Sunday 22 October 2023 12:00pm – Barclays Women’s Championship – The Dripping Pan
Welcome to The Dripping Pan for today’s Barclays Women’s Championship game against Sunderland.
Here is your complimentary e-programme
Lewes FC Women 2023/24
NOTES FROM THE CHAIR
Good afternoon and welcome to The Dripping Pan for this afternoon’s Barclays Women’s
Championship game against Sunderland.
I’d like to welcome the fans, players, management and officials from Wearside and hope they have a safe journey home.
These are my last notes I will write as Chair, and elected board member of the club. Next
week will see my 12 year anniversary since I was elected to the board in the first ever club
elections, which is the limit set in the rules for community football clubs and so I will hang
up my proverbial sheepskin coat, existing the directors box on my way to once again being
“just a fan”.
There’s been lots of highs and lots of lows. I doubt anyone ever sets out on being the Chair
of a club – you just somehow end up taking on the mantle, hoping to do the title and the
club proud.
I’ve never been one to completely toe the line and so I’ve tried to approach the
role, and the responsibility that comes with it, with honesty, integrity and openness. It has
been a huge privilege to have served the club and whilst it is with sadness that I step down
at one of the most pivotal times in the club’s history, I do so knowing I’ve done a job I’m
proud of.
Time certainly flies when you have fun. There’s far too many people to list to say thank you
to. Current and former directors, managers, players and of course fans, but it is my family
that have patiently allowed me to do the role, often dealing with my moods caused by
defeats and disappointments that I have to thank the most.
Last Sunday saw us travel to North West London to take on Watford on a beautiful sunny
afternoon. We’ve been on the receiving end of enough late goals that have cost us points
already this season, so it is deeply satisfying that in our last two games, against Palace in the
Conti Cup and against Watford last week, we’ve scored very late goals to get positive
results.
There’s no doubt this squad has the ability to give anyone in this league a game and
hopefully the two wins last week will give the whole squad confidence.
Next week sees the start of the historic vote into whether the club should progress with an
investment proposal from Mercury 13. I know the subject has become a polarising issue
among many of you, and I hope that whatever the result of the vote, everyone can find a
way to work together for the sake of the club and not individual views.
There’s a phrase used in the Maori culture – “Whakapapa” which is what I want to bow out
for one final time with and means be prepared to plant trees that you’ll never sit in the
shade of.
For the last time, Come on you Rooks!
Stuart
FROM THE DUGOUT… WITH SCOTT BOOTH
Hello everyone welcome to the Dripping Pan this afternoon.
We’re looking forward to the game, it’s another tough game against a team that’s doing really well.
For us, we’ve been prepping well all week, the players have done well, taken a lot of information.
They’re obviously on a bit of a high, when you win games, that’s what happens.
To be honest, they had really deserved three-points by now! We’ve talked a lot about how we’ve always been in games, and it’s by the finest of margins we’ve lost.
I was really impressed with them because it had been a hard week of two matches, and then going into Watford.
They showed great stamina, they met all our top athletic targets that were needed, despite having already played a couple of games.
Everyone knows we’ve got a small squad so I think they deserve a lot of credit.
The thing that the team did really well on Sunday was that they stuck to the game-plan, they didn’t let the goal affect it, they knew that they’d still get opportunities and that if they did what we worked on, then it would have a positive outcome.
We had a couple of chances where we could have made it easier for ourselves, but we kept going until the very end and there was a real belief there.
So very, very impressed with the players, despite it being a really tough week of games, we came out well.
We were really happy with Emily, and keeping her in the team was no negative towards Sophie because Soph is a fantastic goalkeeper.
Emily put in a huge performance against Palace and she’s waited calmly in the wings. She’s come in and she’s done really well.
I felt that momentum was important and I just couldn’t argue with sticking with her for that game. She made some good saves again and did well.
We’ve worked hard to make sure we have two very good goalkeepers that are competitive for that spot.
It’s a difficult job because it means there’s real competition there for each other. But you need two ‘keepers you can rely on and we’ve certainly got that.
It was great for Caragh also to get her first goal on Sunday, she got herself high up the pitch.
She’s been playing full-back for us the last three or four weeks, and more naturally she’s a player that plays further forward than that.
It was nice for her to be rewarded like that and it was a positive start to that game. We’re always impressed with Caragh, she’s a complete professional and leads by example.
Every single game in this league is tough, there isn’t going to be a game where you’re thinking, ‘this is a definite three-points’, that just doesn’t happen in the Championship!
Pretty much every club will say the same thing, it’s about turning up on the day, what you’ve worked on, and having that desire to win.
You know it’s going to be tough but you have to go in there and take the points, grab them, and arrive ready for a battle.
Thank you everyone for the continued support.
Scott
Charlie Dobres on the tenure of Stuart Fuller
All hail Stuart Fuller! Seriously, this guy is amazing, and I can hardly believe that after 12 years at Lewes FC, his time on the board is now at an end.
Anyone who follows Stuart’s social media accounts will know that this is a BUSY person, whose business commitments have taken him all over the world and whose football passion for Lewes FC has taken him all over the country, be that following the Rooks, scouting opponents or keeping his encyclopedic knowledge of non-League football topped up.
I was a colleague of Stuart’s on the board since he got himself elected in 2011 until my own 12 year stint ended last year. He joined the Rooks125 takeover gang right at the start and his football knowledge was much needed.
INTRODUCING OUR VISITORS FROM SUNDERLAND
THE HISTORY
The club began in 1989 as a five-a-side team called The Kestrels. It played its first match in an informal friendly against Darlington Ladies on 26 July 1989 and won the WFA Yorkshire and Humberside League in 1990. Over the next decade, they competed in the Northern Premier as Cowgate Kestrels, RTM Newcastle Kestrels and Blyth Spartans Kestrels.
In 2000, the club merged with an independent Sunderland Ladies club and the Sunderland A.F.C. men’s club to become Sunderland Women’s FC after winning promotion to the top tier FA Women’s Premier League National Division for the first time. The new club was originally financed as part of the established professional Sunderland A.F.C. men’s club.
2020–present
On 8 May 2021, the team applied to join the FA Women’s Championship from the Northern Premier Division. On 2 June 2021, the club announced the FA had accepted this application, resulting in their move into the Women’s Championship in the following 2021–22 season.
Prior to the start of the 2022–23 season, the team officially changed its name from Sunderland Association Football Club Ladies to Sunderland Association Football Club Women in order to maintain “a contemporary, inclusive outlook as the club further develops into its new era in the women’s game”.
Before the start of the 2023–24 season, the team moved back to a hybrid model, singing some players on full-time professional contracts.
THE LAST MEETINGS
| 5 March 2023 | Championship | Lewes | 2 | Sunderland | 0 |
| 20 Nov 2022 | Championship | Sunderland | 0 | Lewes | 1 |
| 23 Jan 2022 | Championship | Lewes | 2 | Sunderland | 0 |
| 26 Sep 2021 | Championship | Sunderland | 1 | Lewes | 1 |
TRAINING THIS WEEK… PHOTOS BY GRACE JONES
THE 2023/24 BARCLAYS WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
YOUR 2023/24 LEWES SQUAD
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
Acting Chair Trevor Wells
Directors Willa Bailey, Tim Bradshaw, Ed Briggs, Andy Gowland, John Peel, Trevor Wells, Priscilla Aldridge
Chief Executive Officer Maggie Murphy
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 Natalie Lawrence
General Manager Lynne Burrell
Club Doctor Dr Daniel Hudson
Head Physiotherapist Adam Hutchins
Sports Therapist Liam Jenman
Sports Therapist Intern Beth Lenihan
Sport Scientist Ivi Casagrande
Mental Coach Sarah Murray
Data Analyst Tom Drummer
Kit Manager Kerri Coombs
Communications Manager Jack Towers
Commercial Manager Stef McLoughlin
Operations Manager Ryan Sullivan
Fan Engagement Manager Shrey Nilvarna
Facilities Manager Damien Watts
Golden Rook Rob Read
Web Editors Jack Towers
Progcast Editors Jack Towers / Stan Lahood
Club Photographer James Boyes & Grace Jones
NEXT UP AT THE PAN….
Sunday 22 OCTOBER 2023 – 12:00PM KICK OFF
Barclays Women’s Championship
