SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
                                 (RULE 14a-101)
                     INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT

                            SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
           PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(A) OF THE SECURITIES
                    EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 (AMENDMENT NO. ___)

Filed by the Registrant [x]
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant [ ]

Check the appropriate box:
[ ]Preliminary Proxy Statement                 [ ]Confidential, for Use of the
[ ]Definitive Proxy Statement                     Commission Only (as permitted
[X]Definitive Additional Materials                by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
[ ]Soliciting Material Under Rule 14a-12

                              CENTRAL BANCORP, INC.
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                (Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)


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    (Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)

Payment  of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
[x]   No fee required.
[ ]   Fee  computed on table below per  Exchange  Act Rules  14a-6(i)(1)  and
      0-11.

      1.  Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:

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      2. Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:

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      3. Per  unit  price  or other  underlying  value  of  transaction
         computed  pursuant  to  Exchange  Act Rule 0-11 (Set forth the
         amount on which the filing fee is calculated  and state how it
         was determined):

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      4. Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:

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      5. Total fee paid:

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[ ]   Fee paid previously with preliminary materials:___________________________

[ ]   Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange  Act
      Rule  0-11(a)(2)  and identify the filing for which the  offsetting fee
      was paid previously.  Identify the previous filing by registration
      statement  number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

      1. Amount Previously Paid:

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      2. Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:

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      3. Filing Party:

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      4. Date Filed:

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                          [Central Bancorp Letterhead]


TO:  PARTICPANTS IN THE CENTRAL CO-OPERATIVE BANK
     EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

     Under the terms of the Central  Co-operative  Bank Employee Stock Ownership
Plan (the  "ESOP"),  you have the right to direct  the ESOP  Trustees  as to the
manner in which you wish to vote the shares of common stock of Central  Bancorp,
Inc. ("Central") allocated to your ESOP account at Central's 2002 Annual Meeting
of  Stockholders.  Under  the  terms of the ESOP and  subject  to the  Trustee's
responsibilities  under  applicable  law,  the  ESOP  trustees  will  vote  your
allocated  shares in accordance  with your  instructions.  Allocated  shares for
which timely voting  instructions are not received will be voted by the Trustees
in the same  proportion as  participants  vote allocated  stock.  Therefore,  we
encourage  you to  exercise  your right to direct  the voting of your  allocated
shares at the meeting.

     HOW TO EXERCISE YOUR RIGHTS.  You may direct the voting of shares allocated
to  your  account  by  completing,  signing  and  returning  the  enclosed  ESOP
Participant  Direction  Form.  Proxy cards supplied with proxy materials are not
appropriate  for the purpose of instructing the ESOP Trustees in connection with
the voting of shares allocated to your ESOP account.

     CONFIDENTIALITY  OF  VOTING  INSTRUCTIONS.  Your  instructions  to the ESOP
Trustees will be  completely  confidential.  Central has engaged an  independent
firm, Computershare Trust Company, Inc. ("Computershare") to serve as the ESOP's
confidential  voting  agent.  ESOP  Participant  Direction  Forms are to be sent
(using the  postage-paid  envelopes  provided  therewith) to  Computershare  and
should  NOT be sent to  Central or its proxy  solicitor,  Georgeson  Shareholder
Communications, Inc.

     Computershare  will count your votes and report the aggregate totals of all
voting  instructions to the Trustees.  Computershare has agreed to maintain your
voting  instructions  in  strict  confidence.  In no  event,  will  your  voting
instructions be reported to Central.

     DELIVERY OF PROXY MATERIALS. A copy of Central's proxy statement and a copy
of its 2002 Annual Report to Stockholders are enclosed for your review. As noted
in the proxy  statement,  the 2002 Annual Meeting is scheduled for September 30,
2002, at 11:00 a.m., in Somerville, Massachusetts.

     Enclosed is a ESOP  Participant  Direction Form which you should use if you
wish to direct the ESOP  trustees to vote shares  allocated  to your  account in
connection  with the slate of  directors  endorsed by the Board of  Directors of
Central.  PLEASE NOTE THAT TO DIRECT THE ESOP  TRUSTEES TO VOTE WITH  RESPECT TO
ANY OF THE FOREGOING,  YOU MUST  SPECIFICALLY MARK YOUR INSTRUCTIONS ON THE ESOP
PARTICIPANT DIRECTION FORM. ITEMS LEFT BLANK WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED INSTRUCTIONS
TO THE ESOP TRUSTEES.


     The ESOP  trustees  understand  that PL Capital  Group,  a  stockholder  of
Central,  has prepared a proxy statement  soliciting proxies for the election of
two nominees in opposition to the nominees endorsed by the Board of Directors in
the enclosed Central proxy statement.  If PL Capital Group's proxy statement and
other soliciting materials are provided to the ESOP trustees,  the ESOP trustees
will distribute such materials to you.  Additional  ESOP  Participant  Direction
Forms will be provided that will permit participants of the ESOP to instruct the
Trustees  regarding  the  voting  of  shares  allocated  to  their  accounts  in
connection with the matters described in any such additional proxy  solicitation
materials distributed by PL Capital Group.

     Voting  instructions  for shares  allocated  to your ESOP  account  must be
received  by  5:00  p.m.  Mountain  time  on  September  26,  2002  on the  ESOP
Participant  Direction  Forms  provided by the ESOP  trustees for that  purpose.
AGAIN, ALL ESOP PARTICIPANT DIRECTION FORMS SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO COMPUTERSHARE
AND  SHOULD  NOT  BE  MAILED  TO  CENTRAL  OR  ITS  PROXY  SOLICITOR,  GEORGESON
SHAREHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS.

     In order to make an informed  judgment  concerning how to instruct the ESOP
trustees to vote your  allocated  shares,  YOU SHOULD  READ ALL PROXY  MATERIALS
CAREFULLY  AND  THOROUGHLY.  The ESOP trustees will not recommend how you should
complete your ESOP Participant Direction Form.

     WHEN TO SUBMIT YOUR ESOP  PARTICIPANT  DIRECTION  FORM. You may submit your
voting instructions to the confidential voting agent at any time, except that in
order to be effective your  instructions MUST BE RECEIVED by not later than 5:00
p.m.  Mountain time on September 26, 2002. If  Computershare  receives more than
one ESOP  Participant  Direction Form from you, the Form bearing the LATEST date
will be considered to have  cancelled all Forms bearing an earlier date. If more
than one ESOP  Participant  Direction  Form is received  from you as of the same
date,  Computershare  will  consider  the Form  bearing  the latest  postmark as
controlling.  You may request additional Forms at any time by contacting Michael
K. Devlin at (617) 629-4244.

     If you have any questions regarding the procedures for instructing the ESOP
Trustee, please call (617) 629-4244.


                                        ESOP Trustees
                                        August 30, 2002



                              CENTRAL BANCORP, INC.

               ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS, SEPTEMBER 30, 2002
      THIS DIRECTION FORM IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

                            Central Co-operative Bank
                          Employee Stock Ownership Plan
                    Revocable ESOP Participant Direction Form

The  undersigned  hereby  instructs the ESOP  Trustee(s)  (currently  Gregory W.
Boulos and Terence D. Kenney), or their successors, to vote, either by ballot or
by proxy,  all shares of common stock of Central  Bancorp,  Inc. (the "Company")
which are allocated to the account(s) of the undersigned pursuant to the Central
Co-operative  Bank  Employee  Stock  Ownership  Plan (the  "ESOP") at the Annual
Meeting of Stockholders to be held at the Somerville  Holiday Inn, 30 Washington
Street,  Somerville,  Massachusetts on Monday, September 30, 2002 at 11:00 a.m.,
and at any and all adjustments thereof, as set forth on the reverse side hereof.

The undersigned  acknowledges receipt from the Company prior to the execution of
this form of Notice of the Meeting, a proxy Statement dated August 30, 2002, and
the Company's Annual Report to Stockholders.

In order to be effective, voting instructions must be received by Computershare,
the  confidential  voting  agent,  no later than  September  26, 2002.  You must
specifically  mark your  instructions on this form. Items left blank will not be
considered instructions to the ESOP Trustee(s).

The Board of Directors of the Company recommends a vote "FOR" each of the listed
nominees.

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|               Please sign exactly as your name appears hereon.               |
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 [x]     PLEASE MARK VOTES
         AS IN THIS EXAMPLE

                                                          
1. The election as directors of all nominees listed          THE  ESOP  TRUSTEE(S)  WILL  VOTE AS  DIRECTED  HEREON.
   below (except as noted to the contrary).                  THIS REVOCABLE ESOP PARTICIAPNT  DIRECTION FORM CONFERS
                                                             DISCRETIONARY  AUTHORITY  PRESENTED AT THE MEETING.  IF
                                                             ANY  OTHER   BUSINESS  IS  PRESENTED  AT  THE  MEETING,
                                                             INCLUDING  MATTERS  RELATING  TO  THE  CONDUCT  OF  THE
                    For All      With-    For All            MEETING,  THE ESOP  TRUSTEE(S)  WILL VOTE IN HIS(THEIR)
                    Nominees     hold      Except            DISCRETION  AND  IN  ACCORDANCE   WITH  THE  APPLICABLE
                                                             FIDUCIARY  PRINCIPLES.  AT THE PRESENT TIME,  THE BOARD
                                                             OF  DIRECTORS   KNOWS  OF  NO  OTHER   BUSINESS  TO  BE
Marat E. Santini      [ ]        [ ]       [ ]               PRESENTED  AT  THE  MEETING.  IF  NO  INSTRUCTIONS  ARE
John F. Gilgun, Jr.   [ ]        [ ]       [ ]               SPECIFIED,  THIS  DIRECTION  FORM WILL HAVE NO FORCE OR
Paul E. Bulman        [ ]        [ ]       [ ]               EFFECT  AND ALL  SHARES  ALLOCATED  TO YOUR  ACCOUNT(S)
                                                             WILL BE  VOTED  BY THE ESOP  TRUSTEE(S)  IN  ACCORDANCE
                                                             WITH THE TERMS OF THE ESOP, SUBJECT TO THE ESOP
NOTE: If you do not wish your shares voted "For" a           TRUSTEE(S) RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
particular nominee, mark the "For All Except" box and
strike a line through the name(s) of the nominee(s)
in the list above. Your shares will be voted for the
remaining nominee(s).


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|(First Name)(Middle Initial)(Last Name)   (Shares)|
|                                                  |
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Please be sure to sign and date this      | Date                    |
Direction Form                            |                         |
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ESOP Participant sign here