Tuesday 14th February 2023 7:45pm – The Isthmian Premier League – The Dripping Pan

Welcome to The Dripping Pan for this evening’s Isthmian Premier League game against Horsham. Here is your complimentary e-programme.

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NOTES FROM THE CHAIR

Good evening everyone and welcome back to the Dripping Pan for this Sussex Derby as we host our good friends from Horsham. I’d like to welcome the fans, players, management and officials from West Sussex and hope they have a safe journey back up the A23.

We couldn’t have asked for a tougher few days than we face this week. Based on current form over the past eight hours, we are top, but closely on our heels are Horsham and Aveley, who we face on Saturday. With a dozen or so teams still in the mix with a third of the season left, every round of fixtures brings battles that could alter the table. We are in a good run of form that has seen us move up the table from 12th to 6th in a matter of a few weeks, but we know we will have to be the best version of ourselves to move up into the play-offs.

It was fantastic to see so many fans travel to Essex on Saturday and get behind the boys. The game was a lot more clear-cut than the final scoreline suggested. Our first and second goals were once again works of art, patient approaches and clinical finishes. These goals do not just occur out of nothing. Hours upon hours of preparation work goes into the final product, both on and off the training ground. We now record all of our training sessions and Tony was very proud to point out the pattern of play the team worked on last Wednesday and how it led to the second goal on Saturday. We are playing at a different level to how we have in recent years and I hope you can all see that. It won’t always be successful – teams are now changing their style of play to try to nullify our approach as we saw when we went to Horsham earlier in the season.

There’s rarely a few days that go past without me being asked what’s happening to Razz. With so many players moving around our division at the moment, some for eye-opening amounts, I understand there may be some unease. Players come and go, often deciding themselves to take a break from the game. But, rest assured, Razz is very much a Lewes player. He picked up an ankle injury in the Bognor Regis Town game and has struggled to shake it off. He returned to full training last week and had a fitness test on Saturday at Bowers & Pitsea but still can’t get the power in his shooting on his left foot, his magic wand. We decided not to put him on the bench as we already had Rhys and Harvey in the squad, giving him a couple more days to get that strength back. So, if we don’t see him tonight, we may see him on Saturday.

Our support here has been brilliant but once again we had a couple of incidents of unwarranted and unnecessary verbal abuse being targeted to opposition players. At the Kingstonian game I was forced to speak to a very young fan who thought it was acceptable to shout abusive remarks at Rob Tolfrey. It is completely unacceptable, and whilst we have enforced the rule that all under16s have to be accompanied by adults, incidents like this do nothing to suggest the policy should be relaxed.

Get behind the boys tonight and Come On You Rooks!

Stuart

TONY’S THOUGHTS

Evening everyone. Saturday was an interesting game as Bowers & Pitsea wanted us to drive the game.  We spoke beforehand about their approach, sitting behind the ball, hoping we would make a mistake and counter attack.  We learnt from our game against them late last year and adjusted our approach slightly.

We started the game really well and got the early penalty decision.  Yes, JT missed it which is a collectors item.  He’s only human and his 100% record in scoring from the spot (friendlies and shoot outs excepted) had to end at some point.  That didn’t stop him being gutted about it post match though such is his want to always score.  But we continued to pile the pressure on with some excellent passing and movement, finally getting the goal thanks to Deon.

They continued to let us have the ball deep, rarely pressing us.  That sounds easy for us but we’ve coached the team to play a certain way and expect, as almost every team will do, to be pressed when we are in possession.  We were stuck between a rock and a hard place.  We were ahead and could’ve killed the game there and then but that’s not us.  

We spoke at half-time about not getting frustrated and making a mistake.  If we had to win 1-0 then we’d win 1-0.  Then out of nothing a ball over the top saw Will and Lew hesitate, leaving it to each other and their guy has nipped in and slotted home.  But that meant we needed to score again, so our mindset had to change.  We upped the tempo and a superb 14 pass move from back to front and side to side saw JT play in Hydie and he slotted home.  Another great team goal.

I was trying to communicate to them to stay positive and we got the third goal that made the game comfortable, or so we thought.  Johnville was robbed of the ball in the right hand side, it came across and there’s their second.  We still saw the game out without many issues but it did give the final score a closer feel than it really was.

Every instinct we have is to go forward and attack, so to face a team who were the opposite to that is a compliment in some ways but also frustrating for us and not one I really enjoyed to be honest.  We’ve all got opinions on how the game should be played and we got in the car and drive home, with three points and not dwelling too much on it.

Tonight we face Horsham and one of the managers I’ve known for a long time.  Dom and I go way back and we always put out sides who play football.  He’s a thinker of football and how football should be played.  Back in September they surprised us with a formation they’d never played before and caught us out with two first half goals.  We therefore have to prepare for them doing something similar tonight, which was the basis of our session last night.  

They’ve got some really good players, they play a good brand of football and we have no make sure we are tactically prepared.  I think it will be a really good game, played at a high tempo.  It’s a Sussex derby so they will be desperate to beat us, and we want revenge for that defeat in September.

We’ve both had similar seasons and have both been in good form since Christmas, which made their defeat against Folkestone Invicta on Saturday a surprise.  They will bring decent numbers so I hope you will all be on your top, noisy form and give us that little bit extra that the boys love.

Come On You Rooks

Tony

INTRODUCING OUR VISITORS FROM HORSHAM

THE HISTORY

Records of a football club bearing the Horsham name exist as far back as 1871 but it wasn’t until a decade later that regular organised football was played in the town. A founder member of both the Sussex County FA and the West Sussex Senior League, Horsham’s golden era came in the 1930s when, by now playing in the Sussex County League, they won six titles and nine cup finals.

They reached the first round of the FA Cup in 1947 for the first time and, in 1952, became members of the Metropolitan League that included the ‘A’ sides of clubs such as Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United, and Tottenham Hotspur, winning the title at the first attempt. In 1957 they made the switch to the Corinthian League where their six year stay peaked with a third placed finish in 1961/62.

Horsham found themselves in the Athenian League, formed by the merger of the Corinthian and Delphian Leagues in 1963, and experienced relegation, two title wins, and a second appearance in the FA Cup first round before joining the Isthmian League in 1973. Twice Senior Cup winners in the 1970s, they ended the decade under the threat of bankruptcy and only escaped relegation to the County League at the end of the 1980s after winning a two-legged
play-off match with now defunct Letchworth Garden City.

Progress was eventually made and they were crowned Division Three champions in 1996. Former Crawley Town boss John Maggs took over as manager in January 2000, taking a struggling side to Division Two runners-up inside three seasons and a promotion play-off final appearance in 2004/05. Promotion to the Premier Division was achieved the following season and the club went on to establish itself as a consistent performer, even challenging for a place in Conference South in 2007/8.

The 2007/08 campaign also saw the Hornets make history by reaching the second round proper of the FA Cup and taking eventual League One champions Swansea City to a replay, with both matches shown live on Sky TV.

Having sold their ground for redevelopment at the end of that same season, Horsham spent a financially cautious decade ground sharing at Worthing, Horsham YMCA and Lancing, during which they dropped down to the County League for a single season before coming straight back up as champions under the guidance of former East Preston boss Dom Di Paola. In 2019 they moved into their new stadium at the Hop Oast back in the Premier Division, having
won a tight play-off match with Ashford United.

Having had their first two campaigns at their new home cut short due to the Covid pandemic, 2021/22 saw the club enjoy its first full programme of fixtures, overcoming a difficult, injury and illness-hit, opening quarter of the season to finish a highly satisfactory eleventh. In addition, the Hornets reached the first round of the FA Cup for a fourth time, going down 2-0 at Carlisle United, reached the semi-finals of the Sussex Senior Cup and lifted the Velocity Trophy (Isthmian League Cup) for the first time in their history.

THE SQUAD

Taylor Seymour
Taylor is a highly-rated young goalkeeper who started out in the Lewes Academy before turning pro at League One Portsmouth, for whom he made his senior debut in an EFL Trophy tie against Peterborough United in 2020. Following his release from Fratton Park he joined Burgess Hill Town and then Eastbourne Borough, via a brief spell at Crawley Town. Whilst at Borough, he dual registered with Corinthian-Casuals, for whom he made five Isthmian Premier Division appearances this season.

Claudio Sarfo Boakye
Claudio is a twenty-two year old goalkeeper who joined the Hornets this September as cover to Mitchell Beeney. Previously on the books of Cray Wanderers, Claudio spent last season playing for Lewisham Borough in the first division of the Southern Counties East League.

Tom Day
Tom is a former Crystal Palace and Barnet scholar who made his Football League debut for the Bees against Crawley Town on the final day of the 2015/16 season. Following loan spells at Staines Town and Hemel Hempstead, he joined the latter on a permanent basis at the end of 2017/18, later going on to play for Eastbourne Borough and Lewes, from whom he joined Horsham in the summer of 2020.
Che Krabbendam

Dutchman Che was on the books of Belgian giants Anderlecht as a teenager before moving to the UK where he had a spell at Crystal Palace before dropping into the ‘non-league’ game. Burgess Hill Town, Walton Casuals, Staines Town, Dover Athletic, Dartford, Welling United and Cheshunt all feature on his CV, as well as Herne Bay for whom he made thirteen appearances this season. The 23 year old, who joined Horsham in January, can play either in midfield or defence.

Alex Malins
A former Crawley Town youngster, Alex made his name at Lewes for whom, after initial loan spells, he signed on a permanent basis in 2015 and went on to amass a century of appearances for the Rooks, despite missing the 2018/19 season through injury. He joined Horsham in July 2021 but spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Whitehawk, where he scored twice in seventeen matches for the Brighton-based club. Alex has also played for Bognor Regis Town, Peacehaven & Telscombe and Horsham YMCA.

Bobby Price
Bobby racked up almost 300 appearances during a near ten year stay at Carshalton Athletic that began as a 15 year old. After making his debut in 2013, his surging runs from deep and knack of scoring important goals made his name one of the first on the teamsheet. Although suffering relegation in his first season at the club, he went on to win a Division One South champions medal with the Robins in 2018 and reach the play-off semi-final a year later. Joined Horsham this summer.

Chris Sessegnon
The brother of Spurs’ Ryan and Fulham’s Steven, Chris started out at Sutton United and had loan spells at Tooting and Kingstonian before joining Dover Athletic in 2012. Moves to Ebbsfleet, Eastbourne Borough and Whitehawk followed before going on to make more than 70 appearances for Margate in an injury-hit five year stay. He began last season at Carshalton Athletic but joined Horsham soon after, ending the season with a Velocity Trophy winners’ medal.

Harvey Sparks
One of the best left-backs in the division, Harvey has been one of the club’s most consistent performers since arriving from Bognor Regis Town in September 2018. A member of the successful Worthing side that won promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division in 2016, he repeated the feat with Horsham in 2019 and has since gone on to add a League Cup winners medal to his collection, as well as appear in the FA Cup first round.

Jack Strange
An experienced centre-half, Jack was at the Queens Park Rangers Academy as a youngster but failed to make the grade and dropped into non-league football, briefly with Sutton United and then with Corinthian-Casuals for whom had made over 200 appearances in a seven year stay. Staying in Tolworth, he joined Casuals’ tenants Kingstonian for the 2022/23 season and was an ever-present before making the switch to Horsham in December.

Jack Brivio
After coming up through the ranks at Tonbridge Angels, Brivs’ career at Longmead was cut short by an injury that sidelined him for over a year. Joining Isthmian Premier Division rivals Burgess Hill Town in 2016, he became a regular in the side for two seasons before switching to Horsham in September 2018 and captaining the Hornets to promotion to the Premier Division at the end of his first season, leading them to the FA Cup first round in 2021, and lifting the Velocity Trophy back in April.

Tyler Christian-Law
Tyler is a vastly experienced midfielder who started out at Enfield Town, with whom he made his senior debut in 2010/11. In January 2012 he joined Southern League Burnham but was there only briefly before going on to have similarly short spells at Margate, Ware, Wingate & Finchley and Romford. More recently he made 17 appearances for Braintree Town in National League South in 2019/20 and joined the Hornets from Potters Bar Town in November this year.

Lee Harding
Lee has developed into one of the club’s most important players since joining from Burgess Hill Town in 2018. An undoubted match winner on his day, he was deservedly named as the supporters’ Player of the Season for 2021/22 having impressed not only down the right flank but also in an unaccustomed defensive role during the early part of the campaign. Lee had previously risen through the Hillians’ ranks to win both Isthmian Youth and Isthmian League Division One South winners’ medals in 2015.

Charlie Hester-Cook
Charlie is a cultured midfielder who came through the Woking FC Academy before joining Leatherhead in search of regular playing time in May 2019. He was a near ever-present throughout the 2019/20 campaign, during which he was signed by Dorking Wanderers who promptly loaned him back to the Tanners for the remainder of the season. He joined Horsham on loan in August 2021, making the deal permanent at the end of the year. He has also had loan spells at Walton & Hersham and Westfield.

Tom Kavanagh
Tom rose through the Sutton United youth ranks and played Conference South football for the Us, making 47 appearances for his local side before joining Canvey Island in 2012, via a couple of brief stints at Whitehawk and Met Police. He joined Kingstonian for the first of three spells at the start of the 2013/14 campaign and went on to spend four seasons at Merstham, during which he captained the club to the Isthmian Premier Division play-off final in 2019. He rejoined the Ks ahead of the 2019/20 campaign but made the switch to Horsham in the summer of 2021, scoring a number of important goals, including a spectacular winner against Woking that sent the Hornets through to the first round of the FA Cup.

Tom Richards
Arguably the best crosser of the ball at the club, Tom started out as a full-back during a three year spell in the Fulham Youth setup, during which he made his professional debut on loan to AFC Wimbledon in 2014. He went on to have spells at Aldershot Town, Austria’s FC Kitzbühel, Walton Casuals, Welling United and Leatherhead before joining Dorking Wanderers where he picked up an Isthmian Premier Division championship winners’ medal in 2019 and helped them reach the National League South play-offs. Joined Kingstonian for the truncated 2020/21 campaign before making the switch to Horsham in the summer of 2021.

Lucas Rodrigues
Named as both the supporters’ and Isthmian League Step 4 Player of the Season for 2019/20, Brazilian-born Lucas came up through the youth ranks at Whitehawk, making his debut as a 16 year old before going on to make over 150 appearances for the Brighton-based club. Joined Horsham in the summer of 2021, with his dazzling runs down the right flank quickly making him a crowd favourite. Finished his debut season with the Hornets with a Velocity Trophy winners’ medal and a tally of six goals in 43 games.

Doug Tuck
After a two year scholarship at Brighton & Hove Albion, Doug established himself at Bognor Regis Town where he made more than 300 appearances during a nine year stay. A composed midfielder whose contribution often goes under the radar, he reached the FA Trophy semi-finals with the Rocks in 2016 and was a member of the side that won promotion to the National League South in 2017/18. Scored the goal that won Bognor the Sussex Senior Cup in 2019.

Daniel Ajakaiye
Dan was at West Ham United as a youngster but signed his first senior contract with Bromley, aged just 18, having scored 24 goals for the Ravens’ academy. After brief loan spells at Grays Athletic and Whyteleafe, he moved on to Kingstonian before being enticed down to Hastings United, for whom he netted 34 times in 2018/19. His goalscoring exploits came to the attention of Havant & Waterlooville, who signed him ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, but he returned to Kingstonian at the start of last season, scoring 21 goals in 53 appearances prior to his summer switch to Horsham.

Eddie Dsane
On the books of Crystal Palace, Preston North End and Fleetwood Town as a youngster, Eddie moved to Ireland in search of regular first team football, first with Longford Town and then League of Ireland side Finn Harps, for whom he scored 4 times in 23 appearances. On returning to the UK, he had spells at Chipstead, Whyteleafe, Maldon & Tiptree and Leatherhead prior to joining Kingstonian, from whom he joined Horsham in September 2021. Scorer of some important goals, Eddie struggled to hold down a regular place in the side and joined Margate in September 2022, only to return to Horsham in November.

Shamir Fenelon
Last season’s top scorer, Shamir is a vastly experienced striker who started out at Brighton & Hove Albion and made two senior appearances for the club before being released in 2015. Whilst with the Seagulls, he was capped twice by the Republic of Ireland at U21 level and played in the Football League during loan spells at Torquay United, Rochdale, Tranmere Rovers and Dagenham & Redbridge. He joined Crawley Town in 2015 before going on to make close on 100 appearances for Aldershot Town, prior to stints at Maidenhead United and Billericay Town from whom he joined Horsham at the start of last season.

Jack Mazzone
Jack is a proven goalscorer who has spearheaded the Met Police attack for the past four seasons, having started out in the Woking FC Academy. Got his first taste of senior football during loan spells with Chertsey and Hendon in 2011/12 before joining Godalming Town for a two year stay. Stints at Knaphill and Tooting & Mitcham followed but it was an impressive return of 32 goals for South Park in 2017/18 that prompted The Met to tempt him to Imber Court where he top scored in every season since his arrival. Made the switch to Horsham in the summer.

THE CURRENT FORM

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

13th Sept 2022	Isthmian Premier League	Horsham	2	Lewes	0
27th Dec 2021	Isthmian Premier League	Horsham	1	Lewes	3
30th Aug 2021	Isthmian Premier League	Lewes	0	Horsham	0
1st Jan 2020	Isthmian Premier League	Horsham	3	Lewes	0
26th Aug 2019	Isthmian Premier League	Lewes	0	Horsham	2
11th Apr 2018	Isthmian Premier League	Lewes	4	Horsham	2

THE LAST TIME HERE – AUGUST 2021

WHEN FOOTBALL FALLS ON VALENTINE’S DAY

HOW TO MAKE THE DRIPPING PAN YOUR BEST VALENTINES DAY YET

As we all know, today is a special day. A huge Sussex derby six pointer? Maybe for some, but for others, it’s Valentines Day. Questions such as “shall we go out for dinner?”, “shall we exchange presents?” and “let’s do something special this year” will be asked by many couples, but is there a way to tie all of this together? I may just have some solutions. Here’s how you can have a very special Valentines Day, at our very own Dripping Pan.

A romantic meal – Arguably the most common activity to do on Valentines Day, and what’s more romantic than a pie at the Hatch in the Dripping Pan? Featured on the popular Twitter page ‘Footy Scran’, the Pan offers a delicious Steak N Ale pie with mash, mushy peas and gravy for only £5. If your partner doesn’t find that romantic, then I don’t know what will.

Stargazing – Stargazing can be a magical experience. Anyone know any good spots? I do, at the Mountfield Road Terrace, where the night sky is all yours to see. That, and the match of course. Careful though, if you spend too long trying to find Orion’s belt, you might just miss a spectacular Razz goal.

Dance to a love song – Fancy a slow dance to some romantic hits? Then you and your partner should reside upon the Philcox stand, where you can sway to the sound of the Youth Wing’s melodies. Imagine that, when your future children ask when was your first dance, you can explain to them, it was to the sound of the Youth Wing. How romantic!

Something Daring and Exciting – How about you spice things up for Valentines Day this year, by buying your partner a Golden Goal ticket! Careful though, for some people, this might be considered too daring. This should only be considered for the adventurous couples.

A gift – Buying gifts for a partner is one way how people like to show their affection, so why not purchase a scarf, from the club merchandise stall? What better way is there to show your affection towards your loved one, by singing some Lewes chants whilst holding your scarf up high above your head?

If any of these methods work, let me know via @LewesClamour on Instagram or Twitter. They’ve worked for me!

THAT WINNING FEELING – THROUGH THE EYES OF BOYSIE’S LENS

LEWES 3 KINGSTONIAN 0 – SATURDAY 4th FEBRUARY 2023

Lewes produced an impressive performance to move within three points of the play-off places with a convincing 3-0 win over Kingstonian at the Pan, reports Tom Harper (pictures James Boyes).

Tony Russell named an unchanged side after their comfortable win over Wingate & Finchley four days previously.

The Rooks could have taken the lead inside the first minute, as an incisive passing move ended with Ryan Gondoh being denied by Rob Tolfrey in the visitor’s goal.

Lewes continued to enjoy most of the ball as they searched for the opening goal, with both Joe Taylor and Deon Moore narrowly missing the target as the Kingstonian defence struggled to keep the Rooks at bay.

The fact the score was 0-0 at the half-hour mark owed a lot to the performance of Tolfrey, who made smart saves to deny Tyrique Hyde and Moore in quick succession.

Lewes weren’t to be denied for much longer though, as they were awarded a penalty following a foul on Taylor in the area after 33 minutes.

Taylor took the penalty and sent Tolfrey the wrong way from the spot to give Lewes the lead their performance had undoubtedly deserved.

The remainder of the half followed a similar pattern, with Tolfrey saving well to deny Gondoh and then Moore for a third time to ensure the visitors went in at half-time only one goal behind.

The Rooks started the second half brightly, Hyde drawing a smart save from Tolfrey down low to his right, before Gondoh saw a curling effort from the right hit the inside of the far post and Taylor had his strike on the rebound blocked.

Lewes remained on top throughout the half, moving the ball quickly and ensuring that the visitors never really looked like gaining a foothold in the game.

The Rooks finally doubled their lead midway through the second half, as Gondoh saw a powerful shot from the edge of the area take a slight deflection on its way past Tolfrey and into the back of the net.

Lewes thought they had increased their lead minutes later, but Moore was flagged offside after applying the finishing touch to an excellent passing move.

The home supporters were being treated to a superb attacking display, with Tolfrey called into another double-save to keep out an attempt from Hyde before superbly tipping Bradley Pritchard’s effort on the rebound over the bar following outstanding play down the right by Gondoh.

Lewes made it 3-0 with eight minutes remaining, Will Salmon finishing from close range after Tolfrey had only been able to parry a Pritchard strike from the edge of the area.

To their credit, Kingstonian enjoyed arguably their best spell of the game late on, Salmon making a fine block to keep out an effort from O’Shane Stewart, who then saw another attempt from distance tipped onto the bar by Lewis Carey in the final meaningful action of the game.

THE FIFA RANKINGS UPSIDE DOWN – NO.197 TIMOR-LESTE

Timor-Leste, or East Timor to it’s friends, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island’s north-western half, and the minor islands of Atauro and Jaco. East Timor came under Portuguese influence in the sixteenth century, remaining a Portuguese colony until 1975. Internal conflict preceded a unilateral declaration of independence and an Indonesian invasion and annexation.

As you would expect from its Portuguese influence, football was always the favourite national sport, although it wasn’t until 2003 that they gained FIFA Affiliation, losing their first match 3-2 in Sri Lanka. The Lafaek (translation “crocodiles”) had to wait 23 more games, in which they managed just one draw, before they tasted victory in a AFF Qualification match in 2012 against Cambodia in Myanmar. Four days later and they had a second win, beating Laos 3-1.

Qualification for the FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia started in impressive fashion with two wins from their first two games against Mongolia, but then just two draws from their eight group matches saw them finish bottom of the qualification group, which included heavy losses to Saudi Arabia (7-0 and 10-0), UAE (8-0) and Palestine (7-0). Qualification for the 2022 in Qatar ended after a 12-2 defeat over two legs to Malaysia.

Last year saw five defeats from seven games, but the ended 2022 with a rare win, 1-0 at home in Brunei, although it was actually played in Brunei as FIFA have deemed the national stadium, the 13,000 capacity Municipal Stadium in the capital Dili, unsuitable to host internationals, and has only been used 4 times in the 75 game history of the national team.

The squad is made up of players from local leagues, including some “nationalised” Brazilians. However, in December 2016, the FFTL was charged with using forged and falsified documents, fielding ineligible players and bringing the game into disrepute.

A decision was made on 20 January 2017 that Timor-Leste was barred from participating in the qualification tournament for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup after being found to have fielded a total of twelve ineligible players in 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification matches and among other competitions.

BOWERS & PITSEA 2 LEWES 3 – SATURDAY 11th FEBRUARY 2023

Lewes recorded their third consecutive win, as an impressive attacking display saw them return from Essex with three points after a 3-2 win at Bowers & Pitsea, reports Tom Harper.

Tony Russell named an unchanged side after the Rooks’ convincing win over Kingstonian in their previous game a week earlier.

Lewes were handed an excellent chance to take the lead early on, as Deon Moore was fouled by Dylan Thistleton in the penalty area.

Joe Taylor took the spot-kick, but saw his attempt saved by Joseph Osaghae in the Bowers goal.

The Rooks remained on the front foot though, and took the lead on 15 minutes through the impressive Moore, who was on hand to convert a cross from the right at the end of an incisive passing move.

Lewes were playing some excellent football, moving the ball quickly and stretching the home defence, but were unable to seriously test Osaghae during the remainder of the first half.

In truth, the best chance in the lead-up to half-time fell to the hosts, who saw former Rook TQ Addy head a Harrison Carnegie cross from the left against the bar.

Bowers made a bright start to the second half and equalised on 50 minutes, a teasing cross from the left evading the Lewes defence and Lewis Carey, leaving Ayman El Mogharbel with a simple tap-in at the far post to level the scores.

Lewes quickly regained their composure and took the lead for a second time just two minutes later, Tyrique Hyde starting a move that ended with him exchanging passes with Taylor before finishing past Osaghae and into the bottom corner.

The second half then followed a similar pattern to the first, as Lewes kept the ball well without really looking like adding to their lead.

This changed on 75 minutes, when another intricate passing move ended with Moore seeing his dangerous cross from the left sliced into the bottom corner of his own goal by Jamal Allen.

Any hopes of a comfortable end to the game for the Rooks were ended with seven minutes remaining, as hesitant defending down the right ended with the ball being worked to Funsho Sinai, whose shot through a crowded penalty area beat Carey to set up a nervy finale for the travelling fans.

Lewes saw out the closing stages comfortably though, recording an impressive win heading into another busy week of fixtures.

PLAYER SPONSORSHIP

You can sponsor the player of your choice, subject to availability, for the 2022/23 season and get your name in lights, plus a home or away shirt signed by your player and presented to you at a home game. Contact Shrey for more details at Shrey@lewesfc.com.

PLAYER	SPONSOR	PLAYER	SPONSOR
Lewis Carey	Susie Arlett	Tyrique Hyde
Jamie Mascoll	Michael Kennard	Ryan Gondoh	Dave Lamb
Alfie Young		Rhys Murrell-Williamson	Trevor Norwood
Ryley Scott		Harvey Walker	
Tom Champion	Tom, Alice & Russ Mould	Razz Coleman De-Graft	The Ouse
Will Salmon	Michael McDowell	Deon Moore	
Johnville Renee	Dave Lamb	Joe Taylor	Stuart Fuller
Ayo Olukoga	Ryan Busby	Fraser Middleton-Tozer	
Bradley Pritchard	The English Soap Company	Finley Jenkins	

IAN TOWNSEND’S ISTHMIAN LEAGUE ROUND-UP

Our leaders, Bishop’s Stortford, were off to the seaside for the second time this week, although hoping for a better outcome after their midweek loss at Bognor Regis Town. The Blues, two points clear at the top at start of play, faced another set of Blues- an improving Margate side who were four matches unbeaten- but it was the visitors who struck first, Chris Harris with the opener seven minutes before the break. That turned out to be the only goal, and Stortford take the points and remain two points clear.

Second at start of play, Enfield Town welcomed Wingate & Finchley in a derby match. Town were in fine form, with six wins from seven, but they gave themselves a mountain to climb in the first half as Antonis Vasiliou scored a stunner for the visitors and Scott Thomas then saw red for violent conduct. A red card for the visitors in the closing stages- Olarinde Williams- gave the hosts hope, and they immediately took advantage, Lyle Della-Verde levelling from a free kick- but that was that, the Towners slipping to fourth.

Aveley were on the road to a Kingstonian side who are under new management, Simon Lane stepping up from Pitching In Isthmian South Central side Westfield. The Millers had won their last three- and indeed had only one defeat from their previous six- whilst their hosts have won only one of their last thirteen matches, so it was no surprise when the visitors went ahead just before the half hour, George Sykes with the goal after a nice assist from Manny Ogunrinde. What was perhaps more surprising is that Sykes goal was the only one of the game- particularly as the Millers earned and missed a penalty- but it lifted the visitors to second place.

Hornchurch have games in hand over the rest of the top five- indeed, they have games in hand over the rest of the top thirteen, as if that’s a useful statistic- but they needed three points against Potters Bar Town, and they got them with five goals in the second half. New signing Ade Yusuff, twenty five goals for Folkestone Invicta, made it twenty six for the season with the opener on his Urchins debut, and almost immediately they saw Sam Higgins double their advantage- what a front two that is! Tom Wraight added a third fifteen minutes from time, a fourth from Chris Dickson arrived with five minutes to go, and they got their tenth goal against the Scholars this season when Wraight added another just before the end, this one from the spot. The Urchins are third, four points behind the leaders with two games in hand.

Canvey Island knew they could climb as high as third if they won and other results went their way- but the Gulls had to win an Essex derby against Billericay Town to do so, and they fell behind just after the half hour, Anderson Pinto opening the scoring. It was two to Town on sixty four minutes, Kareem Isiaka with his first Blues goal, and although Connor Hubble made the closing stages exciting with a last-gasp goal that was that- the Gulls down to seventh, Billericay four points behind. The Manager of the Month curse strikes again as Town do the double over their hosts.

Carshalton Athletic hadn’t managed a win over Cray Wanderers in their last three attempts, but all looked positive when they went ahead at Hayes Lane on eleven minutes, Matthew Vigor with the opener. Last season the Robins delivered a nightmare at Hayes Lane, in a match which saw them go two-nil, three-one and four-three up only to lose five-four, and there must have been some nervousness when Wands equalised- particularly given the fact that the goal came from Dan Bassett. Dan scored a hat trick in this fixture last season- but he got it for Athletic!

That nervousness would have been magnified when Tom Derry put the hosts ahead nine minutes later, and that turned out to be the last goal of the game- Wands back in the top five.

With an eight match unbeaten run Horsham were in their best form of the season, and looked to add to Folkestone Invicta’s recent woes as the Stripes arrived at the Camping World Community Stadium. Invicta have a very good record against the Hornets, winning ten of their previous eleven meetings- indeed they’d already defeated them in league and FA Trophy this season- but they fell behind on twenty seven minutes, Harvey Sparks opening the scoring for the hosts. Invicta levelled just before the break, Ira Jackson scoring from the spot, and the Hornets went down to ten men with twenty minutes left, Lee Harding seeing red. The visitors immediately took advantage, Scott Heard putting them ahead, and they made sure seven minutes from time, Ibrahim Olutade with that one. Another red card for the hosts, Daniel Ajakaiye getting his marching orders, arrived just before the end. Horsham must believe that someone from Folkestone has applied a curse.

Hastings United side were on the road to relegation-threatened Corinthian-Casuals, who had lost their last seven matches. United had already defeated Casuals twice this season, in League and Velocity Cup, and they went ahead from the spot just before the half hour- Ben Pope converting after a foul on David Smith. It was two-nil to the Sussex seasiders just before the break, Knory Scott with that one, and that turned out to be that. United climb to eighth.

The last time Haringey Borough and Bognor Regis Town met, back in November at Nyewood Lane, Borough got an early goal and stuck to it like limpets to claim all three points. They got another early goal at Coles Park, Olalekan Osideko opening the scoring on three minutes, and although the Rocks levelled through Dan Gifford on eighteen minutes the hosts were ahead again two minutes later, Ben Allen finding the back of the Bognor net. Striker Nathan Odokonyero is in magnificent form for the visitors, having scored in his previous five matches and notched twenty three for the season, and he made it six in a row and twenty four with an equaliser ten minutes before the break. Three minutes after the restart the Rocks went ahead for the first time, Gifford with his second of the afternoon, and another from Odokonyero ten minutes from time made sure of victory. Sam De St Croix added a fifth late on, as the Rocks climb to fourteenth.

It may be strange to call a relegation battle our biggest match of the day, but the game between Brightlingsea Regent and Herne Bay looked vital for both sides. Regent started the day two points ahead of their bottom placed visitors, and five points from safety, but they started the game in the worst possible way, scoring an own goal after just three minutes to put Bay ahead. Just after the hour, a penalty- keeper Charlie Turner seeing red for Regent, David Ozobia converting from twelve yards to make it two-nil. Regent- with an outfield player, Zack Littlejohn, in goal- got one back with sixteen minutes left, Suleyman Zuhdu giving them hope, but Bay held on for victory- and will be delighted as they were the only one of the bottom five to win, a result which moves them up to twentieth.

ON THE ROAD TO….AVELEY – SATURDAY 18th FEBRUARY 2023

About Parkside
For many fans, this will be their first visit to the impressive Parkside ground. During the 2010s the club bought the site of a former gravel pit from Thurrock Council using money raised from selling Mill Field to developers. The 2016–17 season was the club’s last at Mill Field, as they moved to Parkside, less than half a mile down the round, for the start of the 2017–18 season. The new ground features two seated stands on either side of the pitch, one of which was built into the clubhouse, with the clubhouse roof overhang providing cover and balcony seating. Two covered terraces are behind each goal, either side of the goalmouth.

How to get to Parkside
Parkside is located just down the road from the old Field Mill ground and within a few minutes of the M25 – that’s good if the traffic behaving, but a bit of a nightmare if there are any issues with the Dartford Crossing. Assuming everything is OK, head anti-clockwise around the M25 and pass under the Thames in the left hand tunnel.

Exit the M25 at the first junction (31) onto the roundabout and take the third exit into Ship Lane. Pass the old Thurrock ground on the right, then at the mini-roundabout turn right into the High Street, which becomes Stifford Road. At the roundabout take the 1st exit onto Aveley bypass and then right at the next roundabout and into the ground. There’s ample free parking there. Journey time is around 75 minutes (68 miles) from Lewes.

NOTE: Google Maps still shows Aveley playing at Field Mill, which if you follow those directions will see you arrive at 83 Belhouse Avenue, a housing estate built on the land where the old ground sat. Make sure you type the destination in as Parkside – Aveley FC.

By Train: C2C stations Ockendon and Rainham are the closest and most accessible to get to Parkside. Available to access from both Fenchurch Street/Liverpool Street and Southend Central.

Ockendon Station: The station is around 2.9miles away from Parkside, however, on Saturdays the Number 22 Bus runs from Elan Road to Hanford Road and the ground is a 3 minute walk from the Hanford Road bus stop.

Rainham Station: The station is around 4 miles away, and on matchdays there are 3 TFL 372 Buses an hour that take around 15 minutes to get to St Pauls Close and into Aveley, followed by a ten minute walk either through the Village centre or down the Aveley Bypass.

Admission at Parkside
All pay on the gate (cash and card) – £12 for Adults, £8 for Seniors and £5 for Under16s.

Fancy a Beer?
There’s a couple of pubs within 10 minutes of the ground such as the Old Ship in the High Street and The Top House a bit further out. The bar at the ground is huge and has big screen TVs, decent food and plenty of seating.

ON THIS DAY IN FOOTBALLING HISTORY – 14th FEBRUARY

ON YOUR BIKE SON – THE FOOTBALL TOURIST PAD’S IT OUT

Padua Calcio 1 Pordenone 1 – Sunday 29th January 2023 2.30pm – Serie C Group A – Stadio Euganeo, Padua

It’s ten minutes after the final whistle and Danny and I are trying to work out how to hire a pair of electric bikes. We’ve scanned QR codes, enabled location services and authorised the payment but the app is telling us there are no available bikes to rent in our area. We are standing in among a dozen of them, none which can move unless they are “unlocked” via the app. Neither of us cycle but faced with a very chilly 50 minute walk back to the centre of Padua and no other transport options, it was Hobson’s Choice (named after Sunderland’s legendary full-back from the First World War era).

There’s plenty of stadiums that have built out of town, but few have zero public transport options. The nearest bus stop was a five minute walk away, but no services ran on the route on a Sunday (or so we thought). Prior to the game we’d enjoyed a look around the club museum in the town centre, celebrating 113 years of existence and the high-point of their Anglo-Italian relationship that spread far wider than the liberal use of the flag of St George to pennants celebrating games in 1993/94 against the English greats of West Bromwich Albion (won 4-3), Portsmouth (0-0), Stoke City (3-0) and Southend United (lost 5-2). The well dressed ultras enjoyed a drink or two in the midday sunshine in Piazza della Erbe, the heart of the well appointed historic city centre of Padua,

The question of how exactly we would get to and from the Stadio Euganeo had been briefly discussed on our early morning flight from Stansted, dismissed with a nervous “I’m sure we will find a way” – after all with a capacity of nearly 20,000, the local municipal authority, who own the stadium, wouldn’t have simply built it in the middle of nowhere, beside a busy motorway without any due thought as to how fans would get there…would they? Yep, they most certainly did.

We parked the question until we had indulged in lunch and then approached a few locals, who we guessed were going to the game and asked. It was a little awkward and I’m sure a few may have thought we were angling for a lift (we were) but the overall consensus was that everyone’s mate, who hadn’t yet arrived at the pub, would be driving. So, taxi it was then.

Stadio Euganeo isn’t a looker from the outside. Sitting above the surrounding roads, the functional concrete stands didn’t radiate any warmth or even ownership by the club. A group of around 100 fans were congregated just to the south of the stadium around a makeshift bar enjoying the sunshine and belting out a few Veneto classics but otherwise, with an hour until kick-off it was quiet.

It has been over 25 years since the club experienced football in the top division and has been the story with many Italian clubs, fell into financial disarray and reformed in Serie D, in Padova’s case little more than eight years ago. Life in Serie B lasted just one season in 2018/19 before they fell back into the regional Serie C, where they could look forward to local derbies with the likes of Vicenza, Arzignano and Virtus Verona. Fifty miles or so to the east is the town of Pordenone, where today’s visitors would be arriving from, although the club were currently playing on the seaside at Lignano Sabbiardoro, some miles the south. They were arriving at the top of Serie C, looking for a swift return to Serie B, having been relegated last season.

Inside the stadium you got the feel that at least someone was trying to make it better than just being classed as “municipal” which is another word for athletics ground. The two stands on either side of the pitch, both two-tiered, offered good views but at the far end, the away fans were issue binoculars to be able to see the action. But at the opposite end a new stand, that wouldn’t look out of place in any top tier ground, was taking shape and was being built next to the pitch, which would make any athletics meetings where any track events longer than 300m very problematic.

For now though the ultras took their place in the sunshine in the east stand which gave us the opportunity to be among them….OK, by among, we stood at the back and pretended to join in with the songs and clapped our hands in time on occasions. But we did ourselves proud, giving a couple of high fives when the home side equalised in the Aljossa Vasic volleyed home at the far post in the 38th minute to equalise.

The home fans were superb and if the stadium wasn’t up there in the 100 to see before to shuffle of this mortal coil, nor the game was anything bar the last one on Italian Match of the Day later in the evening, the fans were Premier League, with the low roof hanging down from the top tier amplified the acoustics.

Full time and we headed out, hoping there would be a long line of taxis waiting. There wasn’t, nor was there any sign of a bus stop. But there were plenty of bikes to hire.

An hour later and we were back in the buzzing centre of town for a debrief. Big ticks all round and definitely a town that would be on the return list, if perhaps not for the football.

THE 2022/23 ISTHMIAN PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON

THE STODGEBUSTERS GO A-WANDERING

So another trip to Cray Wanderers who still Lodge at Hayes Lane, the home of Bromley FC. We’ve had many visits there over the years to play both teams at one time or another so it’s a well trodden path for away supporters and Stodgebusters alike. We’ve had some memorable moments here. Perhaps none more so than Nathan Crabb coming in at the far post to equalise late-on to avoid relegation. Usually it’s a train to Victoria and the another train to Bromley South. After lunch in the very good cafe near the station it’s a fifteen minute stroll to the ground. This time would be different though. No trains to Victoria would mean the faff of a couple of changes. It occurred to the tightwads more financially astute members that it would be significantly cheaper and easier to just get a return to East Croydon, lunch there, and then catch the 119 bus from there which goes past the ground. Well, it was cheaper for those old codgers in the group who had bus passes but not for the young whippersnapper PJ. So that was the plan… Like all plans, things can go wrong.

PJ and Gary met up at Lewes station for the 11.25 train. PJ was early, a novelty in itself, and enjoyed the first imbibement of the day in the form of an excellent hot chocolate with all the cream and cocoa powder. The sort that gives one a white moustache. Steve and Roly had already boarded  in the badlands of downtown Polegate. We had a selection of Aldi Butter Mintoes and jelly babies to enjoy en-route, everyone was quite upbeat and mostly fancied a victory.  PJ went for the draw.

The plan at East Croydon was to investigate a place next to the station called Boxpark. We had heard good things about it and they had an outlet called The Breakfast Club. Sounded promising. The only slight snag was that it was closed. All of it. It actually looked closed down to us. Great. What now? We thought we would try the cafe we used last time we were in town. That was pretty good. Unfortunately that had gone and been replaced by something else. We’re not sure what as we couldn’t remember exactly where it was. But it was definitely gone. What now? We wandered rather aimlessly to where there seemed most life. The hunger pains were getting worse. There were plenty of eating places but nothing we particularly fancied or was our scene. What a bleedin’ place Croydon is. We couldn’t find a typical Stodgebuster cafe anywhere. We toyed with the idea of trying the Wetherspoons but the rubber eggs and exploding bacon episode in Enfield is still etched in our memory. We were getting close to having to go for the last resort of McDonalds, a Subway or even “let’s get something to eat at the ground” when we spotted a pub, The Green Dragon, with a menu outside. The selection didn’t look that appealing at all, but PJ spotted another pub, The Market Tavern, across the road with a sandwich board outside advertising a very, very enticing looking all day breakfast. The menu looked pretty good too with standard pub favourites.

“This’ll do us lads, we’re going in”. Before anyone else could say yay or nay PJ was inside. Well, it must be better than stadium food surely?

This might have been a mistake. Inside it was a Wetherspoons clone. At least we could watch Accrington Stanley v Leeds on the TV. But in for a penny and all that, and Steve went for cod and chips for £8. Now, a top notch cod and chips sit down meal in the excellent Bankers in Brighton is £14, so he wasn’t expecting much for eight quid. Gary had a steak pie with peas and waffle fries. Roly went for an all day breakfast. PJ plumped for the sausage and mash with peas and onion gravy.

Hmm. Where does one begin? Well Steve’s cod, which he was suspicious of whether it even was cod, looked like it had come out of a box of Aldi fish portions. (Other supermarkets are available). It scored a meagre 5 on the Stodge-o-meter. Gary said his meat pie wasn’t bad and rated a surprising 8. We just wondered what meat was actually in it. PJ’s Sausage and mash looked pretty good. Certainly the mash and peas were great but he is used to Tesco Finest 85% pork sausages with caramelised onion.  These might have been 8% meat and tasted like it. Another 5.  Roly’s all day breakfast unsurprisingly didn’t bear too much resemblance to the poster outside. It contained the same sausages and he couldn’t stomach two of them. Another rating of 5. Comfortably the worst meals so far in season 22/23. We weren’t surprised. We were half-expecting it when we went in. We don’t think we will be rushing back next time we are in town.

Time to find the bus. The roads are up in the area so buses are diverted, but thanks to Google Maps we found the right bus stop just around the corner and only a short wait for the 119. Of course, on the way we passed a promising looking café that might have done us proud. Bleedin’ typical.

Travelling through the suburbs of Croydon we spotted several promising cafes from the top deck for any future visits. But the word on the street is that Cray’s new ground is about to be started upon so it might be our last visit here anyway.

We were delighted to find that admission for us old ‘uns is only £6 at Cray. Now that’s an improvement on the £9 at Carshalton.

Where’s the tea bar? They were shut forcing everyone to visit their new bar under their new stand behind the goal. Now this new bar area is huge and is probably what league teams have to provide these days. Maybe that’s what Bromley have their sights set on. Well it might be football clubhouse heaven to some but we weren’t keen on it. It was very busy and noisy with a ten minute wait for a simple cup of coffee. Give us the cosiness of the Rook Inn and its like any day.

We couldn’t wait to get out of there to be honest. Still no Razz in the line up. No worries though. We’ll soon dispatch this lot no matter that they are above us in the table. Cray are managed by ex-Lewes managers Neil Smith and Tim O’Shea. Yes, the same pairing who oversaw that utterly disastrous season when Lewes were relegated back to the Isthmian League all those years ago. In their line up was the player we love to hate, Dayshonne Golding. We loved him at Lewes but when he went to Worthing he became a right pain in the proverbial when we played them with his constant haranguing of the referee. He always scored too. A modern day Ben Carrington who long term Rooks fans will remember fondly. Or probably not.

As always seems to be the case Lewes started brightly and soon found themselves a goal down. A blinding cross and a diving header.

Another goal just after the half hour by, you guessed it, Dayshonne Golding. He was quickest to react to a parry from Carey for a tap in. It just had to be him didn’t it?

Two down at half time and not really looking like getting back into it.

The new stand behind the goal we were attacking second half is very nice and miles better than the death trap that used to be there with its broken seats and shin high supports. But it’s all seats now and we’re not fond of that. We resignedly took a front row seat.

Deon Moore had got no change out of his full back and was hooked for Rees Murrell Williamson with Gondoh switching flanks. It worked straight away. Carey gathered in a free kick and quickly distributed the ball. Gondoh ran with it, cut inside and placed a lovely shot just inside the far post. We were up out of the seats in celebration. We were soon level. Joe was harassing a defender who was in control of the ball and may have been trying to shepherd it out for a goal kick. Joe put his hand on the defenders back and the defender has gone tumbling as if he had been hit by a train. Refs usually give those.

“Oh X$%&!# Joe, Why did you foul him there?……….Hang on! The ref hasn’t given it!……….YEEEEESSSSSSSSSS. Well done Joe!”

The defender had over dramatized his tumble. The ref, who in our obviously biased opinion had made a few rickets, didn’t buy it. Joe had got the ball and had slotted it in from a tight angle. We were up again in sheer jubilation. What a turnaround. Two all and we’re on top. With over half an hour to go we could have gone on and won it. But we didn’t. What did happen was a flashback to the seventies when about a dozen or so Cray Ultras infiltrated the away end and started hurling abuse at the Youth Wing who had been in fine voice all game. I don’t think we were in any physical danger. There were no signs of knuckle dusters or bike chains as the Ultras were all about ten years old and appeared to be a Cray junior team. Ten years old or not they certainly used some very er…….. industrial language and weren’t fazed by any of our responses. It sounded rather odd being sworn at by a group none of whose voices hadn’t broken. We could have done with Golden Goal Ethel being there. She would have sorted them out. Apparently, their coach who should have been minding them was in the bar.

We could have won it late on if Harvey Walker had put in Joe instead of going it alone. This earned him some real GBH of the earhole from our striker.

So, it was a Desmond Two-Two. A decent point considering the half time situation. The crowd was 334 but there was probably a hundred in the bar who didn’t watch a kick. Maybe they were Bromley fans just there to watch the telly.

Boxpark was open when we got back to East Croydon. Typical. Never mind. We didn’t have long to wait for a train and we got home in good time for PJ to get back out for a proper meal.

The Stodgebusters will return at Bowers & Pitsea.

TONIGHT’S TEAMS

THE ISTHMIAN LEAGUE COMMERCIAL PARTNERS

LEGALS AND CREDITS

“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
Chair Stuart Fuller
Directors Willa Bailey, Tim Bradshaw, Ed Briggs, Scott Currie, Stuart Fuller, Andy Gowland, Lucy Mills, John Peel, Trevor Wells
Chief Executive Officer Maggie Murphy
Club Secretary John Peel
Fan Engagement Manager Shrey Nilvarna
Youth Secretary Ryan Sullivan
Operations Manager James Barker
Communication Manager Jack Towers
Commercial Manager Steph McLaughlin

Life Members
Peter Brook, Dorothy Brook RIP, Vic Blunt, Pat Dartnell, Gary Elphick, Gordon Fowlie, Peter Hiscox RIP, Billy Nixon, Derrick Parris RIP, 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 Tony Russell
Assistant manager Joe Vines
First team coach Nathan White
First team physio Toni Miller
Goalkeeping coach Grant Hall
Match logistics Clive Burgess & Vikram Dogra
First Team Performance Analyst Henderson Russell

Golden Rook Rob Read
Web Editor Stuart Fuller
Progcast Editor Stuart Fuller and Stan Lahood
Club Photographer James Boyes

NEXT UP AT THE PAN

SATURDAY 25th FEBRUARY 2023 – 3pm

BILLERICAY TOWN

THE ISTHMIAN PREMIER LEAGUE

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

TODAY’S QUIZ ANSWERS

1. Watford faced Thames FC in a Division Three (South) game on this day in 1931. Thames FC played at the now demolished West Ham Stadium which had a capacity of 100,000. The crowd was 853.
2. Bobby Moore won his 100th England cap and Willie Ormond took charge for the first time as Scotland’s manager in the friendly international at Hampden Park. England came out on top with a 5-0 victory which equalled Scotland’s worst ever home defeat.
3. A century or so ago sendings-off were very rare with Liverpool only having two players dismissed in their first 1000 League matches. But that figure was then doubled in the match against Newcastle at Anfield with Newcastle seeing one of their own players also receiving marching orders. First to go was Liverpool’s Jock McNab for kicking an opposition player and he was followed a few minutes later by team-mate Walter Wadsworth and Newcastle’s Tommy Urwin. A hard challenge on Urwin by Wadsworth was followed by Wadsworth throwing a lump of mud at Urwin and then Urwin punching Wadsworth in the face!
4. As a player Ian Porterfield is probably best remembered as the scorer of the only goal in the 1973 FA Cup Final when Sunderland beat Leeds United. Less well known perhaps is the record he set as a manager –  he was the first Premier League manager to be sacked!
5. Lewes lost 2-0 with Peacehaven’s goals scored by Jamie Brotherton and Wilfried Grimaud.