Welcome to the Dripping Pan for today’s FA Cup Preliminary Round tie with Molesey. Here is your complimentary e-programme. 

CONTENTS

Click on the link below to jump straight to that section

Darren from the Dugout

Today’s match music

Chairman’s Notes

Ross remembers a cup trip to Stoke

Recent match review

Football niggles: trophies for losers

Today’s opponents

What’s new in the club shop?

Boyesy Behind The Lens

Stodgebusters on tour

Sponsor a Lewes FC player

Today’s teams

Upcoming fixtures

Credits and legal info

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DARREN FROM THE DUGOUT

This season, we’ll be interviewing Darren ahead of every game. Click Play below to hear his thoughts ahead of today’s game.

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TODAY’S MATCH MUSIC

We’ve created a playlist of the music you’ll hear in the stadium before the match and at half-time. If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to the songs on the playlist below. Today’s match music has been chosen by John Peel.

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CHAIRMAN’S NOTES

Good evening everyone and welcome to the Dripping Pan for The Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round Replay against Molesey.  I hope all of our visitors from Molesey have managed to negotiate the troublesome roads and rails in these parts and enjoy our hospitality tonight.

On Saturday we put in another superb performance at Margate, picking up all three points and a clean sheet. Any fans who saw this game or the ones at Dorking Wanderers and Tonbridge Angels cannot fail to be impressed with how we now go into games against the perceived “big clubs” with absolutely no fear.

We may not match these teams physically, but our organised defence, hard-working midfield and retention of the ball up front continues to cause problems for our opponents.  The one concern I know that Darren has is that we don’t take our chances – again on Saturday we could have been two or three up going into the final ten minutes and saved us all palpations!

But the goals will come if we continue to play like we do.  We also need to say a massive thanks again to Lewis Carey who was outstanding on Saturday.  Not only did he save Frannie Collin’s penalty but made a string of saves that kept us in the game.  We all knew what a tough job it would be to replace Winnie but Lewis has been brilliant so far.

We identified Lewis as a potential replacement during the last half of last season – Winnie had already told us he was going to stop playing and we set our scouting wheels in motion and identified Lewis, then tracked his progress.  This is another example of what goes on behind the scenes in terms of scouting, coaching and analysis that people do not see which makes results like Saturday’s possible.

We have an excellent management team that extends far beyond just Ross, Darren and Codge and I’d like to thank them all for their continued hard work.

All of the above praise makes it so strange that we are playing a replay tonight. Molesey were excellent in the first tie two weeks ago and stopped us playing our game. There’s no getting away from the fact we were poor and I’m only thankful we have an opportunity to put it right tonight. The winner will head to Farnborough on Saturday, not a ground we have enjoyed any luck on in the past decade.

Our Under18s have once again started the season well, including a 6-2 win last week against Bognor Regis Town in their first-round tie of the Isthmian League Cup, which they won last season.  Dale Hurley has assembled an impressive squad and already Dylan and Alfie have been included in Darren’s first-team squads this season, and I doubt they will be the last.

Don’t forget that all of our First Team squad are looking for sponsors this season. There are more details later in the programme but all monies raised through the Supporters Club go back into the club.

We will be missing Jonte for a couple of games this month as he has been called up for Bermuda for their international game in Aruba next Sunday – it is a great honour for Jonte and the club and fully deserved for his performances this season.

Finally, good luck to our Lewes Women’s first team who take on Millwall Lionesses on Sunday in their first ever Championship game, at Dartford FC kick off 2pm.

Enjoy the game and Come On You Rooks!

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ROSS REMEMBERS A CUP TRIP TO STOKE

Assistant Manager Ross Standen was part of the Lewes side that reached the First Round of the FA Cup back in 2001, where we faced Stoke at the Britannia Stadium. Barry Collins caught up with him this week to discuss what it was like playing the biggest game of his career. Click Play below to listen to the interview.

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RECENT MATCH REVIEW

Lewes 3 vs Bognor Regis Town 3 – Bostik Premier League, 27th August 2018

Watch the highlights from a Bank Holiday cracker at The Pan

Margate 0 vs Lewes 1 – Bostik Premier League, 1st September 2018

Darren Freeman on another impressive away win for the Rooks

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FOOTBALL NIGGLES: TROPHIES FOR LOSERS

Stuart Fuller rails against the modern-day trend of trophies-for-all

When asked once how it felt to finish runners-up in a race, legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt once famously said “Second place is just the first place loser”.

He’s right. If you don’t win, you’ve lost. Yet there seems to be a growing, niggly trend in football that everyone should be rewarded for something, almost like a school sports day where medals are awarded for participation and effort, sometimes at the expense of performance.

I’ve no issue with the runners-up getting a medal or even a small memento for their performance, but since when did the losers win a trophy? I first became aware of this on the last day of the 2016/17 Football League season when the EFL announced that if Brighton & Hove Albion couldn’t better Newcastle United’s result at Villa Park, they would be presented with the runners-up trophy after the game in front of their travelling support. Whilst I can’t find an exact moment in time when this inclusive measure was brought into our game, it appears to have been in place for at least four seasons.

It’s bad enough that a team finishing 7th in the Football League (League Two) can be awarded a trophy through the play-offs (isn’t winning promotion in itself a just reward?) but to give out a trophy to a team who finished runners-up is pretty unique in sport, let alone football.

What next can we expect in our all-inclusive footballing world? A trophy for avoiding relegation? A trophy for winning a game that’s not a cup final? A trophy for being the best behaved? Ok, so it seems we already have the last one through the Respect campaign.

I wasn’t at Villa Park on that last day of that Championship season, but I cannot imagine Brighton & Hove Albion celebrated with the same gusto of winning the league or a cup final, nor will their fans have cared about winning a trophy – after all, the prize of Premier League football was a suitably fantastic reward for their efforts on and off the pitch.

Back in the 1990-91 season, or 2BPL (2 years Before the Premier League), West Ham and Oldham Athletic went into the last game of the Second Division season, when the title of the league reflected the actual level you played at, both having a chance of winning the league.  West Ham went into the game one point ahead of Oldham but defeat at The Boleyn Ground to Notts County opened the door for The Latics.

As the final whistle blew fans invaded the pitch to celebrate promotion. Oldham were drawing at home to Sheffield Wednesday and the team would be presented with the Second Division trophy. Alas, Neil Redfern’s injury-time winner meant Oldham won the league. Did that dampen our celebrations? No. We didn’t need a consolation trophy. It was slightly disappointing not to win the league after nine months of toil, but we were going up.

So my niggle with trophies for runners-up is that we are trying to reward effort not achievement. Ultimately, football is about winning not being second best.

Taken from the book, ‘Football’s Flaws & Foibles’ by Richard Foster, published by Ockley Books.

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TODAY’S OPPONENTS: MOLESEY

Molesey have lost their opening three games in the Isthmian South Central Division. Their 0-0 draw with us brings us to tonight’s replay for the right to meet Farnborough in the FA Cup first qualifying round on Saturday.

Formed in 1953, Molesey won the Surrey Senior League in 1958. The Moles joined the Spartan League (with a best finish of third in 1972) before joining the Athenian League in 1973 and the Isthmian League in 1977.

Successive promotions in 1990 and 1993 took Molesey to the Isthmian League Premier Division, where they recorded a highest ever league finish of eighth in 1995. However, relegations in 1996 and 1999 saw Molesey slip back to Division Two and in 2008 they were relegated to the Combined Counties League.

The Moles returned to the Isthmian League Division One South as champions of the Combined Counties League in 2015, achieving a league and cup double in winning the Combined Counties League Cup. Back in the Isthmian South Molesey have finished ninth, 19th and, last season, 23rd.

During our two year spell in the Isthmian League South, we beat Molesey 3-0 at home and 4-0 away last season, and the previous season we drew 2-2 at home (the infamous second-half deluge that turned the pitch into a swamp) and won 4-0 away (again).

Sean Boothe – Manager
Sean played at Molesey and managed the reserves for a number of years. He had brought the reserves on with his great understanding of Molesey so was handed the top job in May this year.

Sam Freeman – Goalkeeper
Molesey regard Sam as a great shot stopper and a vocal leader from the back.

Samuel Labinjo – Defender
Samuel is considered an assured defender not afraid to get forward.

Jason Frimpong – Defender
Jason is thought of as a tough tackler with a great left foot who takes pride in his defending, and likes to get involved in the play at all times (thank goodness).

Chris Wales – Defender
Chris will probably appear at centre-back this evening, or, then again he may not.

Matt David – Defender
Matt is a young defender who has reached the first team from the youth ranks.

Derek Hayford – Defender
If Derek plays this evening you will find him at right-back.

Ashby Charles – Defender
Ashby progressed through the Molesey youth ranks and has been a regular squad member since 2013.

Sasha MBaye – Defender
Sasha is thought of as a commanding centre-back, brave and focussed.

Dylan Cascoe – Midfielder
Dylan, if he plays, will feature as an attacking midfielder.

Ayo Majeldunmi – Midfielder
Ayo is highly thought of for his strong tackling ability and courageous attitude.

Joshua Aduseiv – Midfielder
Started his career at Crystal Palace, Joshua is skilled on the ball with good passing ability.

Samson Doherty – Midfielder
Molesey say this player has bags of ability and a determined attitude.

Ryan Marklew – Midfielder
Ryan is ever present for Molesey in the league so far this season. Tenacious in the tackle and can pick a pass when in possession.

Adrian Spence – Midfielder/Forward
Adrian can operate in midfield but is also regarded as a powerhouse forward.

Ezra Nelson – Forward
Ezra is a striker usually from the bench.

Emmanuel Quarshie – Forward
Although not a regular in the Molesey line-up Manny has been with the club since May 2011.

Tayo Oyebola – Forward
Tayo is a fans favourite for his feisty hard-working style.

Athan Smith-Joseph – Forward
Athan can be described as a jet-heeled forward with bags of ability.

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20% OFF KAPPA GEAR IN THE CLUB SHOP

Are you a Lewes FC owner? You can get 20% off any of the new Kappa gear in the Lewes Club Shop. Go and see Barry at the top of the Philcox Stand to see what’s in stock now.

 

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BOYESY BEHIND THE LENS

Our game at Margate last weekend had it all: a wonderful free-kick, a saved penalty and a thrilling 90 minutes of end-to-end football James Boyes captured it all. Click here to see all of Boyesy’s recent match albums.

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STODGEBUSTERS ON TOUR

Our fat-fighters look back on the first tie at Molesey

So here we go again on the FA Cup trail with the usual hope of getting through a few rounds and meeting a league club in the First Round Proper. Or even a Premiership side in the Third Round if we really want to dream big.

One thing for certain is that we need to improve on our cup performances. Recent years hold many painful memories for Rooks fans who have seen their team slide to ignominious cup defeats to lower-league outfits all too often. The Stodgebusters still have recurring nightmares about some of those games especially the Leiston debacle even though it was ten years ago. Was there any truth in the rumour that Stefan Cox’s penalty actually achieved orbit? Even our new bright young promising team struggled past Newhaven after a replay last season. Then we got unceremonially dumped out 3-0 at Thamesmead.

This year would be different as we congregated at Lewes station for the 10.48. We all predicted a Lewes win and one of us even went for a very brave 5-0 victory. It was a change at Clapham Junction and then another busy train to Hampton Court. Virtually everyone, except us and a handful of others, headed for the Palace rather than an exciting afternoon watching the Mighty Rooks at Molesey. We couldn’t understand that.

We had our usual eaterie in these parts, the Molesey Cafe, lined up for a visit, but we had noticed a few cafes and restaurants just across the road from the station so we went and had a look for some fresh pastures. They were all very nice tourist orientated places but with tourist orientated prices to match. Twelve quid for a breakfast? No thanks. This was not for us.

It was over to the bus stop for the 411 to West Molesey. Unfortunately, we had timed it a bit wrong and the bus was at the stop. Even with four blokes only 20 yards away hurrying and waving their arms furiously the driver decided that he wouldn’t wait. Off he went, much to the amusement of his passengers as we gave him a symbolic gesture or two.

Buses in these parts are quite regular and 20 minutes later we were taking our seats in the Molesey Cafe. Bacon, sausage, eggs, chips, beans, toast and a cup of tea for five and a half quid. Now that is much more to our liking. Although Gary the Badge had to be different and have a roast.

It’s not a bad ground at Molesey. One main stand and a couple of bus shelters behind the goals, which might become very cosy if it started to rain considering the number of Lewes supporters showing up.

Lewes rested a few players for this game, probably with Bognor on Monday in mind, but we still fancied a win. Lewes started off well but couldn’t really create much in the way of chances. It was quite a dour affair throughout.

The longer the game went on the more our predictions looked off target. Although Lewes always looked the better footballing team it was Molesey who probably had the best chance when one of their players put a close-range shot wide when it looked easier to score.

There was some last-minute action when Billy Medlock, who was probably frustrated by the lack of service to him, was fouled in the box. It seemed a nailed-on penalty to everyone. Everyone except the referee though, whose mind may have been swung by the way Billy went down.  So he gives a free kick to the home team and cards Billy for simulation. Ridiculous. Worse still, it was Billy’s second yellow of the game so he was off. Seconds later it was the final whistle followed by some warm applause for the Lewes players and some choice comments aimed at the referee. Nil-nil, and a replay at The Pan on September 5^th. Who said it would be five-nil?

It could have been worse. At least we have another game to (hopefully) enjoy, and a chance to meet Farnborough in the next round. If the worst happens and we do go out it will mean a blank Saturday for us and the threat of possibly having to spend the afternoon at Dunelm Mill. Or Ikea. Or somewhere equally torturous. Come on you Rooks. Don’t let that happen.

Next up: The Jolly Stodgebuster Boys outing to Down To Margate.

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SPONSOR A LEWES FC PLAYER

It costs only £50 to sponsor a player or manager for home or away Kit. £25 for training kit and boots. All funds raised go to Lewes FC Supporters Club, helping to fund Lewes FC throughout the season.

Contact: david.arnold@me.com or see David or Barbara on match days.

DARREN FREEMAN
HOME: REG FREEMAN
AWAY: DAVE LAMB

ROSS STANDEN
HOME: DAVID & BARBARA ARNOLD
AWAY:

STEVE BRINKHURST
HOME: RON PIDGEON
AWAY:

FRANKIE CHAPPELL
HOME: ED BRIGGS
AWAY: ED BRIGGS
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS:  ED BRIGGS

NICO COTTON
HOME: JAMES BRIGGS
AWAY: JAMES BRIGGS
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS: JAMES BRIGGS

JAMES HAMMOND
HOME: ROOK, CANNON AND HORSE ASSOCIATES LTD
AWAY:

LUKE BLEWDEN
HOME:
AWAY:
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS: SUSIE ARLETT

LLOYD COTTON:
HOME: STUART FULLER
AWAY: STUART FULLER
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS: STUART FULLER

BILLY MEDLOCK
HOME: DAVE LAMB
AWAY: DAVE LAMB

HARRY REED
HOME: ANDY ROSSITTER
AWAY:
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS:

LEWIS CAREY
HOME: DAVID & BARBARA ARNOLD
AWAY:
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS:

RONNIE CONLON
HOME: NEIL FINNEY
AWAY:
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS: SUSIE ARLETT

JONTE SMITH
HOME: BARRY HAFFENDEN
AWAY: JASON FOULKES
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS:

OMARR LAWSON
HOME: TONY HARMAN

STILL AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP: Stacey Freeman, Alex Malins, Leon Redwood, Michael Dome-Bemwin, Ronnie Conlon or any player of your choice.

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TODAY’S TEAMS

LEWES

LEWIS CAREY	1
MICHAEL-DOME BEMWIN	2
HARRY REED	3
LEON REDWOOD	4
LLOYD COTTON ©	5
STACEY FREEMAN	6
STEVE BRINKHURST	7
JAMES HAMMOND	8
RONNIE CONLON	9
OMARR LAWSON	10
WILLIAM MEDLOCK	11
BOUWE BOSMA	12
FRANKIE CHAPPELL	14
DYLAN GIFFORD	15
LUKE BLEWDEN	16
ROSS BARCLAY ALFIE HEADLAND	17 18

MOLESEY

 

1	SAM JOHNSON-FREEMAN
2	SAM LABINJO
3	ELTON GJONI
4	AYO MAJEKODUNMI
5	MATT DAVID
6	CHRIS WALES ©
7	RYAN MARKLEW
8	JOSHUA ADUSEIV
9	TAYO OYEBOLA
10	ADRIAN SPENCE
11	DYLAN CASCOE
12	EZRA NELSON
14	ATHAN SMITH-JOSEPH
15	SAMSON DOHERTY
16	E RIC NWAOGWUGWU
17 18	DERICK HAYFORD SEAN BOOTHE

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FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Opponents	H/A	Date
Farnborough (FA Cup 1st Round Qualifying) or no game	A	Sat 8th Sep, 3pm
Enfield Town	H	Sat 15th Sep, 3pm
AFC Hornchurch (or FA Cup 2nd Round Qualifying)	A	Sat 22nd Sep, 3pm
Wingate & Finchley	A	Sat 29th Sep, 3pm
Worthing	H	Weds 3rd Oct, 7:45pm

Click here for a full fixture list

Also this week at the Pan…

Thu 6th Sep, 7:45pm: Lewes U-18s vs Bognor Regis Town U-18s (Yes, them again!)

Sun 9th Sep, 2pm: Lewes Women’s FS vs Ashford (Rookery 3G)

Mon 10th Sep, 7:45pm: Lewes DS vs Ramsgate DS

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Credits and legal info

The Bostik League strongly support recent FA statements that there should be a zero tolerance approach against racism and all forms of discrimination. Accordingly, any form of discriminatory abuse, whether it be based on race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, faith, age, ability or any other form of abuse will be reported to The Football Association for action by that Association. (The FA 0800 085 0508/Kick It Out 020 7253 0162)

Lewes 2000 FC Limited. Registered in England and Wales with Company Registration Number 03790979.

Honorary Presidents Carol Joy and Terry Parris
Chairman Stuart Fuller
Directors
Charlie Dobres, Eddie Ramsden, Stuart Fuller, John Peel, Barry Collins, Jackie Gilligan, Ed Briggs, Jon Ruben
Club Secretary Barry Collins
Youth Secretary Kevin Brook
Operations Manager Duncan Thompson

Life Members
Mr and Mrs Brook, Vic Blunt, Pat Dartnell, Gary Elphick, Gordon Fowlie, Peter Hiscox, Billy Nixon, Derrick Parris, Terry Parris, Jimmy Quinn, P. Swaysland, Steve Ibbitson, Jason Hopkinson, Steve White, Martin Elliot, Kevin Fingerneissl, Kevin Powell, David and Barbara
Arnold, Roger and Cathy Feltham, Ethel Treagus, Roy Dartnell RIP, Ron Moore, Derek Southouse, Ray Smith, Ken Carter

Manager Darren Freeman
Assistant Manager Ross Standen
First Team Coach Tony Coade
Physiotherapists Paul Baskin & Debbie Adams
Performance Analyst Matthew Strong
Development Squad Manager Steve Eke
Development Squad coach Luke Carter
Development Squad/Under-18s sports therapist Chris Dumbrell
Under-18s Manager Dale Hurley
Under-18s Assistant Manager Craig Stevens
Under-18s coaches Jake Legrange and Johnny Buggy

Golden Rook Rob Read
Web Editor Stuart Fuller
Progcast Editors Paul Sheppard and Duncan Thompson
Progcast Designer Barry Collins
Club Photographer James Boyes