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

As we enter the last month or so of the 2025/26 season, the Clapton CFC Men’s First Team have five games left, two at home and three away. Other teams have between 5 and 11 games left.

Current pos	Club	Played	Points	Pts per game	Poss points
1	Hutton	34	77	2.26	95
4	Coggeshall Town	30	62	2.07	92
2	Clapton CFC	35	75	2.14	90
3	Newbury Forest	33	63	1.91	84
5	Rayleigh Town	32	60	1.88	84
6	Lymore Gardens	31	57	1.84	84

As you can see from the table above, CCFC are one of six teams who can still finish top. However, leaders Hutton need only 14 points from their last 6 games to finish above CCFC, even if we were to win every game. In other words, they can afford to lose one game more than us. While CCFC are unbeaten in 14, Hutton are unbeaten in 18 games and so they are strong favourites.

Coggeshall Town are also serious contenders, but similarly can only catch Hutton if they lose at least one game. The other three clubs in the table are mathematically still in contention, but realistically are more likely to have to settle for a play-off place.

There are 12 clubs still with a chance of reaching the play-offs, as seen in the table below.

Current pos	Club	Played	Points	Pts per game	Poss points
1	Hutton	34	77	2.26	95
4	Coggeshall Town	30	62	2.07	92
2	Clapton CFC	35	75	2.14	90
3	Newbury Forest	33	63	1.91	84
5	Rayleigh Town	32	60	1.88	84
6	Lymore Gardens	31	57	1.84	84
8	Stansted	31	50	1.61	77
7	Brimsdown	34	56	1.65	74
11	Basildon Town	30	43	1.43	73
10	Hoddesdon Town	31	45	1.45	72
9	Burnham Ramblers	34	50	1.47	68
17	Enfield Borough	29	32	1.10	65

Clapton CFC are now guaranteed to finish in the top seven, but currently still need three wins to seal top five and a play-off spot. That target would obviously be lower if any of Newbury Forest, Rayleigh Town and Lymore Gardens drop any points.

The play-off semi-finals would 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 finished second or third, the play-off semi-final would take place at the Old Spotted Dog Ground. 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.

The champions and the play-off winners will be allocated by the FA in 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.