2022–23 Southern Combination Football League
The 2022–23 Southern Combination Football League season was the 98th 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 provisional club allocations for steps 5 and 6 were announced by The Football Association on 12 May.[2]
Premier Division
The Premier Division comprised 20 clubs from the previous season, 17 of which competed in the previous season
Team changes
Promoted from Division One Transferred from the Southern Counties East League |
Transferred to the Wessex League Premier Division Promoted to the Isthmian League South East Division Relegated to Division One
|
League table
Season | 2022–23 |
---|---|
Dates | 30 July 2022 – 29 April 2023 |
Champions | Broadbridge Heath |
Promoted | Broadbridge Heath |
Relegated | Alfold Roffey |
Matches played | 380 |
Goals scored | 1,288 (3.39 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Phillip Johnson (24 goals) |
Biggest home win | Newhaven 11–0 Roffey (18 February 2023) |
Biggest away win | Saltdean United 0–7 Newhaven (2 January 2023) |
Highest scoring | Newhaven 11–0 Roffey (18 February 2023) |
Longest winning run | 11 matches Crawley Down Gatwick |
Longest unbeaten run | 14 matches Broadbridge Heath |
Longest losing run | 13 matches AFC Varndeanians Roffey |
Highest attendance | 739 Newhaven 3–2 Peacehaven & Telscombe (26 December 2022) |
Lowest attendance | 27 Lingfield 0–3 AFC Varndeanians (12 October 2022) |
Total attendance | 47,827 |
Average attendance | 125.8 |
← 2021–22 2023–24 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Broadbridge Heath (C, P) | 38 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 93 | 33 | +60 | 87 | Promoted to the Isthmian League |
2 | Crawley Down Gatwick | 38 | 27 | 3 | 8 | 76 | 32 | +44 | 84 | Qualified for inter-step play-off |
3 | Newhaven | 38 | 25 | 6 | 7 | 119 | 41 | +78 | 81 | |
4 | Eastbourne United | 38 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 59 | 32 | +27 | 72 | |
5 | Steyning Town | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 78 | 44 | +34 | 71 | |
6 | Crowborough Athletic | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 68 | 44 | +24 | 70 | |
7 | Bexhill United | 38 | 22 | 3 | 13 | 68 | 48 | +20 | 69 | |
8 | Peacehaven & Telscombe | 38 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 71 | 42 | +29 | 68 | |
9 | Eastbourne Town | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 58 | 32 | +26 | 66 | |
10 | Hassocks | 38 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 73 | 47 | +26 | 63 | |
11 | Little Common | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 73 | 53 | +20 | 61 | |
12 | Horsham YMCA | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 51 | 64 | −13 | 46 | |
13 | Midhurst & Easebourne | 38 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 57 | 85 | −28 | 35 | |
14 | Lingfield | 38 | 10 | 4 | 24 | 58 | 86 | −28 | 34 | |
15 | Loxwood | 38 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 59 | 101 | −42 | 34 | |
16 | AFC Uckfield Town | 38 | 10 | 3 | 25 | 47 | 83 | −36 | 33 | |
17 | AFC Varndeanians | 38 | 9 | 6 | 23 | 53 | 90 | −37 | 33 | |
18 | Saltdean United | 38 | 8 | 4 | 26 | 33 | 108 | −75 | 28 | |
19 | Alfold (R) | 38 | 5 | 7 | 26 | 47 | 101 | −54 | 22 | Relegated to Division One |
20 | Roffey (R) | 38 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 47 | 122 | −75 | 21 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) head-to-head results[3]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Inter-step play-off
29 April 2023 | Sutton Common Rovers | 2–0 | Crawley Down Gatwick | Whyteleafe |
15:00 | Report | Stadium: Church Road Attendance: 164 |
Results table
Results by matchday
Top scorers
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Philip Johnson | Hassocks | 24 |
2 | Jack Langford | Steyning Town (previously Bexhill United) | 22 |
3 | Alfie Rogers | Newhaven | 21 |
4 | Lucas Franzen-Jones | Newhaven | 20 |
5 | Sam Clements | Crawley Down Gatwick | 18 |
6 | Evan Archibald | Bexhill United | 17 |
Liam Benson | Hassocks | ||
Lee Robinson | Newhaven | ||
9 | Lewis Hole | Little Common | 16 |
Thomas Tolfrey | Horsham YMCA |
Stadia and locations
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
AFC Varndeanians | Brighton (Withdean) | Withdean Stadium (groundshare with Brighton Electricity) | 8,850 |
AFC Uckfield Town | Framfield | The Oaks | 600 |
Alfold | Alfold Crossways | Alfold Recreation Ground | 1,000 |
Bexhill United | Bexhill-on-Sea | The Polegrove | 1,000 |
Broadbridge Heath | Broadbridge Heath | Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre | 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 |
Horsham YMCA | Horsham | Gorings Mead | 1,500 |
Lingfield | Lingfield | The Sports Pavilion | 2,000 |
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 |
Peacehaven & Telscombe | Peacehaven | The Sports Park | 3,000 |
Roffey | Horsham (Roffey) | Bartholomew Way | 1,000 |
Saltdean United | Brighton (Saltdean) | Hill Park | 1,000 |
Steyning Town | Steyning | The Shooting Field | 2,000 |
Division One
Division One was reduced to 17 clubs from 18, 15 of which competed from the previous season
Team changes
Transferred from Southern Counties East League Relegated from the Premier Division |
Promoted to the Premier Division Relegated to Division Two
|
League table
Season | 2022–23 |
---|---|
Dates | 7 August 2022 – 7 May 2023 |
Champions | Shoreham |
Promoted | Shoreham Epsom & Ewell |
Relegated | Forest Row Montpelier Villa Hailsham Town |
Matches played | 272 |
Goals scored | 852 (3.13 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Harry Heath (24 goals) |
Biggest home win | Shoreham 8–2 Billingshurst (8 October 2022) |
Biggest away win | Montpelier Villa 0–5 Chessington & Hook United (6 August 2022) |
Highest scoring | Arundel 7–4 Chessington & Hook United (13 April 2023) |
Longest winning run | 8 matches Epsom & Ewell |
Longest unbeaten run | 23 matches Shoreham |
Longest losing run | 9 matches Forest Row |
Highest attendance | 512 Shoreham 1–0 Montpelier Villa (22 April 2023) |
Lowest attendance | 11 Oakwood 0–1 Dorking Wanderers B (13 September 2022) |
Total attendance | 23,537 |
Average attendance | 86.5 |
← 2021–22 2023–24 → |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Shoreham (C, P) | 32 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 79 | 31 | +48 | 71 | Promoted to the Premier Division |
2 | Epsom & Ewell (O, P) | 32 | 20 | 5 | 7 | 68 | 41 | +27 | 65 | Qualified for the play-offs, then promoted to Combined Counties League Premier Division South |
3 | Dorking Wanderers B | 32 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 59 | 31 | +28 | 63 | Ineligible for promotion[a] |
4 | Wick | 32 | 19 | 5 | 8 | 59 | 39 | +20 | 62 | Qualified for the play-offs |
5 | Godalming Town | 32 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 62 | 34 | +28 | 61 | |
6 | Selsey | 32 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 57 | 37 | +20 | 56 | |
7 | Arundel | 32 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 71 | 51 | +20 | 51 | |
8 | Billingshurst | 32 | 12 | 5 | 15 | 52 | 71 | −19 | 41 | |
9 | Seaford Town | 32 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 43 | 47 | −4 | 40 | |
10 | Chessington & Hook United | 32 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 47 | 48 | −1 | 35 | |
11 | Worthing United | 32 | 10 | 5 | 17 | 39 | 51 | −12 | 35 | |
12 | Mile Oak | 32 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 40 | 59 | −19 | 34 | |
13 | East Preston | 32 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 38 | 60 | −22 | 32 | |
14 | Oakwood | 32 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 36 | 49 | −13 | 31[b] | |
15 | Montpelier Villa | 32 | 8 | 5 | 19 | 32 | 67 | −35 | 29 | Reprieved from relegation |
16 | Forest Row | 32 | 8 | 5 | 19 | 39 | 76 | −37 | 29 | |
17 | Hailsham Town (R) | 32 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 31 | 60 | −29 | 25 | Relegated to Division Two |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) head-to-head results[3]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Play-offs
Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
2 | Epsom & Ewell | 0 (6) | |||||||
6 | Selsey | 0 (5) | |||||||
2 | Epsom & Ewell | 2 | |||||||
4 | Wick | 1 | |||||||
4 | Wick | 2 | |||||||
5 | Godalming Town | 1 |
Semi-finals
29 April 2023 | Epsom & Ewell | 0–0 (6–5 p) | Selsey | Leatherhead |
15:00 | Report | Stadium: Fetcham Grove |
29 April 2023 | Wick | 2–1 | Godalming Town | Littlehampton (Wick) |
15:00 | Report | Stadium: Crabtree Park |
Final
7 May 2023 | Epsom & Ewell | 2–1 | Wick | Leatherhead |
15:00 |
|
|
Stadium: Fetcham Grove Attendance: 384 |
Results table
Results by matchday
Top scorers
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Harry Heath | Shoreham | 24 |
2 | Shane Brazil | Selsey | 19 |
3 | Harry Russell | Arundel | 14 |
4 | Marcus Richmond | Shoreham | 13 |
5 | Zachary Harris | Wick | 12 |
6 | David Crouch | Wick | 11 |
Ramon Santos | Montpelier Villa | ||
8 | Ben Aubrey | Dorking Wanderers B | 10 |
Athan Smith-Joseph | Epsom & Ewell | ||
Jaevon Dyer | Epsom & Ewell |
Stadia and locations
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Arundel | Arundel | Mill Road | 2,200 |
Billingshurst | Billingshurst | Jubilee Fields | — |
Chessington & Hook United | Chessington | Chalky Lane | 3,000 |
Dorking Wanderers B | Dorking | Meadowbank | 3,000 |
East Preston | Littlehampton (East Preston) | The Lashmar | 1,000 |
Epsom & Ewell | Leatherhead | Fetcham Grove (groundshare with Leatherhead) | 3,400 |
Forest Row | Crawley (Three Bridges) | Tinsley Lane (groundshare with Oakwood) | — |
Godalming Town | Godalming | Bill Kyte Stadium | 3,000 |
Hailsham Town | Hailsham | The Beaconsfield | 2,000 |
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 | — |
Seaford Town | Seaford | The Crouch | — |
Selsey | Selsey | Bunn Leisure Stadium | — |
Shoreham | Shoreham-by-Sea | Middle Road | 2,000 |
Wick | Littlehampton (Wick) | Crabtree Park | 2,000 |
Worthing United | Worthing (Broadwater) | The Robert Albon Memorial Ground | 1,504 |
Division Two
Division Two remained at 14 teams.
Team changes
Promoted from West Sussex Football League
Relegated from Division One |
Left the league
|
Season | 2022–23 |
---|---|
Dates | 20 August 2022 – 1 May 2023 |
Champions | Jarvis Brook |
Promoted | Copthorne |
Matches played | 182 |
Goals scored | 789 (4.34 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Chris Darwin (27 goals) |
Biggest home win | St Francis Rangers 7–0 Brighton Electricity (20 August 2022) |
Biggest away win | Rustington 0–7 Copthorne (24 September 2022) |
Highest scoring | Worthing Town 4–9 St Francis Rangers (10 December 2022) |
Longest winning run | 13 matches Jarvis Brook |
Longest unbeaten run | 14 matches Jarvis Brook |
Longest losing run | 10 matches Upper Beeding |
Highest attendance | 182 Worthing Town 4–4 Rustington (29 August 2022) |
Lowest attendance | 10 Brighton Electricity 0–0 Worthing Town (29 October 2022) |
Total attendance | 9,971 |
Average attendance | 58.3 |
← 2021–22 2023–24 → |
Promotion from this division depended on ground grading as well as league position.
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jarvis Brook (C) | 26 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 80 | 18 | +62 | 65 | |
2 | Copthorne (P) | 26 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 73 | 44 | +29 | 52 | Promoted to Division One |
3 | Capel | 26 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 88 | 53 | +35 | 50 | |
4 | Storrington | 26 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 72 | 36 | +36 | 47 | |
5 | Bosham | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 46 | |
6 | Southwater | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 57 | 51 | +6 | 44 | |
7 | Ferring | 26 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 52 | 48 | +4 | 41 | |
8 | St Francis Rangers | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 61 | 48 | +13 | 36 | |
9 | Charlwood | 26 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 53 | 49 | +4 | 35 | Resigned from League |
10 | Rustington | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 42 | 75 | −33 | 28 | |
11 | Rottingdean Village | 26 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 37 | 58 | −21 | 26 | |
12 | Worthing Town | 26 | 7 | 4 | 15 | 57 | 86 | −29 | 25 | |
13 | Upper Beeding | 26 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 32 | 82 | −50 | 17 | |
14 | Brighton Electricity | 26 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 27 | 91 | −64 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Results table
Results by matchday
Top scorers
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Chris Darwin | Rustington | 27 |
2 | Stephen Smith | Jarvis Brook | 24 |
3 | Lewis Rustell | Bosham | 23 |
4 | Toby Funnell | Copthorne | 22 |
Lloyd Jermy | Capel | ||
6 | Ben Lewis | Southwater | 20 |
Jordan Suter | Storrington | ||
8 | Sean Culley | Storrington (previously Worthing Town) | 18 |
9 | Daniel Sullivan | Copthorne | 17 |
10 | George Cumming | Capel | 15 |
Stadia and locations
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Bosham | Bosham | Walton Lane | — |
Brighton Electricity | Brighton (Withdean) | Withdean Stadium (groundshare with AFC Varndeanians) | 8,850 |
Capel | Capel | Newdigate Road | — |
Charlwood | Charlwood | Glovers Road | — |
Copthorne | Copthorne | Camping World Community Stadium (groundshare with Horsham) | 1,300 |
Ferring | Ferring | The Glebelands | — |
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 | — |
Worthing Town | Worthing | Palatine Park | — |
Peter Bentley League Challenge Cup
Source: 2022–23 Peter Bentley League Cup
First round
23 August 2022 | Arundel | 2–4 | Montpelier Villa | Arundel |
19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Mill Road |
9 August 2022 | Billingshurst | 1–4 | Chessington & Hook United | Billingshurst |
19:45 |
|
Report | Stadium: Jubilee Fields Attendance: 72 |
9 August 2022 | Hailsham Town | 3–0 | Mile Oak | Hailsham |
19:30 |
|
Report | Stadium: Beaconsfield Attendance: 113 |
9 August 2022 | Oakwood | 1–2 | Forest Row | Crawley |
19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Oakwood Sports and Social Club Attendance: 50 |
9 August 2022 | Selsey | 2–3 | Wick | Selsey |
19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: High Street Ground |
Second round
6 September 2022 | AFC Uckfield Town | 1–3 | Bexhill United | Uckfield |
19:30 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: The Oaks Attendance: 63 |
6 September 2022 | Alfold | 0–5 | Horsham YMCA | Alfold |
19:45 | Report |
|
Stadium: Alfold Recreation Ground Attendance: 51 |
6 September 2022 | Broadbridge Heath | 4–0 | Midhurst & Easebourne | Broadbridge Heath |
19:45 |
|
Report | Stadium: Countryside Stadium Attendance: 40 |
6 September 2022 | Chessington & Hook United | 1–4 | Steyning Town | Chessington |
19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Chalky Lane Attendance: 93 |
6 September 2022 | Crawley Down Gatwick | 2–3 | Epsom & Ewell | Crawley Down |
19:30 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Haven Field Attendance: 53 |
6 September 2022 | Eastbourne United | 6–0 | Seaford Town | Eastbourne |
19:45 |
|
Report | Stadium: The Oval Attendance: 85 |
6 September 2022 | Forest Row | 0–5 | Lingfield | Crawley |
19:45 | Report |
|
Stadium: Oakwood Sports and Social Club Attendance: 42 |
6 September 2022 | Godalming Town | 0-1 | Dorking Wanderers Reserves | Godalming |
19:45 | Report |
|
Stadium: The Bill Kyte Stadium Attendance: 52 |
6 September 2022 | Hailsham Town | 2–3 | Crowborough Athletic | Hailsham |
19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: The Beaconsfield Attendance: 164 |
6 September 2022 | Hassocks | 0–2 | AFC Varndeanians | Hassocks |
19:45 | Report |
|
Stadium: The Beacon Attendance: 148 |
6 September 2022 | Little Common | 1–5 | Newhaven | Bexhill-on-Sea (Little Common) |
19:30 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Little Common Recreation Ground Attendance: 86 |
6 September 2022 | Loxwood | 3–0 | Roffey | Loxwood |
19:45 |
|
Report | Stadium: Plaistow Road Attendance: 53 |
6 September 2022 | Peacehaven & Telscombe | 7–1 | Eastbourne Town | Peacehaven |
19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Centenary Park Attendance: 188 |
6 September 2022 | Saltdean United | 4–1 | Shoreham | Saltdean |
19:45 |
|
Report | Stadium: Hill Park Attendance: 84 |
6 September 2022 | Worthing United | 2–2 (4–1 p) | Preston | Worthing |
19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Robert Albon Memorial Ground Attendance: 64 |
6 September 2022 | Wick | 3–0 | Montpelier Villa | Wick, West Sussex |
19:45 |
|
Report | Stadium: Crabtree Park Attendance: 26 |
Third round
3 October 2022 | AFC Varndeanians | 1–4 | Loxwood | Brighton |
20:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Withdean Stadium Attendance: 55 |
4 October 2022 | Eastbourne United | 3–0 | Wick | Eastbourne |
19:45 |
|
Report | Stadium: The Oval Attendance: 85 |
4 October 2022 | Epsom & Ewell | 2–4 | Broadbridge Heath | Leatherhead |
19:30 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Fetcham Grove Attendance: 62 |
4 October 2022 | Horsham YMCA | 1–3 | Dorking Wanderers B | Horsham |
19:30 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Gorings Mead Attendance: 74 |
4 October 2022 | Lingfield | 0–4 | Crowborough Athletic | Lingfield, Surrey |
19:45 | Report |
|
Stadium: Godstone Road Attendance: 52 |
18 October 2022 | Newhaven | 1–1 (3–2 p) | Bexhill United | Newhaven |
19:45 | Report | Stadium: Fort Road |
18 October 2022 | Saltdean United | 0–6 | Peacehaven & Telscombe | Saltdean |
19:45 | Report | Stadium: Hill Park |
4 October 2022 | Steyning Town | 4–1 | Worthing United | Steyning |
19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: The Shooting Field Attendance: 82 |
Quarter-final
14 February 2023 | Broadbridge Heath | 1–2 | Newhaven | Broadbridge Heath |
19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Countryside Stadium |
28 February 2023 | Crowborough Athletic | 1–0 | Steyning Town | Crowborough |
19:30 |
|
Report | Stadium: Alderbrook |
21 February 2023 | Loxwood | 2–0 | Dorking Wanderers B | Loxwood |
19:45 |
|
Report | Stadium: Plaistow Road |
14 February 2023 | Peacehaven & Telscombe | 2–1 | Eastbourne United | Peacehaven |
19:45 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Centenary Park |
Semi-final
21 March 2023 | Loxwood | 0–2 | Newhaven | Steyning |
19:45 | Report |
|
Stadium: The Shooting Field Attendance: 116 Referee: Daniel Jeffery |
22 March 2023 | Peacehaven & Telscombe | 0–2 | Crowborough Athletic | Newhaven |
19:45 | Report |
|
Stadium: Fort Road Attendance: 142 Referee: David Spain |
Final
1 May 2023 | Newhaven | 2–1 | Crowborough Athletic | Hassocks |
13:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: The Beacon Attendance: 476 Referee: Greig Walker |
References
- ^ "Southern Combination Football League". scfl.org.uk. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017.
- ^ "The FA provides update on National League System club allocations at steps 3-6". The FA. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ a b "The FA Handbook 2022/2023 Part 29 Standardised Rules Section 12.2". The FA.