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

A warm Lewes welcome to our visitors from AFC Whyteleafe for this afternoon’s game. Since a difficult start to the season against Enfield Town the Rooks have picked up four points on the road and will be eager to add to this tally this afternoon.

Problems for Lewes were not just contained to the pitch for the Enfield game. Enfield attracted the support of a younger group who could be best described as unruly, impolite and obnoxious. A huge thanks goes to our volunteers, supporters and the stewards for containing what could have been an explosive situation.

Most football clubs at our level will be covered by the Companies Act 2006 rules that apply to small companies and only need to file abridged unaudited accounts which is a rather swift and painless exercise. Under our rules as a Community Benefits Society the club is required to file fully audited accounts. The audit process relating to the accounts for the year ended 31 May 2025 has been a tenuous exercise which resulted in the club missing its deadline date for filing the accounts with Companies House. As the audit stretched on so did the time the accounts were overdue. This led to Companies House posting on their website that on 25 August they would be publishing in the London Gazette the first notice of compulsory strike off of Lewes 2000 FC Ltd for failing to file its accounts. The audited accounts were finally signed off on 20 August 2026 and have been filed with Companies House and any action resulting from late filing will now be discontinued. This of course is not an acceptable state of affairs and the club will need to ensure that the audit of the 2026 accounts is less prolonged. The 2025 accounts have now been posted on the club website. I apologise for any concern this may have caused supporters but the circumstances were beyond our control.

Back to the football, let’s hope for an entertaining game this afternoon played in a good spirit on and off the pitch.

Come on you Rooks! –Trevor

Pitts and David praise quick response after opening day loss

Pitts and assistant manager David Altendorff spoke to the club immediately following our 2-0 away win at St Albans last Saturday, our first win of the new campaign. They praised the team’s defensive setup and ability to win the ball in both boxes, and for a good turnaround following our opening day loss to Enfield a few weeks ago. See the interview here:

🗣️ “Really pleased to get three points and get our season up and running”

Joint assistant manager David Altendorff and manager Craig Nelson reflect on today’s away win. pic.twitter.com/mTCbubWU95

— Lewes FC Men (@LewesFCMen) August 15, 2026

Goalkeeper

Louis Rogers (Sponsored by Brian Ashdown) – A familiar face to the Sussex non-league scene, Louis returns to the Pan from last season. An agile keeper with excellent reactions, Louis is a very credible shotstopper as well as being able to play out from the back. Rogers featured in every league game last season for the Rooks, keeping 8 clean sheets.

Defenders

Tom Bender – A vastly experienced centre-half, Tom joins the Rooks to add strength and aerial ability, as well as a great deal of leadership to the back line. After gaining EFL experience with Colchester United and Millwall, Tom spent seven years with St. Albans City, making over 250 appearances.
Tyler Cox – Tyler joins the Rooks as a versatile utility man capable of playing on either side in a full-back or wing-back position, as well as being more than capable as an out-and-out winger. Fast, direct, and with a solid cross, Cox can help bring the exciting ball-playing style to the Pan.
Jack Enkh – Jack returns to the Pan for a third season after recovering from a long-term injury at the back end of the last campaign. Enkh is a very solid defensive left-back, being very strong in the tackle and great in the air, as well as being more than capable of leading an attack from the left-hand side.
Olly Hamstead – Returning for his second season with the Rooks, Olly brings a great deal of physicality and ball-playing ability to the heart of the defence. Joining from Carshalton midway through the last campaign, Olly has shown why he fits in perfectly with Craig Nelson’s possession-based style with plenty of line-breaking passes, aerial challenges, and threat from attacking set pieces.
Ben Mundele – A face who has been around Lewes for a while now, Ben rejoins for his third spell with the club after time at Tonbridge Angels and Ramsgate. Ben joined the club initially in 2021, but a long-term injury halted his time in the squad. A former England C international, Ben brings solid defensive structure to the right-back position
Josh Spinks – Another local face to the Sussex scene, Josh rejoins the Rooks for his second spell after previously returning to Burgess Hill Town. An incredibly composed and intelligent centre-half, Spinks previously captained the Rooks in his first spell with the club, and it’s easy to see why.

Midfielders

Alfie Allen – A stalwart in the Rooks side for the last two years, Alfie returns for his third season at the Pan, continuing to be an important part of Craig Nelson’s midfield setup. A hardworking box-to-box centre-mid who is also comfortable in a more creative role, Allen provided 7 assists last campaign.
Andrew Briggs – Briggs joins the Rooks from neighbouring Whitehawk after a successful 25/26 season with the Hawks. Andrew is a creative midfielder with an especially good dead-ball delivery, which he used to great effect last season, racking up 9 assists for the Sussex outfit, and brings that attacking threat with him to the Pan.
Tyler Christian-Law – Christian-Law returns to the Pan for his second season as a leader in the midfield. An industrious defensive and central midfielder, Tyler was club captain last campaign and led the team from the middle, and hopes to continue to be a leader as an experienced figurehead in Nelson’s squad.
Brian Garzon – Brian links up with the Rooks after a very successful 25/26 season at Step 4 with Walthamstow, scoring 18 goals from midfield. A product of the Southend United youth system, Brian is a very attacking-minded midfielder with a keen eye for goal and is also an adept penalty taker.
Parish Muirhead – Returning for his third year at the Pan, Parish has become an incredibly familiar face in the Rooks midfield over the last few years. a number 8 by trade, Parish brings on-the-ball composure, aerial presence, and an excellent passing range to the centre of the Rooks squad, and his consistently good performances in his time with the Rooks has earnt him multiple call-ups to the Grenada national side.
Tyrese Owen – An incredible physical presence, Tyrese joins the Rooks from last season’s promotion-winning side Billericay Town, where he was arguably their player of the season from midfield. Standing at 6’6, Tyrese brings fantastic strength, aerial domination, and overall physicality to the midfield, while still retaining a lot of ball-playing ability.
Mackenzie Richardson – A product of the Lewes youth system, Mackenzie began making first-team appearances at the back-end of the 25/26 campaign, where he slotted right in in a creative role. A versatile young player, Richardson is capable in an attacking role, on the flanks, or as a more central presence.

Forwards

Danny Bassett – A fan-favourite at the Pan over the last couple of years, Danny returns for his third season with the Rooks in hope of rekindling his form from his debut year, where he notched a fantastic 24 goals in all competitions, including 20 in the league. Capable as an out-and-out striker or down the left wing, Danny brings considerable attacking threat to the front line.
Billie Clark – Billie returns to the Pan after a short spell at Eastbourne Town at Step 4, where he made an impact after joining midway through last season, including a hattrick in his first game. A direct and very quick young winger, Billie brings a lot of danger from ball-carrying and whipping crosses in from either flank.
Noel Fisher – Noel joins the Rooks as an incredibly exciting young talent, having a standout season with Horsham YM, scoring 18 goals and notching 7 assists in 28 games from the right wing. Noel was a wanted man by a lot of clubs over the summer, but chose to link up with Craig Nelson to bring technical excellence and fearless attacking play to his side.
Calum Newson (Sponsored by Nicole Roaf) – Joining from Essex outfit Canvey Island, Calum is a direct and physical number 9 who performed well in a below-par Canvey side, which led to his move to the Pan. Calum previously played in the USA for Kentucky Wesleyan College, racking up 35 goals in two seasons over in the states.
Bobby Unwin – A familiar face in the Rooks squad, Bobby returns for his third season with the club after rejoining last season following a spell at Tonbridge Angels. A direct, pacy winger capable of playing on either side, Bobby has notched 6 goals and 8 assists in his Lewes career so far, and hopes to expand on that this campaign.
Charlie Walker – A vastly experienced head in the dressing room, and a familiar face across the Sussex scene, Charlie returns to the Pan after joining last season from Whitehawk. A former EFL professional with bags of experience in the National League including Aldershot Town and Boreham Wood, Charlie is a player who knows where the goal is, bringing an instinctual fox-in-the-box style of play to the front line.

Tickets for Bank Holiday Derby on General Sale

Tickets for our highly anticipated Bank Holiday Monday clash with old enemy Eastbourne Borough are now avaliable on general sale. The Pan is likley to be very full for this one, so The Club advise anyone looking to attend to buy tickets now to avoid missing out. Due to the nature of the fixture and the anticipation of crowd numbers, the game will be segregated, so Rooks fans should enter through the main Philcox Stand entrance and should not attempt to move to the Ham Lane end of the ground. Further details will be released on the socials and website as we get closer to the fixture.

You can buy tickets for this fixture here: https://fixr.co/organiser/LewesFCMen?lang=en-US

Hope + Glory Merch Store Now Open

The new Lewes FC online merch store is now open, thanks to our new merch and kit providers, Hope + Glory. Avaliable now is the first line of club merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, caps, and more, and be on the lookout for a restock of our (quite fantastic) replica kits.

You can find the online store here: https://store.hopeandglorysportswear.co.uk/lewes-fc

AFC Whyteleafe

• AFC Whyteleafe’s story is truly remarkable. Founded in 2021 from the ashes of Whyteleafe FC, the club have climbed four levels in five years and are showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. After Whyteleafe FC folded, inspired by the remarkable story of AFC Wimbledon, founder Kelly Waters built AFC Whyteleafe from nothing in less than a month.
• The club was initially placed in Step 8 of the National League system with no squad and no home ground. However, within weeks, a team was built, a manager was hired and a deal was stuck to return to Church Road, the home of Whyteleafe FC. Following a successful first season in which the club finished in the runners-up spot, Whyteleafe were moved to the Southern Counties East League Division One, in Step 6, after a dominant end to the season.
• Whyteleafe dealt with the jump from Step 8 to Step 6 very impressively, finishing in a respectable 8th place in their first season in the division. 2023-24 saw Whyteleafe become league champions for the first time as they won promotion to the Combined Counties Premier Division South, Step 5.
• Whyteleafe followed up this success with a second promotion in consecutive seasons, finishing in first place once again despite being in 3rd place going into the final day. Point deductions for both Jersey Bulls and Redhill saw the club finish top of the league. The club also made it all the way to the final of the FA Vase that same season and made a historic appearance at Wembley, eventually losing 2-1 to Whitstable Town after extra time.
• Last season saw Whyteleafe finish in 4th place, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which they defeated both Jersey Bulls and AFC Croydon Athletic on penalties to secure a three-peat of promotions up to the Isthmian Premier.
• AFC Whyteleafe haven’t started this season as strong as they would have hoped. They currently sit in 20th place on one point with three games played, but these two sides have never faced each other, so we won’t know what to expect.

Ryan Gondoh

A man who Rooks fans may remember from his time with us, Ryan Gondoh will return to the Dripping Pan, the place where he proved himself to be a highly skilled winger with solid technical ability. He has shown this at Whyteleafe as well since joining the club from Lewes in 2024. Gondoh has scored in more than half of his games, with 34 goals in 65 games for Whyteleafe.

There are quite a few Ex-Rooks in the current Whyteleafe setup; the most notable of them is probably midfielder/fullback Matt Warren, who pulled on the Red and Black for the 2024/25 season, and scored the first goal of the Pitts era in a 2-0 win against Chatham Town on the opening day of that campaign. Also featuring that season was leftback Peter Ojemen, who now also lines up for the Leafe; him and Warren were the two goalscorers in Whyteleafe’s 2-2 draw with Wingate & Finchley last week. Another former Lewes player in the squad is previously mentioned winger Ryan Gondoh, who made 49 appearances for Rooks from 2022-2024, becoming something of a fan favourite during his spell.

Date	Competition	Home	Result	Away	Att.
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

There is no head to head record to speak of, as this will be our first ever meeting with the Leafe; the first time we’re meeting with someone we’ve never played before since Cray Valley in 2025. Hopefully we can get this record off to a good start.

HOME

Modelled quite well by former Lewes boy Matt Warren, the Leafe’s traditional green strip from the old Whyteleafe FC is retained by the phoenix club. It is paired with a gold trim this season, presumably to celebrate their playoff win last campaign. It works pretty well and is overall a solid kit. 8/10

AWAY

I’m not 100% sure they’re using the gold away strip this season, but if they are, it’s a pretty good one. Gold and black is a pretty bulletproof colour combo (look at our lovely anniversary kits from last year), and it’s no different on this one. Good stuff. 7/10

22 August

22 August 2020 – Lewes lose 4-1 to Tonbridge Angels in a friendly, notable not for the result, but for the fact it was the Rooks’ first game back since the COVID restrictions of the year were eased.

22 August 2015 – Lewes fall to a 3-1 away defeat to Leiston in the Ryman Premier; a Rooks goal from Elliot Levy is cancelled out by goals from Gareth Heath, Joe Jefford, and Joe Francis as the home side pick up the points. Again, I promise we will have some wins on this bit sometimes.

22 August 2015 – A bit higher up the pyramid in the Premier League, Leicester City’s remarkable season quietly begins to build, as the Foxes draw 1-1 with highly-touted Spurs at the King Power Stadium thanks to a Riyad Mahrez goal. I’m sure nothing came of that season though.

22 August 1960 – in a meeting held in Rome, England is chosen ahead of West Germany and Spain to host the 1966 World Cup – the tournament that would end with Bobby Moore lifting the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley six years later.

22 August 2007 – Speaking of England, Germany were the last side to defeat England at the old Wembley stadium and on this day in 2007 they became the first to defeat us at the new Wembley. Frank Lampard scored England’s goal in the 2-1 defeat.

To Aveley

Who are they?: Aveley are a pretty familiar face to the Rooks by now, having been floating around the Isthmian Premier since 2021, with a short stay in the National League South inbetween. The Millers were promoted in 2023, and relegated back to Step 3 in 2025, but have been consistent playoff contenders in every season they have been here. The Essex outfit play out of Parkside stadium, a newer ground built for purpose in 2017 and has been home to the Millers as well as former leaguemates Hashtag United.

How do we get there?: There is annoyingly no train station in the town of Aveley, so your best bet is likely going to be Ockendon; from Lewes, you should go to London Victoria, then get the Tube from there to London Fenchurch Street, and then a C2C train to Ockendon. From there, you can either get a taxi or one of the local buses, as walking to the ground is a fair old trek.

What’s around?: Due to Parkside being a newly-built ground, it’s a bit in the middle of nowhere, so there’s not a great deal to see or visit around the area. There are a couple of pubs down the road in the town, namely the Old Ship Inn and the Crown and Anchor, but that’s probably your lot.

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, Danny Maltby
Club Secretary John Peel

CFO Russell Davies
Social Media Team Stan Lahood, Daniel Lloyd, Joe Warsop-Davies, Noah Bercott, Luke Hawkins, Ethan Rawlings, Will Hugall, Sam Coldy

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
Assistant Manager Bryan Nzinga, David Altendorff

First Team Analyst Dan McDonnell
First team Coach Elyon Marshall-Katung
Goalkeeping Coach Sheikh Ceesay
Under-18s Manager Ryan Reid

Golden Rook Rob Read
Web Editor John Peel, Daniel Lloyd

Progcast Editors Stan Lahood, Harvey Lock, Charlie Sundaram

Club Photographer James Boyes