2002-03 was statistically Newparks best season since their inception in 1999. Confidence was rife in a squad strenghtened by the arrival of old Parkmere Juniors hot-shot Stuart Hannan. Chris Waddell and back after a three year absence Chris Peters completed the trio of signings. Chris Roffe was back too after a year plying his trade in the Kent League. Simon Dole also returned after a long 12-month lay off after vanishing after the 2002 awards evening. The 2003-04 season kicked off in June 2003 at the Newpark AGM/awards evening. A mass brawl developed during the event and tempers ran wild. Could this club survive another season after this faux pas? The answer was just about. Financially stable, boasting a healthy squad Newpark were up there with Seven Acre Sports (formerly known as RASRA) who were cruelly denied a promotion due to disciplinary problems. Seven Acre would provide opposition for the first game of the 2003-04 season. Ben Murphy was appointed player manager with John Norton his right-hand man. A 3-2 victory for Park courtesy of a Hannan brace and a Morris winner put 3 points on the board. Rowley, stand in keeper for the day saved a last minute penalty. It was going to be a tough season. As with earlier campaigns inconsistancy was the major factor in Newparks promotion quest.  The unknown quantity of Bexlians came into town and plundered a 1-0 win at Footscray. A 3-0 win over old rivals Blackheath put Newpark back on track. Hannan, Morris and Simon Dole clinched the points. After another win came another defeat. This time Parkhurst proved to strong for a weakended side and came away with a 3-1 victory. Josh Barnes grabbed a goal, argubly the goal of the season. Avery Hill were the next test and were duly despatched 3-1. Morris (2) and Norton sealed the win. Once again a win was quickly followed by defeat, Crofton Albion (formerly known as Eltham Invicta) easily beat Newpark 2-0. After six games Park languished in 8th place with 9 points. Talk of relegation loomed. Two draws with Johnson & Phillips and inexplicably Wickham 1-1 respectively, broke the mould and pushed Park slightly up the table. It was becoming a dismal season altogether. Seven Acre, Crofton and Old Roan led the way unassailably. A welcome 3 points at home to S Club XI showed some incentive. A Waddell header and a Hannan penalty confirmed the win. A trip to Farnborough yielded another 3 points. Hannan the chief tormenter bagged 5 goals for himself, Maloney and Waddell chipped in as well to earn the blues a 7-1 scalp. However as the early season form dictated a good win was followed by a shocking defeat. A desultory performance against Avery Hill consigned Newpark to a 3-1 loss. Hannan again on the score sheet. Bexlians would inflict another defeat as would Old Roan. A cup win over Greenwich Royals 6-1 was the only highlight in December. The match offered an historical purpose - the Peters brothers stepped out to become the first siblings to represent Newpark on the same pitch. Joe "Bodey" Peters came on as a second half sub. Entering 2004 the squad looked meagre. With no Tom Bartlett who had left for Erith, Gallagher had transferred back to Blackheath and Bridge had announced his retirement Murphy needed some new blood. Jack Fox, brother of Harry and Lydon Smith the athletic utility man came in and bolstered the ranks. After a 6 weeks interim due to bad weather West Wickham provided the opposition and were obliged 5-0 by Park on a wet day in February. Hannan (3), Waddell and a goal from the unlikliest of sources Mike O Donnell on as a sub sealed the win. The pinnacle of the season was the next game an impressive 4-2 win over runaway leaders and unbeaten before the game, Crofton Albion. Park stormed into a 2-0 lead courtesy of a Waddell screamer and a Hannan tap-in. Albion came back and equilised before half-time. Within 3 minutes of the restart Newpark were back in it. A Franklin long ball found Hannan who dribbled his way past Albions back-four and slotted home. Withing a minute he was dismissed for calling the ref a "prick.......you're a pr*ck". Jack Fox compounded Albions misery with a 4th. It was Newparks and Murphys finest hour. The lows in February were a narrow defeat in both league and cup to Old Roan and Avery Hill. Avery Hill would eventually succumb to a Seven Acre in the next round. The FA announced the top 5 in division 3 would be promoted due to a shortage of teams in the higher rungs of the alliance. It was all to play for. 5th spot was plausible. Six games remained with a minimum of 9 points required. A 1-1 draw with Seven Acre and a 0-1 defeat to Johnson & Phillips ended March - Maloney sent off for threatening to eat the refs face after a penalty decision! Blackheath beat Park 2-1 to begin April awfully. Franco this time received his marching orders for trying to attack an opponent who seemingly dived and conned a last minute penalty. An impressive 10-3 mauling of S Club XI featuring two hat-tricks from Hannan and Maloney improved the odds of promotion. A win over Farnboro edged us closer to the coveted 5th place. 2-1 the final score. However the disappointing season was summed up with a 3-0 loss to Parkhurst. The highlight of the day was Regan being booked before the game for throwing mud at the referee before the game during a pitch inspection and calling him a "Jerk". Johnson & Phillips won their 4 games in hand and leapt from 5th position to 3rd and clinched promotion. Season over and Newpark were consigned to another season in Division 3. Portugal 2004 loomed and it was a welcome break after a long, hard season.