Bexhill United begin the new Southern Combination Football League season on Saturday with a trip out to West Sussex and recently-promoted Billingshurst.
Billingshurst earned their place at the top table of the old county league by beating Infinity in the play offs and will go into the new season with all that momentum and enthusiasm of the new boys in the Premier division.
For Bexhill the game throws up an interesting challenge on the road against unfamiliar opponents – the fixture is already attracting attention as one of the most intriguing on the opening day of the league campaign.
After a solid first season at the helm, Bexhill United boss Jay Skinner-Swain, is keen to get going again;
“Pre-season has gone well enough. It’s never perfect and, like most clubs, we’ve had a few players away at different times, but overall we’ve got some good work into the lads and we’re looking forward to getting started now.”
Skinner-Swain is happy with the squad that he has assembled during the busy and short window of the close season;
“One of the biggest positives has been keeping hold of the majority of the squad. That’s really important because it means we haven’t had to start from scratch, and the players know what’s expected. We’ve also added a bit of experience with Josh Tuck and Tom Vickers coming in, while Charlie Scarles and Jack Mison are two young players we’re excited about. They’ve got plenty to learn, but they’ve shown a good attitude and we’re looking forward to seeing them develop.”
But the Bexhill manager is looking to progress from the solid foundations that have been laid down;
“As a club, we always want to be pushing ourselves. We’ve created a bit of history over the last few seasons and we’d love to add to that, but we’re not getting carried away. We know how competitive this league is and how difficult every game will be, so our focus is simply on taking it one game at a time and seeing where that takes us.”
Bexhill is a well-supported team at SCFL level and leans heavily on those supporters and a regular army of volunteers who are the backbone of the club which has deep roots in the local community. Skinner-Swain is looking to rally the troops ahead of the new campaign;
“The lads are raring to go and there’s a good feeling around the club. Hopefully we can get off to a positive start and give our supporters plenty to get behind over the season.”
The games come thick and fast once the new season gets cracking and after the Billingshurst curtain-raiser Bexhill are away at Seaford on Tuesday 4th August – a game being played at Newhaven FC – and on Saturday the 8th the FA Cup gets underway with a tough extra preliminary round draw against East Grinstead which will be played at the oppositions ground.