Promotion at last for Letchworth Garden City Eagles following FA restructure

Letchworth Garden City Eagles have finally earned promotion to step six of the non-league pyramid but they will be in a very different looking Spartan South Midlands League One next season.

The Eagles have been on the cusp of promotion from the Herts Senior County League Premier Division for a number of years but ground grading issues and the COVID-19 pandemic have all got in the way.

The FA's decision to push on with the delayed restructure of non-league though has seen them earn their place at the higher level.

But while they will enjoy derby games against the likes of Stotfold, Langford and Shefford Town & Campton, the rest of SSML Division One looks very different.

Only nine of the clubs that played in it last year with four being moved across from the Helenic League, the furthest away being Kidlington Reserves, north of Oxford, while six arrive from the United Counties League to the north, most of which are located around Northampton and Wellingborough.

One step above Arlesey Town and Baldock Town remain in the SSML Premier Division although there too, there is some changes.

Risborough Rangers, New Salamis and Milton Keynes Irish are the three teams that have been promoted into it while there are four lateral moves.

They are Cockfosters, Flackwell Heath, Hadley and Holmer Green.