Sunday 21 January 2024 12:00pm – Barclays Women’s Championship
Welcome to The Dripping Pan for today’s Barclays Women’s Championship game against Durham.
Here is your complimentary e-programme
Lewes FC Women 2023/24
NOTES FROM THE CHAIR
After a very cold week here in Sussex I have many warm welcomes to announce for this afternoons game.
First warm welcome is top the Players, Staff and Supporters of Durham.
The next warm welcome goes to our Quintuplet of new players, boosting our attack we have New Zealand World Cup player Jacqui Hand and Chelsea starlet Aimee Claypole – who is the top scorer in the Women’s Super League academy competition. Adding some steel and experience to our back line and midfield are Hannah Godfrey, Lois Roche and Lois Heuchan who all have a wealth of experience playing in the FA Women’s Championship.
Lastly a very warm welcome to our fantastic supporters, we really need you as our twelfth person as we enter the second half of the season.
We all know that we are in a fight to maintain our status as a Championship club and the players are certainly up for the challenge and have been working hard in preparation for this match and the games ahead.
We are hoping to have Dr “Dizzy” John Masterson on the trumpet and Adrian “Zoots” Bannister on the alto sax tooting out some of those top Lewes Women grooves from the back of the Philcox stand so please don’t be shy and join in and let’s lift the roof and cheer the girls to victory. One of the regular tunes will be the Great Escape – and the is exactly what is needed.
We also have some great Vegan dishes on offer as we celebrate Veganuary.
Have a great afternoon
Come on You Rooks
Trevor
From the dugout… with Scott Booth
Hello everyone welcome to the Dripping Pan this afternoon.
Really excited to get back into it. A lot of big games coming up, and we’ve been preparing really hard for the second half of the season.
We’ve obviously been able to bring in a few players, we’re much stronger, the players are back with the correct attitude and have definitely gone up a gear.
They’ve come back really, really well. Both mentally and physically ready for the challenge that’s ahead. No one’s hiding from it, we know each game is going to be a cup final for us, going to be tough.
Each game’s going to be immensely competitive and we have to be ready for that. I think the fact we’ve strengthened will really help us.
The new signings are key, we’ve got with Lois Roche, a lot more experience in the middle of the park, which is going to be really important for the run-in.
Then also with Jacqui, she adds a lot of ability up top across the front position, so it just helps up the ante and gives the squad competitiveness that we were missing in the first half of the season.
With Lois Heuchan, she gives us a real balance at the back because she’s a natural left-sided player.
It’s very difficult to find a good left-back, with a bit of experience again, so that’s key for us in the second part of the season.
It means that we will have strength and depth, we will be able to go into games with a full complement of subs which will help influence the game more.
The first part of the season we picked up a number of injuries and we had limited options from the bench to be honest.
The players we did have though, were excellent in their attitude, they all wanted to play, but now we have that extra edge of competitiveness. All the players know that we needed it and how important it was to bring new faces in.
I’ve had my fair share of winning trophies and winning games on a regular basis but football is about challenging yourself, and it’s certainly a challenge at Lewes.
You learn a lot from these challenges, losing games, and how to win, how you want to change your mindset in a side.
How you get them to be more hungry, to set those standards really high, so that’s the challenge, and it’s ongoing but I really believe the players have gone up a level.
It’s been great that the club have helped us bring in and strengthen the squad. They understand the position we’re in and how important it is.
The friendly was really important, really competitive, a really young side of excellent young players.
It brought something a bit different for us and it was certainly a worthwhile experience to go and play them.”
It’s great to have a couple of home games, it will be good for us, especially with a freshened up squad but it does mean that these games are vitally important.
We need to understand that in these games now we’ve got to take the points, it’s as simple as that, it’s home advantage and we’ve got to take it.
Thank you everyone as always, your support for us is vital.
Scott
THE NEW SIGNINGS
We have been very active in the January window so far, bringing in forwards Jacqui Hand and Aimee Clyapole, as well as defenders, Lois Heuchan and Hannah Godfrey, then also midfielder, Lois Roche.
Veganuary at the Pan!
To celebrate Veganuary, we will be going fully vegan for today’s game!
We already have delicious vegan options available at the Pan including unique dishes like seaweed on chips, creamy vegan chicken pie, and vegan meatballs on chips.
But for one game, we are going to fully commit to a vegan menu and hope to welcome lots of new fans to try our incredible matchday experience.
Bring your cup to the Pan
Fancy getting a discounted drink? If you bring your own reusable plastic cup – you get a discount at the bar!
INTRODUCING OUR VISITORS
THE HISTORY
Durham WFC were formed in 2014 as a merger between South Durham & Cestria Girls and Durham University, competing in their first ever Women’s Super League season during 2014.
Cestria was founded during 2006 by Lee Sanders and the North East side became perennial achievers in the women’s game. The girls played teams as far-reaching as Portugal, Ghana and America before winning the prestigious World Peace Cup in Oslo in 2010. A year later, they finished runners-up at the Gothia World Youth Cup.
Their first season as a senior football side finished in a Northern Women’s Combination League trophy before the merger came about with Sanders and Quentin Sloper, head of sport at Durham University, heading up the idea.
This led to the Wildcats competing in their first WSL2 campaign during 2014. The side took a while to find their feet but finished strongly and eventually finished 6th, a magnificent achievement for a side formed just months before the League began.
A successful second season followed with Durham finishing 7th despite an injury-ravaged campaign, giving the Wildcats plenty of confidence heading into 2016.
And that confidence was well-founded, with Durham enjoying their most successful season to date in their third year. A fourth-placed finish in FA WSL 2 represented the club’s best ever league finish, with the Wildcats well in the promotion hunt until the end of the season. Records were broken off the field, too, with crowds flocking to New Ferens Park across the season.
This laid the foundations for the one-off FA WSL Spring Series. With the vast majority of the squad retained, the side were looking forward with optimism into 2017.
A fifth place finished followed in the Spring Series as the club continued to develop both on and off the pitch. And that growth was rewarded at the 2017 FA Women’s Football Awards, where the Wildcats were awarded the prestigious FA Women’s Super League 2 Club of the Year prize for their excellent progress as a club.
Since then, Durham have regularly finished in the top four of the second tier and recorded their highest-ever finish in the 2020/21 campaign – when they secured second place.
Off the field, the Wildcats have also continued their growth and in the 2021/22 season sold-out a home game for the first time during their 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
That has been followed by three more sell-out games, accompanied by rapidly-growing crowds.
And the club took the latest step in their journey ahead of the 2022/23 season, as they turned fully-professional for the first time.
Further good news followed in the summer of 2023, when Durham signed a groundbreaking agreement with world-leading brand Nike.
THE LAST MEETINGS
| 3 Sep 2023 | Championship | Durham | 2 | Lewes | 0 |
| 30 April 2023 | Championship | Lewes | 1 | Durham | 2 |
| 16 Oct 2022 | Championship | Durham | 2 | Lewes | 1 |
| 20 March 2022 | Championship | Lewes | 0 | Durham | 0 |
TRAINING THIS WEEK BY GRACE JONES
THE 2023/24 BARCLAYS WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
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 National League South 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 Trevor Wells
Directors Ben Hall, John Peel, Stan Lahood, Tom McJennett, Joe Short, Steve Watts, Trevor Wells.
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 Emma Byrne
GK Coach and Analyst Manager Leah Samain
Head of Women’s Football Lynne Burrell
COO Kelly Lindsey
Fan Engagement & Operations Shrey Nilvarna
Facilities Manager Damien Watts
Golden Rook Rob Read
Web Editors Shrey Nilvarna
Progcast Editors Clare Boden
Club Photographer James Boyes & Cecily
NEXT UP AT THE PAN….
Sunday 28 January 2024 – 2:00PM KICK OFF
Championship
