Welcome to The Dripping Pan for today’s Bostik Premier League game with Kingstonian. Here is your complimentary e-programme.
IN TODAY’S ISSUE
- Darren from the Dugout
- RIP Gordon Howieson
- Chairman’s Notes
- Today’s Match Music
- Developments from the DS
- A Harsh Penalty
- Today’s Opponents
- Sponsor A Lewes FC Player
- Stodgebusters on Tour
- Today’s Teams
- Forthcoming Fixtures
DARREN FROM THE DUGOUT
Hear Darren’s thoughts on today’s game by clicking the Play button below:
RIP GORDON HOWIESON
Lewes FC was very sad to learn of the death of former club captain, Gordon Howieson. Gordon was part of Kenny Carter’s team which, in 1965, won every trophy they could and went unbeaten in the league for the entire season.
Kenny Carter paid the following tribute to his captain:
Gordie was a small man with big heart, very respected by all who knew him.
Gordie was already playing for Lewes FC when I was appointed Manager in 1964, However I knew of his qualities, as I had played with him for Hangletonians in the Sussex Sunday League.
After completing our pre-season training programme I appointed Gordie our Captain for that season.
1964/65 Season turned out to be the Greatest Sussex football has ever seen.
Winning the Sussex County League Div one. Sussex Senior Cup, & Sussex RUR Charity Cup.
We were unbeaten in Sussex all season and our only defeat came in Surrey, at Redhill in an FA Cup replay after drawing at the Dripping Pan.
Gordie was a lovely man who will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
There will be a minute’s silence before today’s game in memory of Gordon.
CHAIRMAN’S NOTES
Good afternoon and welcome to this afternoon’s Bostik League Premier Division game against our visitors from Kingstonian. I’d like to welcome the fans, players, management and officials of Kingstonian to the Pan and hope your journey home is problem free.
We’ve had a great relationship off the field with the K’s for many years even if our luck against them on it hasn’t been as positive! At some point our record against them will improve so let’s hope that’s today.
We came away from Brightlingsea Regent last Sunday with just a point, disappointed that we didn’t take our chances to grab all three. We could and should have had a penalty late in the game, which I have written about the merits of later in this programme.
We once again had excellent support at Brightlingsea last week and I’d like to thank the 30 or so fans who made the long journey to Essex – I know that Darren and the squad really appreciate the efforts you go to to support the team and he was disappointed that we couldn’t find a winner to give you the perfect return on the day.
One of our issues since Christmas is not putting away those chances in games. We’ve certainly had enough to get maximum points in 5 or 6 games (let’s not mention penalties anymore) and I’m still confident that if we find that touch in front of goal we are still in with a shout of the play-offs. We’ve still got a few days before the Non-League registration window closes and so I know how hard Darren is working on trying to bring in some new faces to strengthen the squad.
We may see James Hammond and Omarr Lawson back in contention today. Hammo disclocated his patella in the final moments of the game against Whitehawk but fortunately it slipped back into place so his recovery from a potentially serious injury has been expedited. We’ve also seen Alex Malins back in very light training this week which is excellent news.
Our free-scoring under18s were at it again this week following up on their 11-1 win against Bognor Regis Town last week with a 12-0 victory against Shoreham on Monday. It’s still a very tight league with the Rooks top of the pile, but the three teams underneath separated by just four points. Let’s also not forget that Dale Hurley’s side also have the prospect of defending their Sussex Youth Cup title against Burgess Hill Town on Thursday 11th April at Lancing FC. They are back in action here on Thursday when Eastbourne Borough are the visitors.
Come on you Rooks!
TODAY’S MATCH MUSIC
Today’s match playlist is compiled by our very own John Peel (not that one). Click on the player below to listen to the tracks on Spotify.
DEVELOPMENTS FROM THE DS
Development Squad manager, Steve Eke, gives us an update on a very strong season for our young Rooks
The men’s DS are enjoying a good season on the pitch, currently we are on a very good run of form with seven wins and four draws from eleven games.
We sit second in the league with the second-best goal difference and still hope to pip Tooting and Mitcham to the title. Unfortunately losing early season games and wins against Thamesmead and Horsham, who both withdrew from the league, being wiped out means we have to win all our remaining four games to stand a chance.
Two games stand out this season. In December, we travelled to Ramsgate who had a 100% home record and beat them 2-1 with goals from Sam Karl and Jake Lindsey. In the New Year, we went to unbeaten Tooting and Mitcham, took the lead and were unfortunate to only draw 1-1, Dan Harris scoring our goal with a great header.
Thanks go to our Chairman Stuart Fuller for buying the lads a McDonalds each on the long trip back from Ramsgate!
Over the years, we have found it difficult to win away points so this is something we have worked on, to improve the players’ attitude and confidence in unfamiliar surroundings and being out of their comfort zones. Our results and performances show a clear improvement in this area.
Over the four years I have managed the Men’s DS I believe we currently have the best crop of young players we’ve had at the club. Combined with our strong U-18s team, some of who span the two teams, the youth part of the club is thriving.
The strength of the first team and last season’s promotion makes it difficult for our young players to make the jump into senior football.
We have a number of players playing in County League first teams to gain experience and hopefully improve their chances of playing in our first team. Over the years we have lost a few players to other clubs, but this is a consequence of our first team’s success.
Lewes as a club can still take pride in developing young players and seeing them playing in other clubs is part of our successful youth programme, and of course we always follow their progress.
PLAYERS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
Nathan Stroomberg, Goalkeeper: Nathan has been with us for four seasons and is an Academy graduate. I’ve watched him grow in strength and stature and he is developing into a good player. His all-round game is improving at a pace, particularly his decision making, and his distribution is first class. Nathan also plays in Saltdean’s first team.
Sam Karl, Left Midfield: Sam was last season’s Player of the Year and the Bostik Golden Boot winner. This season he has moved up to the first team squad, making his debut before Christmas. Sam has continued his development in the DS scoring seven goals, he has a very good first touch, he’s quick and always a goal threat. He is also playing at Loxwood in the County League.
Dylan Gifford, Right Midfield: Dylan is an outstanding natural talent in the Charlie Coppola mould and is rapidly adding all the other parts to his game, i.e. team play and tactics. Dylan is left footed playing off the right with an excellent first touch and goes past opponents with ease. He has scored 12 goals in our team and numerous more in the U-18 team. He also plays at Eastbourne United.
Jake Lindsey, Striker: Jake is an Academy graduate in his second season with the DS. He is learning all the time how to be a team player to go with his natural talent and energy. He has a good first touch, is always on the move and is real danger in the box, scoring six goals. Jake also plays first team football for Hassocks.
A mention for Henry Thompson, who was outstanding for us before leaving to play football in New Zealand in February. Henry is another Academy graduate and is an aggressive ball playing midfield/number 10 player. I will be encouraging him to return to the Pan when he is back in the UK.
BECOME AN OWNER
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A HARSH PENALTY
Chairman Stuart Fuller wonders whether it’s time to rethink the penalty laws
In the 78th minute of last Saturday’s game at Brightlingsea Regent with the score at 0-0, Callum Overton weaved his way into the area near the touchline. His way was blocked by Regent’s Aaron Condon and, as the Rooks forward looked to go around him, Condon fell, and perhaps to cushion his fall put both hands out. Those hands landed firmly on the ball, stopping it rolling into the path of Callum.
Unbelievably, the two people in the stadium who didn’t see the offence were the two that mattered – the referee and his far-side assistant. However, if you take a step back and put the rules to the side for a minute, it is hard to justify how an offence in that position actually warrants a penalty kick.
Whilst the handball occurred in the penalty area, it was in a relatively harmless position. Callum couldn’t have realistically scored from that position especially as another defender blocked his way to the goal. So why should that be considered a worse offence than one a few minutes earlier which resulted in a defendable free-kick, when Dayshonne Golding was pole-axed on the edge of the penalty area, almost dead centre?
Perhaps it is time we took a look at the rules around a penalty kick? At a time when the IFAB are keen to tinker with the rules, how long before the spot kick as we know it changes? Whilst it is sure to cause controversy, perhaps it is for the best.
Before we consider the ramifications, let’s go back 130 years when the idea created by goalkeeper and businessman William McCrum was presented through the Irish Football Association to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) 1890 Meeting. After a year of debate, the rule changes came into play at the start of the 1891/92 season.
However, the rules pertaining to the humble spot kick agreed by IFAB were very different to what we know today.
- It was awarded for an offence committed within 12 yards of the goal-line (the penalty area not introduced until 1902)
- It could be taken from any point along a line 12 yards from the goal-line
- It was awarded only after an appeal made by the attacking team to the referee
- There was no restriction on dribbling with the ball
- The ball could be kicked in any direction
- The goalkeeper was allowed to advance up to 6 yards from the goal-line
The world’s first penalty kick was awarded to Airdrieonians in 1891, whilst the first penalty kick awarded in England was to Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 1891 in their league match against Accrington Stanley.
The rules as we know them today came into play from 1902 with the creation of the 18-yard box, and whilst there has been changes to almost every one of the original rules the basics have remained the same for over 115 years – an offence committed anywhere in the 18-yard box results in a penalty kick from 12-yards out.
But is now the time to rethink the rules? At their meeting in Aberdeen earlier In March, IFAB discussed the idea of making any follow-ups to penalties saved by the goal keeper or that strike the frame of the goal “illegal”. It is likely that in the next few years this will become entrenched in the rules of the game, but one change could be under discussion in the next few years perhaps is that the penalty area is reduced from 18 to 12 yards, and made into a semi-circle similar to the hockey penalty area. Any offence committed in the area will result in a spot kick, taken from the point on the curve closest to the offence. The more central the offence, the better the angle the penalty taker has.
It may be a controversial change to one of the most recognisable aspects of the game but football needs to adapt. If we would have been awarded that penalty last Saturday we wouldn’t have complained, although based on our penalty record this year there’s no guarantee we would have scored it! But if we had scored the only goal of the game, would it have been a just reward for an offence that took place in an area of the pitch where there was virtually no chance of a goal? The football fan says no, the Rooks fan says yes!
TODAY’S OPPONENTS: KINGSTONIAN
Kingstonian began life as Kingston & Surbiton YMCA in 1885, renamed Saxons FC in 1887, Kingston Wanderers in 1890 and Kingston upon Thames A.F.C. in 1893. Old Kingstonians split away in 1908, but reunited with Kingston upon Thames A.F.C. in 1919 to form Kingstonian FC.
The club joined the Athenian League, finishing as champions in 1924 and 1926, and stepped up to the Isthmian League in 1929. Kingstonian won the FA Amateur Cup in 1933 and the Isthmian League title in 1934 and 1937. They reached the FA Amateur Cup final again in 1960, but lost 1-2 to Hendon in their first Wembley appearance.
Relegated in 1979, they returned to the Premier Division in 1985, moving to a new ground at Kingsmeadow in 1989, topping the Isthmian League in 1998 to win promotion to the Football Conference.
Kingstonian won the FA Trophy in both 1999 (beating Forest Green Rovers 1-0 in the final) and 2000 (3-2 against Kettering Town) under manager Geoff Chapell (his fifth FA Trophy Final win in seven seasons, the other three with Woking), and in 2000 finished fifth in the Conference.
Having knocked Brighton out of the FA Cup in 1994, and drawn at home to Leyton Orient in front of a crowd of 3,495 in 1998, Kingstonian reached the fourth round of the FA Cup in 2001, knocking out Football League sides Brentford and Southend United, before going out 0-1 in a replay to Bristol City. However, that same season they were relegated back to the Isthmian League. and suffered relegation again in 2005.
Financial difficulties soon caused a downturn in the club’s fortunes, including the sale of their Kingsmeadow ground to Wimbledon AFC in 2003 – though Kingstonian continued to play there until 2017, the ground having been bought by Chelsea. They and suffered relegation again in 2005.
Under Alan Dowson the club was promoted back to the Isthmian League Premier Division in 2009. However, after finishing second in 2014 but missing out on promotion, Dowson resigned. Kingstonian won the Isthmian League Cup in 2016. Ground-sharing for one season with Leatherhead in 2017-18, Kingstonian then took on a three-year ground-share with Corinthian-Casuals FC at King George’s Field.
After a promising spell that took Kingstonian to second in the table before christmas, a poor run saw manager Leigh Dynan sacked early in 2019, and with his replacement Dean Brennan leaving after just five games, former manager Kim Harris has taken temporary charge. They have drawn one and lost ten of their last eleven league games, and have slipped to 16th in the table.
MEET THE SQUAD
Manager – Kim Harris
Kingstonian announced last weekend that manager Dean Brennan and assistant Stuart Maynard resigned from their posts with immediate effect after their 3-2 loss at home to Burgess Hill Town. Kingstonian appointed Kim Harris this week to take the helm for the rest of this season. Kim is well known to everyone at Kingstonian, having been first team manager between 2002 and 2004, returning in 2017 as caretaker boss. Kim has also managed Walton Casuals, Corinthian-Casuals and Chertsey Town, taking Corinthian-Casuals to a Surrey Senior Cup Final victory in 2011.
Goalkeeper – Rob Tolfrey
Undeniably a Kingstonian legend, Rob holds the record for the most appearances made in goal for the club. Rob started his career with Crawley Town before spending one season with Whyteleafe and then securing a move to Horsham. In 2009, Rob moved to Kingstonian and has been the K’s number one ever since. Supporters’ Player of the Year on a number of occasions, Rob had a testimonial match against AFC Wimbledon in 2015.
Dan Spence – Defender
Dan started his career in the youth ranks at Reading before leaving them to join the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain, and then Jerez Industrial CF. He has also had spells with Mansfield Town, Hayes & Yeading United and Salisbury City. He moved to Sutton United, to win the National League South title in 2016 and reach the Fifth Round of the FA Cup in 2017. He joined the K’s on loan in February 2019.
Tom Bird – Defender
Tom began his career in Chelsea’s youth ranks before joining Basingstoke Town in 2007. A year later he moved to Fleet Town, from whom he signed for the K’s for the first time in the summer of 2010. Two seasons later he moved to Carshalton Athletic for a short spell, and from October 2012 he spent the rest of the campaign with the K’s. He has also played for Hayes and Yeading United, Metropolitan Police, Basingstoke Town and Gosport Borough, and Merstham. He rejoined K’s in February 2019.
Dean Inman – Defender
Dean signed for Kingstonian in December 2018 from Billericay Town where he was a member of Billericay’s Isthmian League Championship side in 2017-18. He began his career with Brentford’s youth system, before spending six years with Hampton and Richmond Borough. He has also played for Hayes and Yeading United, Maidenhead United.
Ismail Yakubu – Defender
Nigerian born Ismail joined Barnet at the age of eleven, turned professional at sixteen and made his first team debut at seventeen. He went on to make nearly 400 appearances for the Bees before joining AFC Wimbledon in 2010. In his one season with the Dons he helped the team into the Football League, and scored one of the penalties in the decisive shoot-out in the play-off final against Newport County. It was to Newport that he went after his release from Wimbledon that summer, and with the Welsh club he reached the FA Trophy Final in 2012 and won another Conference play-off final in 2013. He has also played for Woking, Hemel Hempstead Town, and joined the K’s in February 2019.
Jonathan Muleba – Defender
Jonathan started his career in the youth ranks at Chelsea before joining the U21 squad at AFC Bournemouth. He moved on to Folkestone Invicta, Enfield Town, and Braintree Town where he featured in their 2017-18 promotion campaign. He played twenty-two times for Braintree in the National League this season before his release to join the K’s in February.
James Kaloczi – Defender/Midfielder
Having briefly played for Potters Bar Town, James moved to St Albans City in 2012 until the summer of 2015 when he joined Dunstable Town where he was club captain. A brief spell back at St Albans was followed by a move in the summer of 2016 to Hemel Hempstead Town and from there he joined Kingstonian in February 2019.
Shaun McAuley – Midfielder
Back for his second spell with Kingstonian, Shaun originally joined the K’s in February 2017 on loan from Oxford City, going on to make 13 appearances. In the summer of 2017 he moved up to the National League South and played a big part in Hampton and Richmond Borough’s run to the play-off final. Shaun has also played for Eastleigh, Hayes & Yeading United and Basingstoke Town.
Connor Smith – Midfielder
Connor started out in the youth ranks at Mullingar Town in his native County Westmeath. From there he moved to Watford. In January 2016 he joined AFC Wimbledon, and the following season was part of Plymouth Argyle’s promotion squad to League One. In 2017 he joined Yeovil Town and then had a spell with Boreham Wood before signing for Billericay Town in January 2019. In February 2019 he joined the K’s on loan for the rest of the season.
Lyle Della-Verde – Midfielder
Lylejoined the K’s in March 2019 on a dual registration basis with Braintree Town. He began his career in the youth ranks at Tottenham and then Southend before moving to Fulham in 2011. He has also played for Bristol Rovers, Fleetwood Town, Crawley Town, Welling United, Concord Rangers, and Dartford
Devonte Aransibia – Midfielder
Devonte joined the K’s in March 2019 after having been released by Norwich City the month previously. He began his career at Carrow Road and played for the Under 18s and the Under 23s. In January he had a short loan spell with Billericay Town.
Chace Jacquart – Midfielder
Chace started his career in the AFC Wimbledon junior ranks. In the summer of 2015 he had a spell in Portugal with Portmonense, but his time there was interrupted by injury. He joined the K’s in January 2019.
Aaron Lamont – Midfielder
A former Queen’s Park Rangers junior, Aaron originally joined the K’s in 2016-17 from Hampton and Richmond Borough and made a positive impact on the squad before his move down to Cornwall and a season in the National League South with Truro City. He returned to the K’s in the summer of 2018.
Delano Sam-Yorke – Forward
Delano began his career with Wycombe Wanderers and has since had extensive National League and National League South experience with the likes of Basingstoke Town, Cambridge United, Forest Green Rovers, Boreham Wood, and Maidstone United. Delano signed for Kingstonian on loan from Dartford in November 2018.
Nathan Minhas – Forward
Nathan is a former Maidenhead United youth player who moved to Ascot United in the summer of 2018. By December 2018 he had joined National League South club Billericay Town, and moved from there to the K’s on loan in January 2019. Nathan also represented Panjab in the 2018 ConIFA World Cup, scoring three times as the team finished fifth overall.
James Daly – Forward
James has been a Crystal Palace Eagle since Under 14s level, and can play either left wing or forward. He has won championship medals for Palace at both Under 18s and Under 23s levels, and earned himself a first team call up, being named on the bench for the team for an away game in April 2018 against AFC Bournemouth. James joined the K’s on loan for the season from Crystal Palace in August 2018.
Louie Theophanous – Forward
Another K’s man back for his second spell with the club, Louie originally joined on loan from Billericay Town in January 2018 before moving to Woking. When the season ended, the K’s managed to snap him up on a permanent basis. Louie has extensive experience at National League South level with the likes of Chelmsford City, Farnborough, Staines Town (where he won the Conference South Golden Boot in 2013-14) and Bromley.
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: CATHY FELTHAM
STEVE BRINKHURST
HOME: RON PIDGEON
AWAY:
TRAINING KIT & BOOTHS: ETHEL TREAGUS
FRANKIE CHAPPELL
HOME: ED BRIGGS
AWAY: ED BRIGGS
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS: ED BRIGGS
DAYSHONNE GOLDING
HOME KIT: HAIR FOR MEN, 16 MARKET ST, LEWES
NICO COTTON
HOME: JAMES BRIGGS
AWAY: JAMES BRIGGS
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS: JAMES BRIGGS
JAMES HAMMOND
HOME: ROOK, CANNON AND HORSE ASSOCIATES LTD
AWAY: LUCAS WARNER
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS: LUCAS WARNER
LUKE BLEWDEN
HOME: SUSIE ARLETT
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
STACEY FREEMAN
HOME: ROGER WARNER
AWAY: ROGER WARNER
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS: ROGER WARNER
HARRY REED
HOME: ANDY ROSSITTER
AWAY: SAM & JOE BARKER
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS:
LEWIS CAREY
HOME: DAVID & BARBARA ARNOLD
AWAY:
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS:
RONNIE CONLON
HOME: NEIL FINNEY
AWAY: LUCAS WARNER
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS: SUSIE ARLETT
JONTE SMITH
HOME: BARRY HAFFENDEN
AWAY: JASON FOULKES
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS: LUCAS WARNER
OMARR LAWSON
HOME: TONY HARMAN
AWAY: YEOVIL JOHN
TRAINING KIT & BOOTS: LUCAS WARNER
MICHAEL DOME-BEMWIN
HOME: DAVE EVANS
LEON REDWOOD
HOME: WILL & COLIN KEMP
CLUB SHOP MANAGER, BARRY HAFFENDEN
PROUDLY SPONSORED BY HAIR FOR MEN, 16 MARKET ST, LEWES
If you wish to sponsor a player, contact David Arnold at the Supporters Club.
JOIN THE LEWES FC VETS
STODGEBUSTERS ON TOUR
Our burger-munching band of supporters pay visits to Corinthian-Casuals and Folkestone
CORINTHIAN-CASUALS
After the previous Saturday’s devastating defeat by Whitehawk the Stodgebusters were a bit apprehensive as we travelled up to Tolworth to take on the Casuals. Recent form hadn’t been good and we needed a result tonight if we still had hopes of making the play offs.
On the morning of the match Stodgebuster Malcolm cried off with a bad cold and sore throat, but he wasn’t the only absentee. Sadly Turnstile Alan’s bright yellow coat hadn’t made it either. This was the coat that made him visible from the moon on match days, particularly evening games. Sadly the zip had broken on Saturday although he was pleased to tell us a new one was on it’s way from China at just over ÂŁ1. The zip that is not a coat!
Alan had offered to drive again after the Carshalton fiasco on the trains. With Roly picked up at Polegate, PJ and Gary were gathered in by the recycling bins at Tesco. As always the roads out of Lewes were very busy so we drove up to Haywards Heath and through Balcombe to get us on the M23. It was the scenic way PJ used to go to work at Gatwick before he became a man of leisure.
The Tolworth roundabout has presented problems in the past to many drivers and Alan was it’s latest victim. It’s very awkward to get in the right lane and not miss the slip road as you go round and Alan was caught out. After a couple of attempts we made it and we were on our way to the ground and managing to squeeze into the last parking space outside.
After some chips and a cup of tea we were ready but we had to use the Gents. With the door open anyone and everyone could see inside and it must have been a treat for the two girls working in the burger bar opposite. The floorboards were a bit dodgy as well and heavyweight Roly thought they were going to give way underneath him.
When the game started it soon became obvious that it wasn’t going to be a classic. Lots of endeavour and enthusiasm but precious little goalmouth action on what was turning into a chilly night. Half time arrived goalless and we all hoped for better in the second half. After the break we seemed to step up a gear and started to look a lot more dangerous. Kieran came on and looked lively and he finished well to put us ahead. We waited for a response from Casuals but they had very little to offer. In the last minute Luke ran through a statuesque defence to rifle the ball home and we had the three points. It had been the perfect awayday with two well taken goals and a clean sheet.
After giving the team some generous applause it was back to the car for the journey home. With no Tolworth roundabout to worry about this time Alan had us back in Lewes by 11pm. It had been a good night and hopefully the team are back on track with some tough games to come.
Next up is a trip to Folkestone Invicta where a new ground awaits for the Stodgebusters.
FOLKESTONE INVICTA
It was a new ground for the Stodgebusters to visit, the first of three new grounds with Brightlingsea Regent and Haringey following on in the next few weeks. We still hadn’t forgiven Southern Rail for the Carshalton fiasco so we happily accepted Turnstile Alan’s offer of a lift from Roly’s gaff at Polegate. This meant PJ driving Gary the Badge from Lewes, leaving his car at Roly’s and hoping it didn’t dump too much oil on his driveway and that he still had some hubcaps upon return.
All that went seamlessly and we were soon on our way to Folkestone.
We had planned on visiting The Full English cafe in Folkestone. We visited it before the Hythe game last season and it was very good. But we agreed that if we saw something promising on the way then we would stop and dive in there instead. Cafes came and went but parking was an issue. That was until we got to Hythe. There was a cafe just outside Hythe station on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway with its own car park. That looked like our kind of place so in we went.
We wondered if we had made a mistake. It was almost empty and a bit spartan. On the other hand, though, it looked nice and clean. We don’t like places where you have to wipe your feet on the way out. The menu was not very extensive but at least they did a reasonably priced all day breakfast which would do nicely for us. We prefer cafes where the waitress comes over and takes your order but one had to order at the counter this time. It wasn’t exactly “service with a smile” from the woman behind the till. Maybe she was a Hythe fan and didn’t like Lewes FC supporters. But she took our money (which included all of the generous £3.10p that PJ had received back from Southern for the aforementioned Carshalton fiasco) and the order went in.
The food was delivered to the table and each plate went down onto the table with a crash. However, the food was actually very good as was the tea.
We were soon in Folkestone looking for the ground. Unfortunately Turnstile Alan had only put “Cheriton Road” into his satnav and with that being a very long road we were nowhere near the ground when it announced we had arrived at our destination. With the help of Google maps and some profanity we found our way and went straight into the last parking space in the car park.
With about 45 minutes to kill we wandered into the club shop where Gary the Badge haggled and stocked up with a few badges for his stall back at the Pan. We couldn’t tempt him with a cheap secondhand copy of Alex Ferguson’s autobiography though. In fact, the reply to the suggestion was unprintable. Anyone would think he didn’t like him.
It’s not a bad ground at Folkestone. A fine old stand behind one goal but very open at the other end. The pitch had a couple of contours but it did have a decent covering of grass for the time of year.
This would be a tough game. A point would be a good result. We hoped the boys would put in a good performance.
The Stodgebusters will return: A Coach to Brightlingsea.
P.S. Oh. The game. Hardly worth mentioning really, but the Rooks were very disappointing and went down 4-0.
TODAY’S TEAMS
LEWES
| LEWIS CAREY | 1 |
| TOM DAY | 2 |
| CHARLES BANYA | 3 |
| MICHAEL DOME-BEMWIN | 4 |
| FRANKIE CHAPPELL© | 5 |
| STACEY FREEMAN | 6 |
| HARRY REED | 7 |
| JAMES HAMMOND | 8 |
| BEN POPE | 9 |
| KIERON PAMMENT | 10 |
| CHARLIE COPPOLA | 11 |
| OLAJUWON ADEYEMO | 12 |
| CALLUM OVERTON | 14 |
| DAYSHONNE GOLDING | 15 |
| LUKE BLEWDEN | 16 |
| OMARR LAWSON | 17 |
KINGSTONIAN
| 1 | ROBERT TOLFREY |
| 2 | DANIEL SPENCE |
| 3 | THOMAS BIRD |
| 4 | DEAN INMAN |
| 5 | ISMAIL YAKABU |
| 6 | AARON LAMONT |
| 7 | DELANO SAM-YORKE |
| 8 | SHAUN McAULEY |
| 9 | LOUIE THEOPHANOUS |
| 10 | NATHAN MINHAS |
| 11 | ALFIE EGAN |
| 12 | CHACE JACQUART |
| 14 | JAY HAWKINS |
| 15 | OWEN COLEMAN |
| 16 | ARCHIE DREWETT |
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
| OPPONENTS | H/A | DATE |
| Haringey Borough | A | Sat 30th Mar, 3pm |
| Merstham | H | Sat 6th Apr, 3pm |
| Leatherhead | A | Sat 13th Apr, 3pm |
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CREDITS AND LEGAL
“The Isthmian Football League strongly supports the FA statement that there should be a zero tolerance approach against racism and all forms of discrimination. Accordingly any form of discriminatory abuse whether it by reason of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion and belief, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex and sexual orientation 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).The Isthmian League and all Member Clubs in the League are committed to promoting equality by treating people fairly and with respect, by recognising that inequalities may exist, by taking steps to address them and providing access and opportunities for all members of the community.”
Lewes 2000 FC Limited. Registered in England and Wales with Company Registration Number 03790979. Lewes 2000 FC Limited is 100% owned by Lewes Community Football Club.
Honorary President Terry Parris
Chairman Stuart Fuller
Directors Ed Briggs, Charlie Dobres, Karen Dobres, Stuart Fuller, Steve Keegan, Galia Orme, John Peel, Ed Ramsden, Roger Warner, Trevor Wells
Club Secretary John Peel
Match Secretary David Evans
Youth Secretary Kevin Brook
Operations Manager Warren Lane
Equality FC Campaign Manager Karen Dobres
Life Members
Mr and Mrs Brook, Vic Blunt, Pat Dartnell, Gary Elphick, Gordon Fowlie, Peter Hiscox RIP, 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 RIP
Manager Hugo Langton
First team coach Dale Hurley
First team physio Katie Joynes
Goalkeeping coach John MaCrae
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 Stuart Fuller
Progcast Designer Barry Collins
Club Photographer James Boyes