Welcome to The Dripping Pan for this afternoon’s Isthmian League Premier game versus Dartford. Here is your complimentary e-programme.

You get:
– Matches LIVE streamed
– One share/one vote
– Discounts in Lewes & online
– Downloadable Share Certificate, Owner’s App and Gift Box

TO BECOME AN OWNER, CLICK HERE: https://lewesfc.com/become-an-owner/

As we near the shortest day of the year the welcome at the Dripping Pan remains as warm as ever as we greet our guests from Dartford for this afternoon’s match.

Apologies to everyone who was affected by the eleventh hour postponement of our game against Billericay on Tuesday.

Massive thanks to grounds staff and supporters who tried their hardest to prepare the pitch but faced with the deluge that befell Lewes less than an hour before kick off all efforts were in vain and it became impossible to make the pitch playable.

Instead of enjoying a football match I had to get my kicks wading through the floodwaters on the Neville Road!!!

Hopefully after a very wet week the pitch for this afternoon’s game will be playable.

This week the club had it’s AGM and I thank all owners who attended and contributed to discussions about the confidential and privileged information that is shared only for the benefit of owners. I appreciate that this information is of interest to supporters generally but if you want to become involved in ownership matters I would encourage you to sign up as an owner if you have not already done so.

Here’s hoping we get a great game of football this afternoon and hopefully a Lewes victory.

Come on you Rooks!

Trevor

The Gaffer speaks after thrilling encounter against Hashtag

Craig Nelson spoke to the club once again immediately following our 3-3 draw against Hashtag United this past Saturday. He spoke on how he felt the game went, how we can improve, and the positives looking into tonight.

Pitts reflects on today’s 3-3 draw 💬 pic.twitter.com/wlKi3bboWa

— Lewes FC Men (@LewesFCMen) November 29, 2025

Louis Rogers: Rogers joined the Rooks from Hastings United in summer 2025. Known for his sharp reflexes and excellent shot-stopping ability, he spent several years as first-choice keeper at Hastings, playing a key role in their promotion push. Louis brings leadership, composure, and a commanding presence to the Lewes backline as he steps up to the Isthmian Premier League once again.

Ryan Bernal: An athletic right back, Bernal joins the Rooks after impressing in the Combined Counties League. Quick and confident going forward, Ryan provides attacking width while maintaining strong defensive discipline. A promising addition to the squad, he will look to make the right flank his own.

Alex Kpakpe: A fast and phyiscal left-back, Alex joins from Cray Valley PM having previously played for Hastings United, Aveley, and Wingate & Finchley in this division. Alex is a product of the Chelsea academy and was also played in a friendly for Rangers in 2023.

Jack Burchell: A ball-playing centre back, 21-year-old defender Burchell came through the academy at Watford before joining Eastbourne Borough in October 2022, going on to play 26 times in the Vanarama National League South under Danny Bloor in 2022/23. He joined the Welling in July 2023 after impressing on trial during pre-season and proved to be a mainstay in defence, playing a vital part in the side’s successful survival bid in 2023/24.

Jamie Watson: Jamie is a solid, aerially strong centre-half who brings experience in defence despite being only 24; a product of the Bromley academy, Jamie has also spent time at Alfreton in the National League North, as well as Tonbridge Angels, who he joins from on a dual-registration basis.

Olly Hamstead: Olly is another young defender rising through the ranks, joining the Rooks from Carshalton where he has had two spells. Olly started his career at Chipstead, before moving on to Burgess Hill and Kingstonian where he was a commanding force in those back lines. Tall, strong, and a calm presence on the ball, Olly is a great example of a modern centre-half.

Antonio Morgan: A young up-and-coming full-back, Morgans joins the Rooks from Tonbridge Angels where he played under current gaffer Pitts for a time. Antonio is fast, direct, and tricky on the ball, and has displayed enough talent to earn several call ups for the Antigua & Barbuda national team.

Arezki Hamouchene: A tricky left-sided player with flair and pace, Hamouchene spent 14 years with Millwall, joining their youth setup at 7 years old. Spent the 24/25 season with Cray Wanderers and Erith Town from whom he joins the Rooks.

Perri Iandolo: A technically gifted central midfielder, Perri spent his formative years with Maidstone.  Perri is known for his range of passing and ability to dictate tempo in midfield and most recently played with club legend Bradley Pritchard at Phoenix Sports.

Devonte West: Operating on the right flank, West is a young, powerful winger with explosive pace and a keen eye for goal. A product of the London grassroots scene, Devonte joins us from Hollands & Blair and adds an exciting dimension to the Rooks’ attacking play.

Billie Clark: A right-sided midfielder or winger, Clark joined Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022 before moving on to Reading in August 2023. Comfortable hugging the touchline or drifting inside, Billie offers pace and a dangerous delivery from wide areas.

Parish Muirhead: Returning to the club after a spell at Carshalton Athletic, Muirhead is a strong and tempo-dictating central midfielder, known for his game knowledge and passing ability. Parish has experience working under manager Craig Nelson and has earned several call-ups to the Grenada National Team.

Tyler Christian-Law: Tyler joined the Rooks in November, and is a vastly experienced midfielder at this level and above, with the 32 year old having spells with Braintree, Wealdstone, Potters Bar, Hornchurch, and most recently Dartford whom he joins from. A commanding presence in midfield, Tyler brings stability to the Rooks’ spine.

Alfie Allen: Allen is a central midfielder who can operate in both defensive or attacking-minded roles; a great passer of the ball and a calm presence in midfield, Alfie rejoins the Rooks after a spell at Tonbridge Angels.

Kaan Bennett: A clinical centre forward, Bennett is known for his movement and finishing ability. Kaan was a product of the Colchester United youth system before serious injury halted his progress. Kaan’s intelligent positioning and eye for goal make him a key figure in Lewes’ frontline.

Charlie Walker: Walker is a vastly experienced striker, and joins the Rooks as a number 9 outlet. Walker is no stranger to the professional game, having played for Luton Town in his career, as well as spells at Eastbourne Borough, Boreham Wood, Aldershot, and two spells with Whitehawk. Walker notched up 21 goals in 71 league games with the Hawks before joining Lewes, and will hope to continue that form.

Bobby Unwin: Bobby returns to Lewes after a good spell at Tonbridge Angels, scoring thrice and putting in multiple great performances at Step 2, before rejoining the Rooks to add pace, ball-carrying, and goal threat to the side.

Martell Taylor-Crossdale: Martell joins on loan from Tonbridge Angels, where he has experience working with manager Craig Nelson; Martell has experience at the highest level of English football, making an appearance for Premier League side Fulham, as well as being part of Chelsea’s youth academy. Playing either through the middle or on the wings, Martell provides powerful attacking threat to Pitts’ side.

Ricay rescheduled

The club would like to confirm the rescheduling of our home fixture against Billericay Town; this fixture will now be played on Tuesday, January 6th at The Dripping Pan with a 7:45pm kickoff. We thank all fans, including the travelling Billericay support, for making the journey last Tuesday and apologise for the late postponement, but the conditions left the officials no choice as the match became unplayable due to the weather.

Kpakpe signs on

Lewes FC are delighted to announce the signing of Alex Kpakpe, who we welcome from Cray Valley PM. Alex is a left-footed defender capable of playing left-back or centre-half, and has plenty of experience in this division, previously lining up for The Millers as well as Aveley, Hastings United, and Wingate & Finchley.

Alex is a product of Chelsea’s youth academy, signing a youth contract at Stamford Bridge at just 14, and his first profesional contract with them at just 17, however his time at the Blues was halted through a few unfortunate injuries. He later signed a contract with Rangers in Scotland in 2023, lining up consistently for their B team and even with the senior squad in a friendly, so hopefully that senior experience can help Pitts’ side out. Welcome, Alex!

Additionally, the club can confirm the departures of defender Clem Asiedu, and midfielders Jabari Christmas and Jordan Maguire-Drew. We thank all three of them for their efforts in the red and black and wish them well in the future.

Match Report: Lewes hold on to claim encouraging point against the Tags

Lewes picked up another important point this past Saturday against a struggling Hashtag United side in Aveley, however this game was not a demonstration of the Tags’ struggles, as they dominated large parts of the match, and Lewes defended well to hold onto the result.

In what could be described as a six-pointer if you were being pessimistic, Pitts’ Rooks came into this game in 16th needing to pick up some momentum to start to separate themselves from the dreaded bottom four. The Tags, meanwhile, were in 19th, three points adrift of safety. You may think this would have lead to a cagey start, but you would have been very wrong as both teams came out of the traps with intent. Hashtag struck first, with a curling finish from the edge of the box by Praise Ogbebor putting the home side ahead after just 7 minutes, but Lewes responded well, as Bobby Unwin peeled away from his man to slot in an equaliser just 5 minutes later. Hashtag then upped the pressure, applying a very high press throughout the first half to keep the Rooks penned in their own half to pretty good effect.

We found a breakthrough however, as Kaan Bennett dropped into his own half to nick a ball away from the Tags midfield, before slotting a lovely through pass to Martell Taylor-Crossdale who calmly dispatched his now one-on-one situation to put Lewes 2-1 ahead. We could not hold onto this lead however, as Hashtag responded to our second goal much like how we responded to the opener, as Evans Kouassi found himself on the end of a lofted ball just 3 minutes later, which he smashed pass Rogers to equalise. This half was not done yet though, and Lewes found another opportunity right at the end of it; a corner was won by Ryan Bernal, who whipped it at the near post into a sea of bodies before it eventually was bundled in by either Alfie Allen or Tags keeper Jack Giddens. Not the prettiest goal by any stretch, but a big one as Lewes went into the break 3-2 up.

The second half would not be quite as exciting, leaning more into the cagey aspects we expected from the start, but unfortunately the home side found a breakthrough midway through it, thanks to more high pressure and an awkwardly high pass, the Rooks midfield lost out on a few duels before a sweeping ball found its way to Kouassi again, who calmly finished to even the game up once again in the 66th minute. The rest of the game was end-to-end, with a few nervy moments on both sides, and particularly a few good saves from Louis Rogers.

Lewes had a golden opportunity to win it in the 85th minute, when sub Charlie Walker controlled a ball from Bennett in the box, cut back inside to send the Tags defender sliding and leave him one-on-one from 10 yards, but he agonisingly dragged his effort just wide of the post. I’d honestly have put my house on him scoring it, but it wasn’t to be. The game ended 3-3 after all that, but there were plenty of encouraging signs from the Rooks in terms of attacking intent, and coupled with the fact that most of the teams around us lost, it made it feel like a decent point earned in the end.

Dartford FC

• Dartford Football Club was founded in 1888 by members of the Dartford Workingmen’s club. The Darts floated between the Southern League and Kent League until the First World War broke out in 1914 – this brought about a halt to football.

• Football in Dartford took a while to get back up and running post war as the Summer’s Meadow Ground, the former home of Dartford FC, was no longer available. In 1921, a local businessmen restructured the club and ran it as a public limited company, a unique club structure until Tottenham Hotspur made the same change 50 years later.The club moved to Watling Street in the neighbouring parish of Stone. They would remain here until the early 1990s.

• Dartford became known nationally after becoming the first team outside of the football league to reach the FA Cup Third Round Proper in two successive seasons. In 1935/36, the Darts led second place in the First Division Derby County 2-0 at the Baseball Ground before Derby turned it around and came out on top.Leading player Fred Dell was so impressive that he transferred to West Ham immediately after the game for a reported £2000.

• The Southern League was restructured in the late 1950s and Datford would spend most of the next 20 years in the Premier Division. In the 1970s, the Darts appeared in the final of the Kent Senior Cup in four consecutive seasons, winning the first and last. Dartford gained a place in the Alliance Premier League after winning the Southern League Southern Division in 1980/81; this was short-lived, however, as they suffered relegation after just one season.

• Following the Bradford fire and the Hillsborough disaster, Dartford, along with many other clubs, were forced to either re-locate or upgrade their facilities. The club spent large sums of money on planning and designing facility upgrades, this sent them into financial debt.

• After Maidstone United sold their ground, a ground-share was agreed with the rent providing Dartford with some much-needed finances. A few years later, Maidstone were liquidated and ground improvements that they were supposed to pay for were passed on to Dartford, a cost of around £500,000. The club sold Watling Street and withdrew from the Southern League just four games into the 1992/93 season. The club’s supporters’ association came to the rescue with a private limited company to manage affairs. A ground-share with Cray Wanderers was agreed and Dartford were admitted to the Kent League.

• In 2004/05, the Darts now competing in the Southern League, were faced with a re-structuring of the non-league system with many clubs from the Ryman League joining the division. Dartford ended up finishing just clear of the relegation zone in what was a disappointing season. In July 2005, Dartford council passed the planning permission for a new ground to be built. Dartford were moved to the Ryman League for the 2006/07 season. The Darts’ new stadium, Princes Park, opened on Saturday 11^th November 2006 as Dartford took on Horsham YMCA in front of a capacity crowd of 4100 with a 4-2 win serving as the first result in the stadium, things were looking up.

• After a long battle with AFC Sudbury, Dartford were crowned champions of the Ryman League Division One North. The Darts’ first season in the Premier Division saw them finish an impressive 8^th. In an incredible feat, Dartford won the Premier Division in their second season and were granted promotion to the Conference South.

• Success continued with Datford finishing in a credible 10^thplace in 2010/11. The Darts pushed on and in their second season finished runners-up but achieved promotion through the play-offs. For the first time since the 1980s, Dartford would be competing in the top step of the non-league system.

• A very impressive 8^th place kicked off their three-year Conference National season in which they finished 22^nd in the other two seasons, in the first of which they were bailed out by two relegation spots being removed due to financial mismanagement by other clubs in the league; however, the club suffered relegation in their third season in the Conference National.

• In 2016/17 season, Dartford qualified for the National League South play-offs but disappointingly lost in the semi-final to Chelmsford City. The 2019/20 season brought about a 6^th place finish for the Darts before the following season was abandoned with Dartford top or second for most of the season. 4^thand 2^nd place finishes followed before a very disappointing 2023/24 campaign saw the club finish in 21^st place, suffering relegation to the Isthmian Premier.

• Last season, the Darts finished in 3^rd place, earning a spot in the play-offs. However, they would go on to lose the final to Dover Athletic.

• Dartford currently sit in 3^rd place after 20 games and are unbeaten in almost a month, so this game will be another tough test for the Rooks in the run up to Christmas.

Olly Box

Olly Box came up through the Dartford academy and began to make a name for himself during the 2023-24 campaign, scoring six goals in 13 starts. It was only up from here as the forward added 14 to his tally last season and already has an outstanding 11 league goals this season. This has made him the current 2^nd highest scorer in the Isthmian Premier.

Sat 8 Mar 2025	Isthmian Prem	Lewes	3~1	Dartford	Att. 1022
Sat 23 Nov 2024	Isthmian Prem	Dartford	2~0	Lewes	Att. 806

Last season was the first time we came up against the Darts in a competitive setting, and it proved to be an even fixture with one home win each. Our most recent meeting was at the tail-end of last season, when a Marcus Sablier masterclass saw us sail past the Kent outfit, including two goals and an assist from the midfielder.

HOME

They’ve finally done it. After years of not doing the joke everyone wanted them to do, Dartford have finally got a darts sponsor. Honestly the shirt itself is pretty nice even without that, but the sponsor makes it so much better. 8/10

AWAY

The same, but now in an objectively better colour combo. No, I’m not biased, what are you talking about. 8.5/10

To Dulwich Hamlet

Who are they?: Dulwich Hamlet are a team based in the Dulwich part of Croydon in South London, and are one of the more establised teams in the division, having previously spent multiple years in the National League South. Formed in 1893, the Hamlet have become famous for their pink and blue club colours, large crowds, and their home ground of Champion Hill has become one of the more recognisable in non-league.

How do we get there?: The nearest two train stations to Champion Hill are East Dulwich and Denmark Hill; both are equally pretty close to the ground, and spit you out right in the Dulwich area, so it’s a pretty easy journey.

What’s around?: For a change, there’s quite a lot going on around Champion Hill. Dulwich is something of a hipster-y bit of South London, so there are dozens of pubs to choose from, as well as food options. Two that tend to be popular with Rooks fans are The East Dulwich Tavern and The Cherry Tree, but you could probably walk five minutes and find a decent pub so take your pick.

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 Trevor Wells, John Peel, Stan Lahood, Jim Cheek, Roger Warner, Ben Hall, Lisa Emery
Club Secretary John Peel

COO Kelly Lindsey
Fan Engagement Manager Shrey Nilvarna
Social Media Team Stan Lahood, Tom Mason, Daniel Lloyd, Luke Underhill, Joe Warsop-Davies

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 Craig Nelson
First team Coach Elyon Marshall-Katung
Goalkeeping Coach Sheikh Ceesay
Under-18s Manager Dale Hurley

Golden Rook Rob Read
Web Editor Shrey Nilvarna

Progcast Editors Stan Lahood, Harvey Lock, Charlie Sundaram

Club Photographer James Boyes