MATCH REPORT

PLAYER PROFILE

FA Confirms Final Line-Up: Croydon Athletic Stays in Isthmian South East

There will be a familiar look to the league next season, now that the final constitution has been agreed upon by the Football Association. Croydon Athletic remains in the South East Division of the Isthmian Football League!

Of last season’s 22 teams, we will say goodbye to seven. Ramsgate and Burgess Hill Town will both ply their trade in the Premier Division, having been promoted, whilst Phoenix Sports, Hythe Town, Steyning Town, and Lancing have all been relegated, and we hope they will make a quick return. We have also lost Littlehampton Town, as they have been moved sideways to the South Central Division for next season.

Of the seven new clubs, there is a mix of old and new faces, and therefore, some new grounds to look forward to exploring too.

Coming down into our division, we welcome Hastings United, who were relegated from the Premier Division. They play at the Pilot Field ground, and they are a team with a great following, having an average attendance of 957 last season. The ground is situated in the town, less than two miles from the sea. We have never played them previously.

There are six teams being promoted into our division. From the Southern Counties East, we welcome Faversham Town and VCD Athletic, who occupied the top two places in the division. Faversham Town are new to us, but we played VCD Athletic this season when they visited Mayfield Stadium in the FA Cup, when we beat them 4–0.

From the Southern Combination, we welcome Crowborough Athletic and Hassocks. Crowborough are very familiar opponents, having played them 12 times – the last time being in 2021, and a Rams 3–1 win in the FA Cup. Hassocks, however, will be new to us. Since they became a senior club in 1981, they have spent their entire history in the Sussex League (now renamed Southern Combination), so they will be treading new ground. Hassocks are situated off the A23, just before you reach Brighton.

From the Combined Counties League, we now finally know who we will be welcoming, and the champions are AFC Whyteleafe. A league battle that went right to the wire wasn’t enough, and they dragged it out a further five weeks! Finally, AFC Whyteleafe, who originally finished 3rd, won the division when both Jersey Bulls and then Redhill had points deducted. This elevated Whyteleafe into the top spot and automatic promotion. Although that looks like good fortune, they were only a single point behind the others and also reached the FA Vase Final, playing 53 games along the way. We have played them before, when we were pitted against each other in the FA Vase in 2022 – in a game that finished 2–2 at Mayfield Stadium, with the visitors winning on penalties.

Having finally won the play-offs, the final team is Jersey Bulls, who successfully made it through with a 2–1 win over Cobham in the final. We have played them five times before, and it is honours even, although our victory on the island in the play-off semi-final last season is probably worth double.

It won’t be long now before you can start to plan your trips, as we would expect the fixtures to be published by the middle of July for the 2025/26 season!