Wednesday 1st March 2023 7:00pm – The Barclays Women’s Championship – The Dripping Pan

Welcome to The Dripping Pan for today’s Barclays Women’s Championship game against Bristol City. Here is your complimentary e-programme

JOIN THE TEAM

NOTES FROM THE CHAIR

Good evening and welcome to the Pan for tonight’s Barclays Women’s Championship game against Bristol City.  I’d like to welcome the fans, players, management and officials from the Robins and hope they enjoy our hospitality and wish them a safe journey back home.

Naturally, all the talk at the moment is about the FA Cup tie against Manchester United but we have to focus on the games inbetween first, starting with tonight’s match against Bristol City who know that at least a point here tonight will take them back to the top of the table.  Our job is to stop them and close the gap to the top three. 

We have games in hand on some of the teams around us and need to get back to winning ways.  This is a hugely talented squad, superbly managed and coached and we still believe we can finish the season in a record-breaking position.

We’ve picked up a few injuries in the past couple of weeks which led to Scott having to shuffle the side for last Sunday’s game against Cardiff City Ladies but you wouldn’t have noticed – thankfully Ellie Mason isn’t on a goal bonus! That was an inspired move and one that our opponents would have never suspected.

The next couple of weeks will be hectic for the club in the preparation for the Manchester United game.  It will sell out but we’ve sold out two games in the last twelve months so know what we need to do. 

We know demand will far outstrip supply of tickets and ask that everyone remains patient whilst we put in the processes to ensure tickets are allocated fairly.  You can read the most up to date details on the website.

But for now, get behind the team, create some noise and Come On You Rooks!

Stuart

From the dugout – Scott Booth

We’ve obviously learned this season that Bristol are a good side because they’ve beaten us twice!

It feels like we’ve played Bristol four or five times this season with the amount it’s been postponed. I think we know what they’re about and what we need to bring.

We know what we need to do to win this game and we believe we can win the game. It’s all up for grabs, at home, they’re doing the travelling this time, so we’re looking forward to it and hopefully we get the three points this time.

Momentum was the main thing we talked about before Cardiff and that’s what it’s all about. We need to keep winning, we won well against Cardiff, that always builds confidence.

The morale is high and we’re looking forward to Bristol, but of course they come into it as well as top of the table and on a high themselves.

They’re fighting out for it with a couple of other clubs but equally they know every game for them right now is massive, they know they’ve got to keep winning if they have aspirations to win the title.

For us, we know we have to get back to winning if we’re going to be up there in the mix, so all the makings of a big game.

Ellie was fantastic Sunday – she can play anywhere on the pitch! We have used her in a number of positions this season, and obviously striker has been one of them.

But she’s been used as a wing-back, she’s been used in centre-defence, she’s been used in midfield, and she can play pretty much anywhere really well.

We’ll wait and see but obviously Bristol pose a different threat to Cardiff so we’ll see how that all pans out.

She certainly played brilliantly against Cardiff, took her chances really well and could have had even more if she had a little bit of luck.

Bex was also really excellent for us on Sunday – she drove us forward, she pretty much dismantled Cardiff down that side.

I think they found it really difficult to deal with her, she could have had a goal or two herself, got an assist, but generally speaking she was a menace,

She has 100% got that in her locker, and we will be looking for her to do a similar job tonight.

HISTORY MAKERS

Six stunning goals secure The Rooks their place in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup for the first time in our history. Reports Maycee Rogers.

The Dripping Pan was in full voice as Scott Booth’s side were on fire and showed that they meant business.

Five minutes in and Ellie Mason and Rebecca McKenna kicked off proceedings by playing the ball down the right hand-side, and setting up a beautiful ball for Mason to thump in an absolute firecracker of a ball into the back of the net.

Lewes dominated Cardiff early on causing real trouble and running rings around them from the first whistle.

The Rooks looked comfortable as they settled into the rhythm of the game and controlled the tempo.

Chances from Paula Howells, Nat Johnsons and Emma Thompson all looked promising, just unable to convert them.

Mason continued her reign of fire as she grabbed her second goal of the game by finding space and weaving her way through the midfield to slam the ball home.

Cardiff managed to take advantage of an open Lewes backline and Ardland managed to claw one back for the visitors on the brink of half time with a great goal from the 25-yard spot.

Scott Booth’s side kicked off the second half the same as the first, continuing to pile the pressure onto Cardiff and looking dangerous to the Welsh visitors.

The Rooks continued to press Cardiff hard creating a flurry of chances for McKenna whose efforts just saw the ball go over the net.

A free kick awarded to Lewes saw Amelia Hazard take the ball which found Mason in the space, but was denied the chance as it was ruled offside.

Mason was a force to be reckoned with in the 61st minute as she found the ball again and smashed in a low and hard shot which secured her the hat-trick.

Three goals was not enough for the unstoppable Mason, as a deep ball which got trapped on her chest saw her then leather the ball home to make it four goals.

A massive save for keeper Sophie Whitehouse came in the 80th minute as Cardiff got lucky and lobbed in a wide shot as they tried to fight their way back into the game.

Thompson and Izzy Dalton kept on pressing Cardiff and causing serious issues for their backline with another flurry of chances.

Substitution Kenzie Weir wanted a slice of the action as she back-heeled the ball and looped it into the net to give the Rooks the fifth goal of the game, but also her first goal for Lewes.

The goal scoring floodgates were fully open at this stage, with Aqsa Mushtaq bagging her first goal for Lewes by firing in a fierce ball after a storming run from McKenna, to make it six goals.

A massive team effort and six superb goals ensures The Rooks have their well-deserved spot in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup.

Come on you Rooks!

DEALING WITH THE SOCIAL MEDIA TROLLS THE LEWES & CURVE WAY

INTRODUCING OUR VISITORS FROM BRISTOL CITY

THE HISTORY

Bristol City Women’s Football Club is a women’s association football team from the city of Bristol. Formed in 1998 as Bristol Rovers W.F.C., they were renamed Bristol Academy W.F.C. in 2005 following increased involvement of the Bristol Academy of Sport, based at Filton College (now part of South Gloucestershire and Stroud College). 

A second change of name, this time to Bristol City was approved by the FA Women’s Football Board in time for the 2016 WSL season. They play their home games at the Robins High Performance Centre. Bristol City Women won promotion to the FA Women’s Super League (WSL), the highest level of the women’s game in England in 2016 and stayed there for five seasons before being relegated to the FA Women’s Championship in 2021

In 2015 Willie Kirk was appointed as manager, following a brief spell by Dave Edmondson. At the end of the 2015 season, following relegation to WSL2, the FA Women’s Super League management committee approved the name change for Bristol Academy Women’s Football Club to change to Bristol City Women’s Football Club.

Summer of 2018 saw Kirk depart and new manager, Tanya Oxtoby take the helm as City Women embarked on a second consecutive season in the top flight of women’s football in England. 

In Oxtoby’s maiden season in charge she lead City Women to a sixth placed finished in the Barclays FAWSL with her side accumulating 25 points, before the 2019/20 Barclays FAWSL season saw City Women maintain their top flight status with notable victories over Manchester United and Birmingham prior to the termination of the season due to COVID-19.

The 2020/21 campaign saw Oxtoby depart in January on maternity leave, with Matt Beard coming in as cover until the end of the season. A successful Continental Cup run saw the Robins reach their maiden league cup final, ultimately losing out to double-winning Chelsea at Vicarage Road. 

The Robins were fighting at the bottom of the table throughout the season and took the race for survival to the last day of the season, however a 3-1 defeat to Brighton condemned the club to relegation to the FA Championship. 

The summer of 2021 saw City Women rebuild ahead of the upcoming season. Former coach Lauren Smith returned to the club as Head Coach making 11 new signings and bringing seven academy talents into the first team group. 

City Women had a positive 2021/22 season, finishing 3rd in the Championship with a 3-0 win against Blackburn Rovers and a record breaking game at Ashton Gate against Liverpool.

THE SQUAD

Barclays Women’s Championship Results and Fixtures

THE LAST MEETINGS

12 Feb 2023	Championship	Bristol City	2	Lewes	0
18 Jan 2023	FA League Cup	Lewes	0	Bristol City	1
6 Mar 2022	Championship	Lewes	0	Bristol City	3
12 Dec 2021	FA Cup	Bristol City	5	Lewes	0
17 Nov 2021	FA League Cup	Bristol City	3	Lewes	1

CALL HIM OUT CAMPAIGN

Even in a year which saw remarkable progress for women’s football, our sport remains a bastion of male power and privilege.

At Lewes FC we are committed to changing these perceptions and using the footballing space to stand up to discrimination on and off the pitch.

Just over a year ago we launched our #CallHimOut campaign aimed at kicking sexism and misogyny out of society. The fight is not over, and so during Sexual Violence Awareness week we are collaborating with one of our Sisterships, The Survivors Network, to re-launch #CallHimOut.

Survivors Network are a Sussex-based charity that supports survivors of sexual abuse and violence ^1.. As part of this campaign, we will have male staff members and players, encouraged to take part in Survivors Network Bystander Training.

The culture which encourages violence against women and girls starts with societal misogyny and the Bystander Training has allows us all to learn how to challenge sexist language and behaviours in a safe and productive way.

Our campaign has evolved and as part of reaffirming our pledge to #CallHimOut, we want to go further this year and encourage people to #CallHimIn too.

‘Calling him in’ is an action which exists to start discussions and create awareness about the damage of certain language and/or actions. As a club we want to not only call out this kind of behaviour but also encourage important conversations that can help stamp out violence against women in football and beyond.

We are very lucky to have a fantastic group of players in our men’s team that all want to participate in this campaign.

When any member of the Lewes FC team or senior management hears or sees something done by a colleague, family, friend or passer-by that is disrespectful, sexist or harmful in any way to a woman, whether she’s there or not, we are pledging to speak to that man, #CallHimOut and start a productive conversation about why their behaviours or actions are damaging.

Football has a huge influence on our society, and we are committed to using our platform to take a stand against sexism and misogyny – Join the team and make your pledge today.

1. If any of the topics in this article have affected you or you would like to find out more about what Survivor’s Network do and how they support survivors of sexual violence across Sussex please visit their website, follow their Instagram or sign up for their newsletter.  Their bystander intervention training webinar is available free online until the 15^th of February, sign up today. Bystander Intervention Webinar (thinkific.com)

JAMES BOYES GALLERY

THE 2022/23 BARCLAYS WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

YOUR 2022/23 LEWES SQUAD

Squad No.	Name	Sponsored By
1	Sophie Whitehouse	Nathan Smith
2	Ellie Mason	Scott Currie
3	Rhian Cleverly	The Happiness Index
4	Amelia Hazard	Dawn Harding
5	Charlotte Wardlaw
6	Ellie Hack	Little Stars Childcare
7	Nat Johnson	Alice, Tom & Russ Mould
8	Grace Palmer
9	Emily Kraft	Michael Wirtz
10	Amber Keegan Stobbs	Bill Lynch
11	Emma Thompson	Mark Comford
14	Paula Howells	Bruce Taylor
15	Jamie Rita	The English Soap Company
16	Kirsty Barton
17	Zoe Smith	The English Soap Company
18	Rebecca McKenna	Leschenault Press & The Book Reality Experience
19	Lauren Heria	Alex Lambeth
20	Libby Copus-Brown	Joe Short
21	Valentine Pursey
22	Josie Longhurst	Martin Scott
23	Izzy Dalton	Leschenault Press & The Book Reality Experience
24	Aqsa Mushtaq
25	Kenzie Weir
26	Emily Moore
31	Laura Hartley	Michael Scoates
32	Frankie Angel	The English Soap Company

TICKET UPDATE: Manchester United

We are finalising a date and kick-off time for our Vitality Women’s FA Cup Quarter-Final tie with Manchester United.

Once these details are finalised we will go live with our ticket information.

We will operate on a phased priority window which will be as follows:
Phase 1: Owners Priority
Phase 2: Women’s and Super Season Ticket Holders/Community teams Priority
Phase 3: Priority window for those who registered interest 
Phase 4: General Sale

We will announce the dates of each phased priority window before tickets go live.

15% of the ticket allocation will be provided to Manchester United supporters.

This game will sell-out and there isn’t expected to be any tickets available on the day.

As always we would love to see your dogs, but our recommendation is that this won’t be a good game for them due to the sell-out crowd. If it’s absolutely necessary to bring them and you can’t find care – then they will be welcome!

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 Barclays 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 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 Officer Shrey Nilvarna
Financial Director Biram Desai
Operations Manager James Barker

Life Members
Peter Brook, Dorothy Brook RIP, Vic Blunt RIP, 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 Scott Booth
Assistant Manager Nat Haigh
PP Coach Christos Andreou
GK Coach Daniel Matraszek
Nutritionist Stefano Montanari
Physiotherapist Katrina Martin
Team Psychologist Chelsea Orme
Data Analyst Adam Chilcott
Sporting Director Kelly Lindsey

General Manager Lynne Burrell

Women’s DS Head Coach Andy Corrigan

Pathway Co-ordinator Ryan Sullivan

Communication Manager Jack Towers
Commercial Manager Stef McLoughlin

Golden Rook Rob Read
Web Editor Stuart Fuller and Jack Towers
Progcast Editors Stuart Fuller
Club Photographer James Boyes

NEXT UP AT PAN…

SUNDAY 5TH MARCH 2023

THE BARCLAYS WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

TICKETS ON SALE NOW