Welcome to The Dripping Pan for our BetVictor Isthmian Premier League game with Corinthian-Casuals. Here is your complimentary matchday programme, which we call the Progcast.

In today’s issue:

• Ross on the Record
• Live match updates
• Chairman’s Notes
• Recent match review
• Today’s opponents: Corinthian-Casuals
• Sponsor your favourite player
• Stodgebusters on Tour

ROSS ON THE RECORD

Ross Standen gives us his thoughts on the weekend’s game and tonight’s clash with Corinthian-Casuals. Click Play below to listen:

LIVE MATCH UPDATES

You can get full updates from today’s game, including team line-ups, goals and substitutons, in the panel below. It will automatically update throughout the game. Data supplied by FootballWebPages.

CHAIRMAN’S NOTES

Good evening and welcome back to the Dripping Pan for this evening’s game against Corinthian-Casuals. I’d like to welcome the fans, players, management and officials from the club and a safe journey back to South-West London after the game.

In many ways Saturday was a very tough day. It was hard to focus completely on the game with the events of last week and giving Darren a good send-off. We didn’t play well despite a good opening 30 minutes, and once again we will look back on the goals conceded and pick up on clear errors. I know that Ross and Codge will have their plans and ideas of how to address these mistakes as they focus on taking charge for a few games.

Unsurprisingly, I had a fair few questions on Saturday about what was going to happen with the job, both from fans, players and “interested parties”. It is a relatively unique situation in football that a manager quits, under no pressure from the club, and isn’t going to another club. It is fair we weren’t quite prepared for it to happen so soon and so our planning really started on Wednesday when Darren and I spoke.

It is amazing the rumours you hear sometimes. I had a phone call from someone on the way home after Saturday’s game asking me for a comment on the appointment of our new manager, who was already in a role in our division! As I explained to the caller, and I’m happy to state here – I’ve not spoken to anyone externally about the role and I certainly wouldn’t make an illegal approach to any manager currently in a role either in this division or anywhere else in the country – that is not the way I want Lewes to operate.

We have two pairs of incredibly safe hands in Ross and Codge and so they are part of our thinking for the future. Please be assured that just because there is no news on an appointment, it doesn’t mean there is nothing going on behind the scenes.

Our focus is still on strengthening the squad – whilst we are scoring goals, we need more. On a number of occasions on Saturday we got the ball into good positions but the final ball went begging as there was nobody in the right position. It was good to see Jordy come on for the final 15 minutes and his run set up Stefan’s goal – we’ve missed him in the past few weeks.

Our priority is to start picking up points, especially here at home where we have only won three times in 2019 so far – that is not acceptable and we need to start to improve very quickly otherwise we will be stuck in a relegation fight. Let’s get behind the team tonight and do everything we can to give them the support they need.

On Saturday I was appalled to read about the incidents at Coles Park which led to the abandonment of the Haringey Borough FA Cup game against Yeovil Town. I know Borough’s chairman, Aki, really well and I know he will be devastated by the events as he has done so much to make the club a real community asset. Racism has no place in football and if there are instances of clear racial abuse from the terraces then everyone has a responsibility to do something about it.

I was very disappointed to see that despite all of the warnings in Bulgaria two weeks ago, the players and the England management didn’t walk off the pitch which would have forced UEFA to do something other than levy a pathetic fine on the home authorities. Let’s just remember that Manchester City were fined £25k by UEFA for taking the field for a Champions League game one minute late in the second half, whilst in the same game the racial abuse from the Porto fans to the City players resulted in a £16k fine.

Let’s get behind the team and start Ross and Codge’s tenure with a win. COYR!

Stuart

RECENT MATCH REVIEW

LEWES 2 vs CRAY WANDERERS 3

Cray didn’t read the script for Darren’s last match in charge, arriving at the Pan to spoil the farewell. Below are match highlights from Your Instant Replay:

And here’s Darren’s reflections on that game and his four years in the hot seat:

TODAY’S OPPONENTS: CORINTHIAN-CASUALS

Corinthian-Casuals were founded in 1939 from the merger of two clubs, Corinthians and  Casuals, but managed only one game prior to the war. Corinthians were founded in 1882 and took football to the world, touring Europe and South America, where Corinthians Paulista of Sao Paulo were founded on their inspiration. The Casuals were founded in 1883 and won the FA Amateur Cup in 1936.

Corinthian-Casuals have made three noteworthy tours of Brazil in recent years to play their namesakes Corinthians. The first, in the 1988-89 season, saw Socrates turn out for both sides. There were further tours in 2001 and 2015.

After the war Corinthian-Casuals entered the Isthmian League, achieving a highest-ever finish of fifth place in 1954 and 1960.  In 1954 they won the Surrey Senior Cup, and in 1956 they reached the FA Amateur Cup Final, drawing 1-1 to Bishop Auckland at Wembley before losing the replay 1-4 at Ayresome Park. They have retained their strict adherence to amateur status to this day, and are the highest ranking amateur team in English football.

For four seasons in the early seventies Corinthian-Casuals finished bottom of the league, suffering relegations in 1974 and 1978 in the expanded Isthmian League, and in 1984 were excluded from the league due to new ground-sharing rules. Entering the Spartan League the Casuals were relegated in their first season, but bounced back to the Premier Division by winning the Senior Division at the first attempt in 1986. In 1995 they won the Spartan League Cup.

Switching to the Combined Counties League in 1996, the Casuals finished runners-up in their first season, earning promotion back to the Isthmian League. In 2011 they won the Surrey Senior Cup for the second time, beating Leatherhead 2-0 in the final. The Casuals acquired their own ground for the first time in 1988 following a merger with Tolworth that saw them move into the latter’s ground at King George’s Fields, Tolworth, in south-west London (now shared with Kingstonian).

Having finished fourth in Division One South and been beaten in the play-off final on penalties against Dorking Wanderers 2017, Corinthian-Casuals suffered a similar fate in 2018, going down in a penalty decider against Walton Casuals. However, on this occasion there was a happy ending: they were promoted in any event – as the Level 8 play-off final loser with the highest points per game – following Thurrock’s resignation from the Premier Division.

Last season they finished 17th, and are currently bottom of the table with three draws and seven defeats from their opening ten games.

MEET THE SQUAD

James Bracken – Manager

James already has a fantastic managerial record which includes steering Sutton United reserves to three consecutive Suburban League Premier title wins. He picked up no less than seven trophies in 2015 with the U’s as well as picking up Ryman Youth ‘Champion-of-Champions’ in 2016. Since coming to Casuals, James has broken club records abound and steered the club to two play-off finals, a promotion, and the highest level in the club’s history.

Danny Bracken – Goalkeeper

Club Captain, goalkeeper and Casuals legend Danny has passed 400 competitive appearances since joining in 2010. Danny began his career at West Ham United before joining us from Tooting and Mitcham. Amongst multiple club honours he was named Isthmian League South “Keeper of the Year” for three consecutive seasons. 

Jack Tucker – Defender

Full-back Jack joined the Casuals from Eastbourne Town where he received manager’s and player’s plaudits before joining Corinth. A firm fan’s favourite for his club.

Juevan Spencer – Defender

Aside from a season at Tooting & Mitcham, wing-back Juevan has been an ever-present at Corinth. His pace was a great asset when playing for the club against Corinthians in Sao Paulo, on their 2015 tour.

Warren Morgan – Defender

In many Corinth supporters eyes Warren is the most impressive right-back to play for the club in years. Lightning pace, quick feet and a calm persona makes Warren a dangerous threat going forward yet a reliable defender when needed.

Andrew Mills – Defender

Imposing centre-back Andy returns to the Casuals after playing for the club back in 2015. A product of the Woking academy, Andy was named U18 player of the season before going on to make several first team appearances for the Cards.

Mathias Bakare – Defender/Midfielder

Matty can play in several positions in defence and midfield. Amongst his previous clubs are Aveley, VCD Athletic, Billericay Town, Stalybridge Celtic, as well as Connor’s Quay Nomads in the Welsh Premier League.

Coskun Ekim – Midfielder

An intelligent player who knows how to use both feet, ‘Josh’ began his career at Tottenham Hotspur where he had a two-year contract before moving onto Turkish side Trabzonspor. Since returning to the UK, the midfielder has played for the likes of Hayes & Yeading and, more recently, Bishop Stortford.

Kevant Serbony – Midfielder

Considered a  mercurial talent, strong yet skilful, Kevant originally joined Corinth back in 2015 along with Manager James Bracken and immediately impressed with his combination of strength and dazzling footwork. He had brief spells at Hastings United and Walton Casuals.

Ben Cheklit – Midfielder

Re-signed by Casuals from Carshalton ‘Cheks’ is once again a fine addition to the squad. He started his career lwith Anderlecht and played for several other Belgium clubs. He is a pacey midfielder who was with Manager James Bracken at Sutton United before moving back to Belgium.

Leon Lalor-Dell – Midfielder

Leon is a playmaker who can weave his way into dangerous positions. A graduate of Tooting’s Academy, Leon went on to feature for their first team,  as well as playing for Chipstead and VCD Athletic.

Mu Maan – Midfielder

Mu is an integral cog in the Casuals midfield, hard working and capable of scoring some beautiful goals too. Mu has played for a number of clubs in his time including Leatherhead, Met Police and Dulwich Hamlet.

Oliver Sitch – Forward

Another one of the manager’s protégés from his time at Sutton United, the striker won multiple honours as a U’s Youth player, and has also turned out for his Birmingham University side.

Shaun Okojie – Forward

Shaun first came to the Casuals under James Bracken, following him from his days at Sutton United. The 6’3” striker was prolific in his first spell with Corinth, claiming the league golden boot with 40 goals in the 2016/17 season, but only notched one in the league this term.

Reyon Dillon – Forward

Another protégé of James Bracken from his time at Sutton United, Reyon is originally a product of Crystal Palace’s youth system. He joined Corinth in the latter part of the 2016-17 season when he made a real impression with his goals, but still looking for his first in 8 league outings this season.

Nathaniel Pinney – Forward

Striker Nat began his career at Crystal Palace where he made two senior appearances before eventually finding his feet in non-league. It is claimed that Wilfried Zaha once named Nat as the player he could not displace in the Palace youth set-up! He has scored 4 this term although 3 came in the FA Cup.

Gabriel Odunaike – Forward and Captain

Signed by Manager James Bracken in 2017, striker ‘Gabs’ is now in his third season at the club. He has also spent time with Welling United, and Walton Casuals, where he built up a fine goal-scoring reputation, but seems to have returned to make only his first appearance of the season last Saturday.

SPONSOR YOUR FAVOURITE PLAYER

The Supporters Club are once again selling player and management sponsorship to raise money for the club. Grab your player before your favourite goes!

Costs are as follows: Home Kit – £75. Away Kit – £75. Training Kit – £25. Boots £25.

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

Thanks to the following sponsors who’ve signed up so far!

JORDY MONGOY

HOME: SAM & JOE BARKER

TOM DAY

HOME: STUART ELMER

FRANKIE CHAPPELL

HOME: SUSIE ARLETT

JAMES HAMMOND

HOME: STUART FULLER

AWAY: STUART FULLER

MICHAEL DOME-BEMWIN

HOME:  TONY HARMAN &YEOVIL JOHN

AWAY: YEOVIL JOHN & TONY HARMAN

STODGEBUSTERS ON TOUR

CARSHALTON ATHLETIC

Just two days after the triumph at Brightlingsea it was a Monday evening trip to Carshalton. (Why do they always play midweek games on a Monday?) Saturday had been hard. We hoped there were no ill effects with the players. With Stodgebuster-for-the-night Steve Rook offering to drive to deepest Surrey the gang left Lewes in a confident mood. Roly was unable to travel due to family commitments, but the hard core of PJ and Gary the Badge were there and Malcolm was once again picked up at Carden Avenue.

As we left the weather was dry but got steadily worse as we made our way to the ground. When we arrived the rain was blowing horizontally and a miserable evening was in prospect. Apart from the miserable weather, our record at Colston Avenue is pretty miserable too. We never get much luck there. A dash across the car park and through the turnstiles we went. PJ and Gary went for a portion of chips on arrival, which were nothing special, possibly even Asda Smart Price, but a decent cup of tea was on offer. 

A few regulars had made the trip in spite of a couple of struggling mid-table teams appearing live on Sky Sports. Manchester United v Arsenal was later described as the worst game ever seen by the Talk Sport commentators. 

We huddled together in the bus shelter sized stand to keep dry. The game kicked off and Lewes were stroking the ball around well on the 3G pitch in the monsoon-like conditions. Carshalton had ex-Lewes favourite Peter Adeniyi in their line up. We loved him at Lewes but now he was opposing us and he got a huge cheer when his name went into the referee’s book for dissent.

Lewes were playing well but disaster struck when a Carshalton striker managed to close down keeper Nathan, win the ball and walk the ball into an empty net. What a catastrophe. One down, and to be honest, it had been against the run of play. There were unrepeatable comments from our end. It looked like our Colston Avenue luck wasn’t going to change. But this group of players don’t give in that easy. Lewes regrouped and were level on the stroke of half-time. A cross from the Carshalton right by Gregory wasn’t dealt with and Hammo drove in the equaliser. 

Our recent record against the Robins hasn’t been great but we were in good spirits as we squelched our way to the other end for the second half.  

During half time the rain had eased but was back with a vengeance when the teams came back out. Carshalton had a lot of possession in the second period but we were defending well and getting bodies in the way of shots and crosses. Dayshonne was looking particularly dangerous and we hoped that one of our breakaways could see us nick a winner. 

There had been a fair bit of play acting by the home side to win free-kicks, but a few minutes before the end there was a bizarre incident when the home team’s number 2 collapsed like a pack of cards right in front of a few Rooks fans in what looked like a blatant attempt to get someone sent off. The Lewes fans flocked to the barrier to let him know what they thought about his antics. It really was a shameful episode. He must have been watching too much Premiership. I hope his manager was proud of him.

A couple of minutes later the final whistle went and we had picked up a priceless point. 

With the rain still pouring down it was a dash back to the car for the journey home. We were back in Lewes at 11pm so thanks to Steve for driving in what were appalling conditions. 

EAST THURROCK UNITED

After what seemed an age without any proper football we actually had a game to go to. Seven days earlier we had endured the dreaded Blank Saturday. Alongside the loss of income for the club, another problem with getting knocked out of the cups very early is that you end up with these blank Saturdays as the team you should be playing are often playing the next round.

We shudder at the thought of these blank days as the alternatives usually suggested by our partners are things like visits to Dunelm Mill, Debenhams, Next and other such torturous places. Or, if we are really unlucky, Bluewater and/or Lakeside. In a desperate bid to head off that possibility Gary the Badge hurriedly booked a weekend away for him and his missus in Somerset, and took in a Wells City fixture while he was there. Using a different tactic PJ considered feigning an illness such as malaria, plague or something, but he was highly delighted when his partner got called in to work. So it was an enjoyable Saturday in the garage tinkering with his old cars instead. But it’s still not the same as watching the Rooks in action.

So it was a day out at East Thurrock for the Stodgebusters. As much as we love following the Rooks we had to admit a slight lack of enthusiasm for this one. East Thurrock’s “Rookery Hill” is another one of those grounds that we never have much luck at. It’s not a particularly nice ground either, very drab, and the weather forecast said it would be raining all day.

We were not familiar with any dining establishments in the Corringham area. A Google search didn’t show up any eye openers either. So we decided to dine at the beginning of the journey instead by booking a table at Cafe 212 in Uckfield High Street. A venue much favoured by Gary and PJ. PJ picked up Gary and Malcolm in Lewes and drove to Roly’s mansion in Polegate, parked up on his driveway and swapped to Turnstile Alan’s car for the first leg of the journey to Uckfield. PJ hoped he would still have wheels when we got back. 

Cafe 212 is superb. Their menu is very extensive and caters for all tastes. Gary and Alan plumped for the traditional Full English. Roly went for an omelette and chips, and Malcolm a jacket potato. PJ went a bit left field and ordered the All American. That was scrambled eggs, bacon, three pancakes with fruit on and maple syrup. Fruit? FRUIT? Yes, that’s right. A Stodgebuster eating fruit on duty. Sliced strawberries, blueberries and banana. Bleedin’ delicious it was too.

It wasn’t a bad run to the ground except for some roadworks on the A13 which delayed our arrival until about 2.30. The ground is now called the Grayers Graphics Stadium thanks to some new sponsor. We would hate for the Pan to be renamed to something like that although we would probably ignore it and still just call it The Pan. Just like, we suspect, this place will always be Rookery Hill to the faithful.

 The ground hadn’t changed much since our last visit except for the name and a new stand part way down one side. Astonishingly, in front of this whole stand there was no barrier separating the pitch from the supporters. How do they get away with that?

The game kicked off in constant drizzle. We were huddled together in one of the bus shelters behind the goal. It was all pretty even on the pitch. We had lots of the ball but, again, couldn’t find that final pass to create a really good opening. The constant rain had made the pitch quite treacherous with players slipping over on a regular basis. The home team were nothing special but they worked hard and pressed hard forcing us into errors. Sure enough an error came when a Lewes defender slipped on the surface at precisely the wrong moment, and they were in on goal. One down, and it stayed like that until half-time.

There was no cover at the other end. Gary and Malcolm wimped out by sitting in the stand down the side, while the hardcore endured the constant drizzle behind the goal. The second half was a bit of a let-down to be honest. We were expecting the guys to come out all guns blazing like they did at Brightlingsea. It never happened. Despite having loads of possession we couldn’t do anything with it. In fact, their keeper didn’t have to make a serious save in the second half. East Thurrock were very committed, ran for everything, pressed the ball and won most of the fifty-fifties. Nothing spectacular. Just efficient functional football.

It ended one-nil. Dejectedly we strolled back to the car. We probably got what we deserved. Some fans suggested we were worth a point. We weren’t so sure. The home team always looked a bit more dangerous than us and throughout the second half we felt it was probably more likely to go two-nil than one-all. But everyone has a different opinion.

We looked at the league table on the way home. It was depressing seeing us down in eighteenth position. We never expected to be front runners in this league but we also never expected to be that far down. It’s still early days of course but we need to find a way to start winning a few games or we could be involved in a relegation battle. We really don’t want that.

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