Welcome to The Dripping Pan for our BetVictor Isthmian Premier League game with Wingate & Finchley. 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: Wingate & Finchley
- Sponsor Your Favourite Player
- Stodgebusters on Tour
ROSS ON THE RECORD
Hear co-manager Ross Standen’s thoughts on today’s game:
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 afternoon everyone and welcome back to the Dripping Pan for this afternoon’s Isthmian Premier League fixture against our good friends from Wingate & Finchley. I hope the fans, players, management and officials enjoy our off the field hospitality and a safe journey home.
It’s been an interesting few weeks. I’d like to thank Ross and Codge for all of their hard work in the last few weeks – they’ve been busy working on additions to the squad. We’ve certainly seen a good response from the squad in the last few weeks and three wins in four games is testament to the efforts so far. It is of course a work in progress and I’d expect to see a few new faces coming in soon.
Wednesday night was certainly action-packed although it did little for the heart-rates of Ross and Codge putting the squad through two hours of football! It was great that we were able to bring in a few of the brilliant Under-18s for their debuts. Our Under-18s coach, Dale Hurley, must take enormous credit for the work he has done in both recruiting and developing our youngsters and the future is certainly bright. It is a delicate balance in playing the youngsters in senior football but they did us proud.
We obviously want to progress in the Sussex Senior Cup as far as we can, and we will also enter the Isthmian League Cup next month in the knock-out phases, with a home tie almost certainly against Sevenoaks Town, who are on the brink of winning their group. With a squad that is evolving each week getting game time together is very important for our progress in the league as well as cup competitions.
Don’t forget that applications can now be made for the elections to the Board of Directors – we are all looking for willing and able volunteers to grow the club both on and off the pitch. If anyone wants to have a chat about what being a director involves then come and have a chat with me or any other members of the current board either today or in the next few weeks.
One aspect we have been discussing at the board over the past few weeks is on trying to build the atmosphere here at The Pan. For many clubs a visit to the Dripping Pan is the highlight of their away season and so many clubs come with good numbers and create a noisy following for their team. We want to make the Pan an uncomfortable place for away teams to come to play at and therefore we want some ideas as to how we can build the atmosphere here. Feel free to let us know any ideas you may have.
Finally, a big thank you to the Supporters Club, who have already raised ÂŁ3,000 for the club this season. Huge thanks to everyone involved.
Enjoy the game and Come On You Rooks!!!
Stuart
RECENT MATCH REVIEW
Lewes 5 vs Three Bridges 2 (AET), Sussex Senior Cup, 6th November 2019
The night after the bonfire celebrations, just what everyone wanted – extra time in a cup tie. Should we have even got to extra-time? The Rooks had two goals controversially chalked off for offside. And then, of course, there was the bizarre goal-swap for both teams’ second goals. Did the Three Bridges keeper mean to put it out or was it simply a poor pass? Judge all these incidents for yourselves with the match highlights from Your Instant Replay.
And here’s Ross Standen’s verdict on the night’s events:
TODAY’S OPPONENTS: WINGATE & FINCHLEY
Finchley can stake the claim to have been one of the oldest football clubs in the country, having been founded way back in 1874. The peak of their success came in the early fifties: in 1952-3 the Finches reached the third round proper of the FA Cup with wins over Chelmsford City, Kidderminster Harriers and Crystal Palace (3-1) before going down at 2-0 at Shrewsbury Town.
Meanwhile north London neighbours Wingate – named after General Orde Wingate – were formed in 1946 as a Jewish football club with the remit of combating anti-Semitism. In 1991 the two clubs merged (Wingate having parted company with Leyton) and Finchley’s refurbished Summers Lane ground was renamed in honour of long time Wingate supporter Harry Abrahams. The merged club still retains something of Wingate’s founding Jewish identity, including the Star of David on the club’s badge and being able to ask for games falling on Yom Kippur to be moved.
In 1995 the new club, under the name Wingate and Finchley, won promotion from the South Midlands League to the Isthmian League third division. Promotion in 1999 took them up to the second division, but relegation followed a year later. League re-organisation placed them in Division One North in 2002, then the Eastern Division of the Southern League, before returning to Division One North of the Isthmian League in 2006 following a further major league re-organisation.
In 2010 the Blues finished third in the Ryman League One North, missing out on promotion after suffering play-off defeat to Enfield Town. However, this disappointment was amply made up for the following season. A repeat third-spot finish culminated in a 3-2 extra-time play-off final victory over Brentwood Town. This success was the middle leg of a remarkable treble that included lifting both the Ryman League Cup, with a 2-0 victory over Dulwich Hamlet, and the London Senior Cup, with a 3-1 win against Hendon.
In 2017 Wingate and Finchley finished fifth to qualify for the play-offs, but went down 1-2 at Bognor Regis in the semi-final tie. Last year they finished ninth, and currently lie 21st in the table.
MEET THE SQUAD
Spencer Knight – Manager
The Blues appointed former Harlow Town Assistant, Spencer, in September. Spencer left the Hawks in March after five years with the aim of becoming a manager in his own right. He has now achieved that ambition at Summers Lane, and his first match as boss was a 1-1 draw at Brightlingsea Regent on 12th October. As a player he represented St Albans City, Chelmsford City, Canvey Island and Billericay Town.
Shane Gore – Goalkeeper
Shane joined the club in 2016 at the age of 34 following league and non-league spells with Chesham, Luton, Maidenhead, East Thurrock, Havant and Waterlooville, Stevenage, Wimbledon and Barnet.
Fergal Hale-Brown – Goalkeeper
At the age of 19, Fergal has 4 years of experience in Norwich City’s academy, graduating from the U15s to the U18s in 2016 until he was released in May 2018. He joined the club in the summer looking to prove himself between the sticks to replace veteran Shane Gore.
Ahmet Rifat – Defender
Now in his 13th season with the Blues, at 33 years old Ahmet is the defined centre-back at this level. He is the all-time record holder for the Blues approaching nearly 500 appearances. Previously at Reading FC where he earned a pro-contract Ahmet went on to represent England at Under-17 level.
Christian Forino-Joseph – Defender
Chris joined the club in September and his presence has added much more stability to the backline. The 19-year-old was previously on the books of Brentford and Colchester United.
Luke Ifil – Defender
At the age of 25 right-back Luke displays tenacity, vision and technical ability. Having been part of the Wolves’ reserve squad, and experience in defence at former club Grays Athletic, he adds pedigree and balance to our visitor’s side.
Emmanuel Folarin – Defender
The 27-year-old has experience with a host of non-league clubs. He is a towering defender who can play as a centre-back or full back.
Sean Grace – Defender
Sean re-joined the club from Potters Bar Town. The 24-year-old has become a fixture at the back since his return to the Blues.
Ben Frempah – Defender
Ben began his career at Cray Wanderers before signing for Leicester City. He has played in Scotland for Ross County before returning to England where he played for Solihull Moors, Guiseley, and most recently Wycombe Wanderers.
Mason Hall – Defender
Mason joined Blues from Leyton Orient. His impressive performances in August’s consecutive wins against Welwyn Garden City, in the FA Cup, and Haringey Borough, proved what an asset he is to the squad.
Charlie Ruff – Midfielder
Charley scored a goal last term which put the Blues in a lead that was necessary for survival on the season’s final day. He re-signed for the club after a brief spell at Kings Langley at the start of the season. The attacking midfielder adds energy to their attack.
Tanasheh Abrahams – Midfielder
Tanasheh re-joined Wingate last season following a promotion win with Dulwich Hamlet and a short stint at Staines Town. A proper utility player, he’s able to play on the left wing or in a more central position.
Olumide
Oluwatimilehin – Midfielder
Former Rook Olu joined the club in the summer of
2019. Athletic with a no-nonsense approach, he provides the Blues with a go-to
option to ensure any opposing teams have limited space.
Roman Michael-Percil – Midfielder
Roman began his career in the Tottenham Hotspur academy as an 18-year-old in the 2013-14 season, and has since become a seasoned non-league footballer playing for 8 clubs including Dulwich Hamlet, Braintree, and Merstham. Now 24, Roman has been a regular fixture for the Blues this season.
Tommy Tejan-Sie – Midfielder
Camden born Tommy signed from Dagenham & Redbridge in 2018. An ever-present this term with 2 league goals.
Alfonso Kennedy – Midfielder
Alfonso is a young winger who is another ever-present this term with 5 goals, 3 in the league.
Tage Kennedy – Forward
Tage joined the Blues in August having scored the winning goal in the Barnet Senior Cup final at Blues’ ground for Highgate Albion in May 2019. That came just a year after winning the Player’s Player and Manager’s Player of the season for Enfield Borough after a 30-goal season aged just 19.
Eoin McKeown – Forward
Eoin was on Colchester United’s books for 4 years which included loans to Maldon & Tiptree and Wealdstone. He impressed in his first Wingate appearances, bagging 3 goals in his first 2 starts, and is considered an important part of their squad rebuild.
Alan Fleming – Forward
The young forward is another summer addition and his experience in the Norwich City academy shows that the 20-year-old has potential to make a good career. He can also play on the wing adding versatility to the Wingate frontline.
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 – ÂŁ75. Away Kit – ÂŁ75. Training Kit – ÂŁ25. Boots ÂŁ25.
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
Our Olympic-standard athletes visit the culinary hotspots of Cheshunt
The Stodgebusters are a sturdy bunch but with a weather forecast set to match the Michael Fish “hurricane” we were a nervous lot that peered through our bedroom curtains at the worst Britain’s Autumn weather had to throw at us.
Our point of departure already changed from Lewes to Uckfield to Brighton by trees, leaves and cows on the line. Roly ,PJ, Gary the Badge and Malcolm boarded the 11.03 to Victoria.
Would we get a seat with so many other Victoria bound trains cancelled? The answer surprisingly was yes. Many potential travellers appeared to have been deterred by the gentle breeze and light rain buffeting the station roof. At moments like these The Stodgebusters foolhardiness, sorry, courage shines through.
Speed restrictions ensured a sedate pace for the first half of our journey though once past Gatwick we seemed to have outpaced the storm and started picking up speed.
A pleasant time was had discussing the afternoon ahead with all except Gary confident of a Rooks victory. Malcolm relayed news of a friend kipping on his settee Monday night having become separated from his door keys and more seriously his attempts to set fire to his own flat by leaving a hob on with two large bananas placed on said hob. The decreasing amount of oxygen in his flat alerted Malcolm to the danger just in time.
Despite Gary attempting to jinx things by announcing our journey was going well, we arrived at Theobalds Grove in good order. PJ, the Stodgebusters’ Surveyor General of cafĂ©s had suggested The Olympic Cafe just down the road for lunch. Spotlessly clean and welcoming we perused the extensive menu. All except Malcolm had a full English, some fuller than others. Malcolm contrary to outward appearances went for the healthy option: his favourite jacket spud with tuna mayo and cheese and a great salad. It was huge and its effects were still being felt 48 hours later.
To the ground, fairly presentable with a tastefully painted (magnolia I think) corrugated metal fence around three sides. In high anticipation The Rooks started bright and lively with good work down the left from Stefan and Leon and a couple of low shots testing a butter-fingered goalie. Dominating in the first half and helped by an early bath for one of the Cheshunt eleven, Hammo fired The Rooks into the lead on 36 minutes after two blocked shots in a goalmouth scramble.
Then Was it a bird? Was it a plane? A cross, a lob or a shot? Nobody was quite sure but Leon’s artful effort put The Rooks two up at half-time.
Cheshunt put up a good ten-man fight in the second half without threatening much and, despite a number of corners, The Rooks were unable to add to their tally. By then, however, the storm that we had earlier given the slip caught up with us. The conditions became atrocious and were not much better for the players.
It was with relief that we heard the final whistle that secured a precious three points and fired the starting gun for a ten-minute sprint through the monsoon back to the station. Our journey back to all points Sussex was uneventful if slow once we boarded the Victoria to Brighton train. Packed like sardines into the carriages, some had to stand while some made use of an empty first class. The Stodgebusters went their ways at Brighton looking forward to Three Bridges and Wingate at The Pan, though today’s outing will live long in the memory.
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