Since the Club’s first League fixture in 1953, it has issued a match programme for home fixtures but I regret to admit that there have been a handful of progammeless home matches along the way. For the first eight years of so, ther was a small sky blue issue with navy letterpress print produced by - I suspect under the old boys or masonic network.
The first programme had the match details printed thereon but as far as I can see, that was the only time that happened for many years. As well as the club name and the old County Borough badge, there was an artist’s impression of what the Arena might look like and this was to last until the end of the 1970-71 season.
It comprised eight sides, the club notes effectively being on page three and six, the lineups in the centre spread including league tables and fixtures and save for a portion of the front page, the balance was predominantly advertisements.
The page size increased from the beginning of the sixties when we progressed trhough the Surrey Senior League to spend a single year in the Spartan and then onwards and upwards into the Athenian League as it expanded.
It is less easy to say with any certainty whether some games in the Surrey Senior and Spartan League had match programmes, as far as I am aware, there was no league rule in those days which required one to be issued. There were a few occasions in the Athenian too where nothing was issued on our travels but nothing is documented and the facts lost in the mists of time.
This informal arrangement came to an end for the 1971-72 season when we were forced to have a pre-printed outer shell and roneoed notes. The ground picture had seen its last by this time, a side picture of the stand and an action shot of the floodlight opener against Crystal Palace replacing it.
I have to apologise for the logo used on the cover in the early Isthmian seasons, it was loosely based on one seen on Spicer Cowan lorries – it was to last until 1980, the only exception being the Millwall programme which due to the magnitude of the fixture was a properly printed edition.
The following year it was amended slightly as we moved from sky to white and a picture from that aforementioned Millwall match. 1982 saw the County Borough badge emblazoned in full colour including match details and this remained the case until around the 1987 season when the Vauxhall Opel logo replaced it.
Like many clubs, we went to a thicker programme in the mistaken belief that it bulkier was best. We did manage to produce a programme of sorts during the 1993-94 season and then the Jarvie era arrived. An improving programme and eventually one with a full colour cover produced and printed elsewhere until the money ran out.
Recent seasons have seen us cut our cloth according to our means both on and off the field and this has led to smaller than hitherto but nevertheless a contemporary record of what has been happening.
And now to the point behind this article, as club historian / anorak / perennial pain in the backside, I am trying to build up a complete collection of the club’s programmes both home and away. It has helped having followed the club since 1966 as I do possess most issues and the following is a list of what I require. There will be no gain for me in the long term – they will all be given to the local studies library on permanent loan to be stored away for posterity as a record of some of the football played in this Borough over the years. The list is almost correct as at 3rd April 2009 and if readers know for certain that some games did not have a programme (maybe clubs did not issue at all for the season(s) in question), I would be obliged if you would advise. And, if you have one of these programmes that doesn’t mean too much to you, I would love to either buy it or exchange for something else in my collection.
Steve Tyler - email Steve Tyler 07796554350 (m)The asterisk (*) indicates that I have a poor copy in the collection and a better condition example is required whilst the hash (#) advises that I am unclear as to whether a programme was issued.
Kent League.
Season: 2008-09
home Herne Bay
away
Season: 2007-08
home Beckenham Town, Erith Town, Worthing (FAC), VCD Athletic (LSC), Tunbridge Wells, Lordswood, Sporting Bengal United (LC), Sporting Bengal United (LC), Thamesmead Town, Herne Bay (LC), Faversham Town, Herne Bay, Hythe Town, Slade Green
away Thamesmead Town, Slade Green (FAC), Worthing(FAC), VCD Athletic, Crawley Down (FAV), Sporting Bengal United (LC), Lordswood (LC), Sevenoaks Town, Erith Town (LC), Faversham Town (KST), Faversham Town, Deal Town, Greenwich Borough, Hythe Town, Lordswood, Beckenham Town, Herne Bay, Erith Town,
Season: 2006-07
home Sandhurst Town (FAC), Sporting Bengal United (LC), Thamesmead Town, Erith & Belvedere, Eastbourne United (FAV), Hythe Town, Whitstable Town (LC), Tunbridge Wells, Greenwich Borough (LC), VCD Athletic, Deal Town, Slade Green, Whitstable Town, Greenwich Borough. away Whitstable Town, Lordswood, Erith Town, Sporting Bengal United, VCD Athletic, Greenwich Borough, Herne Bay, Slade Green, Faversham Town, Beckenham Town, Deal Town, Tunbridge Wells, Hythe Town
Isthmian League (8 plus final season + 3*+ 1#)
Season: 2005-06
home Camberley Town, Chalfont St Peter, Chertsey Town, Dorking, Edgware Town, Egham Town, Epsom & Ewell, Flackwell Heath, Hertford Town, Kingsbury Town, Ware, Wembley, Witham Town, Frimley Green (FAC), Staines Town (FAC), Brimsdown Rovers (LSC), Camberley Town (AMT), Epsom & Ewell (AMT), Hertford Town (AMT)
away Brook House, Camberley Town, Chalfont St Peter, Clapton, Edgware Town, Egham Town, Epsom & Ewell, Flackwell Heath, Hertford Town, Kingsbury Town, Wembley, Witham Town, Horsham YMCA (FAC), Staines Town (FAC), Camberley Town (AMT), Epsom & Ewell (AMT), Arundel (FAV), Dorking (AMT)
Season: 1990-91
away Southwick Season: 1989-90
home Whyteleafe*, Wembley*
Season: 1983-84
home Tooting & Mitcham United
Season: 1981-82
away Walthamstow Avenue Season: 1980-81
home Walthamstow Avenue* away Boreham Wood Season: 1979-80
away Kingstonian (f)# Season: 1976-77
home Ford United (LSC), Woking, Bishop’s Stortford
Season: 1974-75
home Carshalton Athletic (LC)
Athenian League (35 + 2* ( +11# pmfl) )
Season: 1973-74
away Redhill (PMFL)#, Horsham (PMFL)#
Season: 1972-73
away Redhill, Harwich & Parkeston, Southall, Lewes plus Hornchurch (PMFL)#, Tilbury (PMFL)# and (MC)#, London University)#, Leyton (PMFL)#
Season: 1971-72
away Hounslow plus Addlestone (PMFL)#, Southall (PMFL)#, Hayes (PMFL)#, Tilbury (MCSF)#
Seasom: 1970-71
home Worthing
away Bishop’s Stortford (ALC)
Season: 1969-70
away Lewes, Hornchurch
Season: 1968-69
home Dorking, Harlow Town*
away Ware, Chesham United, Hemel Hempstead, Hertford Town, Eastbourne United, Tilbury, Erith & Belvedere, Letchworth Town
Season: 1967-68
home Uxbridge (f)
Season: 1966-67
away Carshalton Athletic, Tilbury, Eton Manor (LSC), Dorking, Willesden (LSC), Hertford Town, Woking (SIC)
Season: 1965-66
home Cheshunt, Aylesbury United, Boreham Wood, Edmonton Town*
away Edmonton Town, Epsom & Ewell#, Herne Bay
Season: 1964-65
away Eastbourne United, Clapton (AC), Berkhamsted Town
Spartan League (10) Season: 1963-64
home Crown & Manor, Wood Green Town
away Molesey, Petters Sports, Staines Town, Kingsbury Town, Vauxhall Motors, Hoddesden Town, Crown & Manor, Huntley & Palmer
Surrey Senior League
Season: 1962-63
home Addlestone, Worcester Park, Camberley, Addlestone (SSC), Corinthian Casuals (SSC), Camberley (LC), Addlestone (LC)
away Camberley, Vickers, Chobham, Cobham, Whyteleafe, Banstead Athletic, Hampton, Addlestone, Worcester Park, Farncombe, Farncombe (LC @ Chobham), Chobham (CC), Whyteleafe (CC @ Cobham), probably not issued for Frimley Green (AC)#
Season: 1961-62
home Addlestone, Farnham Town, Malden Town
away Chobham, Cobham, Camberley, Banstead Athletic, Worcester Park, Farncombe, Malden Town, Selhurst Park, Whyteleafe, Vickers, Hampton, Farnham Town, Farncombe, Hampton (CC) probably not issued for Frimley Green#, Frimley Green (AC)#
all required except
Season: 1960-61
home Worcester Park (SSC), Addlestone, Farncombe (AC), Dorking (AC), Addlestone (CC), Camberley, Chobham, Vickers (LC), Whyteleafe, Hampton, Vickers
away Addlestone, Farncombe, Dorking (AC) plus TH&DFL (Croydon Millenary Final)
programmes not issued for Frimley Green, Whyteleafe, Vickers, Farnham Town, Camberley, Cobham, Whyteleafe (SSC)
Season: 1959-60
home Whyteleafe, Hampton (LC), Cobham, Petters, Chertsey Town, Devas Institute
away Banstead Athletic, Malden Town, Chertsey Town, Chertsey Town (LCF @ Kingstonian)
Season: 1958-59
home Whyteleafe, Devas Institute
away Addlestone, Malden Town (LC), Worcester Park
Season: 1957-58
home Eastbourne (AC)
away Eastbourne (AC)*
Season: 1956-57
home Cobham (s/s), Worcester Park (SSC)
away
Season: 1955-56
home Leatherhead (AC), McLaren Sports, Cobham, Surbiton Town, Banstead Athletic
away Banstead Athletic, Dorking, Malden Town, Camberley, Chertsey Town
Season: 1954-55
home Malden Town, Camberley, Hawker Athletic
away Farnham Town, Surbiton Town, Worcester Park, Cobham, Malden Town, Molesey, Farncombe, McLaren Sports (LC), McLaren Sports (CC), Devas Institute#,
Season: 1953-54
home Devas Institute (CC), Cobham, Molesey
away Cobham, Farncombe, Surbiton Town, Camberley, Banstead Athletic, Devas Institute#, Devas Institute (LC)#, Devas Institute (CC)#
The asterisk (*) indicates that I have a poor copy in the collection and a better condition example is required whilst the hash (#) advises that I am unclear as to whether a programme was issued.