Bowers and Pitsea FC

WEBSITE LATEST Updated 4/5/07

BOWERS FINISH 4th IN ESL TABLE AFTER 3-2 WIN AT STANSTED. WELL DONE BOYS

Bowers and Pitsea Football Club

The Len Salmon Stadium
Crown Avenue
Off Kenneth Road
Rectory Road
Pitsea
Essex
SS13 2BE

President: Harry Buckley

Chairman: Barry Hubbard

Vice Chairman: Albert Warner

Club Secretary: Lee Stevens

Director of Football: John Warner

1st Team Manager: John Doyle

Assistant Manager: John Bennett

Head Coach: Kieron Smith

Physio: Marie Matanle

Kit Man: Wayne Adcock

Reserve Team Manager: Doug Quinnell

Assistant Manager: Andy Everett

Club Honours

Senior Division Honours
Winners: 1980/81
Runners Up: 1976/77, 1977/78, 1983/84

Premier Division
Winners: 1998/99

Harry Fisher Trophy
Winners: 1991/92
Runners Up: 1989/90, 1998/99

History of the Club

The club began life in an old wooden cricket pavilion in 1947 on the site of what is now Pitsea Market. A move to Gun Meadow, Pitsea saw the purchase of a prefabricated building which was used as changing rooms. The building of the new A13 from Canvey to the Five Bells roundabout saw the compulsory purchase of the ground and the club's move to its current home at Crown Avenue, Pitsea. The ground was purchased from Basildon Development Corporation along with a prefabricated building which still serves as the dressing rooms. 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 Thurrock & Thameside Combination, he was to be joined a few years later by his brother Len Salmon, who passed away and will be 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. After winning the League Championship in 1958/59 we gained admission into the Essex Olympian League.

Our prowess as a competitive and well organised club, brought with our move to Crown Avenue, the opportunity to gain Senior status in 1974, which in turn, allowed us to qualify as members of The Essex Senior League (now called The Eastway Essex Senior League). Since our membership, in that year, we have established our position within the League's top clubs, gaining several League Trophies, the most recent being under Manager Tony Cross where he won the League and Cup double in 1998, enhancing our own, and the League's reputation in County, Vase and National F.A.Cup competitions. A noteworthy part of club history is our home gate of 1880 against local rivals Billericay Town in the F.A.Vase. Pitsea was formed in 1970 by Mr Peter Feltham and was first known as "Pitsea Young Peoples Club". The average age of the players was about 15, but as there were very few youth leagues in the area at that time, they went straight into men's football in the third division of the Vange and District Sunday league.

After the first season they dropped the "Young Peoples Club" and became known as Pitsea Football Club. They soon climbed their way through the divisions and progressed to the Basildon Sunday League in 1975/76 season. They remained in this league and at one point had three teams running.

They reached the top divisions of this league in 1981/82 season and although at times against the odds they managed to remain in the top flight. Pitsea's determination paid off in the 1994/95 season when "The Bull Public House" became the new sponsor and the then owner, Mr John Jones took the helm, taking Pitsea to their first Senior League Treble. John Jones moved on from "The Bull" and the new owner Mr Chris La-Rocque continued the sponsorship and also became the chairman of the club.

The 1995/96 season saw Amin Levitt take over the Managers mantle with help from big Dave Chaplin. The success continued with the treble in 1995/96 and with Shaun Scanlon stepping in to help Amin in 1996/97 season, Pitsea settled for the League and Cup double.

The season 2004/05 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 maybe success is just around the corner because a strong link has been established with the local community and the clubs facilities offer the residence a large Clubhouse, Bar and Function room Together with a ground capacity for 2000+ spectators, which includes seating for 180 in a well appointed stand, excellent floodlighting is also an advantage should we seek a higher plain to play our football on. This shows that after years of being in the wilderness, Bowers & Pitsea Football Club (formerly Bowers United) now intend to take the football side of the club forward.

The recent improvements to the ground and surrounding area as well as the Social Club will help Bowers & Pitsea Football Club to achieve this goal and with John Doyle and his team at the helm things are finally looking up for the football club and success can only be around the corner as the group grows stronger with an u18’s side, a very successful u15’s and an under 14’s, Under 13's, under 10's, Under 8's as well as the social side all trying to put the name of the club on the map