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

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A very warm Lewes welcome to our guests from Billericay Town FC and of course all the supporters joining us at the Pan, whether you’re giving your support to the Rooks, or the Ricay.

A week can be a long time in football. Just seven days ago we were welcoming Carshalton to the Pan hoping to extend our record of only losing once in December and January. A week later, we are licking our wounds after two straight defeats.

Of course, the only defeat we suffered in a 10 match purple patch either side of Christmas was against this evening’s opponents, when we suffered a chastening experience in Essex less than three weeks ago, so I am sure Tony and the team will be giving their all to return to winning ways.

As you arrive at the game tonight, you will notice a raft of building works. In the corner between the South Stand and the Rook Inn, our new toilet block and treatment and testing facility are almost complete, and as you wander towards the chip hut, you will notice more construction underway, as we add further toilet blocks and an area for the club shop. Whilst a grant was obtained to pay towards these upgrades, the Board could not have given the go ahead without filling the gap with funds raised by our Supporters Club. It just goes to show how much we can achieve when the Club pulls together and we can witness the tangible results of buying Golden Goal and Raffle tickets before the game.

Enjoy the game and come on you Rooks!

Trevor

Good evening everyone and welcome to tonight’s game against Billericay. Here are my thoughts from our recent results.

Lewes 1-3 Carshalton

I don’t think we played terribly. I understand how fans see football. If you won, you were good, and if you lost, you must have played poorly. We just have 2-3 players who are very up and down with their performances at the moment. During a game, for 10-15mins, they will be good, then the drop-off is so significant. I haven’t come across it before. I was happy that we didn’t give up and still tried to get something from the game until the very end.

Wingate & Finchley 3-0 Lewes

They play a very different formation to most, so the work going into the game was to see how we could stop them playing and to see how we could hurt their shape. We had 74% possession, 16 shots and 12 corners, so that should tell you how we played. Of course, I understand we lost, so we must have played poorly. We started the game well and, for most of the half, were in total control of the game. We should’ve been 3 or 4 up in the first 30 minutes of the game. The linesman gives us a pen for a handball inside the box, only for the Ref to overrule him, even though the ref is a long way away, and it happened right in front of the linesman. It’s not the ref’s fault we missed all those chances, so I’m not blaming him. He wasn’t a very good ref, but he wasn’t the reason we lost. The first time they got near our goal, they hit one from 20 yards out, and we were 1-0 down. We are not dealing with setbacks well enough at the moment, so we didn’t clear our heads, and within 1 minute, we are somehow 2-0 down.

The boys were down at half-time, and it was a hard one to take. The start of the second half hit us again, with another one from 25 yards, and now we were 3-0 down, and it took the wind out of us. The rest of the game was a non-event, and that upset me because there are ways to lose a game, and not having a go isn’t one of them. We need to add some quality in the final 3rd because we are not giving our defence something to hang on to, and as we see, when you score goals, you take the wind out of the other team. So the defence will get heat, but I don’t see it as a problem, the problem is we need to be better at going the other way. Tonight’s game is as challenging as it gets and the players are flat, but this is the time you have to stand up and fight and work hard for each other and find a way to get the result that is needed. Me & Joe have not stopped since Saturday, so we will get to the bottom of it and sort this problem one way or another. 

Keep up the support today and come on you Rooks!

Tony

“I love you all.” ♥️

A message to the fans from Deon Moore, since his move to Sutton United. pic.twitter.com/zhHwi8SfCQ

— Lewes FC Men (@LewesFCMen) February 1, 2024

Get your tickets for our next European game at the Dripping Pan NOW!

Lewes FC vs. KSK Beveren (7:45pm) – 27.02.2024

If Russell’s Rooks win, we confirm our qualification for the knockout rounds in Italy. It promises to be an incredible night!

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Watch our trip to Belgium here:

Team news… ⌛️#COYR🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/1PJoAMsgOx

— Lewes FC Men (@LewesFCMen) January 30, 2024

• Billericay Town Football Club was formed in 1880, making it the 11th oldest club in Essex.  It moved into the Romford & District League in 1890 competing in this league until 1914.
• Whilst members of the Essex Senior League, the club won the FA Vase in 1976 beating Stamford 1-0 after extra-time at Wembley Stadium. The following season, 1976/1977, the club again reached the FA Vase Final.  After a 1-1 draw at Wembley, the replay was played at Nottingham Forest F.C. Billericay Town emerged victorious with a 2-1 victory over Sheffield.
• Billericay Town also became the first Non-League club to win the Rothmans Merit Award in 1978 for “having made a worth-while contribution to the wide spectrum of the game in 1977/78” – the only club previously to have won this Award was Liverpool, the previous season, when they were the European champions.
• In November 2007, the club staged its biggest ever competitive game at New Lodge – reaching the First Round Proper of the FA Cup for the third time, Billericay finally drew league opposition for the first time in the form of Swansea City. The Blues took a first half lead before going down to two late goals. The 2010/11 season saw much local success. The first team lifted the Essex Senior Cup for the first time in 35 years and the club were in fact triple County winners as the youth development programme was rewarded with the Under 18 and Under 16 sides also winning their respective County Cup competitions. This success was built on in 2011/12 as the club finally secured promotion to the Blue Square Bet South as Ryman League Champions.
• 2019/20 saw the club taken over by a consortium of local businessmen. Once again the club reached the first round of the F.A.Cup where they were beaten by League Two side Forest Green at The New Lawn Stadium. 2021/22 saw the club win the Essex Senior Cup for a fourth time when they beat Bowers & Pitsea 1-0 in the final at Colchester United. However, the clubs five-year spell in the Vanarama National League South came to an end as they finished bottom of the table and were relegated back into the Isthmian League. Last season saw the club finish in a disappointing 10th position in its first season back in the Isthmian League.

Billericay League Stats Away From Home:

• Best away defence, conceding 10 so far.
• Whilst having the best away defence in the league, they are amongst one of the lowest scorers, with 16 goals.
• The average time Ricay concede their first goal is in the 58th minute. The second highest in the league, behind Hornchurch (59th minute).

BRADLEY STEVENSON

With 19 goals already this season, Stevenson joined the club in the summer of 2022. The attacking midfielder was voted the supporters player of the season for last season, scoring 21 goals 50 appearances. Stevenson began his footballing career at Gillingham, before going out on loan at Hastings United, Cray Wanderers, Tonbridge Angels and Margate. He has also played for Herne Bay, Chelmsford City and Welling United.

RECENT HEAD TO HEAD

20th Jan 2024	Isthmian Premier League	Billericay Town	5	Lewes	0
25th Feb 2023	Isthmian Premier League	Lewes	1	Billericay Town	1
24th Sept 2022	Isthmian Premier League	Billericay Town	2	Lewes	1
8th Mar 2016	Isthmian Premier League	Billericay Town	1	Lewes	1
25th Sept 2015	Isthmian Premier League	Lewes	2	Billericay Town	3
13th Dec 2014	Isthmian Premier League	Billericay Town	2	Lewes	2

To find out more, please visit: https://branchingoutadventures.co.uk/

ON THIS DAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY – 6th FEBRUARY

No thunder from down under in Qatar

There’s few fans of Australian football who could have walked away from the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium after seeing their side struggle to overcome a spirited and excitable Indian side with any confidence this was to be their tournament.  They are fortune to be in a very winnable group, made all the easier when Syria and Uzbekistan played out a scoreless draw later in the day, meaning a win in their next game against the Syrians would see them through.

Whilst the final score is all that matters in tournament football, a phrase invented by those coaches of sides well fancied but fail to initially deliver, the sheer dominance in every other meaningful stat tells a story of a side that simply can’t put the ball in the net.

The fans had turned out in their droves for the first game of the day, located at the furthest western point of the metropolitan city of Doha, but easily reachable at the final stop on the metro.  The Mall of Qatar, the biggest and most lavish of a highly competitive and constantly growing Mecca of retail and entertainment establishments.  With tens of thousands of Indian diaspora now calling Qatar home, it was a rare opportunity to see their national side play the global game.

It’s only a matter of time before Qatar follows fellow Emirates states of Dubai and Abu Dhabi and becomes a regular venue on the international cricket scene, but for now the Indian fans had to get behind the football team, and that they did, in a game few expected them to get anything from.

The Ahmad Bin Ali is a magnificent stadium, a 45,032 capacity edifice.  “The stadium’s most striking feature is a glowing facade, comprised of patterns that characterise different aspects of the country: the importance of family, the beauty of the desert, the native lora and fauna, and local and international trade.” According to FIFA. And who are we to disagree?

The stadium is also discreetly air conditioned, a blessing even on a winter’s day when the pitch side temperature was hovering in the high 20’s.  The crowd, latter announced as a generous 35,253, was a real family affair.  One thing the tournament organisers had got right was the pricing, with tickets starting from just £6 for adults, and a top price for all group games, aside from the opening stadium, of £15. So plenty of youngsters were probably getting their first taste of international football and watching their country.  

English interest in the two squads was limited to the Australians, with the Indians picking all domestically based players.  Pick of the bunch was Harry Souttar, the Leicester City defender who has 10 goals in his 21 appearances so far, although Keanu Baccus (born 9 months after the release of the underrated, except perhaps by his Mum, The Devil’s Advocate).

My seat couldn’t have been closer to the action, although based on the wasteful play by the Australians in the first half it was a fairly dangerous spot, with balls flying all around us.  It was a hotspot for selfies though, with rarely a moment in the game where someone wasn’t posing in front of me for a picture.  

In the first half Australia win 14 corners.  I’m assuming that as an international side with a professional coaching set-up they will have had someone responsible for set-pieces.  I don’t think wishing the sack on anyone, but not one single one of those corners, or the half-dozen free-kicks around the box troubled in the Indian goal.  In fact, the closest Australia came to scoring was from an over hit back pass that had the Indian keeper Sandhu struggling to reach it.  In keeping with the theme of the half, it went just wide.

With half-time approaching, an Indian player went down with an injury.  The referee beckoned for the physio and doctor to come on but the manager stopped them, recognising he wasn’t injured and he’d be down to ten men.  The player stayed down, the referee came over to the bench but was powerless to do anything about it.  Eventually, the player sheepishly got to their feet and play could continue.

Whatever Graham Arnold said at half-time had an although immediate effect, as the Australians finally scored in the 50th minute when Jackson Irvine mishit his shot and it fooled Shindu.

Souttar almost added to his impressive international tally on the hour mark but his header was cleared off the line. Twelve minutes later Craig Goodwin win a free-kick on the left and before he could take it, he was replaced by Jordan Bos.  Ten seconds later, Bos converted McGree’s low ball to make it 2-0.

The peak screaming point for the Indian fans came in the 74th minute, where another errant back pass wrong-footed Mat Ryan in the Australian goal but it lacked the pace to take it into the net.

You can only beat what’s in front of you and Australia did just that, although with some difficulty.  Possession only translates into goal with good players, good coaching and the combination of the two.  Onto game number two.

In this segment of the Progcast, we welcome young Harvey Lock, who throughout the rest of this season, plans to rate each Isthmian Premier team’s home and away kit, as we all know we’ve seen some unique kits during our time…

Home

Similar to last time, these kits seemingly fall victim to being quite boring; but the arrow(?) pattern that runs up the whole strip is enough to excuse it. The blue of the home strip pairs with white shorts and socks to make a pretty classy set. The sponsor, badge and manufacturer logo also blend fairly well, so if slightly plain, the whole thing works decently. 7/10

Away

More of the same, but in a very nice red. Unfortunately, it is one of those ‘same design, different colour’ strips a lot of teams feature, but the colour is still pretty nice and the original design is not an awful one to copy. 6/10

Our Under 18’s got back to winning ways on Thursday night, after a 2-1 win against Horsham YMCA at the Dripping Pan.

The Rooks got off to a great start, after an early shot into the top right hand corner by Leo Ginger gave the Rooks the lead. The Rooks continued to control possession after the goal, with signs of fluidity and attacking awareness ever present. The Rooks went into HT at 1-0, and were frustrated not to be leading by more. The second half began with another early goal, this time by Jamie Hanlon, who slotted home in front of the 10-15 fans on the Philcox stand. Horsham YMCA did get a goal back, which resulted in a nervy finish, with Horsham YMCA missing a key chance to make it 2-2. Overall, the Rooks were frustrated at the score line, despite the win, as they felt we should’ve won by more. Nevertheless, a win is a win, and we look towards our next fixture, tonight, away to Horsham.

For more information on our U18’s, please visit: https://fulltime.thefa.com/table.html?league=854276820&selectedSeason=247163682&selectedDivision=960625557&selectedCompetition=0&selectedFixtureGroupKey=1_153605376

How was last season?
The club wasted no time in settling back to life in step 3 after winning the Isthmian League South-East the previous season.  Manager Gary Elphick strengthened his squad although one win in their first five did worry some.  However, a seven game unbeaten run up to and over Christmas saw Hastings rise into the top half and for a period flirt with the play-off spots, with five consecutive wins in February.  However, they were always one win away from really challenging and finished the season four points off the top five, a highly impressive achievement.

It therefore came as a surprise when manager Gary Elphick left in the summer, which saw an exodus of players such as Sam Worrell, Ben Pope and Jack Dixon to Whitehawk.  A bunch of new players have arrived in the new managerial reign of Paul Barnes and Craig Stone but it may be hard to better last season’s achievement.

Isthmian Premier League – 8^th – P 42 W 20 D 11 L 11 GS 63 GA 42 GD +21 PTS 71

• FA Cup – First Qualifying Round – Cray Valley PM (A) 0-3
• FA Trophy –  Second Round – Chippenham Town (A) 0-2
• Sussex Senior Cup – Semi-Final – Worthing (N) 1-1 Lost 5-4 on penalties
• Isthmian League Cup – Fourth Round – Whitehawk (A) 1-3

When did we last meet Hastings United?
Hastings came with a specific game plan to the Pan on Bank Holiday Monday in August and put ten men behind the ball to nullify the Lewes threat and it worked as they ground out a 0-0 draw in front of over 1,600 fans.

In the return game on Boxing Day Hastings once again tried the physical approach to stop the Rooks playing, with former Rook Ben Pope substituted before he could be red carded for two late challenges in the second half.  Hastings took the lead after a corner wasn’t cleared in the 10^th minute and defender Jahmal Hector-Ingram was on hand to score.  Razz Coleman De-Graft equalised in the 37^th minute with a mis-hit effort that fooled everyone, but the home side won the bragging rights after Hasler’s wickedly deflected second half free-kick beat Lew Carey to make it 2-1 to Hastings.

Our last six meetings

W 2 D 2 L 2 GS 9 GA 10

About The Pilot Field
The words “proper Non-League ground” couldn’t be more apt for the ground which is still very popular amongst stadium enthusiasts (aka “groundhoppers”) for the dirt track that surrounds the pitch and its old fashioned grandstand. The main stand itself can hold up to 800 spectators, the majority of which are seated on wooden benches but it is now really showing its age. Opposite the main stand is a large grass bank, which at point spectators could have used as a vantage point, however this is now fenced off due to safety reasons.

There is covered terracing behind both goals, the more modern ‘Cole Warren Stand’ being constructed during the 2005/06 season at the opposite end, there is a large, covered terrace that had been erect during Hastings United time at the ground between 1948 and 1985. In one corner of the ground next to the Elphinstone terrace are the main turnstiles, club bar, toilet facilities and club shop.

Due to the increasing ground maintenance cost and ageing main stand, the club have been trying to secure permission to build a new ground in the town but are at loggerheads with the council on the plans.

How to get to The Pilot Field
From the general direction of Lewes, head west on the A27 then the A259.  Proceed along Bexhill Road, turning left at a set of traffic lights onto the B2092 Harley Shute Road. Go straight ahead at a mini roundabout continue straight ahead at the main roundabout that follows (signposted Hollington) into Ironlatch Avenue, which leads into Blackman Avenue. Follow this road through two sets of traffic lights, continuing straight ahead at the crossroads into Ashbrook Road, which leads into Old Harrow Road. At the end of the road turn right at the mini roundabout, and then turn left at the next onto the A2101 St Helens Road (The Pilot Field is signposted at this point). After approximately a mile and a quarter, take the fifth turning on the left into St Helens Park Road, which leads into Downs Road. At the end of the road, turn left and the ground is situated on your right.

There is plenty of roads within close walking distance that have no parking restrictions such as on Ochiltree Road (first right after passing the ground on your right).

If you are coming by train, then for once you don’t need to head towards London.  Instead catch a direct train from Lewes, journey time around 50 minutes.  There is a one minute journey time if you get a train that requires a change at Hampden Park.  .  It’s a fair distance uphill from the station so Bus 21 or 21B may be the better option.  Ore is the nearest station if you are walking – allow about 20 minutes.  Head down Beaconsfield Road to the roundabout and the turn right into Elphinstone Road and start to walk uphill.  You will see the ground eventually on your right.

Admission at The Pilot Field
Admission last season was £12 for adults, £8 for concessions (senior citizens, students), and accompanied under 18s are admitted free.  

Fancy a beer?
There are some good pubs in Hastings with one of the best being the Anchor in George Street, whilst The Dolphin in the Old Town is also highly rated.  The Telegraph rates The Crown in All Saints Street as one of the best pubs in the country.  The Clown in Russel Street is worth a half at least whilst the Cutter in East Parade offers no nonsense food and drink.

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 Trevor Wells
Directors Priscila Aldridge, Tim Bradshaw, Andy Gowland, Ben Hall, Jen Kerrison, Stan Lahood, Tom McJennett, John Peel, Joe Short, Steve Watts, Trevor Wells,
Chief Executive Officer Maggie Murphy
Club Secretary John Peel
Fan Engagement Manager Shrey Nilvarna
Operations Manager Damian Watts

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 Charlie Himbury
Match logistics Vikram Dogra
First Team Performance Analyst Henderson Russell
Under-18s Manager Jon Miller

Communications Manager Jack Towers
Commercial Manager Stef McLoughlin
Operations Manager Ryan Sullivan
Facilities Manager Damien Watts
Safeguarding Officer Steph Twell

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

TODAY’S QUIZ ANSWERS

1. Danny Blanchflower found footballing fame with Tottenham and Northern Ireland but he was also very much his own man. On this day in 1961 – while he was captaining Spurs to the first League and FA Cup double in the 20th Century – he became the first person to turn down the invitation from Eamonn Andrews to accept the red book and appear on TV’s This Is Your Life. He said ‘I consider the programme to be an invasion of privacy…..nobody is going to press gang me into anything.’ At the time the programme was show live forcing the BBC to screen a reserve programme on the night.
2. Sir Stanley Matthews made his final appearance in the League for Stoke v Fulham at the Victoria Ground. He made made his debut for Stoke back in 1932 and had celebrated his 50th birthday days before the Fulham match and so became the oldest player to play in the top flight. In later years he said he regretted retiring when he did and could have played on for another couple of years!
3. On the 41st anniversary of Munich, top of the table Manchester United visited bottom of the table Nottingham Forest in a Premier League fixture. United brought on Ole Gunnar Solskjær as a sub in the 72nd minute with the Norwegian scoring 4 times in a 10 minute spell to help United to a 8-1 away victory.
4. In a Fourth Round FA Cup replay Southern League Hereford United defeated First Division Newcastle United 2-1 on a quagmire of a pitch at Edgar Street. It was the first time in 23 years that a non-league side had defeated a First Division side in the FA Cup. Newcastle took the lead in the 82nd minute, against the run of play, with a goal from Malcolm Macdonald. With only 4 minutes remaining Ronnie Radford equalised with a spectacular 30-yard effort and during extra time Ricky George hit the winner.
5. The Rooks drew 0-0 at home to Needham Market.  They lost the return fixture 1-0 meaning that Needham Market are one of the very few teams Lewes have never scored against.