June is the start of the summer months and everyone is looking forward to a nice break but it will be back to the football by the end of July and behind the scenes work is already under way for 2025-26.

While The Lingers finished playing in April there were some matches such as play-offs and cup finals that were played during May. One club very busy in May was Hassocks who can justifiably be labelled the SCFL Club of the Season. They wrapped up the Premier Division title with five games to spare and secured promotion to the Isthmian League South Eastern Division. In the Peter Bentley Cup Final they beat league runners-up Crowborough Athletic to secure the double. While they went out of the FA Cup in the opening round to what looked like being their league title rivals Haywards Heath Town they had a good run to Round 2 of the FA Vase before losing only on penalties to Tunbridge Wells. Strangely they lost the opening matches in both Sussex County Cups. The club demonstrated strength in depth by adding the U23 North league title, the SCFL U23 Challenge Cup and the Sussex County FA U23 Cup to their trophy cabinet. As if that was not enough, their U18 team achieved the same treble of the U18 Central league title and both cups. They were fallible as they were runners-up in the play-off between the winners of the four U18 leagues.

On the final match day, Crowborough Athletic and Eastbourne United had secured their play-off places with United needing a win to ensure home advantage. Scrapping for the final two places were Petersfield Town, Crawley Down Gatwick, Peacehaven & Telscombe and a Haywards Heath Town side that had survived a mid season upheaval that saw them pick up just two points at the start of the year. Newhaven had just fallen short despite putting in a fine run of nine wins in a row after a patchy first half of the season. Eastbourne, Petersfield and a win for Haywards Heath over Peacehaven while Crawley Down lost at Midhurst & Easebourne set up the play-offs. The play-offs went with league table placings as Crowborough emerged victorious and copied what happened last season as second placed Eastbourne Town won promotion. Ten points separated the play-off teams this season where it was just four points last season - the first time this promotion play-off system was introduced. It adds meaning to the final games of the season – especially if the title is won early – and is better than the previous play-off system of playing an Isthmian League side who invariably won.

At the other end of the table, Saltdean United's luck ran out having put together a late surge to avoid last season's single relegation place and been one place above the two relegation places the season before. They just hit a bad run of form at the wrong time in March and April and were relegated before the final round. Little Common had looked likely relegation candidates until they were able to pick up crucial wins after the turn of the year and a derby win over Bexhill United gave them the slight points advantage over Shoreham and Loxwood on the final day as well as facing an easier fixture. With Shoreham losing to Eastbourne United, Loxwood were nearly safe with a point at Crowborough Athletic until an injury time winner for the home side saw them relegated on goal difference. A run of seven defeats through November saw them slide down the table where even two wins over Saltdean United in a week could not save them. Credit to the promoted teams who both finished in comfortable positions - Roffey who were ninth and Wick in fourteenth.

Coming up from Division One next season are champions Seaford Town who were runners-up last season only to lose to Wick on penalties in the play-off final. We played Seaford Town for three seasons in Division One from 2015 to 2018 and won all six matches. Joining them are Forest Row who were just pipped for the title but after a semi-final win on penalties, a single goal against Infinity was enough to get them promoted. We played them this season in the Peter Bentley Cup which seems to be the only time we have. Having come back from two goals down, we lost to two injury time goals in a match played at East Grinstead but next season they are sharing at Three Bridges. At the other end of the table bottom placed Alfold were relegated to Division Two and, in theory, along with the two teams above them. However, here we enter the world of reprieves based on a Points Per Game table along with the two dreaded 'G' words – ground and grading. Second bottom Montpelier Villa were offered a reprieve but have decided to leave the league. Third bottom Copthorne have been reprieved. One has to feel sorry though for Storrington Community who won Division Two last season and, having requested promotion, were granted it having met the ground grading requirements. A sixteenth place finish should have seen them in Division One next season but, with an awful pun, the ground grading goalposts have shifted and they have now been relegated to Division Two for non-compliance. While they have vowed to do what is needed to get promoted again they face the problems of being a multi-sports site as opposed to a dedicated football ground.

In Division Two Rustington were champions having dropped just four points in the 24 games, but having applied to be promoted they failed on ground grading so second placed Jarvis Brook go up in their place having passed inspection. Rustington have agreed a ground share with Wick in order to try for promotion again next season.

Having promoted two teams to the Isthmian League we require replacements and last season none of the relegated teams suited our league's geography which lead to the surprise arrival of Petersfield Town from the Wessex League as the FA shuffled the clubs. No such problem this time as Lancing and Steyning Town were among the four relegated teams in the South Eastern Division. This season for the first time since the 2017-18 season we see a team promoted from our league get relegated. Lancing were promoted in 2020-21 after the two annulled Covid seasons on Points Per Game and the last time we played them it was in a single goal defeat at their ground in the Supplementary Shield competition arranged in April/May 2021 to provide some football once restrictions were lifted. In a surprise to many, last season's double winners Steyning Town had a poor season and were a long way from safety at the end.

Of course, it would be too straightforward if that was it for our division for next season. After just one season, Petersfield Town will be delighted to be moved back to the Wessex League where they will have a lot less travelling to games. When it comes to travelling, the arrival of relegated Guernsey in our division will see the team flying off to the Channel Islands at least once given that we could draw them in the Peter Bentley Cup. When the FA were deciding on the leagues, the Combined Counties League were still trying to sort out who had actually won their league and been promoted. Jersey Bulls and Redhill had finished first and second only to be docked points for ineligible players which they duly appealed – and then lost putting them in the play-offs. The word is that the inter-island Muratti Cup should not be undermined by Guernsey and Jersey playing in the same league division and so Guernsey could not be relegated to the Combined Counties League. Of course it could also be argued that it was time for another league to have its teams fly to the Channel Islands especially as Jersey Bulls have now won promotion via the play-offs. Obviously Guernsey will be a new ground for us and while we have had a taste of Three Bridges' new pitch having hosted a 'home' game there last season there will be a first look at Peacehaven & Telscombe's new pitch.

There have also been some moves made in our Division One as Banstead Athletic and Chessington & Hook are moved across to the South Eastern Counties Division One. Promoted to replace them are AFC Walcountians from the Surrey Premier League and Ringmer from the Mid Sussex League. This marks a return to Step 6 for Ringmer after they resigned from the SCFL in 2016-17.

If you are looking for an in-depth review of last season then a chap by the name of Chris Prior has produced the SCFL Premier Division 2024-25 Stat Pack running to 40 pages and is to be found here . To give you I taste I have put just two pages with this article showing how teams fared home and away as well as his dedicated Lingfield page with an nice graphic of our league position over the season. If you are interested in following Chris Prior further he posts on X here.