Very early in our season came the FA Cup and the FA Youth Cup. The FA Cup was just our third First Team game of the season and this early fixture often catches us bedding in new players and yet to reach our peak. The other stumbling block is that you can draw a Tier 8 side first up. At least this year we had opposition of our own level and the consensus was that we had it in us to have won at Corinthian before defensive frailties cost us in the replay. A shame really as next up were Broadfields United of the Combined Counties League, having disposed of Tier 8 Herne Bay in a replay required due to Herne Bay having used six substitutes instead of the permitted five when winning 6-0!! The FA Youth Cup came two weeks before our season started but the U18s gave a good account of themselves at Hastings United and had to rue a missed penalty that might have seen them advance to play local rivals Horley Town.

We were spared the opening round of the FA Vase but the First Team won away at Knaphill and then last Saturday at home to Chipstead to set up a home tie with our neighbours Crawley Down Gatwick in the Second Round Proper on All Hallow's Eve. The FA Vase is a competition for English teams in Tiers 9 and 10 so is a tournament where we stand a fair chance of progressing to see if we can match, or exceed, our best effort of the Third Round Proper twice.

Our new Lingfield 2 team have been busy boys in the cup as they have already played – and won – in two cups in the Mid Sussex League. First up was the Tester Challenge Cup presented to the league by Tony Tester in memory of his brother Derek and is for teams in Divisions 4 and 5 of the MSL. As it happens The Lingers drew a home tie with fellow Division 5 side Eastbourne Albion who were beaten 8-0. Next up was the Division 5 competition - the Brian Hall Cup that was presented to the league by Jean Hall in memory of her husband and former league chairman Brian. Another home tie saw a much closer game for Lingfield 2 against Hurstpierpoint III but three second half goals brought a comfortable 4-0 win. The draw for the next rounds of both cups have been made but fixture dates yet to be confirmed. A mixture of home and away this time but another Division 5 side in the Tester Challenge Cup hosting Division 5 Central side Limitless Youth Men. The Brian Hall Cup brings a trip to another Division 5 Central side in Ifield Albion Reserves.

Our U23 side has not missed out on cup action either with a home fixture in the U23 league cup against Haywards Heath Town ending in a good 6-0 win to earn a tough trip to Eastbourne United on 22 October in the next round. Staying with the U23s we move to the Surrey FA cup competitions and if you were with us last year you would remember a cracking game against the Honourable Artillery Company's First Team in the Saturday Premier Cup – won by The Lingers in 2018-19. It was a tough ask to pit a team that was mainly still eligible for U18 football against a mens team from Europe's largest amateur league but playing great football in the first half and taking the lead, we it needed a second goal. The HAC equalised and then the second half was goalless but in added time we should have had a penalty only to then lose the shoot-out This season presents a fairer chance for the lads in the Saturday Intermediate County Cup with a tie away against Tier 8 side Surrey Casuals on 31 October.

The Lingfield 2 side also have a date with a Surrey cup as they play at Old Rutlishians 2nd XI in the fifth ranked Surrey competition, the Saturday Lower Junior County Cup on 14 November. The U18s have yet to receive fixtures in their league cup or Surrey FA cup.

What of the First Team? Well, they travelled to Sheerwater at the end of September in the Surrey Senior Cup where, with one eye on a league game against our league leaders, they lost to a well organised team 1-2 having not been able to add a second goal to an equaliser when dominating the game. It is a big ask to win the Surrey Senior Cup given that it is open to all teams from Tier 9 to Tier 1 and that, as we well know, you can be drawn against the likes of Woking and Dorking Wanderers. But that leaves us with this evening's cup tie hosting Midhurst & Easebourne in the Peter Bentley Cup – named in honour of a former Sussex FA Chairman. With a bye in the opening round, we hosted AFC Walcountians in Round 2 and having taking a comfortable two goal lead we let the visitors draw level and take the tie to a shoot-out Having won a shoot-out in the previous round and in the FA Vase scoring five out of five in both, AFC Walcountians left their shoot-out boots at home as we progressed to Round 3. We were scheduled to host Midhurst in the league a month ago but upheaval at the club saw their manager and players leave, however, they are back playing again as they try to build with a new manager and players.