So a wetter week than we have seen for a while, but one which will have brought some delight to ground staff seeking much needed rain to relieve the drought affected pitches after the heatwaves of the summer of 2026. I decided to visit a new ground and to come and see Hailsham Town, newly promoted to Southern Combination Football League (SCFL) Division 1.

The Beaconsfield ground has a reported capacity of 2000, with covered seating for 100. The record recorded club attendance is 1350 in a match against Hungerford Town in the fifth round of the FA Vase in 1989.the 3G pitch has been newly laid and the developments around the ground show how ambitious this club has been.

Following their promotion as Division Two champions, Hailsham Town FC have experienced a mixed and testing start to life back in the Southern Combination Football League (SCFL) Division One. Under the guidance of first-team manager Callum Standish, the Stringers opened their account nicely with a 2-1 victory over Dorking Wanderers B at The Beaconsfield. However, stepping up a tier has brought its challenges, with the team facing a rough patch of form through August that included defeats against Mile Oak, AFC Walcountians, Little Common, and Jarvis Brook. Despite the early friction, Standish’s side proved their explosive potential on the counter by routing Shoreham 5-0 in late August and routing Mile Oak 4-0 in the Sussex Senior Cup in early September. However Hailsham Town suffered the pain of a Worthing United 6-0 defeat on Tuesday night, which they will have wanted to correct, coming into today’s fixture.

A significant portion of Hailsham’s offensive sparks have come from familiar figures carrying over their fine form from the promotion squad. Versatile vice-captain Sammy Townsend, who cleaned up at the club’s previous player awards, has continued to lead from the front, netting key goals including strikes against Shoreham and Mile Oak. Alongside him, the Stringers have found consistent firepower from Toby Brett, who came off the bench to strike twice against Shoreham, as well as crucial contributions from Connor Townsend, Will Ridgway, and Michael Lloyd. If Standish can successfully steady the defense to match this reliable scoring threat, Hailsham Town will look to climb away from the congested mid-table as the autumn fixtures take shape.

They were playing against one of my favourite local sides, Arundel FC. The Mullets (This unique moniker dates back centuries and is a nod to the town of Arundel’s historical coat of arms, which features several red mullet fish), have made a flying start to their 2026–27 Southern Combination Football League Division One campaign under the guidance of manager Joss Parsons. They quickly established themselves as early promotion contenders, climbing into the league’s top four, thanks to a string of impressive results, at the start of the season. Notable performances include an entertaining 4–2 opening day victory over Ringmer AFC at Mill Road, a resilient 2–2 draw away at Dorking Wanderers ‘B’, and a hard-earned 2–1 win against newcomers Dial Square FC. Although the squad suffered a minor setback with a 3–0 defeat at Infinity on August 31st, their overall early-season momentum remains highly encouraging, despite a heavy 2-5 defeat by leaders AFC Walcountians in their last match.

A major highlight of this opening stretch was a dominant 4–1 local derby victory away at East Preston, where the frontline truly shone. Luke Fenelon has emerged as a key goalscoring threat for the Mullets, famously coming off the bench in that derby to strike twice in four minutes and spearhead a brilliant second-half comeback. While goals have been distributed across a hard-working squad—with the likes of Matt Storm, Sam Pearson, and Lewis Hamilton all heavily involved in leading the line—Fenelon’s lethal form in front of goal has provided a vital spark as Arundel push to sustain their challenge at the top of the table.

Despite having much of the early pressure in the game it was Hailsham Town who conceded first when a long range shot by Matt Storm flew into the Stringer’s net with fifteen minutes gone.

A minute later the scores were level at 1-1 with Connor Townsend for Hailsham Town scoring with a deft backwards header which my filming missed.

The remainder of the half saw chances for both sides, with Hailsham Town missing a couple of chances that it looked to be easier to score, but at the break the teams went in with the scores still locked, despite or maybe because of the strong winds, at 1-1.

Arundel came out for the second half with real purpose and Lewis Hamilton started to dictate the midfield. On 56 minutes they went ahead when Callum Stobart scored, slotting the ball home clinically when through with just the keeper to beat.

History repeated itself with Hailsham Town responding within a minute when a free kick was fumbled by the Arundel keeper allowing Hailsham Town’s Harry Mills to equalise.

With 10 minutes left on the clock and after a period of the game when either side could have scored, Hailsham Town broke away and persistence from Tyler Pearson created a goal which put the home side into a commanding lead, at the crucial part of the game.

There was still time for a great finish by Sammy Townsend, from just inside the opposition half, using the wind to make it 4-2 to the Stringers.

In added time a late run from Tyler Pearson saw him through on goal and he finished with confidence to secure a brace and make the final score 5-2.

While a Hailsham Town undoubtedly earned the victory today, the 5-2 score line was probably a little unfair on Arundel, who had ample chances to add to their own tally today and really only faded away in the final ten minutes.