Eastbourne Borough to start National South season by facing fancied Dorking - here's their full fixture list

The Sports could find themselves up against former skipper Kane Wills, who joined Dorking in the summer, as well as winger Nicky Wheeler, who moved to the Surrey Hills club in January. Ambitious Wanderers were nudged out of this year’s play-offs by Weymouth, and will surely hope to go one better this season.

The two clubs, whose league campaign begins on October 6, met in last season’s Christmas fixtures, with Borough suffering a Boxing Day 0-4 drubbing but then responding with a superb 3-2 New Year’s Day victory, in one of Priory Lane’s best games of the season.

But this December, the festive season will allow the Sports a day off on Boxing Day. The summer restructing left the National South division with only 21 clubs – and Borough will be the odd club out on December 26. Action returns to the Lane, though, on Monday 28 December when Maidstone United are the visitors. Easter fixtures bring a home encounter with Hampton and Richmond, and a trip to Welling United.

In a season stretching as far as the eye can see, Borough round off their fixtures with a trip to Slough Town on Saturday 29 May. Should Danny Bloor’s men make the top seven places, however, play-off games will extend the schedule even further. Don’t book your summer holidays just yet….

Ahead of their Dorking opener, the Sports will already have one competitive game under their belts. Their first sortie into this season’s FA Cup comes on Saturday 3 October. But with two further preliminary rounds to be played in the next fortnight, Borough’s Cup opponents will not be known until 23 September.

Full list - 40 games

Tue Oct 6 Dorking Wanderers H

Sat Oct 10 Hemel Hempstead Town A

Sat Oct 17 Chelmsford City H

Sat Oct 24 Hampton & Richmond Borough A

Sat Oct 31 Welling United H

Sat Nov 7 Dulwich Hamlet A

Tue Nov 10 Ebbsfleet United H

Sat Nov 14 Braintree Town H

Tue Nov 17 Tonbridge Angels A

Sat Nov 21 Oxford City A

Sat Nov 28 St. Albans City H

Tue Dec 1 Dartford H

Sat Dec 12 Concord Rangers A

Mon Dec 28 Maidstone United H

Sat Jan 2 Havant & Waterlooville A

Sat Jan 9 Billericay Town H

Sat Jan 23 Slough Town H

Sat Jan 30 Chippenham Town A

Sat Feb 6 Hungerford Town H

Tue Feb 9 Dartford A

Sat Feb 13 Concord Rangers H

Sat Feb 20 St. Albans City A

Sat Feb 27 Oxford City H

Sat Mar 6 Bath City A

Sat Mar 13 Maidstone United A

Tue Mar 16 Dorking Wanderers A

Sat Mar 20 Hemel Hempstead Town H

Sat Mar 27 Chelmsford City A

Fri Apr 2 Hampton & Richmond Borough H

Mon Apr 5 Welling United A

Sat Apr 10 Ebbsfleet United A

Tue Apr 13 Tonbridge Angels H

Sat Apr 17 Dulwich Hamlet H

Sat Apr 24 Braintree Town A

Sat May 1 Hungerford Town A

Mon May 3 Chippenham Town H

Sat May 8 Havant & Waterlooville H

Sat May 15 Billericay Town A

Sat May 22 Bath City H

Sat May 29 Slough Town A