The 2023–24 Southern Combination Football League season was the 99th in the history of the competition, which lies at levels 9, 10 and 11 (steps 5 and 6, and county feeder) of the English football league system.[1]
The constitution was announced on 15 May 2023.[2] Starting this season, the Premier Division (Step 5) in the league promotes two clubs; one as champions and one via a four-team play-off. This replaced the previous inter-step play-off system. For this season only, there was only one club relegated from the division.[3]
The Premier Division comprised 20 clubs from the previous season, 17 of which competed in the previous season
Promoted from Division One Transferred from Wessex Football League Premier Division Relegated from the Isthmian League South East Division |
Promoted to the Isthmian League South East Division Relegated to Division One
|
Season | 2023–24 |
---|---|
Dates | 29 July 2023 – 5 May 2024 |
Champions | Steyning Town |
Promoted | Steyning Town Eastbourne Town |
Relegated | AFC Uckfield Town |
Matches played | 380 |
Goals scored | 1,330 (3.5 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Oli Lesley (29 goals) |
Biggest home win | Steyning Town 10–1 AFC Uckfield Town (27 April 2024) |
Biggest away win | AFC Uckfield Town 1–8 Crawley Down Gatwick (30 December 2023) |
Highest scoring | Steyning Town 10–1 AFC Uckfield Town (27 April 2024) |
Longest winning run | 9 matches Eastbourne Town |
Longest unbeaten run | 21 matches Newhaven |
Longest losing run | 11 matches Saltdean United |
Highest attendance | 884 Peacehaven & Telscombe 1–3 Newhaven (26 December 2023) |
Lowest attendance | 34 Pagham 1–3 Steyning Town (23 January 2024) |
Total attendance | 60,750 |
Average attendance | 162.0 |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Steyning Town (C, P) | 38 | 27 | 7 | 4 | 119 | 36 | +83 | 88 | Promotion to the Isthmian League |
2 | Eastbourne Town (O, P) | 38 | 26 | 4 | 8 | 71 | 31 | +40 | 82 | Qualified for the play-offs, then promoted to Isthmian League |
3 | Crowborough Athletic | 38 | 25 | 6 | 7 | 81 | 36 | +45 | 81 | Qualification for the play-offs |
4 | Newhaven | 38 | 23 | 10 | 5 | 99 | 55 | +44 | 79 | |
5 | Hassocks | 38 | 24 | 6 | 8 | 87 | 42 | +45 | 78 | |
6 | Eastbourne United Association | 38 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 67 | 40 | +27 | 72 | |
7 | Haywards Heath Town | 38 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 90 | 45 | +45 | 69[a] | |
8 | Peacehaven & Telscombe | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 62 | 42 | +20 | 61 | |
9 | Crawley Down Gatwick | 38 | 19 | 3 | 16 | 86 | 63 | +23 | 60 | |
10 | Midhurst & Easebourne | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 75 | 74 | +1 | 59 | |
11 | Lingfield | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 57 | 65 | −8 | 47 | |
12 | Little Common | 38 | 14 | 4 | 20 | 63 | 82 | −19 | 46 | |
13 | Pagham | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 59 | 64 | −5 | 44 | |
14 | Horsham YMCA | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 48 | 69 | −21 | 42 | |
15 | Shoreham | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 53 | 94 | −41 | 36 | |
16 | Loxwood | 38 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 46 | 87 | −41 | 30 | |
17 | AFC Varndeanians | 38 | 7 | 4 | 27 | 32 | 95 | −63 | 25 | |
18 | Bexhill United | 38 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 57 | 89 | −32 | 24[b] | |
19 | Saltdean United | 38 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 44 | 94 | −50 | 23 | |
20 | AFC Uckfield Town (R) | 38 | 3 | 5 | 30 | 34 | 127 | −93 | 14 | Relegation to Division One |
Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
2 | Eastbourne Town | 2 | |||||||
5 | Hassocks | 0 | |||||||
2 | Eastbourne Town | 2 | |||||||
4 | Newhaven | 0 | |||||||
3 | Crowborough Athletic | 1(4) | |||||||
4 | Newhaven | 1(5) |
30 April 2024 | Eastbourne Town | 2–0 | Hassocks | Eastbourne |
19:45 |
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Report | Stadium: The Saffrons Attendance: 604 Referee: Tazlim Ali |
30 April 2024 | Crowborough Athletic | 1–1 (4–5 p) | Newhaven | Crowborough |
19:45 |
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Report |
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Stadium: Alderbrook Attendance: 543 Referee: Simon Faires |
5 May 2024 | Eastbourne Town | 2-0 | Newhaven | Eastbourne |
15:00 |
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Report | Stadium: The Saffrons Attendance: 1131 Referee: Greig Walker |
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Oli Lesley | Crawley Down Gatwick | 29 |
2 | Alfie Rogers | Newhaven | 27 |
3 | Lewis Rustell | Midhurst & Easebourne | 25 |
4 | Callum Barlow | Eastbourne United Association | 24 |
Daniel Simmonds | Pagham | ||
6 | Jack Shonk | Bexhill United | 22 |
7 | Thomas Chalaye | Steyning Town | 18 |
Harry Shooman | Steyning Town | ||
Hayden Skerry | Haywards Heath Town | ||
10 | Liam Benson | Haywards Heath Town (previously Hassocks) | 16 |
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
AFC Varndeanians | Brighton (Withdean) | Withdean Stadium (groundshare with Brighton Electricity) | 8,850 |
AFC Uckfield Town | Framfield | The Oaks | 600 |
Bexhill United | Bexhill-on-Sea | The Polegrove | 1,000 |
Crawley Down Gatwick | Crawley Down | The Haven Centre | 1,000 |
Crowborough Athletic | Crowborough | Crowborough Community Stadium | 2,000 |
Eastbourne Town | Eastbourne | The Saffrons | 4,500 |
Eastbourne United Association | Eastbourne | The Oval | 1,200 |
Hassocks | Hassocks | The Beacon | 1,000 |
Haywards Heath Town | Haywards Heath | Hanbury Park | 2,000 |
Horsham YMCA | Horsham | Gorings Mead | 1,500 |
Lingfield | Horley | The New Defence (groundshare with Horley Town) | 1,800 |
Little Common | Bexhill-on-Sea (Little Common) | Little Common Recreation Ground | 1,200 |
Loxwood | Loxwood | Plaistow Road | 1,000 |
Midhurst & Easebourne | Easebourne | Rotherfield | 1,000 |
Newhaven | Newhaven | The Trafalgar Ground | 3,000 |
Pagham | Pagham | Nyetimber Lane | 1,500 |
Peacehaven & Telscombe | Peacehaven | The Sports Park | 3,000 |
Saltdean United | Brighton (Saltdean) | Hill Park | 1,000 |
Shoreham | Shoreham-by-Sea | Middle Road | 2,000 |
Steyning Town | Steyning | The Shooting Field | 2,000 |
Division One was increased to 18 clubs from 17, 14 of which competed from the previous season
Promoted from Division Two Relegated from the Premier Division Relegated from the Combined Counties Football League Premier Division South
|
Promoted to the Premier Division Promoted to the Combined Counties Football League Premier Division South Relegated to Division Two
|
Season | 2023–24 |
---|---|
Dates | 5 August 2023 – |
Champions | Roffey |
Promoted | Roffey Wick |
Matches played | 306 |
Goals scored | 1,176 (3.84 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Tyler Capon (34 goals) |
Biggest home win | Dorking Wanderers B 7–0 Forest Row (9 March 2024) |
Biggest away win | East Preston 0–7 Roffey (2 September 2023) |
Highest scoring | Montpelier Villa 7–4 Copthorne (13 January 2024) |
Longest winning run | 10 matches Roffey |
Longest unbeaten run | 13 matches Roffey Wick |
Longest losing run | 17 matches Oakwood |
Highest attendance | 327 Selsey 2–2 Roffey (28 October 2023) |
Lowest attendance | 10 Oakwood 1–2 East Preston (11 November 2023) |
Total attendance | 22,297 |
Average attendance | 75.3 |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Roffey (C, P) | 34 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 110 | 30 | +80 | 79 | Promotion to the Premier Division |
2 | Seaford Town | 34 | 22 | 2 | 10 | 96 | 54 | +42 | 68 | Qualified for the play-offs |
3 | Dorking Wanderers B | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | 82 | 41 | +41 | 65 | Ineligible for promotion[a] |
4 | Wick (O, P) | 34 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 78 | 54 | +24 | 63 | Qualified for the play-offs, then promoted to Premier Division |
5 | Worthing United | 34 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 69 | 42 | +27 | 62 | Qualified for the play-offs |
6 | Selsey | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 56 | 52 | +4 | 59 | |
7 | Chessington & Hook United | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 57 | |
8 | Arundel | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 62 | 47 | +15 | 52[b] | |
9 | Godalming Town | 34 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 56 | 45 | +11 | 49 | |
10 | Montpelier Villa | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 67 | 74 | −7 | 42 | |
11 | Copthorne | 34 | 11 | 4 | 19 | 70 | 109 | −39 | 37 | |
12 | Billingshurst | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 70 | 83 | −13 | 36 | |
13 | Banstead Athletic | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 51 | 69 | −18 | 35 | |
14 | Forest Row | 34 | 10 | 3 | 21 | 58 | 85 | −27 | 33 | |
15 | Alfold | 34 | 9 | 6 | 19 | 51 | 92 | −41 | 33 | |
16 | Mile Oak | 34 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 48 | 81 | −33 | 31 | |
17 | East Preston | 34 | 8 | 4 | 22 | 47 | 90 | −43 | 28 | |
18 | Oakwood | 34 | 8 | 2 | 24 | 39 | 74 | −35 | 26 | Reprieved from relegation |
Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
2 | Seaford Town | 3 | |||||||
6 | Selsey | 1 | |||||||
2 | Seaford Town | 3(4) | |||||||
4 | Wick | 3(5) | |||||||
4 | Wick | 3(4) | |||||||
5 | Worthing United | 3(3) |
30 April 2024 | Seaford Town | 3–1 | Selsey | Seaford |
19:30 |
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Report |
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Stadium: The Crouch Referee: Mark Spence |
30 April 2024 | Wick | 3–3 (4–3 p) | Worthing United | Littlehampton (Wick) |
20:00 |
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Report |
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Stadium: Crabtree Park Referee: Marc Meeten |
4 May 2024 | Seaford Town | 3–3 (4–5 p) | Wick | Seaford |
15:00 |
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Report |
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Stadium: The Crouch Attendance: 931 Referee: Perry Hart |
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Tyler Capon | Seaford Town | 34 |
2 | Devon Jordan Fender | Roffey | 25 |
Joshua Irish | Wick | ||
4 | David Peter Crouch | Wick | 24 |
5 | Maurice Black | Chessington & Hook United | 21 |
6 | Oliver Rawlins | Dorking Wanderers B | 19 |
7 | Callum Connor | Seaford Town | 17 |
George Cousins | Roffey | ||
Lui Edwards | Banstead Athletic | ||
10 | Sam Bull | Arundel (previously Copthorne) | 15 |
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Alfold | Alfold Crossways | Alfold Recreation Ground | 1,000 |
Arundel | Arundel | Mill Road | 2,200 |
Banstead Athletic | Tadworth | Merland Rise | 1,500 |
Billingshurst | Billingshurst | Jubilee Fields | — |
Chessington & Hook United | Chessington | Chalky Lane | 3,000 |
Copthorne | Copthorne | Camping World Community Stadium (groundshare with Horsham) | 1,300 |
Dorking Wanderers B | Dorking | Meadowbank | 3,000 |
East Preston | Littlehampton (East Preston) | The Lashmar | 1,000 |
Forest Row | Crawley (Three Bridges) | Tinsley Lane (groundshare with Oakwood) | — |
Godalming Town | Godalming | Bill Kyte Stadium | 3,000 |
Mile Oak | Brighton (Mile Oak) | Mile Oak Recreation Ground | — |
Montpelier Villa | Lancing | Culver Road (groundshare with Lancing) | 1,500 |
Oakwood | Crawley (Three Bridges) | Tinsley Lane | — |
Roffey | Horsham (Roffey) | Bartholomew Way | 1,000 |
Seaford Town | Seaford | The Crouch | — |
Selsey | Selsey | Bunn Leisure Stadium | — |
Wick | Littlehampton (Wick) | Crabtree Park | 2,000 |
Worthing United | Worthing (Broadwater) | The Robert Albon Memorial Ground | 1,504 |
Division Two reduced by one to 13 teams.
Relegated from Division One |
Promoted to Division One
|
Season | 2023–24 |
---|---|
Dates | 19 August 2023 - 04 May 2024 |
Champions | Storrington |
Matches played | 262 |
Goals scored | 528 (2.02 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Ashley Harris (20 goals) |
Biggest home win | Bosham 9–1 Brighton Electricity (13 January 2024) |
Biggest away win | Brighton Electricity 0–9 Storrington (26 August 2023) Brighton Electricity 0–9 Capel (9 September 2023) |
Highest scoring | Bosham 9–1 Brighton Electricity (13 January 2024) |
Longest winning run | 7 matches Storrington |
Longest unbeaten run | 9 matches Bosham |
Longest losing run | 7 matches Brighton Electricity Rottingdean |
Highest attendance | 232 Bosham 1–1 Jarvis Brook (28 October 2023) |
Lowest attendance | 10 Rottingdean Village 1–6 Upper Beeding (25 November 2023) |
Total attendance | 7,164 |
Average attendance | 64.0 |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → |
Promotion from this division depended on ground grading as well as league position.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Storrington (C, P) | 22 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 69 | 28 | +41 | 56 | Promoted to Division One |
2 | Bosham | 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 67 | 36 | +31 | 45 | |
3 | Ferring | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 58 | 37 | +21 | 43 | |
4 | Jarvis Brook | 22 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 56 | 27 | +29 | 40 | |
5 | Hailsham Town | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 45 | 28 | +17 | 39 | |
6 | Rustington | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 47 | 38 | +9 | 35 | |
7 | Southwater | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 42 | 37 | +5 | 31 | |
8 | Capel | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 39 | 41 | −2 | 30 | |
9 | St Francis Rangers | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 35 | 40 | −5 | 22 | |
10 | Upper Beeding | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 34 | 48 | −14 | 17 | |
11 | Brighton Electricity | 22 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 16 | 102 | −86 | 8 | |
12 | Rottingdean Village | 22 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 20 | 66 | −46 | 6 |
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ashley Harris | Bosham | 20 |
2 | Chris Darwin | Rustington | 15 |
3 | Matthew Wilson | Storrington | 14 |
4 | Matthew Hards | Storrington | 12 |
5 | Alfred Barnes | St Francis Rangers | 11 |
6 | Sean Culley | Rustington | 10 |
Toby Hewett | Bosham | 10 | |
Luke Brodie | Southwater | 10 | |
Harry Gardner | Ferring | ||
Shaun Kenward | Ferring | 10 |
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Bosham | Bosham | Walton Lane | — |
Brighton Electricity | Brighton (Withdean) | Withdean Stadium (groundshare with AFC Varndeanians) | 8,850 |
Capel | Capel | Newdigate Road | — |
Ferring | Ferring | The Glebelands | — |
Hailsham Town | Hailsham | The Beaconsfield | 2,000 |
Jarvis Brook | Crowborough | Limekiln | — |
Rottingdean Village | Brighton (Rottingdean) | Rottingdean Sports Centre | — |
Rustington | Rustington | Rustington Recreation Ground | — |
Southwater | Southwater | Southwater Sports Club | — |
St Francis Rangers | Haywards Heath | Colwell Ground | 1000 |
Storrington | Storrington | The Recreation Ground, Storrington | — |
Upper Beeding | Upper Beeding | Memorial Playing Field | — |
The 2023–24 SCFL Peter Bentley Challenge Cup saw Newhaven enter the competition as defending champions, having defeated Crowborough Athletic in the previous season's final.
Round | Dates | Matches | Clubs |
---|---|---|---|
First round | 15 August | 6 | 38 → 32 |
Second round | 19 August to 10 October | 16 | 32 → 16 |
Third round | 21 October to 6 March | 8 | 16 → 8 |
Quarter-finals | 13 February to 16 April | 4 | 8 → 4 |
Semi-finals | 24 April to 7 May | 2 | 4 → 2 |
Final | 11 May | 1 | 2 → 1 |
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11 May 2024 | Steyning Town (PD) | 2–1 | Crowborough Athletic (PD) | Hassocks |
15:00 |
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Report |
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Stadium: The Beacon Referee: Simon Faires |