Welcome to The Dripping Pan for today’s Barclays Women’s Championship game against Crystal Palace.
Here is your complimentary e-programme
Lewes FC Women 2023/24
NOTES FROM THE CEO
Dear all,
You have truly been exceptional this year. Despite the challenges this season, you didn’t stop coming. You in fact, came in even bigger numbers. I know that the players and the staff are truly grateful for that, and they will be putting their all into today.
Please cheer every single tackle, every single shot, every single save –you strengthen and empower the team more than you can imagine.
You have also strengthened and empowered me. This club is special, but it’s also very hard. Hard to stay true to your values, to keep grinding and to keep fighting when so much of the time you are swimming against the tide of what is “normal”, “traditional” or “appropriate”. The comments or emails or chats have kept me going and I have been proud to serve this beautiful, quirky, inspirational club over the last 5 seasons.
I want to send a huge thank you to Scott today who also experiences his last home match at the Dripping Pan. We never made it easy for him but he kept going and kept fighting. We wish him the best going forward and thank the whole performance and coaching team too for the countless hours.
I’m also so proud of the players who sacrifice so much to play here. I admire their heart and passion and dedication. I’m proud too of the back-office team who don’t always get their dues – so if you get a chance, please say thank you to them today – to Jack and Stef and Lou and Shrey and Bambi and Lynne and Ryan and Damien, all quietly working behind the scenes to make days like this so special.
This will be an emotional one for me today, but as I’ve said before, I refuse to do anything other than celebrate.
We know we have changed hearts and minds. We know that we have changed how other clubs support and view and treat their women’s team. We know that we have helped raise the coffers of other women’s teams through our Equal FA Cup campaign.
We did it when it was hard and when we were trolled and when we were mocked and laughed at. So we will celebrate today, regardless of the outcome.
Remember to get behind the team today – please be that 12th player. Let’s keep fighting ’til the end.
Come on you Rooks!
Maggie
NOTES FROM THE CHAIR
A very warm Lewes welcome to the Dripping Pan to everyone for what we expect to be a record crowd attendance for the season and of course a special Lewes welcome to the Players, Officials and Supporters of Crystal Palace for this pivotal game in the Barclays Women’s Championship.
Before we concentrate on today’s proceedings I would like to express my appreciation for our manager Scott Booth. Scott joined the club in 2022 signing a two year contract that expires at the end of the season. In that time Scott has expertly steered the club towards the professional standards that are required of a team in the Women’s Championship and took the club on its most successful FA Cup run in its history and everyone will remember with pride how the club represented itself on and off the pitch in last season’s quarter final against Manchester United. It has been a pleasure working with Scott who has always conducted himself with professionalism and pragmatism. Lewes is a very unique club which we are all very proud of but when competing against clubs that have the financial support and facilities of long established professional men’s team it imposes different challenges on the coaching team. Scott has always accepted these challenges without complaint and has adapted to them in the most positive way he could. On behalf of the Board we wish Scott all the best for the future and our gratitude for the hard work he has dedicated to the club.
Ok let’s concentrate on this afternoons game. As the table stands on the morning of 21 April 2024 Reading FC have played 20 games and have collected 19 points with a negative goal difference of 20. Lewes FC have also played 20 games but have 16 points and a negative goal difference of 14. Reading play Durham two hours before our kick off, if they were to lose that game, victory for Lewes against Palace would take us above Reading on goal difference and out of the relegation zone with both teams having one game to play. If Reading beat Durham only a victory against Palace will give the Rooks a chance of staying up. If both us and Reading lose it goes to a final season nail biter (if anyone has got any nails left by then) next Sunday when Lewes play London City Lionesses and Reading play already relegated Watford.
Therefore victory against Palace will be vital to our survival hopes. Although Palace have their eyes on the prize of topping the Barclays Women’s Championship, which they currently lead by two points from Sunderland .We are therefore talking about a very tall order if we are to secure the 3 points. But we do have history of beating table topping teams in the last home game of the season. In 2021 we beat champions Leicester City and succeeded in pulling off the same trick against Liverpool in 2022 (hands up everyone who was there to see Tatiana Saunders score from a free kick within our own half) so perhaps the football omens are on our side.
Here is hoping for a massive crowd of fervent Rooks to get behind the team and provide that crucial twelfth player, we will have the band, the beer (of course other beverages are available) and hopefully the fireworks when we grab those vital three points.
Whatever the outcome of the result please stay behind after the game to see the handing out of our Value Awards and of course to say goodbye to Maggie Murphy at the last home game of Maggie’s tenure at the club. You will be missed so so much Maggie, it has been a pleasure working with you and I proudly count you as a good friend as well as a brilliant colleague.
Come on you Rooks.
Trevor
From the dugout… with Scott Booth
Hello everyone welcome to the Dripping Pan this afternoon.
It’s obviously a huge game for us today. We’ve had international break, two weeks that’s given us good time to be ahead of the game in terms of prep for Palace.
We do lose a few players in that time but we were able to get them back in good time on this occasion and integrate them really well.
It’s not always the case with the internationals, we get them back maybe for one day or two before we play a league match but this time around it’s been much better.
We understand the enormity of the game, we understand the task in hand, and we’re up for it.
The crowd will help us hugely. When you generate that type of crowd on match day, there’s absolutely no doubt that the crowd feed off the players and the players feed off the crowd.
It’s a unique occasion to be able to bring to the Pan. The fans will get behind us really strongly, there’s so much at stake and the players really react to that.
It’s going to be a great atmosphere for everyone that’s there and we just have to try and make it as uncomfortable as possible for Palace.
Palace are a good side without a doubt, they’re where they are in the table for a reason. They’ve proved all season that they have, in possession, real threats. Some of the best players in the league for sure.
They’ve capitalised on a lot of situations, been incisive with their chances and are pretty clinical. They don’t concede much defensively either so it’s a difficult task, we know that.
But this season, they’ve all been difficult tasks, none of them have been easy and we have to ensure we focus on ourselves, do the things we know we can do well.
We have to limit the possibilities for a good attacking team in Palace, and that will make for a really interesting game. Palace have their own pressures, whether you’re at the bottom or at the top, pressure comes with that.
We know what we’ve got to deal with, I’m sure they are the same but depending how the game goes, it can add to those situations.
I’m delighted for Maz as well winning the Championship Player of the Month, she has been a great player for a number of years now, she’s important for her national team and she’s important to us.
When Maz is really on it, she’s an incredibly difficult player to play against, and big congratulations to her for winning that.
I think though that she’d give it all up to have two wins out of two in the next two games!
Obviously my contract comes to an end at the end of the season, I’ve worked with some amazing people, a lot of fantastic players, some real highs, some real lows along the way.
I’ve 100% loved being part of the club, and the clubs ethos, but I think the only side of that is that I’ve spent two years away from my wife, from home, and to be perfectly honest, it’s taken its toll a little bit.
I think it’s the right time for the club and for me to part ways but I wish the club all the very best after the London City game and I hope they build again for next season strongly. I will always support Lewes in any way that I can.
The focus for the players is 100% on Palace for the players, they have been incredible, completely professional this week. It was always going to be the case, I had no doubts about that.
I knew that nothing would stand in the way of the players focusing on the game. It’s been that case, they listened to me but immediately after we were back to normal and back to analysis on Palace. It’s been a good week for us.
Thank you all for the incredible support this season.
Scott
Today, mapped out!
Today’s Match Sponsors – GoFitness!
We are delighted to welcome back, match sponsors, GoFitness! They will be running lots of fun activations on the pitch at full time which we’d love for you to get involved in!
Station One – The Cone Flip Game. A thrilling game where two teams race against each other to flip as many cones as possible in 3 minutes. The team with the most amount of cones flipped in their favour wins!
Station Two – The bodyweight ladder race. A race to the highest reps achieved in 3 minutes! There will be 3 exercises, reps start off at 2 reps and increase by 2 each round. The person who reaches the most amount of reps in the time wins!
Station Three – Time to get the adrenaline pumping with the Jerry Can Run! Each person races 20m with a pair of jerry cans..or single for kids. At the end they must complete 10 reps of an exercise before racing back to the start and completing as many rounds as possible in 3 minutes. The person with the most distance covered wins!
Station Four – The Go Fitness Grand Finale! Our hang tough challenge. Holding and hanging tight from our pull up bars, the challenge is to see how many minutes you can hold on for!
Everyone who completes all four stations gets a free 14 day pass for their small group personal training sessions at the Go Fitness Studio.
If they are a winner or part of the winning team from any of our stations, they’ll be entered into the prize draw to win a free 28 Day Experience with GoFitness, whereby one lucky winner will receive 8 small group personal training sessions, 1:1 support with an expert coach and 2 x 3D body scans to help with their health and fitness goals.
Maria Farrugia – Barclays Women’s Championship Player of the Month
Bradley Pritchard inducted into Lewes FC Hall of Fame
We are delighted to announce that the longest-serving member of Lewes FC Men, Bradley Pritchard, will be inducted into the Lewes FC Hall of Fame.
Bradley has been a true leader and stalwart of the team over the last three seasons. He currently sits on 111 appearances going into the final home game of the 23-24 season, following a distinguished professional career that includes the likes of Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient.
He is a deeply caring and supportive individual. At the end of the 2022-23 season his teammates voted him to receive the Lewes Legend award for the player who best embodies the club values and goes above and beyond week in week out.
His care for the Lewes community shone through with his establishment and work to set up the Community Garden, affectionately known as “Brad’s Pitt”.
We are grateful to Bradley for all of his efforts at the club on and off the pitch and believe he is a perfect addition to the club’s Hall of Fame.
Player chants, by Liam Jenman!
We think our Sport Therapist, Liam, has too much time on his hands on away day coach journeys, but nonetheless, he has come up with some GREAT chants for our women’s players 😆
So bring the noise today and get singing them!!!
INTRODUCING OUR VISITORS
BRIEF HISTORY
The club was formed in 1992 as Crystal Palace Ladies F.C.. Since 2003, the club has risen up England’s football pyramid, winning the South East Combination Women’s Football League in 2003–04, and they later achieved their first cup success defeating Chelsea in the Surrey FA County Cup Final in 2011. Palace reached the FA Women’s Premier League in 2013–14. The club won the Division One title in 2015–16 after going the whole season undefeated and also won the Surrey FA County Cup that same season against AFC Wimbledon in the final.
In 2019, the women’s team was featured in Harry’s Heroes: The Full English, a television documentary shown on ITV. They lost 1–0 to a team of male former professional footballers.
THE LAST MEETINGS
| 12 November 2023 | Championship | Crystal Palace | 3 | Lewes | 2 |
| 11 October 2023 | Conti Cup | Lewes | 1 | Crystal Palace | 1 |
| 23 April 2023 | Championship | Crystal Palace | 4 | Lewes | 1 |
| 04 December 2022 | Championship | Lewes | 0 | Crystal Palace | 1 |
| 27 November 2022 | Conti Cup | Crystal Palace | 1 | Lewes | 4 |
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 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 Trevor Wells
Directors Priscilla Aldridge, Tim Bradshaw, Ben Hall, Jen Kerrison, John Peel, Stan Lahood,
Tom McJennett, Joe Short, Steve Watts, Trevor Wells.
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
GK Coach Leah Samain
General Manager Lynne Burrell
Head Physiotherapist Adam Hutchins
Sports Therapist Liam Jenman
Sports Therapist Intern Beth Lenihan
Sport Scientist Ivi Casagrande
Mental Coach Sarah Murray
Data Analyst Tom Dummer
Pathway Manager Kerri Coombs
Pathway Lead Technical Coach / Ops Support Tim Heal
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