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.
The constitution was announced on 15 May 2023. 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.
Premier Division The Premier Division comprised 20 clubs from the previous season, 17 of which competed in the previous season
Team changes
To the Premier Division Promoted from Division One Shoreham
Transferred from Wessex Football League Premier Division Pagham
Relegated from the Isthmian League South East Division Haywards Heath Town
From the Premier Division Promoted to the Isthmian League South East Division Broadbridge Heath
Relegated to Division One Alfold Roffey
League table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Results table
Results by matchday
Top scorers RankPlayerClubGoals 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 CapacityAFC Varndeanians Brighton Withdean Stadium (groundshare with Brighton Electricity) 8,850AFC Uckfield Town Framfield The Oaks 600Bexhill United Bexhill-on-Sea The Polegrove 1,000Crawley Down Gatwick Crawley Down The Haven Centre 1,000Crowborough Athletic Crowborough Crowborough Community Stadium 2,000Eastbourne Town Eastbourne The Saffrons 4,500Eastbourne United Association Eastbourne The Oval 1,200Hassocks Hassocks The Beacon 1,000Haywards Heath Town Haywards Heath Hanbury Park 2,000Horsham YMCA Horsham Gorings Mead 1,500Lingfield Horley The New Defence (groundshare with Horley Town) 1,800Little Common Bexhill-on-Sea Little Common Recreation Ground 1,200Loxwood Loxwood Plaistow Road 1,000Midhurst & Easebourne Easebourne Rotherfield 1,000Newhaven Newhaven The Trafalgar Ground 3,000Pagham Pagham Nyetimber Lane 1,500 Peacehaven & Telscombe Peacehaven The Sports Park 3,000Saltdean United Brighton Hill Park 1,000Shoreham Shoreham-by-Sea Middle Road 2,000Steyning 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
To Division One Promoted from Division Two Copthorne
Relegated from the Premier Division Alfold Roffey
Relegated from the Combined Counties Football League Premier Division South Banstead Athletic
From Division One Promoted to the Premier Division Shoreham
Promoted to the Combined Counties Football League Premier Division South Epsom & Ewell
Relegated to Division Two Hailsham Town
League table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Results table
Results by matchday
Top scorers RankPlayerClubGoals 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 CapacityAlfold Alfold Crossways Alfold Recreation Ground 1,000Arundel Arundel Mill Road 2,200Banstead Athletic Tadworth Merland Rise 1,500Billingshurst Billingshurst Jubilee Fields —Chessington & Hook United Chessington Chalky Lane 3,000Copthorne Copthorne Camping World Community Stadium (groundshare with Horsham) 1,300Dorking Wanderers B Dorking Meadowbank 3,000East Preston Littlehampton The Lashmar 1,000Forest Row Crawley Tinsley Lane (groundshare with Oakwood) —Godalming Town Godalming Bill Kyte Stadium 3,000Mile Oak Brighton Mile Oak Recreation Ground —Montpelier Villa Lancing Culver Road (groundshare with Lancing) 1,500Oakwood Crawley Tinsley Lane —Roffey Horsham Bartholomew Way 1,000Seaford Town Seaford The Crouch —Selsey Selsey Bunn Leisure Stadium —Wick Littlehampton Crabtree Park 2,000Worthing United Worthing The Robert Albon Memorial Ground 1,504
Division Two Division Two reduced by one to 13 teams.
Team changes
To Division Two Relegated from Division One Hailsham Town
From Division Two Promoted to Division One Copthorne Left League Charlwood Worthing Town (Withdrew from league with effect from 9 September 2023)
Promotion from this division depended on ground grading as well as league position.
League table
Results table
Results by matchday
Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals 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 CapacityBosham Bosham Walton Lane —Brighton Electricity Brighton Withdean Stadium (groundshare with AFC Varndeanians) 8,850Capel Capel Newdigate Road —Ferring Ferring The Glebelands —Hailsham Town Hailsham The Beaconsfield 2,000Jarvis Brook Crowborough Limekiln —Rottingdean Village Brighton Rottingdean Sports Centre —Rustington Rustington Rustington Recreation Ground —Southwater Southwater Southwater Sports Club —St Francis Rangers Haywards Heath Colwell Ground 1000Storrington 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
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier) 1 Alfold (FD) 2–2 Forest Row (FD) 47 2 Selsey (FD) 2–1 Worthing United (FD) 108 3 Godalming Town (FD) 1–1 Chessington & Hook United (FD) 129 4 Oakwood (FD) 4–0 Copthorne (FD) 45 5 East Preston (FD) 1–6 Arundel (FD) 47 6 Billingshurst (FD) 1–2 Mile Oak (FD) 51
Second round
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier) 1 Saltdean United (PD) 1–2 AFC Uckfield Town (PD) 87 2 Steyning Town (PD) 5–1 Lingfield (FD) 82 3 Newhaven (PD) 3–0 Eastbourne Town (PD) 224 4 Shoreham (PD) 0–2 Pagham (PD) 5 Loxwood (PD) 3–4 Midhurst & Easebourne (PD) 55 6 Alfold (FD) 2–2 Dorking Wanderers B (FD) 46 7 Selsey (FD) 1–5 Hassocks (PD) 121 8 Wick (FD) 1–3 Haywards Heath Town (PD) 79 9 Seaford Town (FD) 3–2 Eastbourne United Association (PD) 74 10 Crowborough Athletic (PD) 0–0 Peacehaven & Telscombe (PD) 11 Horsham YMCA (PD) 0–2 Crawley Down Gatwick (PD) 61 12 Little Common (PD) 3–2 Bexhill United (PD) 273 13 Chessington & Hook United (FD) 2–0 Oakwood (FD) 81 14 Arundel (FD) 3–2 AFC Varndeanians (PD) 52 15 Mile Oak (FD) 1–1 Montpelier Villa (FD) 40 16 Bansteas Athletic (FD) 0–3 Roffey (FD) 21
Third round
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier) 1 AFC Uckfield Town (PD) 0–6 Steyning Town (PD) 76 2 Newhaven (PD) 6–0 Pagham (PD) 102 3 Midhurst & Easebourne (PD) 3–3 Dorking Wanderers B (FD) 41 4 Hassocks (PD) 2–2 Haywards Heath Town (PD) 202 5 Seaford Town (FD) 1–4 Crowborough Athletic (PD) 6 Crawley Down Gatwick (PD) 1–2 Little Common (PD) 38 7 Chessington & Hook United (FD) H–W Arundel (FD) 8 Mile Oak (FD) 1–4 Roffey (FD) 60
Quarter-finals
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier) 1 Steyning Town (PD) 3–1 Newhaven (PD) 162 2 Midhurst & Easebourne (PD) 0–2 Haywards Heath Town (PD) 106 3 Crowborough Athletic (PD) 2–0 Little Common (PD) 223 4 Chessington & Hook United (FD) 1–0 Roffey (FD) 56
Haywards Heath fielded an illegible player and were expelled from the competition.
Semi-finals
TieHome team (tier)ScoreAway team (tier) 1 Steyning Town (PD) 5-0 Midhurst & Easebourne (PD) 2 Crowborough Athletic (PD) 6–2 Chessington & Hook United (FD)
Final
References