CHAS STEVENS rolled back the years on Saturday when, as mascot, he led Beckenham Town Football Club out on to the Eden Park Avenue pitch for the first time in 54 years.

Prior to that, the last time he performed the duty was in 1950 as an eight-year-old!

Last Saturday, he did the honours again when Beckenham played their first home match of this season's Go Travel Kent Premier League against Ramsgate a match that ended 2-2 after Beckenham had been two goals down after just 19 minutes.

Club officials thought having Chas lead the side out, along with former player Alf Silver, would be a fitting way to commemorate the re-opening of the ground; following an £80,000 grant from The Football Foundation for ground improvements.

The move came about after club historian Ian Muir found an old photograph, dated 1948, of the starry-eyed youngster leading out the Beckenham side while researching for his book, The History of Monks Orchard and Eden Park available in October with co-author Pat Manning.

Chas, 64, from Beckenham, who is currently enjoying his retirement playing the odd round of golf and squash following 40 years of sterling service to the Sainsbury's group, says he is honoured by the club's gesture.

He said: "It was great to meet up with the guys who played from that time again, some of whom will be in their Eighties. I was delighted to do it and it's also nice that someone is writing a history of the club.

"It's pretty spooky looking back at the photo of me, because I remember all the names of the players but I can't remember the score that day; I was only eight at the time.

"My father, Charles, was the vice-president of the club at the time and that's how I became involved.

"I was Beckenham's mascot for about two years from the time I was eight.

"However, I stopped going to the games when I started playing football myself for Bromley Grammar School and later Wickham Park boys' team, and then the seniors."

So did Chas lead Beckenham out in the club's replica strip on Saturday? "No, I thought I was a bit too old for that now," he chuckled.