There were some nervous faces at Football in Berkshire towers when glancing over the new league constitutions for 2025/2026.
Sandhurst Town were nowhere to be seen in Combined Counties Division One, despite finishing just above the relegation places. Thankfully Sandhurst could be found, but in the slightly unexpected Wessex League.
The Wessex League will provide a different challenge for the Fizzers with weekend trips down the M3, rather than to the west London hinterlands. It means losing derbies against Berks County and Woodley United, with Frimley Green, Ash United and Cove replacing them. It also means the opportunity of a steak bake at Winchester Services Greggs on the way to the south coast.
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It’s not all seaside trips for the Fizzers. Sandhurst Town will also face other Berkshire clubs. They have trips to AFC Aldermaston, who finished a solid 12th in 25/26 and a Kintbury Rangers side fresh from a first season at step 6 to look forward to.
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One of the more intriguing trips of the season is a chance to hop on a ferry for an away game to the Isle of Wight. It’s perhaps not as glamourous as a flight to Jersey or Guernsey (if these trips can be classed as glamourous?), but it’s certainly a little different to the usual Middlesex away days.
There are two clubs in Wessex League Division One who are playing their first season at Step 6. Dorset’s Blandford United and Hedge End Rangers, who share at Sholing FC, will provide new opposition for much of the division.
After a difficult 25/26 season in the Combined Counties League it may be time for a fresh start for the Fizzers and a new set of teams to face. The management at Sandhurst will be hoping for a quieter season away from the threat of relegation looking up the table rather than down to the dropzone below.
Full list of Wessex League Division One clubs 2026/27: AFC Aldermaston, Alresford Town, Ash United, Blandford United, Colden Common, Cove, Fawley, Folland Sports, Frimley Green, Hamworthy United, Hedge End Rangers, Kintbury Rangers, Lymington Town, New Milton Town, Newport (IOW), Ringwood Town, Romsey Town, Sandhurst Town, Totton & Eling and Whitchurch United.
