Our wonderful first win of the season over Guernsey last week was our last 'home' game at Steyning. We are grateful to them for their hospitality and the use of their lovely ground that improved even during our time there as new changing rooms were opened. The ground had been 'home' to Montpelier Villa and a Brighton youth team last season but both had moved elsewhere during the close season. This created an opening for us while we waited to return to Godstone Road as well as covering our usual need to start the season elsewhere until the cricket season ends.

It became clear that to get the best from all the work at Godstone Road, a further bit of work in October should be done that would need another four to six weeks to develop properly. Our return home will now happen in January and while we could have continued at Steyning, a vacancy opened up at Church Road in Whyteleafe following the folding of Selhurst FC. As our two youth teams – U18 and U23 – are already playing on Friday evenings at Whyteleafe it made sense to get an agreement for the First Team to play at the ground until the point in January when we return to Godstone Road.

The first match will be on Saturday against Lancing and the likelihood is that are likely to be seven more matches played here. There is a certain irony that our next fixture on Tuesday evening is away at Steyning for the match that had to be rearranged due to the FA Cup. It has already been decided that to reduce the load on the pitch at Godstone Road, both the youth teams will play the whole season at Whyteleafe. The U23s will have played their second game here last Friday and next Friday have an interesting fixture in the Surrey Saturday Premier Cup First Round.

This is the cup The Lingers First Team won in 2019 when in the SCFL Division 1. The U23s will face the Honourable Artillery Company who play in the Southern Amateur Football League Senior Division 1 and whose home ground is actually in the City of London. This league is not part of the FA football pyramid but is considered to be lower than Tier 9 so they play in this cup and not the Surrey Senior Cup. The HAC made it to Round 2 last season before losing to an U23 team on penalties so who knows.

The U18s have been given a busy schedule on the road to start the season and will not play here until 14 November unless a cup fixture - league or Surrey FA - crops up before then.