Sunday 1st May 2022 – 14:00 – FA Women’s Championship

Welcome to The Dripping Pan the final FA Women’s Championship game of the season against Liverpool. Here is your complimentary e-programme.

Welcome to our visitors, League Champions, Liverpool!

We hope the players, staff and fans of Liverpool had a good journey down and safe travels back. Massive congratulations on winning the league!

RIP Trudie

We at Earthquake Drummers would like to apologise for not being able to drum for you all recently, our very dear friend, and fellow Drummer, Trudie died suddenly at the beginning of this year and we found it hard to come and entertain you all.

Trudie absolutely loved drumming for all of you as well as watching you all play, we all miss her so so much but feel like this game would mean a lot to her so we were honoured to be asked and can’t wait to drum for you all again. Please raise a glass for our Trudie during the game x

Craig’s Thoughts…

It’s important for the players and staff that we finish the season as strongly as we can. We’ll be going all-out on the front foot to take the game to Liverpool, and try and get a positive result.

Obviously it’s the last game of the season so we hope supporters of both teams will come down to the Dripping Pan and make it an occasion to remember.

I’m really looking forward to it personally. It’s my last game in charge before I depart, so I’m looking forward to finishing on a positive note. Although more importantly it would be great if the players could get a positive performance for all the hard work they’ve put in since I’ve been here.

All of the staff and players have worked hard this week to rectify the areas that we needed to work on from the Coventry game last Sunday. The players again applied themselves superbly well in training.

We had a good workout and managed to get an 11 vs 11 on the Dripping Pan pitch, which was useful in preparation for the Liverpool game on Sunday.

Obviously Liverpool come here as league champions, having been promoted a few weeks ago. They’ve received the trophy already but we will pay them their due respect and give them the guard of honour they deserve.

But we appreciate the fact there are areas we can exploit. We’ll have to temper that with the fact they’ve conceded very few goals this season.

They’re strong both defensively and offensively. Of course a club the size of Liverpool, with the resources they have and the players they have at their disposal, you probably expected them to win the league this season.

COME ON YOU ROOKS!

Notes from the Big Chair…

Liverpool arrive as worthy champions of the league, sitting 14 points clear at the top of the table. They lost just once, scored more than anyone else and conceded just 9 goals, averaging almost 2.5 points per game. If that isn’t worthy championship form then I don’t know what is. That’s what we aspire to here at Lewes. The consistence, the threat going forward and a rock-solid defence.

It has been a mixed season for us. We’ve welcome fans back after 18 months of interruptions due to COVID. We made a change in the Autumn, bringing Craig in but we’ve suffered with COVID and serious injuries, especially in attack where goals without Ini and Kallie. We’ve had some good results this season but never really found the consistency needed to be challenging at the top end of the table.

This is Craig’s last game in charge before he heads off to pastures new. I’d like to thank him for all the hard work he’s put in since he joined us and wish him good luck on his next footballing adventures. We are close to announcing our new first team manager after an extensive search and I’d like to thank Maggie, Kelly and Lynne for all of their hard work in that process.

We will be saying goodbye to some of our players and staff in the summer – it is one of the sad parts of the game and I’d like to thank every one of them and wish them well on their way. I’d also like to thank all of our volunteers without who we wouldn’t be able to host games here at The Pan.

Let’s get behind the team for one final time.

Come On You Rooks!

Stuart

Pre-match Poetry

Jenny Foulds is a Scottish, feminist poet who recently moved to Brighton and vowed to write a poem for us when she heard about what we do for gender equality. She’s never been to a football match before and will read her poem pre-match!

Click here to see her Instagram and find out more.

Lewes FC #UnitedWithCurve

The partnership has been born out of the brands’ shared goals of empowerment. Not only is Lewes the first football club in the world to pay its women’s and men’s teams equally, but it is also 100% fan-owned and not-for-profit, which has a meaningful and tangible impact on the local community.

For Curve, the club’s actions off the pitch are just as important as what we do on it. From prioritising trade opportunities for local businesses on match-days to facilitating football sessions for different parts of its community. The players themselves also take part in local voluntary work, all whilst campaigning against inequality in football.

To celebrate the new partnership, Curve and Lewes FC will collaborate on an exciting video content series featuring the players and staff working behind the scenes at the club. Following its initial announcement video, Curve intends to shoot content at the final women’s match of season, getting under the skin of a matchday experience at Lewes.

The Lewes FC U14 Boys have done the double, League and Cup Winners! Huge Achievement! Huge Congratulations! Here’s the most recent results from across the club…

OUR MARCH PLAYERS OF THE MONTH

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 O’Rourke
22	Josie Longhurst
23	Izzy Dalton
24	Lucy Porter
27	Zoe Cross
31	Laura Hartley (GK)
32	Shanell Salgado (GK)

Liverpool Squad List

1	Rachael Laws
2	Charlotte Wardlaw
3	Leighanne Robe
4	Rhiannon Roberts
5	Niamh Fahey
6	Jasmine Matthews
7	Missy Bo Kearns
8	Jade Bailey
9	Leanne Kiernan
10	Rachel Furness
11	Mel Lawley
12	Taylor Hinds
13	Rylee Foster
14	Ashley Hodson
15	Meikayla Moore
17	Carla Humphrey
18	Ceri Holland
19	Rianna Dean
20	Yana Daniels
24	Katie Stengel
27	Charlotte Clarke
28	Megan Campbell
32	Lucy Parry
33	Evie Smith
34	Hannah Silcock

THE 2022 LEWES FC SUPPORTER SURVEY (CLOSES TOMORROW!!!)

We are proud to call The Dripping Pan home to many amazing people: aka Lewes fans! We are also a fan-owned club with 2200+ owners in 35+ countries worldwide.

We strive to continuously improve all aspects of the club, on and off the field, to ensure that Lewes FC continues to be a sacred, valuable community asset and a force for good.

The Supporters Survey aims to gather feedback, insights and suggestions from our fans, owners, and supporters in Lewes and around the world. It will help us to better understand what our supporters think about wide-ranging aspects of the club and it will help us to prioritise actions, according to what our supporters tell us is most important.

The Supporters Survey includes questions related to your impressions of the club, your match day experiences at The Dripping Pan, and your experiences as a supporter outside of match days.

Fill out the Lewes FC Supporter Survey and enter a raffle to win one of five new season home shirts!!!

Because who doesn’t like an incentive?!

We highly appreciate you taking the time to fill out the Supporters Survey with as much detail as possible.

Deadline for completing the Supporters Survey: Monday 2nd May 2022.
(The 5 raffle winners will be announced before Sunday 8th May 2022).

And what will we do with the Supporters Survey results?

A professional research agency will analyse the results, which will help us to prioritise our actions in the coming months. And we will publish the results (all responses are anonymous of course!)

THANK YOU!

P.S. Any questions or doubts, please don´t hesitate to contact Lucy Mills at lucy@lewesfc.com

‘Good things coming’ next season – Russell

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Written by: Joe

Tony Russell says fans can expect even more good things from Lewes FC over the next 12 months as he reflects on a hard-fought 2021/22 campaign.

Russell’s men may have fallen narrowly short of a playoff spot in this season’s Isthmian Premier League, but the boss insists further progress will be made next term.

A 2-2 draw with Bowers & Pitsea on Saturday means the Rooks finish seventh in the division – six points off the playoffs.

And Russell is confident of delivering even more next term.

“We’re already planning for next season,” says the manager. “We’re sitting down and talking to players, offering them deals for next season and going through that process.

“Players mention it to me straight away, what it’s like to play in front of the Lewes crowd, and how unbelievably professional it is.

“People like Kelly and Maggie and the directors have done so much work this season, to put things in place that will make things better next season.

“There are so many good things coming. Things in the pipeline that are coming out in the next few weeks will be a game changer for this football club, they’ve done some amazing work.

“And one thing I do know is we will be a better club next season because of the work these guys are putting in. There are so many positives.”

‘I want to get promoted’
Russell joined Lewes last summer and began work structuring the team to play his free-flowing, passing style of football.

Finishing either sixth or seventh this season is an improvement on the 16th place secured in the last full campaign back in 2019/20.

But the boss only has promotion on his mind.

“For me personally I set myself high standards,” he says.

“I want to get promoted and I back myself to do that. I know how much hard work Adam, Vinesy and Nathan and the staff have done to put the squad together.

“So to come up short is disappointing, because our goal is to get promoted. But that’s fuel to the fire to me.

“We’ve already started speaking to players to have back next year and identifying targets who we want to bring in. We’re all fired up now for next season.”

See you on Sunday!
Russell isn’t the only one to have overseen an uptick in results at the Dripping Pan this season, with more fans attending home games than ever before.

“To have nearly one thousand fans at the game on Saturday was amazing considering there wasn’t anything on the game,” says Russell.

“I feel we are building something special at the club and the connection we have with the fans is great. Seeing all the young kids waiting to meet the players and asking for shirts makes all the hard work worth it.

“We are averaging over a thousand since the turn of the year and that’s unreal! I was saying to JV the other day that we know we have a lot more to come, so can you imagine what it’s going to be like when we get going!

“I’m excited already for next season. The staff, the players and I are coming to the Liverpool game next weekend, so it would be great to see everyone there so I can have a drink with you all and say thanks for your brilliant support.”

Prolific goalscorer @JoeTaylor28 is loving life at @LewesFCMen despite missing out on promotion.#LewesFC 🔴⚫️

https://t.co/EidOqA34g5

— Henry Tomlinson (@HenryTJourno) April 27, 2022

Lewes fall short to Blades at the Pan

Written by: Joe

A gallant second-half performance was not enough to see Lewes to victory on Saturday as visitors Sheffield United claimed all three points with two first-half goals at the Dripping Pan.

Lucy Ashworth-Clifford came closest for the Rooks to finding the net on a frustrating afternoon for Craig Gill’s side, with Freda Ayisi also twice going close after the break.

Goals from Ellie Wilson and Maddy Cusak arguably against the run of play were enough for the Blades, who pressed well in midfield and stifled Lewes’ attacking play down the flanks.

Rooks denied early lead

The 2-0 defeat leaves the Rooks eighth in the FA Women’s Championship with just three games of the season remaining. But with a stroke of early luck the result could have been a lot different.

Lewes interim boss Craig Gill explained in the week how he wanted the team to “exploit” weaknesses in the United set-up. And that almost came good as early as the 12th minute when Ashworth-Clifford exchanged passes with Georgia Timms to charge through on goal, only for her strike to be well saved by Fran Kitching.

Lewes’ midfielders were enjoying plenty of space, while Ellie Mason was the orchestrator of many moves down the left flank. Indeed, it was the combination of Timms and Ashworth-Clifford in front of the Blades bench that almost led to the opener.

Ellie Hack and Lucy Porter had previously seen chances fly wide of goal before Ashworth-Clifford’s opportunity, which meant Sheffield United’s opener on 20 minutes came somewhat out of the blue. Georgia Walters managed to keep the ball in play down the United right, and swung in a deep cross for Watson to meet it at the far post.

Lewes, playing in white shirts for the fixture, sought to hit back immediately but couldn’t get through a pressing United midfield. And the visitors made it two before the break when a lofted corner evaded everyone to fall to Cusak at the far post, who clipped the ball back across goal and over Tatiana Saunders into the net.

Gill rings the changes

Lewes responded in the second half with Ayisi and Paula Howells being brought onto the field. The hosts steadily built up attacks with Porter and Howells both going close, but couldn’t force a route through a resolute Blades defence.

Indeed, Ayisi twice managed to roll two defenders, create a yard of space for herself and fire at goal from the edge of the penalty area. But on both occasions her shots pulled wide of Kitching’s left-hand post.

And after substitute Nicola Cousins headed a free-kick over the crossbar with three minutes remaining, the chances dried up for Lewes as United saw out the match holding the ball up in the corner.

The defeat means Lewes now have just game remaining at the Dripping Pan – against Liverpool on 1 May – before the season is over. Amelia Hazard was also given her February Player of the Month award, while voting for March’s POTM now open for owners on the app.

TO OUR DEPARTED FRIENDS – GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN

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

“The 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

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…

That’s it for the 2021/22 season, thank you for reading the progcast each week and you’re incredible support, home and away. Time to get excited for next season!