SCEFL
First DivisionNews

First Division Prediction Poll

The votes are in and SCEFL supporters have had their say on how they expect the 2026/27 First Division season to unfold.

Ahead of the new campaign we asked supporters to predict the entire final league table, placing all 18 clubs from champions down to 18th position.

With 100 completed predictions submitted, we have crunched the numbers to produce an average predicted finishing position for every club – and the results suggest supporters see four teams in particular as the ones to beat.

The Predicted Table

  1. Rochester United – 4.08
  2. Croydon – 4.91
  3. Lordswood AFC – 4.97
  4. Hythe Town – 5.06
  5. Greenways – 8.06
  6. FC Elmstead – 8.20
  7. Stansfeld – 8.78
  8. Staplehurst Monarchs – 8.94
  9. Sheppey Sports – 9.75
  10. SC Thamesmead – 10.20
  11. Lewisham Borough – 10.86
  12. Bridon Ropes – 11.32
  13. Tooting Bec – 11.85
  14. Halls AFC – 11.86
  15. Lydd Town – 12.12
  16. Minster – 12.20
  17. Banstead Athletic – 13.13
  18. Welling Town – 14.71

Rochester Are the People’s Favourites

Rochester United emerge as the supporters’ favourites to lead the way this season.

Their average predicted finishing position of 4.08 is comfortably the best in the division, but perhaps more impressive is just how consistently they featured towards the top of people’s tables.

Rochester received 28 first-place votes, more than any other club, while 61% of entries placed them inside the top three and a huge 84% expect them to finish in the top six.

After finishing among the leading sides last season, supporters clearly expect Rochester to be right in the promotion battle once again.

But they certainly aren’t runaway favourites.

Hythe Backed for an Immediate Challenge

Relegated Hythe Town received almost as many championship votes as Rochester.

A total of 25 predictors selected Hythe to finish top, meaning more than half of all entries – 53 out of 100 – had either Rochester or Hythe as their champions.

Interestingly, Hythe only rank fourth when every predicted position is averaged out.

Their average of 5.06 suggests opinions are more divided about their prospects. Plenty believe they will win the division, but others have them finishing considerably further down the table.

It makes Hythe one of the more intriguing teams in the poll.

Croydon and Lordswood Complete a Clear Top Four

Croydon and Lordswood AFC complete what appears to be a very definite leading group in the eyes of supporters.

Croydon’s average position of 4.91 puts them second overall. They received 17 championship votes, with 51% placing them in the top three and 75% expecting a top-six finish.

Lordswood are only fractionally behind with an average of 4.97.

Only nine predictors made them champions, but their support across the higher positions was remarkably consistent. Three-quarters of all entries had Lordswood finishing in the top six, while 24 people predicted them to finish second – the most popular second-place selection for any club in the poll.

What really stands out is the gap after the leading quartet.

Hythe, in fourth, average 5.06. The next club, Greenways, are all the way back at 8.06.

On that evidence, supporters have drawn a fairly clear line between the four teams they expect to lead the promotion race and everybody else.

Who Breaks Into the Leading Pack?

If the predicted top four don’t have things all their own way, supporters see Greenways and FC Elmstead as the most likely challengers.

Greenways take fifth place with an average of 8.06, just ahead of FC Elmstead on 8.20.

Stansfeld follow in seventh and are another interesting selection.

Despite averaging 8.78, five people backed Stansfeld to win the division and 16 placed them inside the top three. That gives them considerably more outright title support than some of the clubs sitting above them in the overall predicted table.

Staplehurst Monarchs are eighth on 8.94, demonstrating just how close that next group could be.

Less than one average finishing position separates Greenways in fifth from Staplehurst in eighth.

Sheppey Sports complete the predicted top half with an average position of 9.75.

Very Little Between the Middle and Lower Pack

Things become even harder to call further down the predicted table.

SC Thamesmead are 10th on an average of 10.20, ahead of Lewisham Borough (10.86) and Bridon Ropes (11.32).

Then there is almost nothing separating Tooting Bec and Halls AFC, whose respective averages of 11.85 and 11.86 differ by just one-hundredth of a position.

Lydd Town (12.12) and First Division newcomers Minster (12.20) are similarly difficult to separate.

The closeness of those numbers suggests there is very little consensus about how much of the division will unfold once you move beyond the leading contenders.

Banstead Produce the Poll’s Biggest Curiosity

Perhaps the strangest set of predictions belongs to Banstead Athletic.

Their overall average of 13.13 leaves them 17th in the predicted table and almost half of respondents – 49% – placed them in the bottom three.

Yet at the complete opposite end of the scale, five supporters backed Banstead to win the First Division.

That means they received more championship votes than several clubs predicted to finish much higher up the table.

Few clubs divided opinion quite as dramatically, with predictions for Banstead ranging all the way from champions to 18th.

If they needed something to pin to the dressing-room wall, they can probably choose which half of the poll they prefer!

Welling Predicted to Struggle

The strongest consensus at the bottom surrounds Welling Town.

Their average finishing position of 14.71 puts them 18th in the supporters’ predicted table, with 58% placing them in the bottom three.

A total of 33 predictors selected Welling to finish 18th, making them the clearest choice for the bottom position.

Of course, predictions are exactly that – predictions.

And football has a wonderful habit of making fools of all of us.

The Fans Have Spoken – Now Comes the Football

What the results do give us is a fascinating snapshot of expectations heading into the new season.

Rochester United are the overall favourites, Hythe Town have attracted huge backing for the title, while Croydon and Lordswood are expected to be firmly involved in the promotion battle.

Behind them, the numbers suggest a far more unpredictable division.

Greenways, FC Elmstead, Stansfeld and Staplehurst Monarchs head the chasing pack, while from the middle of the table down there is remarkably little separating many of the clubs.

One hundred predictions. Eighteen teams. And now an entire season to find out just how much – or how little – we collectively know!

The supporters have had their say.

Now it’s over to the teams to prove them right… or completely ruin the predictions.