A rejuvenated Lancing side are the visitors to the Christopher Russell Stadium on Saturday in a huge six pointer at the bottom of the Isthmian South East Division.

After a stellar 2023/24, it has been a challenging start to the season for Lancing.

The 3-1 away defeat to Deal Town set the tone for a tough opening stretch. This was followed by a 4-2 FA Cup loss to Athletic Newham, where Harry Docherty’s first-half double wasn't enough to help Lancing progress.

Lancing failed to score in any of their next four games and continued to struggle in the league, suffering narrow 1-0 home defeats to Erith Town and Burgess Hill Town. A breakthrough finally came on September 21, when Lancing earned a 2-0 victory against Phoenix, with goals from Luke Robinson and Evan Hoarty delivering the season’s first league win.

However, maintaining momentum proved difficult. While Robinson scored again in a 3-1 loss to AFC Croydon, the team continued to show fighting spirit, evidenced by a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Littlehampton Town, with Stanley Berry and Noel Fisher both finding the net in the last 20 minutes. October brought mixed fortunes.

A significant 3-1 Sussex Cup win over Mile Oak, with late goals from Fisher, Shay Leahy, and Lewis Lembikisa, was encouraging, but league results remained disappointing, including a 3-1 loss to Ashford United and a heavy 5-0 defeat to Burgess Hill.

However, following the departure of manager Jamie Hollis and the appointment of Sam Morgan, Lancing achieved a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over Ashford United last time out — their first win in 10 games. Noel Fisher and Knory Scott scored the all-important goals, and Lancing will now hope to build on the win and climb the league standings in the coming weeks.

Phoenix will know the importance of the fixture and will be desperate to get some points on the board after consecutive defeats against Sittingbourne and East Grinstead and Darren Anslow’s men could be off the bottom with a win for the first time since September and that will be motivation enough for the Sports.

Phoenix had a double boost in the week with the news that Taite Holtam has agreed to extend his loan deal from Gillingham for a further 28 days while central defender Will Grieveson has signed for the club from Reigate.

Admission

Adults: £10.00 

Over 60s: £5.00 

Young Adult (17-21): £4 

Youth (13-16):£2 

Under 12's: Free with paying adult
 


Matchday programmes are now only online and available via the Match Programmes link or at the bottom of this page from Friday evening.
 


Pin badges are available at the turnstile for £3.
 
The tea bar and fully stocked bar in the clubhouse will be open.
 
We are located between Crayford and Bexleyheath. 
The 492 bus stops directly outside and the nearest train station, Barnehurst, is a 15 minute walk away