For this season the club went into a partnership with the Next Generation Academy to provide our team to compete in the Southern Combination U23 North Division along with the U23 Challenge Cup for all teams from the three SCFL U23 divisions. The club also entered into the Surrey FA Saturday Premier County Cup as unlike Sussex there is no dedicated U23 cup in Surrey. So far in my time with Lingfield we have not completed a full U23 season and this season was no different as out of eighteen league matches, five fixtures were not played. We had two teams unable to field a team for our home matches and with fixtures delayed by wet weather in January and February, the league offered teams a chance to withdraw in early March if they were struggling with fixtures. Four teams opted to withdraw with meant three away fixtures were not played. Out of the ten teams in our league, we were the only one using a 3G pitch by playing at Whyteleafe and clubs prioritise their First Teams when it comes the grass pitches.

The team ended up finishing in fourth place in the league and even had we not been docked three points for fielding an ineligible player we would still be fourth. Our season began in mid August with a trip to Storrington where our young side – most of them could play U18 football – gave a dazzling first half display to score three goals and could have had more. Our hosts had a good half time talk and came out to make a game of it by pulling two goals back before we finished the game by taking two more of quite a few chances. Thoughts of an easy season were dispelled in the next four matches starting with a visit from Horsham YM who, with no game that Saturday, had brought a lot of First Team players. In the light of the strength of the opposition it was not a bad result to lose 3-1. A trip to the tree-lined home of Loxwood came next and taking the lead inside the first ten minutes should have seen us kill the game off. Failing to add further goals kept the home side in the game and with two goals in the last ten minutes Loxwood took the points.

There were plenty of goals at Oakwood where were we equalised before half time and then took the lead early in the second half. The home side hit back with two more goals but we equalised with over twenty minutes still to play but that was the end of the goals. The U23 Cup draw sent us to fellow U23N side Alfold where despite scoring early goals, we could not keep the lead and the home side replied with three goals. An equaliser to force a penalty shoot out did not come so we were out of the cup. We were due to host the return fixture against Loxwood next but as they could not raise a team we were awarded the match. Horsham Crusaders were a new name to all of us as they do not have a First Team in the SCFL divisions. When they came to visit they were clearly one of the weaker teams in the division and we were looking for a good win. It was duly delivered as we scored seven goals without reply but this was the match where the points were docked.

The win set us up for the tough task of playing a senior team in the opening round of the Surrey Cup. Our opposition were The Honourable Artillery Company who play in the Amateur Football League and we gave them quite a game. Scoring first we then really should have added a second for our possession but the visitors equalised just before half time. It was goalless in the second half but in added time we were denied a pretty clear penalty to win the game so it went to a shoot out that we lost. The HAC lost on penalties to finalists Molesey in the next round – Dorkinians won the final on penalties. We travelled to Hassocks next, overlooked by the South Downs, and were second best in the game but left with a 3-1 win. This was followed up by a comfortable 3-0 win over Roffey before Storrington were unable to raise a team for the return fixture. Oakwood were next up for another six goal game where they held a two goal lead at half time. An inspired substitution after the break brought on Enoch Vincent to score a hattrick that should have been enough for victory only for us to concede an equaliser nearly ten minutes into added time.

Alfold came to visit us for our first league match against them and we were looking to avenge the cup defeat but it was another disappointing 3-2 defeat. We were expecting to go to Alfold next but they announced they were pulling out of the league on the eve of the match. The SCFL were aware of a back log of games including First Team fixtures and offered teams the chance to pull out of their remaining fixtures. Storrington, Horsham Crusaders and Roffey withdrew their teams and their games declared as wins for their opponents. Spanning the end of April and the start of May we had four fixtures to play starting with a home win with late goals over Hassocks. We then faced the top team in the division in Broadbridge Heath and when we arrived to play them the updated table for those teams remaining had made them champions. Having dropped just two points all season it was a tough task but we gave them a good game but they had the quality to take two chances while we failed to net any of ours.

It gave us hope that we could take something from them in the return game and we nearly did. Having gone behind on five minutes we turned it around to go in ahead at half time. Broadbridge Heath equalised midway through the second half and then scored the winning go with ten minutes remaining. One last fixture was the return game against Horsham YM where we were ahead in two minutes but then pegged back on five minutes. A second goal just on the hour turned out to be our winner to end the season on a good note. There were other fixtures to be played that could have affected our place in the table but we remained in fourth. Broadbridge Heath were the undefeated champions having just the one draw amongst all their wins and topped it off by winning the U23 Challenge cup as well. The only blot on their season was a First Round exit to Peacehaven & Telscombe in the Sussex U23 Cup.

We started the season with Liam Joyce as manager but at the end of August he stepped up to manage our First Team. Ben Tacon took over for the rest of the season, assisted by Louis Erotokritos Staussi later in the season – Louis, as we call him, also played three games in goal during the season. The good news is that Ben and the Next Generation Academy will continue with us for the next season.

Over the course of our fifteen matches, thirty-three players made starts and a further seven came off the bench, with ten players making it into double figures. Levi Phillips missed just one game to head the appearances, with five players making twelve appearances – Raphael Ntege, Mickey Tacon, Noah Estrada, Rio Gordon and Amarie Graham. Levi also tops the scoring chart with six goals, while on five are Raphael and Mickey. Haruna Chibuike scored four goals and Mayson Berg and Enoch Vincent notched three goals.

At the end of season awards they were as follows:-

Manager's Player of the Season: Jayden Simpson
Players' Player of the Season: Amarie Graham
Young Player of the Season: Yusuf McGregor
Top Goalscorer: Levi Phillips
Clubman of the Season: Rio Gordon

And finally the Goal of the Season Award went to Mickey Tacon for his free kick at Alford in the U23 Challenge Cup

The new season will kick off in mid-August and in due course we will find out which teams will be with us in the SCFL U23 North division. Prior to that there will be some pre-season friendlies, possibly as double headers with the First Team, but until then there is a short Summer break.