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

A very warm welcome to everyone at the Dripping Pan especially our guests from Dulwich.

The Rooks appear to have been marooned at about 15th in the league for sometime and our form is definitely in the doldrums with just one point earned in recent times. The only reason that we have not sunk further down the league is because points are proving scarce for the teams below us.

We urgently need to pull ourselves out of our recent malaise and start scoring more freely and bagging some points.

Perhaps the Omens are on our side as our best win of the season was a 1-4 victory at Champion Hill. We can definitely do with a repeat of that result but Dulwich will of course be keen to avenge that result and will provide stiff opposition.

Let’s all get behind the Rooks and encourage the team to land that elusive win.

Come on you Rooks!

Trevor

Q&A with Pitts

Q: Pitts, you’ve had a few days to digest the 2-1 defeat at Brentwood last Saturday. What are your reflections on that game and performance?

CN: “It was harsh because I feel we were in the game for large parts of it. We could have won it if a decision went our way – for me it was a clear handball on the line from one of their defenders. But we unfortunately made another mistake at the other end, which gave them a penalty and allowed them to take the lead. So it was disappointing, but I thought we competed a lot better than we have over the last few weeks. But we need to start turning those games into points.”

Q: After recent heavy defeats to the top two sides in the table, this was a much closer result against the side ranked third. What signs of encouragement were there?

CN: “Brentwood are a good side. They have good players and great momentum. So, the message to the boys was to go and disrupt what they want to do. I thought they did that for large parts of the game. Late in the game, Brentwood had chances to put the game to bed. But we’ve got to try and make sure that we make our chances count, because we had our fair share too. It’s the way it’s been going at the moment, but the momentum and the morale are still high. We just need to make sure we bring that onto the pitch to secure points.”

Q: The team trains twice a week, but what about the less visible preparations for a game? What does the analytical process look like?

“It’s relentless. It’s every day in between bar Sunday. That’s what the coaching team are here to do. We are constantly analysing the games to come. In training, we work in and out of possession on opposing days, to make sure they’re fit and ready to go for what they’re about to face. The good thing this week is that we go Saturday to Saturday, so we can put a bit more focus into the boys.”

“But it’s not just about on-field training. It’s the time spent with the players, making sure they’re okay. What do they need? How are they feeling? To make sure they’re mentally prepared and focused. Any non-league manager will tell you that the unseen work is relentless, but that’s what we’re here to do. We’re here to try and allow the boys to put their best foot forward for Saturday. It’s no stone unturned.”

Q: Dulwich Hamlet will be out for revenge after we beat them at Champion Hill earlier in the season. What are you expecting from them this time around?

CN: “I went to watch them in the week. They’re a very good side. We won’t take anything lightly because they can cause anyone damage on their day. We need to make sure that, at home, we suppress that, and they understand they’re coming to our ground. Even though recently we haven’t been great in front of our own fans, we want to make sure that we turn that around and get back to where we weren’t conceding at home, taking the fight to the teams turning up here.”

“We need to make sure that we take the battle personally. In training this week, we’ve had a lot of duels and mental toughness. They need to make sure they’re fit and fighting, ready to go for what they’re about to embark on this Saturday.”

Q: How important are the fans going to be this weekend?

CN: “They’re always important – at home and the ones that travel to away games. At the end of the day, we are here to make sure we give them something to get behind. I feel over the previous weeks they wouldn’t have felt like that. But they stand and stay with us in their numbers, which has been great to see. They will be the deciding factor in making The Dripping Pan not feel like a nice place to come for the opposition, and hopefully it will push the boys over the line to get three points.”

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.

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.

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.

Beaux Booth: Beaux joins from Farnham Town, and brings goalscoring threat to the midfield, on top of creativity. A product of Brentford’s B Team, Beaux joined Sholing after leaving the Bees before quickly impressing enough to get a jump up to Step 3 with Farnham, before linking up with the Rooks in 2026.

Aaron Jenkins: Aaron is a wide midfielder/winger capable of operating on either flank, and provides direct, fast, dangerous ball-carrying and crossing ability, as well as an eye for goal. Aaron joins from Sevenoaks where he previously scored 5 goals in 4 games last season, as well as lining up for Merstham in the past.

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.

Danny Bassett: Danny is no stranger to the Rooks, joining in the summer of 2024, before returning to the Pan after a spell away from the game. Bassett has experience at this level, previously lining up for Carshalton Athletic, and scored 22 goals for the Rooks last season.

Lui Edwards: Lui joins on dual-registration with Roffey, where he is an up and coming young player, joining them as a product of the Woking youth setup. a striker or attacking midfielder, Lui brings dynamism to the Rook’s attack, as well as a few goals and assists too.

Taurean Roberts: Taurean is a winger who has been around non-leauge football for a long time, previously featuring for Horsham, Hampton & Richmond, Chippenham, among others. Direct, fast, and a leader in the squad, Taurean links up with long time friend Pitts to bring threat to the wide areas.

Youth Champions of Sussex

A huge congratulations to our U18s side for their victory in the Sussex Youth Cup this past week; the young Rooks beat Three Bridges 3-1 in the final on Wednesday, thanks to goals from Omar Abdsami, Adrian Jiminez Nseu-Sha, and Oli Deda, as well as a penalty save from keeper Callum Monks.

Several of Dale Hurley’s side have featured for the senior team in recent times, including goalscorers Abdsami and Deda, as well as Christo Nano and Sonny Causton. Everyone at the club sends massive congratulations to Dale and all of the U18s players, coaches and staff.

Dulwich Hamlet FC

• Dulwich Hamlet Football Club was formed in 1893 by Lorraine ‘Pa’ Wilson and was a founder member of the Dulwich League in 1899. The club’s first piece of silverware came in 1904/05 – the Surrey Senior Cup, which they have now won a record 16 times. In 1907, Dulwich joined the Isthmian League.
• The club’s most successful spell came during the inter-war period. Club legend Edgar Kail joined Dulwich during the First World War and remained at the club for 14 years, scoring 427 goals. Kail also earned three caps with the England National team in 1929. During this time, the Hamlet won the Isthmian League title three times, in 1920, 1926 and 1933, as well as the FA Amateur Cup four times and the London Senior Cup twice. Goalkeeper Bert Coleman also earned an England cap in 1921, keeping a clean sheet against Wales.
• Dulwich went through a long patch of poor form in the 1960s and 70s, with the exception of three successful seasons in the mid-70s. The club suffered relegation from the top division as a result of this poor form. This was reversed the following season with Dulwich winning promotion at the first time of asking.
• In 1991, Dulwich’s stadium, Champion Hill, was demolished and replaced by a significantly reduced capacity alternative due to safety restrictions. During the 1990s, the Hamlet were transformed back into championship contenders, sadly failing to achieve promotion. Although success didn’t come in the league, the cups told a different story. The club reached the FA Cup First Round in 1998, losing at home to Southport. That same season, Dulwich won the London Challenge Cup, beating Uxbridge 2-1 in the final at Charlton’s stadium, the Valley.
• A long spell in Division One began in 2001 with the club suffering relegation from the Premier Division. Dulwich qualified for the play-offs in 2003/04 but lost on penalties to Wealdstone. The play-offs were achieved again in 2011. After beating Bognor Regis Town despite finishing 31 points behind them, a final against Leatherhead was scheduled. The Hamlet found themselves 3-1 up with minutes to go, but, through an impressive display of fight, Leatherhead brough it back and won the game 4-3 in extra time. Dulwich were involved in a two-horse title fight with Maidstone United in 2012/13, winning by one point on the final day of the season.
• Next came a period of close but no cigar as Dulwich missed out on the play-offs by a point in 2014. This was followed by a loss in the play-off semi-final a year later and back-to-back losses in the final directly after that. Three play-off losses and a point off play-offs in four seasons.
• In 2017/18, however, their luck turned around; the Hamlet had an extraordinary season finishing in 2nd with a club record 95 points. This was made even more impressive by the fact that the club had been evicted from Champion Hill in March of that season with the club relying on fan donations and fundraising throughout the season. Dulwich achieved a well-deserved promotion through the play-offs and would play in the National League South the following season.
• The Hamlet finished 14th in an impressive first season in step 2. In 2019/20, Dulwich were televised on national television as they made the first round of the FA Cup and faced Carlisle United at home, unfortunately losing 4-1 to the visitors. Dulwich were likely saved from relegation that season by the Covid pandemic as it brought the season to a premature halt whilst the Hamlet were in a rough patch. The following season was also abandoned. 2021/22 started off with Dulwich on fire and looking like play-off contenders before stumbling in the latter half of the season and settling for a very impressive 10th place. After a poor 2022/23, the club brought in a new man at the helm – Paul Barnes. One win in eight games in the spring prompted the club to make another managerial change. Hakan Hayrettin stepped in to replace him but was unable to avoid the drop as Dulwich were relegated on the final day.
• In Dulwich’s first season back in the Isthmian Premier Division, they finished in a disappointing 12th place. Things got even worse, however as the Hamlet finished in 18th place last season, narrowly avoiding the drop by one position. This season, Dulwich are doing better and currently sit in 11th place with 49 points from 34 games.

Luke Wanadio

Luke Wanadio rejoined Dulwich Hamlet in 2023 but his relationship with the club dates back to 2014 when the Hamlet first signed him. The forward has scored over 100 goals for the club and is their top scorer this season. With almost 200 games in Step 1 and 2, Wanadio is a highly experienced professional and a thorn in anyone’s side.

Date	Competition	Home		Away	Att.
Sat 13 Dec 2025	Isthmian Prem	Dulwich	1-4	Lewes	2574
Sat 1 Mar 2025	Isthmian Prem	Dulwich	1-3	Lewes	3334
Tue 10 Dec 2024	Isthmian Prem	Lewes	2-2	Dulwich	500
Sat 16 Mar 2024	Isthmian Prem	Dulwich	2-0	Lewes	2973
Sat 9 Dec 2023	Isthmian Prem	Lewes	0-2	Dulwich	1118

Our record against the Hamlet is a strange one of ups and downs; we’ve had pretty good fortunes in our most recent games, including the reverse fixture where Charlie Walker dropped an absolute masterclass and lead the Rooks to a 4-1 comeback win with two goals and an assist. It seems this fixture favours the away side, but hopefully we can keep the visitors in check this afternoon and restore our home form.

HOME

Very nice. Dulwich have had some weird kits over the years, but their iconic pink and blue home strip is normally pretty solid, and this year is no different. The reversed colours on the collar and sleeves is a particularly nice feature. 8/10

AWAY

See this is what I mean, a very strange shirt indeed. Why have they kept the pink and blue bits? just looks messy. Otherwise fine but that one strange choice sort of ruins it. 5/10

To Dartford

Who are they?: Dartford are one of Kent’s biggest non-league clubs, and were founded all the way back in 1888. The Darts spent much of the 2010s punching well above their weight, reaching the National League in 2012/13 before eventually being relegated back down, and most recently they dropped into the Isthmian Premier following relegation from the National League South in 2023/24, making them one of the bigger clubs at this level. They play at Princes Park, a quite impressive stadium opened in 2006; it even won a national award for its eco-friendly design, with a grass roof and solar panels.

How do we get there?: From Lewes, you’ll need to head into London and change; the quickest route is via London Bridge, with the full journey taking around two hours on the faster services. From Dartford station, the Fastrack B bus runs directly to a stop right outside Princes Park, departing every ten minutes and taking just six minutes, or you could make the 15-minute, 1 mile walk.

What’s around?: Dartford has a decent selection of pubs. Two I’ve been recommended in the past have been The Malt Shovel, a pub apparently dating all the way back to 1673, and The Hufflers Arms, named after the long-forgotten workers who once manually hauled barges along Dartford Creek. A fine pair of options for any travelling Rooks.

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, 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, Joe Warsop-Davies, Aidan Elve, Noah Bercott

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