-2 to win the Thameside Trophy for the first time in the clubs’ history. This despite playing over 80 minutes with midfielder Oscar Shelvey in goal!

A successful 2023/24 season culminated in Bowers achieving promotion back to the Isthmian Premier Division, at the first time of asking, with Play Off Final Penalty Shoot Out win over Brentwood Town. Bowers had struggled in the early part of the since, but a run of 9 straight victories saw them cement their play off place.
A dramatic penalty shoot out win in the semi final against Felixstowe & Walton United, after a 2-2 draw, got Bowers into the final, where David Hughes was the shootout hero once more, saving 2 penalties in both the Semi Final and Final despite having a torn rotator cuff.

CAFC People

Chairman: Paul Dipre
Directors: Clare Dipre, Paul Williams, Kelly Riddel, Vicky Mannooch

Club Secretary: Bonnie Hare
General Manager: David Geddes
Match Day Tannoy: John Kistner
Admissions: Andy Rickman
Matchday Sec: Christian Kemble
Safety Officer: Clare Dipre
Programme: Christian Kemble
Media: Joe Turner & Lin Bartley

Club Vice Presidents:
Phillip Payne, Steve Friend, Alan Walker, Kay Maynard, John Kistner, David Reilly, Martin Reilly, Peter Clews, Alec Griffin, Gary Smith, Alan Clarke, Peter Lebihan, Peter Robins, Marc Haskins, John Hillarby, Graham Skipp, Matt Hillarby

Matchday:
1st Team Manager: Peter Adeniyi
Coaches: Charlie Acres
Physio: Dave Feasey
Kit Manager: David Geddes
Matchday Safeguarding Officer: Andy Rickman

The Club is owned by Paul Dipre & Family by way of controlling interest

CAFC Snapshot

Surrey County FA
London FA
Pitching-In Isthmian League Premier Division
Isthmian Development League
The National League U19 Alliance
Isthmian Youth League
Surrey Youth League
Surrey County Women’s & Girl’s League
Epsom and Ewell League
Registration Number: 05316320

Contact details
War Memorial Sports Ground, Colston Avenue.
Carshalton. Surrey SM5 2PW
Tel: 020 8642 2551
Email: enquiries@carshaltonathletic.com
Web: www.carshaltonathletic.co.uk
TV: www.robins.tv
Twitter: @CarshaltonA_FC
Instagram: (Link to your Instagram profile)

The Robins Choir

Ground Rules

Colston Avenue Ground Rules

Carshalton Athletic is a FA Charter Standard Community Club.
We do our best to make every matchday or event as safe and enjoyable as we can for players, fans, customers and officials. We also respect the amenity of our neighbours.

To those ends we have ground rules that we respectfully ask visitors to the ground to abide by.

Approaching and leaving the ground and stadium

Please respect the amenity of neighbours surrounding the ground when arriving and leaving the ground. If driving please drive very slowly and carefully in the access road approaching the ground and in the car parks inside the ground. Please avoid making unnecessary noise in the surrounding roads on your journey to the ground, please save it all up in support of your team!

Dogs

Dogs are not permitted in the stadium, regardless of size and nature. (Except guide dogs)

No Drums or clappers

Our operating licence prohibits the use of drums, clappers or musical instruments, they cannot be brought into the ground

Flags and Banners

There are plenty of places to hang flags and banners around the ground, but pleased don’t hang them over the pitch-side barriers where they cover advertising hoardings.

Bring Photo ID

Please bring photo ID. You may need it for purchasing alcohol. Seniors, U18s and all season ticket holders will need to show it at the turnstiles, no exceptions.

Challenge 25

If you are lucky enough to look under the age of 25, then you will need to show a driving license, passport or an id card bearing the PASS hologram. Staff will lose their jobs if they don’t adhere to the challenge 25 guidelines.

Video Filming

Any filming within the ground that is intended for publishing online must seek written permission before filming – except for the official videographers of opposition clubs who may film at the ground for the period beginning 2 hours before kickoff and ending two hours after kickoff. Other private or third party videographers must seek the clubs written permission prior to filming within the ground if the footage it to be published online.

Commercial Photography

Any filming within the ground that is intended for publishing online must seek written permission before filming – except for the official videographers of opposition clubs who may film at the ground for the period beginning 2 hours before kickoff and ending two hours after kickoff. Other private or third party videographers must seek the clubs written permission prior to filming within the ground if the footage it to be published online.

No foul language please

As a community club, many fans and customers are families with young children. Please help us to provide an environment suitable for the whole family.

Hospitality

Football on TV

Partners with Sky Sports & TNT Sports.

Every evening, every matchday, all the big games are showing on our big screens

Two viewing rooms – both with 75 inch LED screens, Dolby sound and fully stocked bars.

Matchday food

Gourmet Steak Burgers

Our steak burgers are fresh and from local sustainable suppliers – Scotts the Butchers.
Our Burgers are fresh, never frozen. Made with English Steak and cooked to perfection.
Our Buns are fresh, never frozen. Soft and squidgy.
Our Onions and fresh, never frozen. Slow-cooked for 4 hours and caramelised

WE DONT RIP YOU OFF – 1/4 POUNDER IS UNDER A FIVER

Chips

You wont find tastier chips anywhere.

Pies

We serve a range of meat and vegetable pies

Matchday food

Bean to Cup Coffee

Our coffee is freshly ground and brewed. Choose a cappuccino, latte, americano or flat white

Fully stocked free-house Bar

Choose from our wide selection of real ales, craft beers and a vast range of liquors.

Respect statement

“The Isthmian Football League strongly supports the FA statement that there should be a zero tolerance approach against racism and all forms of discrimination. Accordingly any form of discriminatory abuse whether it by reason of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion and belief, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex and sexual orientation or any other form of abuse will be reported to The Football Association for action by that Association.” (The FA 0800 085 0508 / Kick it Out 020 7253 0162). The Isthmian League and all Member Clubs in the League are committed to promoting equality by treating people fairly and with respect, by recognising that inequalities may exist, by taking steps to address them and providing access and opportunities for all members of the community.”

League sponsors