The Marigolds finished fourth from bottom in their first season in the Isthmian South Central division after a sideways move from the SE league – a spot that would normally mean relegation back to step five, where Town came from in 2022. But there has been a theory all season across non-league circles that the best-performing ‘relegated’ step four side nationally will be allowed to stay at that level following a step three club’s resignation from their league at the start of 2025-26. It’s not been confirmed by the FA and all eyes will be on the step three to six league allocations when they are published within the next couple of weeks. The Golds gave themselves a chance of the lucky escape by winning 4-0 at Horndean on the final day to end the campaign with 46 points. Hand said: “It was a good end to the season – a really good win. Then 11 of us flew out to Malaga that evening and we had a weekend in Marbella together, which was really enjoyable. "We played really well in the game and gave ourselves the best opportunity in this whole reprieve situation. I originally was against it but when you look at the stats, I’m pretty sure 46 points is our highest points total at step four and it would have been enough to stay in six of the eight step four leagues across the country. "It’s not a points total you’d be embarrassed by or majorly disappointed by. I feel like our league was the most competitive across the board. Even when you look at the play-offs there’s barely any points between the teams. "It’s a bit of a strange ending with it all being up in the air. We don’t really know where we stand but I’m pretty sure with the stuff I’ve seen in the past couple of weeks, there is going to be space for a reprieve, and if there is you’d like to think the highest points per game across the step fours of the relegated sides would be us. "But we’re just going to have to wait and see. We’re in No Man’s Land a little. It’s not what I’d call a nervous wait because we’re prepared to go down – that’s what the league table says and that’s what we’re prepared to do. "Our recruitment wouldn’t really change between the two leagues. We only have a certain pool of players to pick from, it’s more just the logistical side of things. "For now people can relax, wait for the play-off games to finish and then I’m sure we’ll get an answer to where we are and what we’re doing next season. But nothing changes for us – if we’re in the league below we’ll be looking to come straight back up, and if we’re still in the Isthmian, it’s the same remit as normal, we’ll be looking to do as well as we possibly can and beat our points total from the year before.”
