The pre-season has been completed and we move on this Saturday to our opening match of the 2025-26 season. The draw for the opening round of the FA Cup dealt us a very difficult fixture with a home game against the holders of the FA Vase - Whitstable Town. As is normal, we are not able to play an FA Cup tie at our own ground so the fixture is at Steyning Town's ground at 3pm. Our opponents will arrive having had the benefit of a home win in the opening round of the SCEFL last Saturday while our lads will have to hit the ground running. Come along and see if we can preserve our winning record against Whitstable Town having won there in the FA Vase two seasons ago.

On Monday our ground will be buzzing with the sound of the contractors commencing the pitch drainage work. It has been a long time coming but over the following two weeks the trenches for the drainage pipes will be dug, the pipes and their feeder pipes buried in gravel topped with soil and grass seed applied. Then we wait for the grass to take root and create a new thatch over the trenches. The time this will take depends on the weather and is expected to take four to six weeks. In the meantime we will be hosting our First Team matches at Steyning Town.

Our league fixtures commence the following Saturday 9 August with a 'home' fixture against AFC Varndeanians followed rapidly by a Tuesday evening visit to Peacehaven & Telscombe and a first look at their recently installed pitch. Saturday 16 August is set aside for the FA Cup. Our U23 team begin their season with a visit to Storrington on Thursday 14 August. Home games for our U23 and U18 sides will be at AFC Whyteleafe until we are able to use Godstone Road.