Following the announcement of the League Allocations for the 2024/25 season, we are pleased to publish our pre-season friendly schedule.

Thanks to the good will and co-operation of Hoddesdon Cricket Club, along with a number of club volunteers, we will play two friendly home games at Lowfield this summer, and that will help the side feel more settled at their base when traditionally, we haven’t been able to be at ‘home’ until early September.

The schedule is as follows:

(all fixtures are subject to change. Details of any changes will be available on the club website and social media channels.)

London Colney (A) Sat 13th July KO 3pm
An old adversary of the club, London Colney played in the Combined Counties League Division One last season, at Step 6 of the pyramid. They finished in 21st place but a lateral movement this summer sees them move sideways to the Spartan South Midlands Division One, a league they have played in for many seasons. Their Cotlandswick Playing Fields ground is well known to many in non-league circles, and we look forward to another visit in late July.

Sawbridgeworth Town (H) Mon 15th July KO 8pm
The Essex based club have had a couple of turbulent seasons recently, struggling for form and scrapping at the wrong end of the table. Last season, they finished second bottom of the Spartan South Midlands Premier Division, with just two wins and 14 points all season, with only St Panteleimon below them by default after folding and having their record expunged.

Despite this set back, ‘Sawbo’ avoided relegation from Step 5 football and have moved sideways this summer, returning to their old stomping ground, the Essex Senior League Premier Division. First team Manager Ben Taylor will hope to hit the ground running next season and will want to use this fixture to get his team up to speed and ready for the rigours of another league campaign.

This game will be played under the lights at Lowfield.

Letchworth Garden City Eagles (A) Sat 20th July KO 3pm
Having met in the semi-final of the Herts Centenary Trophy last season, Simon Riddle will know all about the opponents. They put up a great showing in that cup game and it was only a 95th minute Connor Bolton goal that put the lid on a 2-0 away victory, on the road to the County Ground final. The Eagles play in the Spartan South Midlands League Division One at Step 6 of the football pyramid and finished in 15th place last season with 36 points.

Stansted FC (H) Mon 22nd July KO 8pm
There was jubilation for the ‘Airport Army’ last week as it was announced that they too would be returning to the Essex Senior League Premier Division for the new season, after being forced to spend a season away from their preferred ‘home’, in the Spartan South Midlands league. After the FA announced the non-League allocations for 2024-25 last Friday, they can now look forward to matches much closer to home - pending any appeals - including against the likes of Takeley and Saffron Walden Town, as well as the afore mentioned Sawbridgeworth Town.

Brook House (A) Thu 25th July KO 7:30pm
Another former foe of Hoddesdon in the late 90s, Brook House will again play their football this season in the Combined Counties League Division One at Step Six. Finishing in 17th place last season, they will be keen to hit the ground running for the new campaign. We faced Brook House countless times in the not-too-distant past, when Brook House were members of the Spartan South Midlands Premier League for many years. When the Spartan and South Midlands League merged in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midlands League, Brook House were placed in the Premier Division South, going on to win the league that season. They were subsequently placed in the Premier Division the following season, where they remained until the end of the 2003–04 season, when they were transferred to Division Two of the Isthmian League after finishing as runners-up

(TBC) League Season Starts Sat 27th July

Should any more fixtures be added, we will update this article asap. Keep your eyes on this website and our social media channels for further information. There will perhaps be the addition of county cup fixtures and and FA Vase draw to be added in, so the above schedule is subject to change.

#COYL