2019–20 Combined Counties Football League

The 2019–20 Combined Counties Football League season (known as the 2019–20 Cherry Red Records Combined Counties Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 42nd in the history of the Combined Counties Football League, a football competition in England. The season was abandoned on 26 March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The constitution was announced on 19 May 2019.[1]

This season, the Premier Division champions were to be promoted to Step 4. The runners-up in this division and ten other Step 5 divisions in other leagues were to be ranked according to PPG (points per game), and the top four in that ranking would also have been promoted. The remaining seven runners-up would have competed in "winner takes all" play-offs with seven clubs finishing bottom in Step 4 leagues, the winners being placed at Step 4 and the losers at Step 5 for 2020–21.[2]

The bottom clubs in all 14 Step 5 divisions were to be ranked according to PPG, and the 12 lowest-ranked clubs were to be relegated to Step 6.

In Division One, the top four clubs were to be promoted to Step 5, with the bottom two liable to relegation to Step 7.

League suspension and season abandonment

Despite other leagues suspending all matches from 13 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Combined Counties League continued to hold matches on 14 March, although two clubs refused to travel. The following day, the league postponed all matches until 28 March.[3] On 16 March, the FA decided to postpone all matches across all FA Competitions until 3 April, and a league statement confirmed the postponement of all matches for the foreseeable future.[4]

On 26 March 2020, the league season was formally abandoned, with all results being expunged, and no promotion or relegation taking place to, from, or between the two divisions.[5] On 30 March 2020, sixty-six non-league clubs sent an open letter to the Football Association requesting that they reconsider their decision.[6]

Jersey Bulls had already amassed sufficient points to be promoted from Division One, but were not promoted after the abandonment.

Premier Division

Combined Counties Football League
Premier Division
Season2019–20
Championsnone
Promotednone
Relegatednone
Matches played302
Goals scored988 (3.27 per match)

The Premier Division was increased from 20 to 21 clubs, and featured five new teams after the promotion of Chertsey Town to the Isthmian League, the transfer of Horley Town to the Southern Combination League, and the relegation of A.F.C. Hayes and Walton & Hersham to Division One:

  • Frimley Green were initially not promoted from Division One, but appealed the decision and were successful, so the division ran with 21 clubs.

League table at the time of abandonment

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Ascot United 32 22 2 8 63 37 +26 68
2 Spelthorne Sports 31 18 5 8 63 40 +23 59
3 Knaphill 29 17 7 5 63 28 +35 58
4 Frimley Green 32 15 7 10 58 53 +5 52
5 Southall 28 14 8 6 52 31 +21 50
6 Molesey 31 17 2 12 48 38 +10 50[a]
7 Abbey Rangers 30 14 7 9 50 34 +16 49
8 Sutton Common Rovers 25 13 4 8 68 45 +23 43
9 Cobham 30 13 4 13 37 36 +1 43
10 Egham Town 31 12 4 15 55 60 −5 40
11 Colliers Wood United 26 11 5 10 40 40 0 38
12 Badshot Lea 27 11 3 13 50 46 +4 36
13 Balham 27 11 3 13 58 56 +2 36 Transferred to the Southern Counties East League
14 Redhill 26 12 0 14 44 49 −5 36
15 Camberley Town 28 11 3 14 32 53 −21 36
16 Sheerwater 30 10 5 15 53 67 −14 35
17 Guildford City 31 8 4 19 28 52 −24 28
18 Hanworth Villa 29 7 6 16 36 54 −18 27
19 Raynes Park Vale 24 7 5 12 32 40 −8 26
20 Banstead Athletic 24 7 4 13 27 47 −20 24[b]
21 CB Hounslow United 33 5 6 22 31 82 −51 21
Source: FA Full-Time CCL Prem Div Table
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Molesey had three points deducted for fielding an ineligible player
  2. ^ Banstead Athletic had one point deducted for fielding an ineligible player

Results table

Home \ Away SPE ASC MOL CWU KNA SOU FRI SCR BAL COB EGH ABB BAD CAM RED GLD BAN SHE RPV HAN CBH
Spelthorne Sports — 1–2 0–0 0–1 2–1 0–3 4–1 3–2 2–0 2–2 3–1 5–2 0–0 1–2 4–0
Ascot United — 1–2 2–3 2–0 3–1 2–1 1–0 2–3 0–3 1–0 4–1 1–3 3–2
Molesey 6–0 — 0–5 0–1 2–0 3–1 1–3 4–0 1–0 1–3 1–0 1–0 2–1 3–0 0–2 2–1 0–2 5–0
Colliers Wood United 2–3 — 1–2 2–3 1–0 2–1 4–1 3–2 2–2 2–2 2–2
Knaphill 2–0 0–2 3–1 0–0 — 0–2 3–1 0–0 4–1 3–0 4–0 0–0 3–3 4–2 2–2 0–0
Southall 1–0 1–3 — 2–2 1–1 4–4 1–1 1–2 1–0 0–1 5–1 3–1 1–1 1–0
Frimley Green 1–3 1–1 4–2 3–2 2–1 — 2–0 4–2 2–1 1–1 3–1 0–2 5–1 0–0 3–0 1–2 1–3
Sutton Common Rovers 2–3 3–1 0–4 5–5 — 2–0 0–3 1–4 1–2 0–1 4–0 3–0 2–0 12–1
Balham 1–4 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–1 3–2 2–3 — 0–0 4–3 2–3 4–1 4–1 2–2 3–1 1–0
Cobham 0–2 0–2 2–0 2–1 2–2 3–2 — 1–2 2–1 1–2 2–0 0–1 0–0 1–3
Egham Town 0–3 3–0 0–3 1–2 4–1 1–6 0–1 — 3–0 1–0 2–3 2–2 3–3 4–2 1–0
Abbey Rangers 1–0 2–1 2–2 1–2 1–0 1–0 — 2–3 0–0 2–0 0–0 1–2 3–3
Badshot Lea 1–3 0–2 0–1 5–0 0–3 1–3 4–1 — 5–0 1–4 3–2 1–3 4–1 3–2
Camberley Town 1–2 0–2 0–0 1–0 0–4 1–2 1–4 0–4 — 0–1 3–2 1–3 3–1
Redhill 3–4 1–2 3–0 1–3 0–2 0–5 0–3 0–2 2–1 — 4–0 3–0
Guildford City 1–2 0–1 1–2 0–0 0–4 0–1 0–1 0–2 0–3 1–2 1–4 — 2–1 2–0 2–1 3–0
Banstead Athletic 1–1 0–4 1–0 0–3 0–3 1–2 0–5 0–1 — 2–0 1–1
Sheerwater 4–2 0–2 1–2 3–5 1–2 1–1 3–1 1–2 1–0 2–1 3–2 — 1–5 2–0 1–0
Raynes Park Vale 0–2 0–4 1–0 3–0 0–3 1–1 1–1 3–0 1–4 — 4–1
Hanworth Villa 0–3 1–1 0–1 1–3 0–2 0–0 2–3 2–3 0–2 0–2 1–2 0–1 0–3 —
CB Hounslow United 0–3 0–0 5–1 0–5 1–3 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–1 1–4 3–1 2–5 2–2 1–0 —
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: http://combinedcounties.pitchero.com/match-info/grids?division_id=51945
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Division One

Combined Counties Football League
Division One
Season2019–20
Championsnone
Promotednone
Relegatednone
Matches played264
Goals scored1,050 (3.98 per match)

Division One was increased from 19 to 20 clubs, and featured four new teams after Sheerwater and Frimley Green were promoted to the Premier Division and AC London were expelled:

  • Reserve sides were not eligible for promotion to Step 5.
  • Cove were initially relegated at the end of last season, but were reprieved on appeal.
  • Kensington Borough changed their name to Kensington & Ealing Borough.

League table at the time of abandonment

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Jersey Bulls 27 27 0 0 99 7 +92 81
2 Farnham Town 28 19 4 5 48 26 +22 61
3 Walton & Hersham 28 16 3 9 79 54 +25 51
4 Tooting Bec 29 14 7 8 64 42 +22 49
5 Fleet Spurs 29 15 2 12 56 41 +15 47
6 Bedfont & Feltham 26 13 5 8 58 39 +19 44
7 Sandhurst Town 25 12 8 5 56 39 +17 44
8 Kensington & Ealing Borough 24 13 1 10 51 49 +2 40
9 Epsom & Ewell 26 11 5 10 51 50 +1 38
10 Bagshot 28 9 6 13 45 55 −10 33
11 A.F.C. Hayes 22 9 4 9 51 50 +1 31
12 Cove 26 9 4 13 42 72 −30 31
13 Dorking Wanderers Reserves 27 8 6 13 57 68 −11 30
14 FC Deportivo Galicia 30 8 6 16 50 90 −40 30
15 Westside 22 8 4 10 49 38 +11 28
16 Ash United 26 9 0 17 41 68 −27 27
17 British Airways 29 7 5 17 42 77 −35 26
18 Eversley & California 26 4 8 14 31 53 −22 20
19 Chessington & Hook United 23 4 8 11 38 57 −19 17[a]
20 Godalming Town 27 3 6 18 42 75 −33 15
Source: FA Full-Time CCL Div One Table
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Chessington & Hook United had three points deducted.

Results table

Home \ Away JER FAR SAN TOO K&E WES DOW W&H BRI CHU HAY BDF E&E COV DGA FLE ASH BAG E&C GOD
Jersey Bulls — 4–1 4–0 1–0 6–0 3–0 7–0 4–0 3–0 7–1 5–1 2–0
Farnham Town 0–2 — 1–4 3–1 3–1 1–1 2–0 2–1
Sandhurst Town — 1–1 3–2 4–0 1–0 2–5 1–2 4–1 2–1 2–2 3–1 2–1
Tooting Bec 0–1 1–2 — 3–1 3–3 1–2 4–1 2–1 3–0 2–1
Kensington & Ealing Borough 1–5 2–3 — 2–3 2–1 3–1 3–0
Westside 0–1 2–1 — 4–2 3–4 2–2 1–3 6–0
Dorking Wanderers Reserves 0–4 4–5 1–5 — 3–6 1–4 5–1 1–1 0–1 1–0
Walton & Hersham 0–3 0–1 2–2 1–1 0–5 — 7–3 2–1 3–4 8–2 5–1 3–0
British Airways 0–4 2–3 0–2 0–3 0–6 — 3–3 1–1 0–2 1–5 4–2
Chessington & Hook United 0–2 2–2 4–3 1–2 1–1 3–4 — 3–0 0–2 3–3 1–1
A.F.C. Hayes 1–2 4–2 — 0–0 1–5 7–3 3–3 3–1
Bedfont & Feltham 0–3 0–1 0–0 2–2 2–3 3–0 3–4 2–0 5–2 — 4–0 3–0 1–1
Epsom & Ewell 0–2 1–1 2–2 2–0 3–2 3–0 1–4 0–5 — 4–0 3–5 2–1 5–2
Cove 0–7 2–0 2–1 3–3 0–6 3–3 2–2 — 2–1 1–2 3–1
FC Deportivo Galicia 0–6 4–4 2–3 0–7 2–2 0–3 2–0 6–2 4–3 — 4–1 1–0 2–4 3–3
Fleet Spurs 1–3 0–0 2–4 1–2 2–1 4–0 2–0 1–2 1–2 — 4–2
Ash United 1–2 0–8 2–1 2–1 1–4 1–4 3–1 4–1 1–2 4–2 2–1 — 2–1
Bagshot 1–0 2–1 2–0 3–1 2–3 1–1 1–4 2–1 3–0 0–1 1–2 — 3–3
Eversley & California 1–1 0–2 2–2 0–2 2–3 2–2 0–5 2–1 0–2 4–0 — 2–2
Godalming Town 0–5 1–2 1–2 1–5 2–2 2–1 2–4 3–4 3–0 0–5 4–2 —
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: http://combinedcounties.pitchero.com/match-info/grids?division_id=51946
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

References

  1. ^ "REVEALED: The provisional Step 1 to 6 Club Allocations for 2019-20". Non League Paper. 19 May 2019.
  2. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: FA outline second phase of Non-League restructuring". The Non-League Football paper. 17 April 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Shut down". Combined Counties League. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  4. ^ "All football now off". Combined Counties League. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Coronavirus: All football below National League to end". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Sixty-six non-league clubs send open letter to FA over expunging season". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 March 2020.