Welcome to The Dripping Pan for this evening’s Isthmian Premier League fixture versus Carshalton Athletic. Here is your complimentary e-programme.

A warm welcome to our guests from Carshalton and everyone at the Pan for the first game of the season under the lights.

After narrow losses on the road to Cray Wanderers and Chatham, games many think we should have won, lets hope we can get back to winning ways tonight and that teams beginning with C don’t have the hoodoo over us. Rooks followers often catch me at games to ask questions about the running of the club and I am more than happy to give answers as far as I can.

The most persistent question since we started the season with new kit designs by Hope and Glory is have we got front of shirt sponsors. I am pleased to confirm that we have now agreed front of shirt sponsorship for both our Mens and Women’s teams and arrangements are underway for getting shirts printed up and for activation events to reveal the sponsors. I will therefore leave you in suspense a little longer before we go public with official launches.

To get these important sponsorships tied up means we have achieved around 80% of our sponsorship budget. But there are still many opportunities for businesses and individuals to gain crucial publicity and support the club by sponsoring anything from a Beach Hut to a player, a pitch side advertising board to a mention on our electronic scoreboard (when we have completed the necessary electronic wizardry to get the thing up and running again). Our new director Danny Maltby is heading up our commercial push so please e-mail him at danny@lewesfc.com to find out more.

Back to tonight’s game which promises to be a close encounter. Carshalton have spent a lot of the season at the top of the table, a place that we held for a few minutes on Saturday. So let’s get behind the Red and the Black.

Come on you Rooks! –Trevor

Good evening and welcome back to The Dripping Pan for tonight’s league fixture against Carshalton Athletic. Welcome to the Carshalton management team, players, staff and supporters to Lewes. I’d also like to welcome tonight’s match officials and hope everyone enjoys the game.

There’s no hiding from the fact that the last week has been a difficult one for us. After dramatically drawing our FA Cup tie with Cray Wanderers here at The Dripping Pan, we travelled to the replay knowing there was an opportunity to progress. To come away with a 1–0 defeat and exit the competition was disappointing. We then went to Chatham at the weekend and put ourselves into an excellent position, leading 2–0 away from home. Ultimately, we didn’t manage the important moments well enough and allowed Chatham back into the game, eventually losing 3–2. Those results hurt. But football doesn’t give you much time to feel sorry for yourself, and nor should it. Tonight gives us an opportunity to respond.

LEARNING FROM THE MOMENTS: We have spoken a lot about consistency this season, and the last couple of games have reinforced exactly why it is so important. Consistency isn’t just about producing good football. It is about concentration, decision-making and maintaining our standards regardless of the scoreline or situation. At 2–0 up, we have to understand what the game requires. When momentum changes, we have to recognise it. When we are under pressure, we have to stay together. And when opportunities come to put games to bed, we have to be ruthless. These are lessons we have to learn quickly if we want to become the team we believe we can be. That responsibility belongs to all of us, players and staff.

TONIGHT’S RESPONSE: Carshalton will provide another difficult test and we know the quality they possess, but our focus tonight has to be firmly on ourselves. I want to see personality. I want to see bravery. I want to see intensity. Most importantly, I want to see a group that responds together. Setbacks are part of football. You don’t get to choose when they happen, but you do get to choose how you react to them. We have an opportunity tonight, in front of our own supporters, to show exactly what this group is about. OUR HOME. OUR RESPONSIBILITY. The Dripping Pan has to be somewhere we take enormous pride in representing. We need to play on the front foot, compete for everything and give our supporters a performance they can connect with. And we will need you tonight. There will be moments when things go our way and moments when they don’t. That is when the connection between the pitch and the terraces becomes even more important. Stay with the players. Make your voices heard. Help us make this place uncomfortable for the opposition. We have taken two difficult results. We accept them. We learn from them. But we don’t allow them to define us. Tonight is about the response. Together.

🔴⚫️#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 (Sponsored by Thomas & Richard Scrivener) – 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.
Harry Mills – Harry joins us from National League South outfit Walton & Hersham, where he previously helped the side in their quick rise up the leagues. Mills is a well-built strong centre-half also capable of playing off the right, and will provide plenty of competition in the back line.

Midfielders

Alfie Allen (Sponsored by Underdog Podcasts) – 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 (Sponsored by Trevor Norwood) – 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 (Sponsored by Susie Artlett) – 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:
4 – Walker
2 – Bassett, Spinks, Fisher
1 – Newson, Gondoh

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

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

Allen wins POTM

Industrious midfielder Alfie Allen has won the supporter’s player of the month award for August, after his excellent performances throughout the opening month. His highlight of the month was a superb individual performance against Aveley, notching an assist and keeping a clean sheet while deputising at right-back in a 2-0 win. Well done, Alfie!

Harry Mills signs

The Club are delighted to announce the signing of Harry Mills. Harry made his debut in last weekend’s fixture against Chatham Town, coming in to replace Tom Bender at centre-half. Harry joins the Rooks after previously lining up for Walton & Hersham, and is a strong, aerially capable defender who is also comfortable on the ball, and can slot in either in central defence or on the right flank. Everyone at The Club welcome Harry and wish him the best.

Cup Draws

The Rooks have found out our first opponents in two cup competitions this week; in the FA Trophy, we will travel to Southern League Premier table-toppers Uxbridge FC on Saturday 26 September, and in the Sussex Senior Cup, we will travel to Crowborough Athletic, in a game to be played on or before Wednesday 9 October. We hope to see you there!

Carshalton Athletic FC

• Carshalton Athletic Football Club, nicknamed ‘the Robins’, is dated back to the formation of Mill Lane Mission in 1905. The club merged with Carshalton St Andrews, a club formed by the vicar of St Andrews, in 1908 – with a name change to Carshalton FC.
• Carshalton moved into their current home in Colston Avenue following the reformation of the club in March 1919 after the conclusion of the First World War. The ground was built as a memorial to the members of the club that who lost their lives in the war.
• The Robins were elected to join the Corinthian League for the 1946-47 season. After a few below-par years, in the early 1950s Carshalton began to see progress. The Robins won the 1952-53 Corinthian League title; this was followed by a second successive Corinthian League triumph.
• In the summer of 1956, Carshalton transferred to the Athenian League following an impressive decade in the Corinthian League. The next 17 years were spent searching for success in the Athenian League with it never quite materialising. The club’s best finish during this time was 3rd place in 1963-64, but this was more than cancelled out by their two rock bottom finishes. There were some quality-of-life improvements, however, with the club installing floodlights in 1967.
• Carshalton Athletic were chosen to become founder members of the newly formed Isthmian League Division Two. After a slow start to the division, their third season was very impressive, finishing 3rd place, narrowly missing out on promotion. 1976-77 was the Robins’ year. A runners-up finish in the league won them promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division and they also lifted the Surrey Senior Shield.
• The next decade was a torrid time for the club on and off the pitch. On it, they didn’t finish in the top half until the late 1980s. Off it, the organisation of the ownership and running of the club underwent a major upheaval. During this period, the club burned through eight managers before the appointment of Billy Smith began to see results. During Smith’s nine-year tenure at Carshalton, they qualified for the FA Challenge Cup First Round Proper, won the Surrey Senior Cup on three occasions and made the final five times. New manager Gary Kilby led the Robins to the FA Cup First Round Proper in 1997-98, in which they lost to Stevenage Borough after a replay.
• The club suffered financially in 2000 with ownership changing hands twice, the clubhouse being destroyed in an arson attack and Sutton Council threatening to evict the club for breaching their lease. This resulted in a poor season in which Carshalton were relegated to Division One. Two years later, the Robins won the newly renamed Division One South title – gaining promotion back up to the Premier Division. A 7th place finish in the following season resulted in Carshalton qualifying for the new Conference South.
• The club managed to retain their place in the Conference South in their first season. However, they were unable to build on this and were relegated back to the Isthmian Premier in their centenary season.
• In 2008, with the club technically insolvent with large tax bills that they couldn’t pay, Carshalton was bought by local businessman Paul Dipre. Dipre paid off significant tax bills and set out a clear 10-year plan to develop the club from the bottom up. The first full season under the ownership of Dipre was a very successful one, finishing in 4th place, qualifying for the play-offs. They defeated Tonbridge Angels in the Semi-final and would face Staines Town in the final. Jubilation turned into despair as the Robins’ 85th minute penalty at 0-0 was saved and Scott Taylor scored an extra-time winner for Staines.
• In 2013, Carshalton won the UEFA silver award for best grassroots club in Europe. Unfortunately, the 2012-13 season didn’t go as they’d hoped with a 21st place finish that ordinarily would have seen the club relegated; however, they were saved by a point deduction for Thurrock, knocking them below the Robins. This didn’t delay their relegation for very long, as Carshalton went down the following season.
• Carshalton were promoted back up to the Premier Division in the 2017-18 season after winning the Isthmian South. The Robins enjoyed a long winning run in the second half of their first season back in the division, and with a hardly changed team from the one that won them promotion the previous season, Carshalton finished runners-up and thus qualified for the play-offs. Unfortunately, they lost their semi-final match to Merstham FC and would have to settle for another season in the Isthmian Premier.
• The 2019-20 season was curtailed due to the Covid pandemic while the club was comfortably in the play-off places. This was repeated the following season with abandonment happening with them in the play-off places. The four seasons following Covid were worse for Carshalton with them finishing 12th, 12th, 11th and 7th respectively.
• Chairman Paul Dipre announced at the start of the 2019-20 season that the club’s goal was to reach the National League by 2025; this has of course not been achieved, however, had it not been for Covid it may well have happened.
• Last season, the Robins performed very poorly, finishing in 18th place, far below what the fans and the ownership expected. However, they have started this season far better and Carshalton currently sit in 3rd place after a fast start to the season. This will be a tough test for the Rooks.

Nathan Young-Coombes

Nathan Young-Coombes joined Carshalton Athletic in March of this year and has already shone for the Robins. His five goals in nine appearances last season helped the club narrowly avoid relegation. Young-Coombes started his professional career at Brentford FC and even managed a Premier League appearance, coming off the bench in the 87th minute of a 3-0 win against Southampton. The forward has already scored four league goals this season, which puts him joint third in the top scorers list.

As always, there are a couple of Ex-Rooks in the Robins lineup, with a few notable ones from the past few seasons. The first name that sticks out is Tolu Ladapo, with the Carshalton winger lining up for the Rooks in 2024/25, notching up 8 assists and 3 goals for us that season. One of his teammates that season has linked up with the Robins also, as defender Ethan Kaiser joined the London outfit this summer; Kaiser will be best remembered for his partnership with Jerry Puemo in the Lewes back line that kept 9 clean sheets in 24/25. The final Ex-Lewes player in the Robins’ squad is midfielder Jordan Maguire-Drew, who made 6 appearances for us last season.

Date	Competition	Home	Result	Away	Att.
Tue 11 Nov 2025	Isthmian Prem	Lewes	2-3	Carsh.	467
Mon 11 Aug 2025	Isthmian Prem	Carsh.	1-2	Lewes	541
Fri 18 Apr 2025	Isthmian Prem	Lewes	1-3	Carsh.	1204
Sat 7 Sep 2024	Isthmian Prem	Carsh.	0-0	Lewes	637
Tue 30 Jan 2024	Isthmian Prem	Lewes	1-3	Carsh.	455

I weirdly don’t remember us having a bad record against the Robins, but the table never lies, and it shows a few defeats in our last five. The most recent game against the South London side was last November, where despite a brace from Ryan Bernal, we couldn’t hang on and former Lewes boy Tolu Ladapo put the dagger in and nicked a winning goal at the Pan.

HOME

Pretty standard, but nice. The Robins have always had pretty similar home strips, going for the simple red and white of the club, but this season they’ve given it a bit of texture. Can’t say I dislike it at all, and the club crest looks nice on it, but nothing superb. 6/10

AWAY

For the first time, I cannot find a single picture of the Robins’ away strip for this season; they’ve not worn it at all yet this campaign, so social media is giving me nothing, and the website I get the kit scans from hasn’t got it either. I’ve been told it’s a sky blue version of their home shirt, which is probably fine but nothing special, so instead of rating that I will remind you of their absolutely horrendous away kit from last season, which surely this must be an improvement on. Awful that.

15 September

15 September 2018: Manchester City begin a Premier League record run of six consecutive clean sheets, a defensive streak (which ran through to late October) that underlined the platform behind Pep Guardiola’s back-to-back title-winning sides of that era.

15 September 2018: Elsewhere, Lewes are held to a 2-2 draw with Enfield Town in the Bostik Premier, with a quickfire double from Billy Bricknell cancelling out goals from Charlie Coppola and Jonte Smith at the Pan.

15 September 1998: English clubs return to Europe’s top competition in earnest as the newly-expanded UEFA Champions League group stage kicks off, with Manchester United beginning the campaign that would end in their historic Treble-winning triumph at the Camp Nou the following May by drawing 3-3 with Barcelona at Old Trafford.

15 September 2023: Lewes travel up to Ascot United in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup, where a Chris Whelpdale brace helped the Rooks through to the next round. Remember what it was like to win a cup game?

To Cheshunt

Who are they?: Cheshunt are based in Hertfordshire, just over the M25 separating them from London, and play at Theobalds Lane. the Ambers have been flirting with relegation for the past couple of years, but have had high highs in recent times as well, winning the playoffs in 22/23 to earn a season in the Conference South.

How do we get there?: The Ambers are a bit out of the way if you’re going by train; the best way is to go to London Bridge via Haywards Heath, then walk to Liverpool Street from there, and then get on the Overground to Theobalds Grove station. It should be noted that you should NOT go to Cheshunt station itself, as this is quite a bit further away from the ground than Theobalds Grove.

What’s around?: There are a couple of pubs near Theobalds Lane that may take your fancy; the main two being The Coach and Horses to the North of the train station, and The Wheatsheaf to the South of it. I’ve never been to either so I unfortunately can’t tell you much more about them beyond that.

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