The latest supporter forecast for the Pitching In Isthmian League does what these tables always do best: turn opinion into a snapshot of expectation. In the South East Division, that snapshot points to AFC Croydon Athletic as the team most likely to finish top, with Faversham Town picked as the closest challenger. It is not a result, of course, but it is a useful read on how followers of the league think the season is shaping up.
The predictions were published this week after being held over from last weekend, when FA Cup action took priority. That delay matters only in the sense that this is a fresh reminder of how quickly the conversation around Step Four can move from cup distractions back to the league race. Supporters were asked to forecast all 22 places across the division, and the broad outline is clear enough: a title fight at the top, a cluster of playoff hopefuls in the middle and a bottom two that no one wants to see.
What the supporters are saying
At the sharp end, AFC Croydon Athletic and Faversham Town are the names that stand out most. The prediction has AFC Croydon Athletic finishing first and Faversham Town second, which is a strong endorsement of both clubs’ prospects. Behind them, the top five is completed by Sittingbourne, Cray Valley PM and Margate, giving the division a playoff picture that feels competitive rather than settled.
That top-five forecast is the key takeaway from the table. It suggests supporters see enough quality across those sides to keep the race alive well into the season, even if one or two of them may have a little more room for error than the rest. The difference between first and fifth in a league like this is often narrow, and a projected table like this tends to reflect that uncertainty as much as confidence.
Bottom-end concerns
At the other end of the division, Herne Bay and Merstham are the two clubs projected to finish in the bottom two. That does not guarantee trouble, but it does show where supporters currently see the biggest risk. In a league where small swings in form can change everything, being placed in the bottom two in a forecast can be as much a warning sign as a verdict.
Elsewhere in the predicted table, Ashford United, Deal Town, Sevenoaks Town, Whitstable Town, Erith Town and South Park Reigate all sit in the mid-table conversation, which tells its own story. This is a division that supporters appear to see as fairly layered: one group pushing for the top, another trying to avoid the wrong end, and a large middle section that could move quickly if momentum changes.
The broader point is that supporter predictions are never just about where teams finish. They reveal what people think the league will look like once the noise of cup weekends, fixture congestion and early-season swings is stripped away. For the South East Division, the answer this week is straightforward enough: AFC Croydon Athletic are the title pick, Faversham Town are close behind, and the playoff places should be hotly contested.
Early next week, the league is expected to move on to other supporter awards, including favourite ground and favourite food. For now, though, the South East Division table offers a neat starting point for the season ahead: a forecast, not a forecast to be trusted blindly, but one that tells us where the confidence sits right now.
