Welcome to The Dripping Pan for this afternoon’s FA Cup First Qualifying Round game versus Cray Wanderers. Here is your complimentary e-programme.

As ever the warmest of welcomes to everyone at the Dripping Pan for both ours and Cray Wanderers introduction to the 2026/27 FA Cup.

Before I get on to the FA Cup must I first reflect back on Mondays game against Eastbourne Borough where I was heartened to see more than 2000 people at the Pan, whilst this game was a local Derby that attracted huge support from both Lewes and Eastbourne, there were close on 1,400 Rooks fans at the game. If we could get this number of Lewes followers to every game it would be transformational to our financial models and this must be our aspiration. Events such as Monday only happen with a huge amount of work from our staff and volunteers who again more than stepped up to the plate and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

Back to the FA Cup, the first FA Cup competition was staged in the 1871/72 season and was won by Wanderers… but not Cray Wanderers who as the oldest London club had been in existence 11 years when the FA Cup competition was first hatched. However despite their grand age Cray Wanderers have never been further than the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup, the Rooks have made it one stage further by reaching the First Round Proper on three occasions. Both teams would be wanting to better these records.

Whilst FIFA, the FA, and the Premier League like to point to how they divert funds to grass roots football and I do not deny that Lewes have benefited from funding grants, the opportunity for many of the teams at our level to boost funding is by progressing as far as possible into the FA cup to pick up prize money that is not budgeted for. Teams at our level have often banked six or even seven figure sums on the back of a good cup run and hopefully Lewes can build on recent form and progress to the next round. Cray of course will be just as eager to progress and therefore we have the potential for a great match.

Come on you Rooks! –Trevor

Good afternoon and welcome back to The Dripping Pan for today’s FA Cup tie against Cray Wanderers. Firstly, I’d like to welcome Tosh, his staff, players and everyone connected with Cray to Lewes. I’d also like to welcome today’s match officials to The Dripping Pan and hope they enjoy the occasion.

There’s always something special about FA Cup weekend. It’s a competition with incredible history and one that every player, manager and supporter wants to be part of for as long as possible. For us, today is about embracing the occasion, putting in a performance and making sure our name is in the hat for the next round. We know we face a strong Cray side who have started the season well and arrive here with confidence. We respect the quality and experience they have within their squad, but our focus has to remain firmly on ourselves and the standards we expect when we step onto this pitch. Cup football is simple, find a way to progress. We’ve spoken a lot recently about consistency. It’s easy to talk about standards when things are going well, but real consistency is producing those standards every week, regardless of the opponent, competition or circumstances. Today is another opportunity to demonstrate that. We need to play with intensity, discipline and bravery. We want to be aggressive without the ball, positive when we have it and compete for every moment. Cup football can be decided by the smallest details, so our concentration and mentality have to be right from the first whistle.

SQUAD UPDATE & LOAN WATCH We head into the game in a good position from a squad perspective. The group is healthy, competition for places remains strong and everyone is pushing each other for a shirt. Away from the first-team group, Omar Abdsami continues his development out on loan. Where he is contributing positively to Hassocks’ campaign, scoring a few goals and assists whilst getting meaningful senior minutes which is important for Omar at this stage, and we’ll continue to follow his performances and progress closely. We can also confirm that Mackenzie Richardson will also be joining Hassocks on loan. Mackenzie is a young player we think highly of, and this move is about giving him the opportunity to play regular senior football. Training with us is important (and he has been outstanding), but there is no substitute for competitive minutes. We believe his time at Hassocks will be another important step in his development, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on him throughout the loan. We wish Mackenzie all the best and look forward to seeing him continue to progress.

BACK TO TODAY Finally, as always, we need you with us. The support at The Dripping Pan can make this an incredibly difficult place for opposition teams to come. On FA Cup days especially, that atmosphere and energy from the terraces can give the players that extra few percent when they need it. Our responsibility is to give you a performance you can get behind. Today there are no league points at stake. There is only one objective: WIN. PROGRESS. BE IN THE HAT. Enjoy the game.

🔴⚫️#UTR🔴⚫️ –Craig Nelson

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.
Ed Cooper – Ed is a young goalkeeper rising through the Sussex football pyramid, and joins as an understudy to Rogers. A tall figure with good ball-playing ability, Cooper is an exciting young goalkeeping prospect.

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.

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.
Ryan Gondoh – A man who Lewes fans will be very familiar with, Gondoh rejoins the Rooks for his second spell with the club after a memorable first stint from 2022-24, where he notched up 14 goals and 13 assists from 49 appearances. A winger who is very capable on either side, Gondoh brings flair, pace, finishing ability to the wide areas of attack, and quickly became a fan favourite in his previous stint in East Sussex.

2026/27 Player Stats

Goals:
2 – Bassett, Spinks, Fisher
1 – Newson, Gondoh

Assists:
2 – Unwin
1 – Bender, Owen, Allen, Garzon

Clean Sheets:
4 – Rogers, Spinks, Bender, Enkh
3 – Mundele
1 – Allen

August Player of the Month voting

Voting is now open for our August Player of the Month. Your nominees this month are:

Alfie Allen – 6P, 1A, 1CS
Noel Fisher – 6P, 2G
Tyrese Owen – 6P, 1A
Josh Spinks – 6P, 2G, 4CS

The voting is open to all supporters, so make your choice on the form below: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe71WyEUWJ7edTv7vYP71qninnEkajNHO9Tr5TRVjKl_JGMJg/viewform?pli=1

Replica Kits avaliable

Our lovely 2026/27 replica shirts from Hope & Glory are now in stock in the club shop; these were first made available during Monday’s fixture against Eastbourne Borough, and we hope to maintain a consistent stock level throughout the season so they always remain in the shop.

Coach Elyon departs

First Team coaching staff member Elyon Marshall-Katung, has departed Lewes FC to explore an exciting opportunity at another club. The Club would like to place on record our thanks to Elyon for his dedication, hard work, and effort during his time with the club, and wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavours. 🔴⚫️🔴⚫️

Cray Wanderers FC

• Cray Wanderers Football Club was founded in 1860 when St. Mary Cray villagers and labourers would have lunchtime kickabouts. The club gained the nickname ‘the Chocolates’ from their chocolate-coloured strip.
• A lack of archival records mean that little is known about the club during their first 20 years, however, in the 1880s newspaper articles began referring to the club as ‘St. Mary Cray’ before switching to the current name ‘Cray Wanderers’, with the first record of the new name being in January 1887.
• The Wands had a spell as a professional club between 1895 and 1907 and were a nursery club to Woolwich Arsenal (now Arsenal FC) during part of this period. In 1894, the Wands became one of the 14 founder-members of the Kent League, along with the likes of Crystal Palace, Woolwich Arsenal, Charlton Athletic and Millwall. Cray Wanderers even won the league title in 1901-02.
• Around this time, Cray changed their club colours from chocolate to their now-familiar amber and black, and after World War One, the club switched to the London League for a spell which lasted until 1934. The club also won the Kent Amateur Cup during this period. They rejoined the Kent League in 1934, but their tenure in the division was cut short when the club lost their Fordcroft ground and were forced to drop to a lower level.
• The 1950s saw a turnaround financially at the club, after 15 years of struggling on and off the pitch, local businessman Mick Slater took over at the helm. The club moved to a new ground in 1955, was elected to rejoin the London League and regained its senior status. From 1955-1966, the Wands competed in the London League before later joining the Aetolian League. During this era, Cray Wanderers were crowned league champions three times, won the League Cup twice and won the Kent Amateur Cup three times.
• The 1970s and 80s were a golden era for Cray Wanderers, winning the Met London League and League Cup in 1974-75 before moving to the London Spartan League and winning that in 1976-77 and 1977-78. Returning to the Kent League in 1978-79 brought more success with the league title rejoining the trophy cabinet in 1980-81 after finishing runners-up the season prior. Back-to-back 5th round and quarter final finishes in the FA Vase were followed by Kent League Cup victory in 1983-84.
• In contrast, the 90s were a rather stale period for the Wands, with little success. However, silverware returned in the early 2000s in the form of back-to-back Kent League titles in 2002-03 and 2003-04 and with this, Cray Wanderers achieved promotion to the Isthmian League Division One. The club were promoted once again in the 2008-09 season, this time to the Isthmian Premier – the highest level of football the club has played at since the Second World War.
• Relegation to the Isthmian Division One North came in 2013-14 after the departure of long-serving manager Ian Jenkins. With consecutive relegations seeming likely in 2014-15, the Wands embarked on a ten-game winning run, securing survival and crowning them Isthmian Division One North team of the year. In 2015-16, the club were led by former Lewes manager Tony Russell. Russell steered the team to a 3rd place finish, losing in the play-off semi-final. The Wands suffered the same fate two years later after finishing 3rd and as top scorers in the league with 112 goals. Cray Wanderers won the newly formed Isthmian South-East division in 2018-19 and returned to the Isthmian Premier for the 2019-20 season.
• Sadly, their first season back in the division was abandoned in March 2020 due to Covid with the Wands sitting 2nd at the time. The following season was also curtailed. Despite this, the club progressed to a record-equalling fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup. After a long relegation battle in 2021-22, the Wands just about avoided the drop, finishing 19th out of 22. The club bounced back very impressively from this poor season with a 5th place finish in 2022-23 before another below-par season in 2023-24 saw them finish in a very disappointing 17th. 2024-25 was Cray Wanderers’ first season at their new stadium, Flamingo Park, ending their 26-year ground share with Bromley FC. A modest 10th was achieved that season.
• The Wands finished 7th last season, 11 points off the play-offs. Despite a middling start to this season, with eight points in their first five games, Cray will be hoping that they can qualify for the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history, and this will be the first step towards doing that.

Alex Hernandez

Last season’s top scorer and runner-up for the overall golden boot, Alex Hernandez, joined Cray Wanderers last summer and netted 21 goals in 38 games last season. The forward already has 3 league goals this season after just five games and will pose a real threat to our Rooks’ back line.

There are a few familiar names in the Wands camp from the past few years; Ola Ogunwamide returns to the Pan for the second time, after lining up against the Rooks for Horsham, after leaving East Sussex for West in 2024. Also amongst the squad is former Rooks striker Shae Hutchinson, who will best be remembered by Lewes fans for his 4-goal blitz against Bracknell Town in the 2024/25 FA Trophy a few years ago, in a match that eventually ended 6-3. Hopefully that was just a one-off and cup football isn’t his specialty. And lastly, amongst the names is midfielder Sammie McLeod, who apparently played four games for the Rooks under Tony Russell in 2022, but I have absolutely no recollection of him.

Date	Competition	Home	Result	Away	Att.
Sat 11 Apr 2026	Isthmian Prem	Cray	3-0	Lewes	512
Sat 6 Sep 2025	Isthmian Prem	Lewes	2-2	Cray	878
Sat 26 Apr 2025	Isthmian Prem	Lewes	4-3	Cray	953
Sat 24 Aug 2024	Isthmian Prem	Cray	1-3	Lewes	565
Sat 6 Jan 2024	Isthmian Prem	Cray	1-1	Lewes	343

The record shows a pretty even match-up between the Rooks and the Wands, with us taking the slight advantage with an extra win. Our last encounter with the London outfit was not a pretty one, with a 3-0 dead rubber away loss at the quite dystopian-looking Flamingo Park, thanks to a brace from danger man Alex Hernandez and a goal from Dan Ajakaiye. Instead of that, let’s reminisce on our last win against the Wands, a 4-3 thriller in what was also a dead rubber game, but more fun. Goals from Jack Meeres, Marcus Sablier, Bobby Unwin, and a belter from Lewes U18 graduate Christo Nano sealed the win for the Rooks on that day.

HOME

Very nice. The Wands have continued on with their unique graffiti-looking trim from last season, with the words ‘London’s Oldest Football Club’ littering the edges of the strip. It’s not something I’ve seen before (except from them last season I suppose), and is a fun way to get a unique design. I also like the yellow and black. 8/10

AWAY

Good heavens. A central badge does not save this; one of the oddest shirts I’ve ever seen. 2/10

5 September

5 September 2015: Lewes travel up to Kent to face the now-defunct VCD Athletic, to play out a 0-0 bore draw in front of a crowd of 121. This fixture has been heralded amongst fans as ‘one of the games of all time’.

5 September 1987: Gillingham smash their own club record for a Football League victory, thrashing Chesterfield 10-0 at Priestfield – remarkably, this comes just a week after the Gills had already beaten Southend United 8-1. It remains Gillingham’s biggest ever league win to this day.

5 September 2014: After a 503 day exile Coventry City finally returned to their home ground, the Ricoh Arena. A row with their landlords had seen them move home to Northampton Town’s Sixfields ground but a 68-mile round trip had seen their attendances nose-dive. The 27,306 Friday night crowd for their homecoming against Gillingham was more than ten times the average for their League matches at Sixfields as Coventry beat The Gills 1-0 in their first match at the Ricoh since 20th April 2013.

To Chatham Town

Who are they?: Chatham are a familiar face in the league at this point, being promoted to the Premier Division in 2022 after storming up the leagues in previous years. The Chats are a well-equipped side, playing out of the lovely Bauvill Stadium and boasting a fair bit of financial backing that has helped them finish in the playoff places multiple times since their promotion. They have been unlucky to not go up again in those playoff campaigns, and will be looking to try again this year, so expect a tough old game when we go to visit.

How do we get there?: This is a very simple Kent job, one we will have to make a few times this seasons for the likes of Ramsgate and Welling. From Lewes, you should go via Haywards Heath to London Bridge, and then a Southeastern train to Chatham station will get you to the town centre. From there, make the long old walk up the road to the Bauvill, or jump on a bus if you can’t be bothered (like me).

What’s around?: There aren’t a great deal of good pubs in Chatham, so I am going to instead recommend the club bar in the Bauvill itself. It is one of the better ones in the league, and is more than adequate for any travelling fans. If you must go to an outside bar, I am going to recommend the Dead Pigeon in nearby Rochester (I think all these Medway towns are basically the same place), purely for its funny name.

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.
The Dripping Pan, Mountfield Road, Lewes, BN7 2XQ

Honorary President Terry Parris
Chair Trevor Wells
Directors Trevor Wells, John Peel, Stan Lahood, Jim Cheek, Ben Hall, Lisa Emery, Danny Maltby, Sinclair Spencer
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