2023–24 Southern Combination Football League
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]
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 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 
 | 
League table
| 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 | 
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) head-to-head results[4]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Play-offs
| 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) | |||||||
Semi-finals
| 30 April 2024 | Eastbourne Town | 2–0 | Hassocks | Eastbourne | 
| 19:45 | 
 | Report | Stadium: The Saffrons Attendance: 604 Referee: Tazlim Ali | 
| 30 April 2024 | Crowborough Athletic | 1–1 (4–5 p) | Newhaven | Crowborough | 
| 19:45 | 
 | Report | 
 | Stadium: Alderbrook Attendance: 543 Referee: Simon Faires | 
Final
| 5 May 2024 | Eastbourne Town | 2-0 | Newhaven | Eastbourne | 
| 15:00 | 
 | Report | Stadium: The Saffrons Attendance: 1131 Referee: Greig Walker | 
Results table
Results by matchday
Top scorers
| 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 | 
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 | 
| 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
Division One was increased to 18 clubs from 17, 14 of which competed from the previous season
Team changes
| 
 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 
 | 
League table
| 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 | 
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) head-to-head results[4]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
Notes:
Play-offs
| 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) | |||||||
Semi-finals
| 30 April 2024 | Seaford Town | 3–1 | Selsey | Seaford | 
| 19:30 | 
 | Report | 
 | Stadium: The Crouch Referee: Mark Spence | 
| 30 April 2024 | Wick | 3–3 (4–3 p) | Worthing United | Littlehampton (Wick) | 
| 20:00 | 
 | Report | 
 | Stadium: Crabtree Park Referee: Marc Meeten | 
Final
| 4 May 2024 | Seaford Town | 3–3 (4–5 p) | Wick | Seaford | 
| 15:00 | 
 | Report | 
 | Stadium: The Crouch Attendance: 931 Referee: Perry Hart | 
Results table
Results by matchday
Top scorers
| 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 | 
Stadia and locations
| 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
Division Two reduced by one to 13 teams.
Team changes
| 
 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.
League table
| 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 | Resigned from the league | 
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Results table
Results by matchday
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Top scorers
- As of 04 May 2024
| 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 | 
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 | — | 
| 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 | — | 
Peter Bentley League Challenge Cup
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.
Calendar
| 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 | 
First round
| 
 
 | 
Second round
| 
 
 | 
Third round
| 
 
 | 
Quarter-finals
| 
 
 | 
- Haywards Heath fielded an illegible player and were expelled from the competition.
Semi-finals
| 
 
 | 
Final
| 11 May 2024 | Steyning Town (PD) | 2–1 | Crowborough Athletic (PD) | Hassocks | 
| 15:00 | 
 | Report | 
 | Stadium: The Beacon Referee: Simon Faires | 
References
- ^ "Southern Combination Football League". scfl.org.uk. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017.
- ^ "REVEALED: Club allocations 2023-24 announced by The FA". The Non-League Football Paper. 15 May 2023.
- ^ "Step 5 to 4 promotion/relegation update". The FA. 16 March 2023.
- ^ a b "The FA Handbook 2022/2023 Part 29 Standardised Rules Section 12.2". The FA.
- ^ "SCFL League Bulletin 7" (PDF). SCFL. Retrieved 12 September 2023.


