Sunday 3rd April 2022 – 12:00 – FA Women’s Championship
Welcome to The Dripping Pan for today’s FA Championship game against Sheffield United. Here is your complimentary e-programme.
Manager’s Thoughts
I missed the Durham game due to Covid unfortunately. It caught up with me at last after two years! It was quite surreal really. The first time in over 40 years of coaching that I held a team talk and managed the game from afar.
I saw it on the live feed, which was an interesting experience. I’d just like to thank Jesus and Kelly for standing in for me over that period. It’s great to be back though! I’m all well and good and really looking forward to today’s game.
We’ve got four games left, two at home and two away. Twelve points are at stake and, as I said to the players this week, we’re not going to let the season fizzle out. We’re gunning for all 12 points here. We want to be on the front foot and finish the season in as high a league position as we possibly can. There’s still so much to play for.
I’m really looking forward to our supporters coming down to the Pan as always this Sunday, with the band as well! The fans give these players such as lift and it really helps. We’re looking to finish this season off with a bang.
COME ON YOU ROOKS!
Notes from the Big Chair…
Good afternoon and welcome to the Dripping Pan for a lunchtime kick off against Sheffield United. I hope our visitors have had a good journey to East Sussex and enjoy our hospitality.
Last week we had to ask The FA to postpone our game at London City Lionesses (now being played on Thursday 14th April at 7:45pm) as the camp was overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases. Thankfully everyone has made a recovery and we can recommence our objective of the best ever finish in the clubâs history. Weâve got a good run in, perhaps with the exception of Champions-elect Liverpool on the final day of the season.
Talking of Liverpool, they travel to Bristol City today knowing they only need a point to win the league and gain promotion back to the Super League. Bristol City have sold over 4,000 tickets for the game which is an amazing achievement.
It comes in a week where over 91,000 saw Barcelona Women win the El Classico in the Camp Nou, a world record attendance for a womenâs game.
Iâm not suggesting we could ever hope to get crowds of that number but we can certainly build our attendances significantly. Weâve seen with our Menâs side a big increase in gates this season, including a sell out of 2,347 against Worthing so Iâd love us to get something similar for that final home game against Liverpool. Please come along, bring your family and friends (and dogs!) and make a real afternoon of it.
Enjoy the game and Come On You Rooks!
Picture Selection: Durham (H)
Lewes 0-0 Durham. Images by James Boyes.
Last Match Highlights
Match Preview | Gill: ‘We’re gunning for maximum points’
Lewes FC interim manager Craig Gill says the team wants to finish this season off “with a bang” as the Rooks prepare for Sunday’s clash with Sheffield United at the Dripping Pan.
Lewes are unbeaten in their last two outings and are seeking to progress up to seven in the FA Women’s Championship with a win over the Blades this weekend.
There are just four games of the season remaining, with London City, Coventry United and Liverpool to come once Sheffield United are out of the way.
And Gill is hoping his players can put on a show for the Rooks fans and deliver three more points.
“We’re really looking forward to Sunday’s game. Sheffield United are coming off the back of a really good run and they got a good win at the weekend over Bristol City,” says Gill.
“Taking that into consideration, we know they’ll be a strong side a really well organised. Neil Redfern has huge experience and we know we’re in for a tough game.
“However, we’ve analysed them in detail, know what threats they bring and feel we can negate those threats. By the same token we know there are areas which we can exploit.
‘We’re not going to let the season fizzle out’
“If we perform as well as we can do â and have done in the Crystal Palace game â then we can deliver a good performance and take three points.
“We’ve got four games left, two at home and two away. Twelve points are at stake and, as I said to the players this week, we’re not going to let the season fizzle out.
“We’re gunning for all 12 points here. We want to be on the front foot and finish the season in as high a league position as we possibly can. There’s still so much to play for.
“I’m really looking forward to our supporters coming down to the Pan as always this Sunday, with the band as well! The fans give these players such as lift and it really helps. We’re looking to finish this season off with a bang.”
Gill’s Zoom team talk
Lewes back up the mid-March 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace with a well-earned 0-0 draw against Durham last weekend.
Gill was unable to be pitch-side for the Durham clash after catching a bought of Covid-19. But the boss says that didn’t stop him contributing from isolation!
“I missed the Durham game due to Covid unfortunately. It caught up with me at last after two years!” he says.
“It was quite surreal really. The first time in over 40 years of coaching that I held a team talk and managed the game from afar.
“We did the team talk and preparation through Zoom and I was in constant contact via telephone with Adam our analyst, who was on the bench relaying messages back to me. We also had Jesus and Kelly there.
“I saw it on the live feed, which was an interesting experience. I’d just like to thank Jesus and Kelly for standing in for me over that period. It’s great to be back though! I’m all well and good and really looking forward to Sunday’s game.”
Focus on Sheffield United
Sheffield United sit fifth in the FA Women’s Championship, three points ahead of the Rooks and with a superior goal difference.
The Blades have enjoyed a boost in results of late, with recent victories over Bristol City, London City, Watford and Blackburn.
Lewes secured a 3-1 victory over United back in November thanks to goals from Ini Umotong, Paula Howells and Lucy Ashworth-Clifford.
Previewing Sunday’s clash, Blades boss Neil Redfearn told their official club website: “We’ve got to keep standards high. We got beat at home by Lewes, we looked shattered that day after a busy month and a big run of games, so we’ll go down there to give a good account of ourselves and try to get a good result.”
Redfearn hopes to have captain Sophie Bradley-Auckland back in the squad but has Charlotte Newsham and Bex Rayner sidelined until after the international break.
BUY TICKETS HERE – https://www.uefa.com/womenseuro/ticketing/
Update and Call to Action from Brad’s Pit
Hi all,
Hoping for a great game today.
Iâm Michael and Iâve been helping Menâs team player Bradley Pritchard with the community garden in the stadium. Iâve been involved since June last year when Bradley called to ask me about compost. We spoke about the project and how he wanted to bring people together through growing and the power of football.
I quickly became a regular in the garden on a Friday, and along with some friends in the community, we have now established raised beds and have a couple of compost tumblers to turn food waste into soil food!
We have recently set up a lovely little herb bath, and sown chard, radish, peas and carrots along with a host of wildflowers. Among the wildflowers were seeds from The Depot and weâre very grateful for those. We also just picked up some broad beans, broccoli and rhubarb from friends at Aweside Farm in Arlington.
Weâve seen plenty of biodiversity in the garden already and we even had an encounter with a snake. If only Bradley moved as fast as that on the pitch!
I managed to secure a small amount of funding for the garden, and we also got sponsored for a whole bunch of tools from Draper so we are ready to have people come and get involved with watering, sowing and harvesting soon as well!
Outside of the garden I run a community compost scheme called Compost Club where we collect food waste from residents and businesses and turn it into living compost, full of a diversity of microorganisms to regenerate soil. I also offer education opportunities on composting and the soil food web. We are currently crowdfunding to increase our capacity for food waste collection and processing, and to make the collections emissions free with an electric van. Did you know that UK households throw out 6.6 million tonnes of food waste every year?
Do check out www.crowdfunder.co.uk/compost-club for more info and please share it with anyone who might be interested in what weâre doing.
Also get in touch with either myself, Bradley or the club if youâd like to get involved with the community garden at Lewes FC.
You can email us at either info@lewesfc.com or at info@compostclub.online and weâll get you added to our group WhatsApp and have you in the garden with us in no time!
Lewes Squad List
| 1 | Tatiana Saunders (GK) |
| 2 | Ellie Mason |
| 3 | Rhian Cleverly |
| 4 | Amelia Hazard |
| 5 | Nicola Cousins |
| 6 | Ellie Hack |
| 7 | Lucy Ashworth-Clifford |
| 8 | Ellie Noble |
| 9 | Georgia Timms |
| 10 | Freda Ayisi |
| 11 | Heidi Logan |
| 14 | Paula Howells |
| 15 | Ini Umotong |
| 16 | Izzy Collins |
| 17 | Lea Cordier |
| 18 | Rebecca McKenna |
| 19 | Kallie Balfour |
| 20 | Sophie OâRourke |
| 22 | Josie Longhurst |
| 23 | Izzy Dalton |
| 24 | Lucy Porter |
| 27 | Zoe Cross |
| 31 | Laura Hartley (GK) |
| 32 | Shanell Salgado (GK) |
Sheffield United Squad List
1 | Nina Wilson
2 | Ellie Wilson
3 | Charlotte Newsham
5 | Georgia Robert
6 | Kasia Lipka
7 | Courtney Sweetman-Kirk
8 | Maddy Cusack
9 | Lucy Watson
10 | Alethea Paul
11 | Jess Clarke
12 | Rhema Lord-Mears
14 | Mia Enderby
15 | Tamara Wilcock
16 | Chene Muir
17 | Matilda Taylor
18 | Sophie Walton
19 | Charley Docherty
20 | Fran Kitching
21 | Bex Rayner
22 | Ocean Rolandsen
24 | Ruby Clarke
25 | Sophie Bradley-Auckland ©
26 | Georgia Walters
27 | Lara Miller
28 | Jess Reavill
Other games this weekend around the club:
A point a piece in Durham draw
The Rooks drew 0-0 with Durham in a competitive stalemate at the Dripping Pan on Sunday.
Assistant manager JesĂșs CordĂłn was pleased with the result,
âI think that it was a good game, a really tight game, obviously against a very good team. So, I think we have to respect the point, we had a fantastic game and to see the girls put in the work that they did was fantasticâ.
The fixture was rearranged from January because of COVID-19 cases at Durham and today it was us that was without interim manager Craig Gill (through Covid 19).
âWhen the manager is not in, and, this is different for everyone, but in the girls took it well, they dealt well with it. Iâm on the bench usually and yes, itâs a bit different without him [Craig] but, it was a good experience for me.
Both teams wasted no time in piling on the pressure
The teams battled for every ball with Durham pressing high up the pitch and unsettling the Lewes back four, especially from short goal kicks.
However, the Rooks did not crumble under that pressure and, even though some of the passing went awry, they stuck to their game and built up from the back still.
JesĂșs commented âI think we were chasing the game and we were trying to score a goal. I think we were the better team and we created more chances than them. And as I said, we have to respect the point.â
Lewes threatening to score
The main threat of the Lewes attacks were from dead balls. Early in the first half Ellie Masonâs free kick from just in the Durham half got a flick on but the keeper gobbled up the opportunity just before the Lewes players could reach it.
In the second half especially, corner routines from Izzy Dalton and Lucy Ashworth-Clifford saw many Rooks piled into the box, surrounding the keeper and causing chaos.
The best chance of the game for Lewes fell to Georgia Timms. A ball hooked up field was chased down by Timms but Durham keeper Naoisha McAloon reached it first. Her clearance was sent back up towards the Durham goal where Heidi Logan put the defender under pressure and managed to get away with the ball before crossing across the box, just a touch too far for Timms to connect with properly and the ball went just wide.
Durham had a few chances of their own but every time found Tatiana Saunders in imperious form, catching, punching and saving anything that came her way, meaning she, and the Rooks, now have two clean sheets in a row.
Onwards and upwards
Looking ahead to the next game JesĂșs wants to see us push harder for points âWe will prepare for the next game to go and win it, to be aggressive to try and get the three points.
I think we can compete with any team in this league and with that mentality and being positive for that and and go for the game.â
Rooks swoop the three points against Eagles
Revenge is a dish best served six weeks later, in front of your home fans with goals from Lucy Porter and Izzy Dalton⊠Right?
At least for Lewes thatâs how it goes as we won 2-0 against Crystal Palace at The Dripping Pan with over 400 fans looking on. We move onto 25 points just two behind Palace, with a game in hand.
Craig Gill had asked for his team âto be more consistent in games and put a 90 minute performance togetherâ which they did admirably on Sunday.
Palace started on the front foot with two chances falling to Bianca Baptiste early on, but both were repelled.
The first was stopped with an expertly executed slide tackle from Tatiana Saunders when faced with a one-on-one with Baptiste, the second from the woodwork as Baptisteâs lobbed shot came back off the post.
After those chances, Palace hardly had another sniff at goal. Lewes were playing a high intensity pressing game that unsettled their players and meant that we, as Gill said, could be âvery, very brave at times by playing on the front foot.â
The threat came constantly down our wings where the fullbacks and wide players combined dangerously to stretch the Palace back three. Crosses were aplenty in the first half but none quite hit the mark perfectly, Porter going closest from a Dalton free-kick which she volleyed against the post, albeit from an offside position.
Porter gets her goal
Porter would not be denied her first goal for the club and that came with 48 minutes on the clock.
The Lewes press was showing well as Palace tried to break. Ellie Hack swept up into the middle of the park, intercepted and clipped the ball forward again. As a Palace defender scuffed her clearance the ball bounced up for Georgia Timms to battle for, and get her head on it, knocking it on.
And thatâs when the magic happened.
The ball had fallen to Porter, back to goal. She caressed the ball towards her with her right foot and spun with it, leaving a Palace defender trying a block a ball that had already passed her.
With the outside of the same foot, Porter stabbed the ball across the goal into the bottom corner, the keeper only grabbing at air.
And the pressure didnât stop there.
Dalton doubles the lead
It was 2-0 on 57 minutes when Dalton latched onto a knock down, and spread the ball out wide to Paula Howells on the right. With acres of space, Howells then darted into the box and drill a low cross along the six yard line.
A Palace defender got a toe to the ball and poked it to Dalton on the edge of the box, where she drilled home the finish.
Palaceâs day went from bad to worse as Siobhan Wilson was sent off for a second bookable offence on 70 minutes and Lewes kept up the pressure, being unlucky not to score more as substitutes Freda Ayisi and Heidi Logan both hit the woodwork in extra time.
After the game Gill said: âI was really pleased for them (the players) because it not only justifies their performances from the first half but actually, the work they do and standards they set in training on a daily basis.â
Report by Tai Kolade
FILMING AT TODAY’S GAME
Today there may be film crews in the ground, filming on behalf of Lewes Football Club and other media organisations. The filming is usually for Lewes FC marketing purposes, to show what a match day looks/sounds like and to generally promote what we do. Lewes Football Club respectfully asks for your permission to be filmed. If you do not want to be filmed, please let the crew know directly and they will oblige. Thanks for your cooperation in helping to build a successful club.
CREDITS AND LEGAL
âThe FA Women’s Championship strongly supports 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. Lewes 2000 FC Limited is 100% owned by Lewes Community Football Club.
Honorary President Terry Parris
Chair Stuart Fuller
Directors Sue Anstiss MBE (co-opted), Ed Briggs, Scott Currie, Charlie Dobres, Karen Dobres, Stuart Fuller, Lucy Mills, John Peel, Ed Ramsden, Claire Rafferty (co-opted), Sally Taplin, Trevor Wells
Chief Executive Officer Maggie Murphy
Club Secretary John Peel
Fan Engagement Officer Shrey Nilvarna
Youth Secretary Kevin Brook
Operations Manager James Barker
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
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Manager Craig Gill (interim)
Assistant Coaches Jesus Cordon
PP Coach Christos Andreou
GK Coach John Macrae
Nutritionist Stefano Montanari
Physio Katrina Martin
Physiotherapist Paul Paredes
Team Psychologist Chelsea Orme
Data Analyst Adam Chilcott
General Manager Lynne Burrell
Women’s DS Head Coach Andy Corrigan
DS Assistant Coaches Rhian Cleverly and Nicola Cousins
U16 Girls Head Coach Carl Pennifold
U16 Girls Assistant Coach Tim Heal
U14 Girls Head Coach Rob Palmer
U14 Girls Assistant Coach Tom Young
Pathway Co-ordinator Ryan Sullivan
Golden Rook Rob Read
Web Editor Stuart Fuller
Progcast Editors Stuart Fuller and Sam Simons
Club Photographer James Boyes
NEXT UP AT THE PAN…
14:00 SUNDAY MAY 1ST 2022
