The Swans face their first test of their 2025/26 pre-season campaign as they welcome Merstham to the Xcel Sports Hub on Saturday afternoon.

Billy Rowley’s side will look to begin their season preparations strongly following on from an impressive debut year under his leadership. The Swans managed a third-place finish in the Southern League Premier South, but were cruelly defeated in the semi-finals of the promotion play-offs by Gloucester City on penalties. They bounced back however, defeating Dorking Wanderers 3-1 in the Surrey Senior Cup final two weeks later to end the season with silverware.

The Swans have added to their ranks over the summer, welcoming Ben Acey, Ethan Light, Jonathon Page and Jack Wood to the squad, as well as keeping hold of a number of last season’s crucial first team players.

Merstham also enjoyed a good campaign, finishing fifth in the Isthmian League South East Division, but like the Swans also suffered play-off heartbreak. The Moatsiders fell to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Sittingbourne to miss out on promotion to the league’s Premier Division.

Swans manager Billy Rowley will be keen for his side to start pre-season positively with a competitive run of fixtures ahead of them in the build-up to the new league campaign, but will face a tough test as Merstham look to do the same.

Head-to-head

The two sides have met 22 times over the years, with their first set of meetings coming in the 1998/99 Surrey Senior Cup first round. A 0-0 draw at Stompond Lane saw a replay at Merstham, in which the Swans ran out 6-0 winners.

Their last encounter came in 2022/23 when the Swans matched the scoreline of their first win over the Moatsiders courtesy of five goals by Eddie Simon and a late strike from Harry Mills. The dominant win didn’t have a great impact on the head-to-head record however, with Merstham boasting 10 wins to the Swans’ six.

Match information

The game will kick off at 3pm on Saturday 5th July, at the Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub – KT12 2JP. Tickets are priced at £5 for General Admission. Tickets are available to purchase on the day at the gate, with either cash or card, or can be purchased beforehand by following this link.
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