Welcome to the Dripping Pan for today’s Bostik Premier League game with Enfield Town. Here is your complimentary e-programme.Â
CONTENTS
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Lewes vs Farnborough: on penalties
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.
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.
CHAIRMAN’S NOTES
Good afternoon and welcome back to the Dripping Pan for what promises to be an excellent afternoon of Bostik League football. I’d like to welcome our good friends from Enfield Town, a fellow fan-owned club and one that were really pioneers for community ownership in this country. I hope their fans, players, management and officials enjoy their afternoon off the pitch at least this afternoon and wish them a safe journey back to North London.
On Wednesday night we took on Farnborough in the Emirates FA Cup replay after last Saturday’s exciting game which ended 2-2 and it is fair to say that most of the 400 will have been equally on the edge of their seats/terrace step. It isn’t often we see a penalty shoot-out here at the Pan but I’m sure Darren had the team practising them just in case on Monday night. A win is a win in the cup and we progress to Kings Langley next Saturday and hope to see another great Rooks following.
I’m sure a number of fans thought that we may not adapt so quickly to life in the Bostik Premier Division but it has been satisfying to see us play so well and continue our fine form from last season. We’ve already claimed the scalps of Dorking Wanderers and Margate away from home, two teams who were both highly tipped to challenge for promotion, and as I write these notes we are the only side to take points off league leaders Tonbridge Angels so far. None of these results have been through luck.
Darren and his team spend hours in the run-up to every game analysing our opposition, looking for weaknesses and setting up our team accordingly. We’ve certainly upped our game off the field in game preparation and management and I’d like to thank everyone who takes part in that every week.
Tomorrow our fantastic Lewes Women host Arsenal Women here in the Continental Tyres League Cup. A game like that would have been unheard of a few seasons ago yet here we are competing on the same pitch with them. I’m sure there will be a bumper crowd for the game, and if we perform anywhere near as well as last Sunday, when we beat Millwall Lionesses 3-0 in our opening Championship game, then our illustrious visitors will be in for a hell of a game.
You will have noticed that the club is now getting a lot more time in the media spotlight. Part of this is due to our new position in Women’s football but it is also due to the progress we are making across the whole club. Every team, every player, every manager, every coach, every volunteer plays a vital role in this and I’d like to thank everyone for their continued support of the club.
Enjoy the afternoon, get behind the team and Come On You Rooks!!!
Stuart
RECENT MATCH REVIEW
Lewes 1 vs Farnborough 1 (Lewes won 4-1 on penalties), 12th September 2018
Watch Your Instant Replay’s video highlights of a night of high drama – and see more about the penalty shoot-out below
LEWES VS FARNBOROUGH: ON PENALTIES
After three and a half hours of football, nothing could separate Lewes and Farnborough in the First Qualifying Round of the FA Cup.
Penalties it was. But how does Darren go about picking his penalty takers? Who was the fifth penalty taker who never got to take a kick? And how did having an outfield player in goal for Farnborough affect the mentality of the manager and his players?
Darren Freeman talks to Barry Collins about the penalties (click Play below), and James Boyes’ brilliant photos capture the tension – and eventually elation – of the evening.
PRE-MATCH PODCAST
Ben Lane is back with an audio preview of today’s game.
WHAT WAS THE DRIPPING PAN?
David Arnold traces the origins of our magnificent home ground and the conflicting views on how it came into being
What is the origin of the Dripping Pan? Does it relate to medieval Lewes or perhaps an earlier era? Or is it something dating from Tudor times? In this sense of us not knowing for certain about the Dripping Pan, it is as enigmatic as the Long Man of Wilmington, that massive chalk figure on the South Downs also of uncertain age and uncertain purpose.
There are a number of theories about what the Dripping Pan started out as. My favourite is that the Pan is linked to water and the River Ouse. For sure, the flood plain of the Ouse seven or eight centuries ago saw regular inundations, the like of which we only see in modern times when the big floods visit the town – and that’s every 30 or 40 years. In my time I’ve seen two very big ones.
The site of the Lewes Priory was above the highest water level, but the Dripping Pan being sited to the east and nearer the floodplain would have made it an ideal reservoir that could be filled or drained depending on the tides and rainfall. It could have been a fish farm suitable for salt water fish or, at least, those that can survive in brackish waters. Grey mullet are a fish quoted in medieval literature and could have lived well enough in the confines of a closed-in Pan.
A pinch of salt
Or maybe it was an actual salt pan, salt being a virtual currency in medieval times.
What do historians say? Paul Dunvan in his book, Ancient and Modern History of Lewes and Brighthelmstone, published in 1795, recounts that at various times the Mount-field, and the field adjoining it, had been owned by the Sackville family who acquired it along with the site of Lewes Priory in 1560. The Sackvilles were linked to the Tufton family who seemed to end up with possession of the land. A Tufton then sold the estate to one of the Pelham family. Later the owner was Sir Francis Poole, an MP for Lewes who had links to the influential Pelhams and who died in 1763 aged 81.
Dunvan, however, doesn’t put a precise date on when the Dripping Pan and nearby Mount came into existence, though he makes clear his belief that both had monastic origins. He states in his book:
“The Mount, a monument of the Gothic taste and wanton profusion of its founder, was constructed at a considerable expense with earth raised near its base; and the excavation thereby occasioned, is now commonly called the Dripping Pan: but which of the Priors erected this Mount, it is now impossible, I believe, to ascertain.”
So Dunvan definitely believes it is a Prior who had the Mount and Dripping Pan constructed. Later in the book, he also says that the land adjoining the Mount and Dripping Pan to the west became known as the Lord’s Place after the name of a mansion there, which had once been the lodging for the Priors of the monastery. The first Earl of Dorset owned it and sometimes stayed there towards the end of the 16th century. Dunvan adds that though the residence burnt down in about 1690, the name Lord’s Place remained, and indeed it can be seen on old maps of Lewes, including the one shown here.
The Prospect Mound
Contradicting Dunvan, Lewes Historian Colin Brent has suggested that the Mount could have been constructed as a “Prospect Mound” from which ornamental gardens surrounding it – including the Dripping Pan – could be surveyed. This would have been done under the direction of the Earl of Dorset. He has been supported in this theory by another historian, Mark Bowden.
If correct, this would date the works at late 16th century. As I understand it, Prospect Mounds didn’t become fashionable until the 17th century and later. Further, many Prospect Mounds were fashioned out of existing mottes that were the sites of temporary medieval wooden castles. I also don’t understand how someone as painstaking as Paul Dunvan, writing just 100 years after the Lord’s Place burnt down, is so certain that the Mount and Dripping Pan were made on the orders of an unknown Medieval Prior.
When the Philcox Stand was constructed at the western end of the Dripping Pan about a decade or so ago, an Archaelogical Watching Brief was carried out by Fiona Griffin on behalf of Archaeology South-East. She concluded: “No archaeological artefacts or features were exposed during the excavations.” Her report also states: “The actual date the Dripping Pan was constructed is unknown.”
Taking all this into account, the jury is still out in respect of the origins of the Dripping Pan. Which may not be at all a bad thing: a bit of mystery is good for the tourists, and a nice yarn to spin to visiting supporters.
TODAY’S OPPONENTS: ENFIELD TOWN
Now, you’re going to have to concentrate for a moment. Enfield Town were founded in June 2001 by the Enfield Supporters’ Trust following the breakdown of an agreement to take on the running of troubled Enfield FC, who had been one of the most successful non-league teams of the sixties, seventies and eighties. Having fallen into financial difficulties and sold their hometown Southbury Road ground in 1999, Enfield FC went into liquidation in 2007, re-forming as Enfield 1893.
This afternoon’s opponents, Enfield Town (thus not to be confused with either now defunct Enfield or Enfield 1893), were admitted to the Essex Senior League in 2001. The club’s first season saw them finish second in the league and win the League Cup, also winning the Capital Counties Feeder Leagues Trophy and the Middlesex Senior Charity Cup. They won the Essex Senior League the following season, but were not promoted due to failing ground grading.
They won the Essex Senior League for a second time in 2005 and were promoted to Division One East of the Southern League, being transferred to Division One North of the Isthmian League in 2006. In October 2008 the club succeeded in finding a home in Enfield, moving with the support of Enfield Council to the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium. The ground was formally opened in November 2011 with a match against a Tottenham Hotspur XI.
In 2012 Enfield Town won promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division via the play-offs. They won the Supporters Direct Cup in both 2012 and 2013. A fourth-place league finish in 2017 saw Enfield Town qualify for a play-off place where they were beaten by Dulwich Hamlet. Last season they finished 17th.
In June 2017, the club were awarded the Charter Standard Community Club of the Year by the Middlesex Football Association in recognition of their work in the local community. Earlier this year the club hosted a number of matches (including the final) as part of the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) 2018 Football World Cup.
Although knocked out of the FA Cup last Saturday by Bedford Town, Enfield Town remain undefeated in the league: their three wins and three draws put them on 12 points and in fourth place in the table.
Enfield player profiles
Andy Leese – Manager
Andy began his management career at Somersett Ambury in the Spartan South Midlands League in 2000. Before joining Enfield Town in June 2017, Andy had spent over a decade as manager at Chesham United, having moved to the Meadow in the summer of 2007 from Potters Bar Town. During his time at Potters Bar he guided the club to the 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup, having saved the team from relegation the previous season.
Joe Wright – Goalkeeper
Joe is a 26-year-old former Queens Park Rangers youth goalkeeper who arrived at the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium in June 2017 from Bishops Stortford, where he had two spells. He has also represented Billericay Town, Hendon and Welling United.
Sam Hatton – Defender
Sam is an experienced player who has represented clubs including AFC Wimbledon, Aldershot Town, Grimsby Town and Welling United. He is an England C International.
Taofiq Olomowewe – Defender
Taofiq is a former Burnley U23 centre-back. He departed Turf Moor at the end of the 2016/17 campaign, having moved there via the Nike Academy, and subsequently joined Wealdstone in October 2017. After an initial loan spell Taofiq penned a permanent deal in the summer.
Dan Rumens – Defender
Dan signed from Braintree Town in July 2017. He has played both in the centre and on the left in recent seasons.
Remi Sutton – Defender
Left-back Remi signed for Thurrock from Basildon United in December 2013, where he went on to make over 100 appearances, before a brief spell at Greenwich Borough. Returning to Essex, he signed for Town during the close season.
Mickey Parcell – Defender/Midfielder
Born and raised in Enfield, 22-year-old Mickey signed a professional contract with Torquay United where he completed a two-year scholarship, until injury misfortune curtailed his time there. He joined Town at the start of the 2015/16 season and has now made over 150 appearances for the club.
Rian McLean – Defender/Midfielder
19-year-old Rian signed for Town in July. He had previously been on Leyton Orient’s books, and has had loan spells at St Neots, Hendon, Margate and Greenwich Borough. He suffered a medial ligament injury earlier in the year but has recovered well.
Ryan Blackman – Midfielder/Captain
23-year-old Ryan signed for Town in June 2017 and is team captain. His career has taken in Tilbury, Witham Town, Waltham Abbey, Canvey Island, and Biggleswade Town.
Sam Youngs – Midfielder
A vastly experienced midfielder at 27, Sam has also played at Chesham United, Rugby Town, Redditch United, Banbury United, Halesowen Town, Hemel Hempstead Town, and Ware.
Matt Johnson – Midfielder
Formerly with Billericay Town, Bishop’s Stortford, Braintree Town, Ebbsfleet United and Margate, 29-year-old Matt had been with Chelmsford City before making the switch to Enfield in March 2017.
Aaron Greene – Midfielder
23-year-old Aaron joined Town from Chelmsford City in August 2017. His other previous clubs include Bishop’s Stortford, AFC Sudbury and Harlow Town.
Sam Chaney – Midfielder
22-year-old Sam has played in the National League with Torquay United, where he earned himself a professional contract in 2014, and has trialled at QPR. Town moved quickly to get his signature upon his release in July.
Bilal Sayoud – Midfielder
Bilal is a 21-year-old with experience at the Nike Academy. He was recently released by Coventry City after a two-year spell there. He is a wide player who can operate on either flank.
Lewis Taaffe – Midfielder/Forward
26-year-old Lewis joined Town at the start of the season, becoming a fans’ favourite with his energetic style.
Liam Hope – Forward
Town’s record goalscorer, Liam has netted over 100 goals during his two spells with the club. He returned to the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in November 2017 after stints at Brentwood Town and Cheshunt.
Brandon Adams – Forward
20-year-old striker Brandon had been at QPR for four years, including a year’s experience in Malaysia and some time on loan at clubs including Linfield in Northern Ireland. He had an impressive pre-season with Town and consequently signed forms in July.
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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STODGEBUSTERS ON TOUR
Our fry-up seeking fans take a trip to Farnborough
The prize for thumping Molesey 8-1 in the replay on the previous Wednesday was a trip to Farnborough. This would be no easy task. They are in the Evo-Stik league at an equivalent level to us and we have never had much luck at Cherrywood Road in our previous visits. From memory, our last game here was a Conference South game back in the dark days of 2011 when Tim O’Shea’s team lost 5-1, mainly due to our keeper being very harshly sent off in the first ten minutes or so and an outfield player having to face the subsequent penalty. We didn’t think it was even a foul at the time but we are naturally a little biased. A few weeks later we were relegated back to the Ryman league and O’Shea departed. Not a vintage year.
The Stodgebusters were in disarray for this one. Roly and Malcolm were away on holiday. The lightweights. Even PJ was a doubtful runner due to a morning hospital appointment which might overrun. Poor old Gary the Badge might be on his own and have to pay the non-groupsave ÂŁ25 fare on the train. Ouch. Worse still it was a bus replacement service to Three Bridges, and nasty rumours of a Southwest Train strike made the journey even more unappealing. Luckily PJ managed to escape the hospital for a midday rendezvous with Gary in Brighton for a ninety-minute blast via A23/M23/M25/M3 into Hampshire.
We hadn’t sussed out a cafe and time was ticking on by the time we reached Farnborough so we decided to stake all on the food in the ground. What would be on offer there? Would it be cordon bleu? Or should it be cordoned off?
In the car park we noticed that some Audi driver had parked very close up behind the Rooks minibus. So close in fact that it was actually touching. It turned out that the owner of the new-ish Audi had either neglected to put his handbrake on, or it had failed, so the car had rolled across the car park and crunched into the metal step on the back of the bus. Oh dear. No damage to the bus but it made a dent in someone’s pride and joy. That someone turned out to be the match referee! Ah well, at least it was only an Audi. (PJ is a Ford man. -Ed.)
It was ÂŁ10 for a concession. Gary might have mentioned once or twice, or more, that being only ÂŁ2 cheaper than full price seemed a bit steep. Farnborough’s ground must be one of the best grounds in the league. It was obviously intended for a higher league than EvoStik Premier but Farnborough have had a somewhat chequered financial history in recent years including a couple of administrations, points deductions and a reformation which hasn’t helped their cause. Maybe they are skint again and can’t afford a mower or sprinkler as the grass was very long and not in good condition considering it’s only September. Another minus point is the impressive seated stand behind the goal. A lovely stand it might be, but we don’t like seats behind the goal. They do have a very nice walk in club shop where one can browse everything at one’s leisure. The sort of shop that our Barry would probably love to kit out at the Pan one day. Their spacious bar was pretty good too. We had a pint and watched a bit of Northern Ireland being turned over by Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Onto the important stuff. Food. The rather stern food kiosk bloke resembled Kiosk Keith from I’m a Celebrity……. Whatever happened to Service with a Smile? Gary went for a traditional cheeseburger and chips which got a respectable 7 out of 10 on the Stodgebuster Scale, while PJ had quite a decent jumbo hot dog with onions which merited an 8.
With Jonte away on international duty (is that a first for Lewes?) Luke was starting up front with Billy on the bench. The first 45 minutes were fairly ordinary with nothing much to get excited about at all in our unwanted seats. Nothing between the two teams at all, although at the half-time change of ends one of the home faithful was overheard stating that he didn’t know how Farnborough weren’t winning the game easily. What was he watching?
The second half was a lot different. The half-time introduction of Nico Cotton and Charlie Coppola had an instant effect. Nico squeezed a shot in from a tight angle to put Lewes one up. Lewes were suddenly well on top and had chances to increase the lead, but the ball was given away during a promising attack with the Lewes defence up in support. The quick break caught us a bit light at the back, the ball was crossed and was in the net in a flash. The Rooks regained the lead pretty quickly though. A lovely free kick right into the six-yard box at chest height. It was the type of free kick that defenders hate to deal with as they regularly end up as O.G’s. But this one was met by Lloyd Cotton’s head and he bulleted it into the net. But within seconds Farnborough were level again. Another cross not cleared was guided into the net. With 5 minutes left the home side were reduced to ten men after Billy had been hauled back while going through on goal. The referee deemed him to be the last man so out came the red card. The final few minutes were nearly all Lewes although Carey did pull off the save of the match to keep us in it.
It ended as a Desmond. 2-2, and a replay at the Pan Wednesday. It was probably the right result on the day.
SPONSOR A LEWES FC PLAYER
It costs only ÂŁ50 to sponsor a player or manager for home or away Kit. ÂŁ25 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:Â 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
MICHAEL DOME-BEMWIN
HOME: DAVE EVANS
STILL AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP: Stacey Freeman, Alex Malins, Leon Redwood, Ronnie Conlon or any player of your choice.
TODAY’S TEAMS
Teams will appear here when announced…
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
| Opponents | H/A | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Kings Langely (FA Cup 2nd Round Qualifying) | A | Sat 22nd Sep, 3pm |
| Corinthian Casuals | H | Â Weds 26th Sep, 7:45pm |
| Wingate & Finchley | A | Sat 29th Sep, 3pm |
| Worthing | H | Weds 3rd Oct, 7:45pm |
Full season fixtures, results and stats embedded below
Also this week at the Pan…
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