Hello Patsy.  I supported Bexleyheath and Welling, later to become Bexley United, from 1962 onwards, but I don't remember a full-back named Ken Collins although his name does register.  There was a Bexleyheath Town FC which played on land behind the Crook Log.  But I don't know whether that was the predecessor club to Bexleyheath and Welling who played at PVR first as a Kent League side managed by old Charlton centre-forward Charlie Vaughan.  They used to draw home crowds of about 4,000 in the old Kent League days before they were voted into the Southern League playing the likes of Headington United (Oxford United), Yeovil Town, Cambridge City and United, Weymouth, Bedford Town, Guildford City, Chelmsford City.  Woking were a very small club then, as were Braintree, Staines, Dover, Lewes, Grays, Maidstone, Stevenage, Crawley (whose first team played B&W reserves in the old Metropolitan League)

Bexleyheath and Welling were the founder members of the South East Counties league and, as such, were the only non-league side youth team in a division consisting of the top youth teams from teams such as Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Fulham, West Ham and Charlton.  Their youth team, Bexleyheath and Welling Colts, played Manchester United at PVR in a quarter final of the FA Youth Cup. Man U's side that day contained virtually all of the later, successful, Busby Babes side that were killed or injured on that disastrous day at Munich airport.  Among the players who played against B&W Colts were, Duncan Edwards, Scanlon, Foulkes, Violett, Bobby Charlton, Pegg.  I always thought that there should have been some permanent recognition of the fact that the Busby Babes played at PVR.

I digress, to answer a further part of your question, Welling United is a different club and did not form from Bexley United.

has anyone ever considered writing a book on the club or has one ever been done.

-- Edited by Ron Manager on Monday 5th of April 2010 09:14:22 PM