Staying Up! Ascot United, Binfield, Holyport and Sandhurst Town all avoid the drop

Four Berkshire sides are celebrating retaining their statuses as the 2025/26 season draws to a close.

Until this week, Ascot United and Binfield had both been in danger in the Step 4 Isthmian League South Central Division One while Holyport won a ‘winner takes all’ tie at Step 5 in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North and Sandhurst Town look set to have benefitted from a points deduction to FC Deportivo Galicia.

On Tuesday night, Littlehampton Town’s 1-0 defeat at home to former Ascot United boss Jamie Tompkins Hayes & Yeading was enough to ensure safety for the Yellas and Binfield with a game to spare.

The game was replayed behind closed doors on Tuesday night after it was abandoned on Saturday. Binfield were already ‘all but’ safe despite losing to Kingstonian 1-0 at the weekend, but Ascot pulled off a brilliant 4-1 win at Raynes Park Vale with a brace apiece for Luis Le Paih and Lui Edwads.

A double sigh of relief then for East Berkshire’s two former FA Vase finalists.

Holyport meanwhile won their relegation shootout with Amersham Town on Saturday with a 2-1 in Buckinghamshire to finish the season on 30 points, relegating the hosts along with Edgware & Kingsbury.

A difficult season for Port but no doubt a lot of learnings for the clubs rookie management duo of Lee Ovens and Dan Rapley – two wins and a draw in their last six games (both wins coming in the last two games of the season) was just the form the side needed to pull away from the drop zone.

In the Combined Counties League Division One, things are more complicated with Sandhurst Town technically relegated after finishing two points behind FC Deportivo Galicia after 44 games, along with Rising Ballers Kensington and Chalfont St Peter.

Sounds straight-forward? Alas not. Firstly, Deportivo Galicia are subject to a three point deduction which is confirmed on the FA’s Full Time website.

Secondly, this time last season all three relegated sides in the division were reprieved. With teams folding and withdrawing above them – see Milton United and Hillingdon Borough among the latest – plus the Football Association’s planned Step 6 expansion in 2028, it is unlikely anyone will be relegated again this season.

The Fizzers live to fight another day along with the Moles, Yellas and Port.