Non-League and Academy football writer

The 2024/25 Amateur Football Combination season is proving to be another fascinating one. In the following piece I will be looking back and summarising the first part of the season, in the top four levels/divisions of the Amateur Football Combination. Newly promoted to the Premier Division for the 2024/25 season, Rob Roy Rovers continue to impress and also show why they are of the finest amateur sides in southern England, as they lead the Premier Division going into the new year. Last season’s Challenge Cup winners, Rob Roy Rovers, are tied on points (19) with last season’s Premier Division champions, Honourable Artillery Company (they are another superb side), at this moment in time, in the Premier Division. In fact, there a number of teams who are not very far behind the two leading sides in this division, going into the new year. With Dorkinians, and then Thorntonians both on 17 points, in third and fourth place respectively. And then Old Hamptonians are in fifth place, with Wandsworth Borough in sixth place in the standings.

Old Salvatorians and then Reigatians sit above the bottom three placed teams in the Premier Division, at the end of 2024. The bottom three clubs in the Premier Division (in order) are Bealonians, Old Minchendenians, and then Enfield based side Old Ignatian. In the Senior 1 North Division, Fitzwilliam Old Boys lead in the table after nine matches played. They are followed by Bealonians 2nds, Old Vaughanians, and then Queen Mary College Old Boys, in the standings. Fifth placed Enfield Old Grammarians and last season’s Senior 1 North Division runners-up, Southgate County, sit one place in the division at this point in the season. Then you have Mill Hill Village, Old Woodhouseians, Old Stationers, and then finally, Old Manorians, who are currently in bottom place in the table, after eight matches played. From this particular division of the Amateur Football Combination during the previous season, Apollo London have since moved into the non-League pyramid for the 2024/25 season, and they are currently at step 8 of the Middlesex County Football League.

In the Senior 1 Division South table, the talented Old Pauline have won six of their first ten league matches of this season, and they currently lead the division standings, going into the new year. However, Fulham Compton Old Boys are one place behind them on goal difference (they’ve played two games less than Old Pauline), with Economicals in third place in the table, and then one of the relegated sides from the Premier Division (Old Tenisonians) are in fourth place in the league table, after seven matches played. Above the bottom two places of the Senior 1 Division South table (in order), are Shene Old Grammarians, Dorkinians 2nds, Clissold Park Rangers, and Sinjuns Grammarians. With Honourable Artillery Company 2nds and Thorntonians 2nds in ninth and tenth place in the table.

In Senior 2 North, Old Aloysians lead the way in the league standings, after having made a fine start to the season. Cretania (they are also in the quarter-finals of this season’s AFA Challenge Cup), are the current second placed side in this division, with Southgate County 2nds, and then Old Pegasonians, in third and fourth place respectively, above of fifth place Albanian FC, in the table. From sixth to tenth place in this particular divisions standings, are Enfield Old Grammarians 2nds, Bealonians 3rds, Old Vaughanians 2nds, Old Salvatorians 2nds, and then European Londoners.  Now to the Senior 2 South, and only one point separates the leaders (Economicals 2nds), second place side Shene Old Grammarians 2nds, and third place Old Wokingians. In fact it’s very close in the table, with Clapham Old Xaverians and Old Suttonians, closely followed by Old Tiffinians. In seventh place are Thorntonians 3rds (they have played nine matches), with Brent, RC Old Boys, and then Fulham Compton Old Boys 2nds following in the table.

In both of the Intermediate Divisions, there are some real contests taking place. UCL Academicals lead the way in the Intermediate Division North, however, Old Minchendenians 2nds are three points behind them in the table, with five games in hand over them. Enfield Old Grammarians 3rds and Old Aloysians 2nds follow in the table, above of fifth placed side Hale End Athletic. Sixth place Old Ignatian 2nds (they are followed by Old Salvatorians 3rds and Latymer Old Boys, in the table) and the bottom placed side in the division, Old Magdalenians, are separated by six points, going into 2025, so there’s plenty to play for in the second half of the season.

Sinjuns Grammarians 2nds lead the table in the Intermediate South Division, with the wonderful and very well known London Welsh, currently in second place in the table. Dorkinians 3rds follow in the table, in third place, and then you have Old Pauline 2nds, Worcester College Old Boys, and Royal Sun Alliance, from fourth to sixth place in the table, respectively. In seventh place in the table (after eight matches played) are Old Strand Academicals, and they are then followed by Reigatians 2nds, Old Whitgiftian, and finally Wandsworth Borough 2nds in the table. The Amateur Football Combination, like the Southern Amateur League, really does showcase the great quality and competitiveness of amateur football in this country, and I’m really going to try and cover some games in the Amateur Football Combination, during the second half of the season, on my blog. I wish all of the sides, in their respective divisions, all the very best for 2025.