As we enter the last few weeks of the 2025/26 season, the Clapton CFC Men’s First Team have only three games left, one at home and two away.

In the Eastern Counties League Division One South, the champions are automatically promoted and the next four teams go into the play-offs for one additional promotion place.

CCFC are now guaranteed to finish in the top three, which means a home play-off semi-final.

Automatic promotion

Current pos	Club	Played	Points	Pts per game	Poss points
1	Hutton	36	83	2.31	95
2	Clapton CFC	37	81	2.19	90
3	Coggeshall Town	34	71	2.09	89

As you can see from the table above, CCFC are one of three teams who can still finish top.

However, leaders Hutton need only 8 points from their last 4 games to finish above CCFC, even if we were to win all our own games. Realistically, that’s 7 points as they have a much better goal difference.

In other words, they can afford to lose at least one game more than us. While CCFC are unbeaten in 16, Hutton are unbeaten in 20 games and so they are strong favourites.

Coggeshall Town are also serious contenders, but similarly need Hutton to drop points

Play-offs

Current pos	Club	Played	Points	Pts per game	Poss points
1	Hutton	36	83	2.31	95
2	Clapton CFC	37	81	2.19	90
3	Coggeshall Town	34	71	2.09	89
4	Rayleigh Town	36	67	1.86	79
5	Newbury Forest	35	63	1.80	78
7	Lymore Gardens	34	60	1.76	78
6	Brimsdown	36	60	1.67	72
8	Stansted	35	57	1.63	72
9	Hoddesdon Town	35	54	1.54	69
10	Burnham Ramblers	36	53	1.47	65
11	Basildon Town	34	52	1.53	70

There are 11 clubs still with a chance of reaching the play-offs, as seen in the table above.

Clapton CFC are now guaranteed to finish in the top three which means not just that the play-offs are confirmed if we miss out on top spot, but a home game in the play-off semis is also guaranteed.

The play-off semi-finals are due to take place on the weekend of April 24/25/26 and the final the next weekend (May 1/2/3).

The second highest finishers play fifth, and third takes on fourth, then the winners of those two games play each other in the final. They are one-legged ties held at the home of the highest placed team.

So if CCFC don’t win the title and instead finish second or third, the play-off semi-final will take place at the Old Spotted Dog Ground on April 25.

We would also host the play-off final if we won the semi having finished second, or if any higher finishers are knocked out in the semi.

Where to next?

The champions and the play-off winners will be allocated by the FA into the most appropriate geographical division.

For CCFC, that would most likely be the Essex Senior League, where local teams like Ilford, West Essex, Soul Tower Hamlets, Barking, Woodford Town, Romford, Sporting Bengal United and Athletic Newham play.

But boundaries are always subject to change depending on who goes up and down, and it’s possible we’d be in the Spartan South Midlands, where you will find the likes of Cockfosters, Harlow Town and Haringey Borough. We’ve also been laterally moved to south of the river before, of course…

Unlike our promotion from Step 7 to 6, the ground grading for the next level up would need to be attained by the end of March 2027 – that is after promotion.

It should be an exciting end to the season with everything to play for.