Now that the pre-season friendlies are done, the Masher Brothers Community Stadium hosts the Southern Counties East Football League Division One curtain raiser when SC Thamesmead entertain Stansfeld.

Last season, the Acre finished in tenth place in the table with ten wins, twelve draws, and twelve defeats. There was an outside risk of finishing in the bottom three after Easter but they put that to bed by winning their last four league games, all without conceding a goal.

They then beat a strong AFC Greenwich Borough team in their semi-final in the Kent County League Invitational Charity Cup before losing the final against FC Elmstead.

Meanwhile, it was a disappointing season for Stansfield as their spell in the Premier Division came to an end. They finished eighteenth in the table, one point ahead of Hythe Town, and with the bottom two being relegated, their four year stint at step five was over.

While the club from Thamesmead will be looking to continue their end of season form, Eltham based Stansfeld will be looking for a re-set, and whilst pre-season results can sometimes be unreliable, they will take heart from a victory at Chislehurst Glebe.

There has been no recent meeting between the two clubs so there’s no form guide, however, both teams will be looking to put down a marker and to start their season on a high.