| Competition: | Southern Combination League |
| Season: | 2020–21 |
| Winners: | None |
| Promoted: | Lancing |
| Relegated: | None |
| Prevseason: | 2019–20 |
| Nextseason: | 2021–22 |
The 2020–21 Southern Combination Football League season was the 96th in the history of the competition, which lies at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system.[1] This season also marked 100 years since the league was first formed, with Eastbourne Town, Newhaven and Shoreham being the only teams still in the league to have played in the first season.
The club allocations for Steps 5 and 6 were announced by The Football Association (The FA) for the 2020–21 season on 21 July 2020[2] and remained unchanged after the 2019–20 season was abandoned on 26 March due to the coronavirus pandemic.[3]
On 18 July 2020 the FA released a statement that football would provisionally start on 5 September subject to spectators being able to watch games. With the FA Cup qualifying rounds starting from 1 September as midweek games to bring it in line with a November start for the First Round proper.[4] The League Cup and the Sussex RUR Cup were cancelled this season with the main focus being the league season completed. Only the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup was to be played during the season.
The season was briefly paused between Thursday 5 November and 2 December 2020 as the UK Government imposed a four-week lockdown on non-elite sports across England.[5] With the lockdown ending the Counties of Sussex and Surrey were placed in Tier 2 and clubs held a vote with the league whether to recommence the season. The league restarted with Division Two recommencing on Saturday 5 December and the Premier and Division One recommencing on Tuesday 8 December.
On Saturday 20 December, the UK Government announced that parts of the Sussex and Surrey would be placed in a new Tier 4. With Alfold, Bexhill United and Horley Town being in that tier, players and fans living in the Tier 4 area were not allowed to travel; the SCFL decided to again pause the season on 22 December with a review whether to re-start the season on 9 January 2021 which later resulted in a suspension until further notice.[6]
On 24 February 2021, the FA Alliance and Leagues committees announced that the 2020–21 would be curtailed, subject to ratification by The FA, with immediate effect.[7]
On 18 March, the Southern Combination League committee announced a supplementary cup competition to provide competitive football for their teams. Premier and Division One teams started on 10 April with Division Two teams kicked off earlier, on 3 April. The winners of each group then entered a semi-final and the final was played on or after 17 May.[8]
The scheduled restructuring of non-League football took place at the end of the season. Promotions from Steps 5 to 4 and 6 to 5 were based on points per game across all matches over the two abandoned seasons (2019–20 and 2020–21), while teams were promoted to Step 6 on the basis of a subjective application process.[9]
| Competition: | Southern Combination League Premier Division |
| Season: | 2020–21 |
| Dates: | 5 September 2020 – 28 May 2021 |
| Biggest Away Win: | |
| Matches: | 126 |
| Total Goals: | 445 |
| Longest Wins: | 7 matches Horley Town |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 10 matches Saltdean United |
| Longest Losses: | 9 matches Horsham YMCA East Preston |
| Attendance: | 12,543[10] |
| Updated: | 19 December 2020 |
| Prevseason: | 2019–20 |
| Nextseason: | 2021–22 |
The Premier Division consisted of 20 clubs, the same as last season.
Correct as of 24 February 2021[11]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louis Croal | Broadbridge Heath (previously Crawley Down Gatwick) | 12 |
| Jared Rance | Pagham | ||
| 3 | Charlie Pitcher | Hassocks | 10 |
| Lee Robinson | Newhaven | ||
| 5 | Ben Connolly | Lancing | 9 |
| Adam Grant | Horley Town | ||
| Daniel Perry | Eastbourne Town (previously AFC Uckfield Town) | ||
| 8 | James Allen | Lingfield | 8 |
| 9 | George Cousins | Steyning Town | 7 |
| Kelvin Lucas | Alfold | ||
| Trevor McCreadie | Saltdean United (previously Eastbourne Town) | ||
| Sam Lemon | Alfold | ||
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfold Recreation Ground | 1,000 | 1923 | |||
| The Oaks | 1,000 | 2014 | |||
| High Wood Hill Sports Ground | 1,000 | 1919 | |||
| The Haven Centre | 1,000 | 1993 | |||
| 3,000 | 1881 | ||||
| The Oval | 2,000 | 2003 | |||
| The Lashmar | 2,000 | 1966 | |||
| The Beacon | 1,500 | 1902 | |||
| The New Defence | 1,800 | 1896 | |||
| Gorings Mead | 1,575 | 1898 | |||
| Culver Road | 1,500 | 1941 | |||
| Priory Lane (groundshare with Eastbourne Borough) | 4,151 | 2010 | |||
| The Sports Pavilion | 2,000 | 1893 | |||
| The Oval (groundshare with Eastbourne United) | 2,000 | 1966 | |||
| Plaistow Road | 1,000 | 1920 | |||
| The Trafalgar Ground | 3,000 | 1889 | |||
| Nyetimber Lane | 1,500 | 1903 | |||
| The Sports Park | 3,000 | 1923 | |||
| Hill Park | 1,000 | 1966 | |||
| The Shooting Field | 2,000 | 1892 |
| Competition: | Southern Combination League Division One |
| Season: | 2020–21 |
| Dates: | 5 September 2020 – 15 May 2021 |
| Matches: | 85 |
| Total Goals: | 320 |
| Longest Wins: | 6 matches AFC Varndeanians Bexhill United |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 11 matches Bexhill United |
| Longest Losses: | 7 matches Oakwood |
| Attendance: | 5,461[12] |
| Updated: | 19 December 2020 |
| Prevseason: | 2019–20 |
| Nextseason: | 2021–22 |
Division One was reduced from 18 clubs to 16 after Sidlesham resigned during the previous season and Southwick were demoted into the Mid Sussex Football League.
Correct until 24 February 2021[13]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Benn | Littlehampton Town | 17 |
| 2 | Evan Archibald | Bexhill United | 13 |
| 3 | Daniel Simmonds | Wick | 10 |
| 4 | Marcus Bedford | Midhurst & Easebourne | 8 |
| Thomas Biggs | Mile Oak | ||
| Jack McLean | Bexhill United | ||
| 7 | Daniel Hegarty | Littlehampton Town | 6 |
| Jordan Layton | Littlehampton Town | ||
| Ramon Santos | Shoreham | ||
| 10 | Lewis Hyde | Midhurst & Easebourne | 5 |
| Joseph Keehan | AFC Varndeanians | ||
| Harry Lowe | Roffey | ||
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Withdean Stadium (groundshare with Brighton Electricity) | 8,850 | 1929 | |||
| Mill Road | 2,200 | 1889 | |||
| The Polegrove | — | 2002 | |||
| Jubilee Fields | — | 1891 | |||
| The Beaconsfield | 2,000 | 1885 | |||
| St Flora Sportsfield (groundshare with Littlehampton United) | 4,000 | 1896 | |||
| Rotherfield | — | 1946 | |||
| Mile Oak Recreation Ground | — | 1960 | |||
| Tinsley Lane | — | 1962 | |||
| Bartholomew Way | — | 1901 | |||
| The Crouch | — | 1888 | |||
| Bunn Leisure Stadium | — | 1903 | |||
| Middle Road | 2,000 | 1892 | |||
| The Recreation Ground, Storrington | — | 1883 | |||
| Crabtree Park | 2,000 | 1892 | |||
| The Robert Albon Memorial Ground | 1,504 | 1988 |
| Competition: | Southern Combination League Division Two |
| Season: | 2020–21 |
| Highest Scoring: | |
| Matches: | 71 |
| Total Goals: | 275 |
| Attendance: | 2,667[14] |
| Updated: | 19 December 2020 |
| Prevseason: | 2019–20 |
| Nextseason: | 2021–22 |
Division Two was reduced from 15 teams to 14 after Cowfold resigned from the league last season[15] and Angmering Village transferred to the West Sussex Football League and featured one new club:
Promotion from this division depended on ground grading as well as league position.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Weddell | Copthorne | 13 |
| 2 | James Butt | Rustington | 5 |
| Bradley Curtis | TD Shipley | ||
| Jonathan Hendrick | Littlehampton United | ||
| Josh Irish | Rustington | ||
| Pat O'Sullivan | Upper Beeding | ||
| James Rowland | Upper Beeding | ||
| Ryan Warr | Upper Beeding | ||
| 9 | Mark Cave | TD Shipley | 4 |
| Chris Darwin | Rustington | ||
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walton Lane | — | 1901 | |||
| Brighton Electricity | Withdean Stadium (groundshare with AFC Varndeanians) | 8,850 | — | ||
| Charlwood | Glovers Road | — | 1901 | ||
| King Georges Field | — | 2004 | |||
| Ferring | The Glebelands | — | 1952 | ||
| Jarvis Brook | Limekiln | — | 1888 | ||
| 4,000 | 1947 | ||||
| — | 1991 | ||||
| Rottingdean Village | Rottingdean Sports Centre | — | — | ||
| Rustington Recreation Ground | — | 1903 | |||
| Colwell Ground | 1000 | 2002 | |||
| TD Shipley | Shipley (Dragon's Green) | Dragons Green | — | 1994 | |
| Upper Beeding | Memorial Playing Field | — | — | ||
| Worthing Town | Palatine Park | — | 1995 |