Another season is complete and this was our fifth complete season in the Premier Division since our promotion in 2018 with two seasons void due to Covid. We made a good start in the first season to finish eighth but have not been able to crack the top half of the table since although were close last season with eleventh. It was a season of two halves where wins in the FA Cup and in the League in July were followed by just one further win in November. Five draws kept our points tally ticking over as we were competitive in all games losing by a single goal or two at the most. Then came a horrible period starting with a record Premier Division loss 7-0 to Roffey and three more defeats in league and cup where fourteen goals were conceded. It was also at this time where things off the pitch were going badly wrong as a failure to deliver drainage works on our pitch meant we would not be able to play there for a second season and the financial implications for the future of the club that meant.

Moving into the second half of the season and with future of the club sorted out we got our third win in the league that, apart from a narrow defeat in the following game at Crowborough Athletic on Boxing Day, kickstarted an unbeaten run through January and February of seven games. Wins in four of those games moved us up the table. With two more wins and draw in the next six games we travelled to Wick with a chance that a win would confirm us a Premier Division side once again. The win there was important with games against two play off chasing sides to come but in the end we need not have worried. That the lads were able to see us safe from relegation with three games to spare and be a healthy nine points above the bottom two was quite a turnaround by both players and management from the first half of the season. In fact our form in the second half of the season placed us ninth just behind play off sides Haywards Heath Town and Petersfield Town in the form table. Being tough to beat for most of the season brought us eleven draws – just one less than the season's draw specialists Saltdean United. There is a foundation there for manager Dan Burnett and his assistant Ben Caldecourt to build on next season.

There were no cup heroics this season to match our run in the FA Vase last season although that did earn us a bye for the two qualifying rounds. We did get a win in the FA Cup for the first time in three seasons but it was exit at the first match in the FA Vase, Peter Bentley Cup and Surrey Senior Cup.

The U23 team is there to find new players that can show they have what it takes to play for our First Team and to provide First Team players with some game time when returning from injury given that it has roll on – roll off five substitute system. Our U23 team was under new management this season but before the turn of the year we came to a mutual decision to part company with Ryan Lovejoy and had First Team coach Rhyan Ramsay and club captain David Heaton take over the team. After some good results at the start of the season there was a big gap in the fixtures as the weather played its usual part in seeing games postponed. A run of good results when games resumed in February then turned into a run of defeats but saw us end up sixth out of a league of ten. A bad night saw us out of the league cup at the first hurdle and a tough draw in the Surrey Saturday Premier Cup pitched us against a Croydon FC side top of their Step 6 league division with the same result. We managed to use 57 players during the course of the season but then the First Team had 48 players appear this season – 30 players have played for both teams to show how we used our pool of players.

As is customary, we had a post season celebration where the management team made their awards for the season. The recipients were as follows:-

Having been the backbone of our side for the season with 36 starts in the league and one from the bench and only the worst red card decision you are likely to see denied him appearing in the remaining league game. He also played in all five of our cup games starting four of them. A switch from playing up front to the centre of defence was pivotal to our improved form in the second half of the season. Winner of the Manager's Player of the Season and the Players Player of the Season was Conor Wilford. If that was not enough, with thirteen goals – eleven in the league and two in cup competitions – he was also the season's top scorer. Among those goals were some contenders for goal of the season but Conor had to be happy with three well deserved trophies.

The Goal of the Season was a thunderbolt free kick from Jason Stripp to open the scoring on our trip to Roffey's Theatre of Trees. It deserved to win a game but that was one we did not. He scored another goal this season along with five assists during his 32 appearances.

The Young Player of the Year went to a player who joined just as we entered our worst period where we conceded fourteen goals in three games and although that would affect most players imagine how that must have felt for a goalkeeper. So there is great credit to Sammie Saward for going on to make a huge contribution to the team for the rest of the season with a string of solid performances between the posts in his 21 games.

The final First Team award is for the Supporters Player of the Season. There were a number of players that would have been deserved winners of this award with some having started the season and others joining halfway through. Like Sammie, the winner of this award arrived at our low point starting with a run out in the U23s, followed by an appearance from the bench in the Peter Bentley Cup and a first start in the drubbing by Roffey. Jack McDonnell has given us pace at full back both when defending and going forward where he has scored three goals in his nineteen appearances.

Honourable mentions go to Hamza Abubakari for making 41 appearances, leading the assists with seven and chipping in with three goals. Ousmane Balde Dansoko found the net seven times during his 36 appearances and in a season restricted by an injury in December Elliot Cannon was on target five times. Jimmy Williams made 36 appearances and while a goal eluded him he set up six. Tyrone Magala Bryan was another who made over 30 appearances with 34 and his combative style earned him the most yellow cards. The final player in the thirties was Stephen Hodge who notched up 32 appearances before an injury caused him the miss the final part of the season.

The Manager's Player of the Season for the U23s went to Aaron Kiberu who has been a great player for the team having appeared in all but one of our league games and scored four goals. He also made twelve appearances for the First Team as well including two starts.

The U23 Players Player of the Season went to Andrew Harris who made his first appearance as a substitute away at St Francis Rangers as the season restarted after ten weeks of postponements. He went on to make six appearances in total but he impressed so much that he made two starts and two appearances from the bench for the First Team at the end of the season.

Honourable mentions go to Ellis Newbold for scoring five goals in his seventeen appearances and to Richard Wetton for his ten goals from fourteen appearances while adding some experience to a young squad.