On Saturday it gets serious and we play for points but we have one final friendly match before then. The lads have been facing teams from Steps 4, 5 and 6 over the last week starting with a slick 6-0 win over Sutton Athletic, followed by a trip to play Stansfield of the SECFL Premier and a good 4-1 win and finishing last Saturday with a stiff test against Beckenham Town of the Isthmian League and a 4-0 defeat. Tonight it is local team Oxted at Edenbridge RC with kick-off at 7pm. After six months, the road from Lingfield is now open.

It is a case of deja vu for Saturday as we travel to Midhurst & Easebourne for the first game just as we did last season. We then entertain Saltdean United at our temporary home at Oakwood FC and after that....well, other than the FA Cup we await further SCFL fixtures.

Champions Steyning Town completed their season by winning the Peter Bentley Cup and are now in the Isthmian South East Division. Since The Lingers won promotion to the Premier Division all of the promoted champions have remained in the Isthmian so the omens are good for them. Eastbourne Town won the newly introduced SCFL play-offs and join them in the Isthmian. AFC Uckfield Town have been relegated to the First Division to be replaced by Roffey who bounce straight back up after relegation the season before. Also promoted with them are Wick who ensured their fans had maximum excitement by requiring penalties to win both of their play-off matches. Lingfield have shared a season in the same division as Wick in 2017-18 following their relegation from the Premier Division. We finished a place above them to get promoted.

That leaves us needing one more team and once neighbours East Grinstead had pulled themselves above the relegation places there were no obvious SCFL candidates amongst the teams relegated from the Isthmian League. Chipstead were the nearest but were most likely to join the Combined Counties League as indeed it turned out. Our hosts for last season Horley Town were keen to move back to the SCFL that they didn't want to leave in the 2021-22 season, but I doubt anyone was expecting Petersfield Town to be moved across from the Wessex League. Unless it is contained in some dusty historical volume, I am pretty sure The Lingers have never played Petersfield Town. They won promotion to the Premier Division last season and finished in thirteenth place. Our hosts on Saturday will be looking forward to a local derby with their neighbours in Hampshire!

The SCFL Division One expands to 20 teams this season with Storrington Community gaining promotion from Division Two and Reigate Priory – the team that played the other side of the fence at Horley – winning promotion from the Mid Sussex League and sharing the main pitch at the New Defence this season. Infinity have been promoted in from Hampshire Premier League but are actually a team playing in Sidlesham, West Sussex.

Our Division Two lost Charlwood and Worthing Town last season to end with twelve teams but is back up to fourteen for this season with Worthing Town returning, Chichester City B joining and TD Shipley winning promotion from the West Sussex Premier League.

Elsewhere, in the South Eastern Counties Football League our FA Vase vanquishers Deal Town were Premier Division champions and move up to the Isthmian League while the Division One play-off winners were Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers who we could meet in the FA Cup. The Division One champions were AFC Whyteleafe but they have been moved to the Combined Counties League Premier Division South. Farnham Town dropped just six points all season from three draws as they won the CCL Premier Division South with ease. Joining them in Step 4 are play-off winners AFC Croydon Athletic.