In just 24 hours I would be walking along Santa Monica Pier in SoCal as us surfers know it, the sunshine on my face and the sand between my toes.  You can’t beat a bit of winter sunshine to recharge the batteries after Christmas.  And as if I needed any more incentive to go I had the promise of a date with the not too shabby Natalia Velez to look forward to.

But first I had a date with one of Essex’s finest – Canvey Island who were visiting the Dripping Pan for an early doors game against The Rooks.  Early doors because of Brighton’s cup game versus Newcastle United just down the road at 5.15pm.  Thanks to the Ryman League seeing sense, and the Essex side happy to leave Lakeside an hour earlier than normal, Lewes stood a chance of a decent crowd.  We littered the Toon websites, forums and Twitter feeds with invites and promises of pints of Dog, Jimmy Nail look-a-likes and Lewes wearing a special one-off black and white striped shirt just for the day.  Not strictly true but  would they really notice after tucking into a few pints of Harveys?

Our cause had been helped no end by the efforts of the Guardian’s sports team who plugged the game via their Fiver email, eulogising that :-

“At this quaint little ground, you’ll be allowed to stand up, smoke your gills out, watch entertaining Brazil-circa-1970 style football, eat delicious modestly priced organic burgers and lorry back refreshing pints of the local brew Harveys all at the same time”

Thanks to some opportunist sales techniques that would have shamed a time-share salesperson in the Canary Islands I had managed to convince The Guardian’s Barry Glendenning as an owner a few weeks ago.  Yes, he had been worse for wear; Yes, he was distracted by Sarah Hot Scores and yes I may have told him that by being an owner he was entitled to certain perks that weren’t strictly true, but Pressganging is not illegal (I think) in the 21st century.  One man’s Richard Branson is another man’s Asil Nadir. Barry was making his first visit to the Pan and we were determined to make his visit a special one.  After all, since he thrust the £30 in my top pocket back in December, “our” team had won three, drawn four and lost four as well as seeing the manager depart.  Investments can go up and well as down as I reminded him when he asked for a refund.

Canvey Island, the Gulls, the pride of Park Lane.  Lewes had already beaten the Islanders earlier in the season and what they could do with a moral boosting win today.  Performances had been good, but a lack of goals was becoming a real worry.  Five goals in the last six wasn’t a fair return for the effort, but add on the fact that three had come from penalties and you see the issue.  Last Saturday the team lost 5-1 at Margate.  Lewes shots 8, Margate shots 8.  On Wednesday night the woodwork and a bobble in the six yards area stopped two certain goals.  Today there was to be no excuse.  It was win or bust….well not exactly that traumatic but we are hyping this up for the Guardian remember?

This was my third trip to Lewes in just four days after the Sussex Senior Cup match on Wednesday and then the Fans Forum on Thursday where we had batted away all questions fired at us from the fans.  Now was the time for us to live up to our promise of Barcelona-esque football.

Lewes 1 Canvey Island 2 – The Dripping Pan – Saturday 28th January 2012
“You will win nothing with kids” One of the most famous understatements uttered by a pundit.  Alan Hansen may have had to eat his words back when Sir Alex Ferguson blooded the likes of Scholes, Beckham and Giggs at Villa Park in August 1995, but since then how right he has been.  Lewes today were forced to field a very young team as injuries ravaged Simon Wormull’s squad.  The manager himself was even forced to play himself for the final thirty minutes, turning back the years with some of his visionary passing.

I can only imagine the mood in the Wormull house when the sick notes arrived this morning.  Kamara – hip injury.  Robinson – hamstring.  Hamilton – foot.  Hustwick – neck strain.  These four are the Lewes back four. Any club would struggle to cope with such a situation.  A major reshuffle saw Charlie Leech and Jack Phillips in the starting line up as well as new signing Jack Walder in the centre of midfield.

One good bit of news was that the Rooks had ditched the white shorts – going down the full Rosseneri look of red and black – Canvey opting for Crystal Palace away circa 1989.  It was the yellows who started the stronger of the two and thankfully keeper Rikki Banks was in good form.  With Lewes’s recent goals coming from the boot of Paul Booth it didn’t take a brave man (me) to predict he would be the first goalscorer, although Eddie Freemantle refused to take my tenner, reminding me that as a Director I was not able to place a bet on my team.  Sure enough, a minute later Paul Booth rose and headed home a Nanetti cross to put the Rooks one nil up.

The second half saw Canvey well on top and it was no surprise when Jason Hallett scored in the 51st minute.  We weren’t used to conceding a goal before the 90th minute so the crowd were stunned into silence.  Everyone was confused.  What to do?  Well, how about the player/manager bringing himself on…Wormull stripped off and within a minute had played a trademark cross field pass to Nanetti. Every touch was greeted with a cheer.  Could he win us the game and roll back the years?

Alas no.  Canvey got stronger as the game wore on and with twenty minutes to go Bradley Woods-Garness smacked a loose ball home to give the Essexmen the three points.  The thirty or so Canvey fans went home happy, having enjoyed their day out in the sunshine whilst the Rooks fans had to scratch their heads wondering what the team had to do to get that break and three points.

With the rain out of the way it was time to prepare for the Rainbow.  Natalia Velez was sure to ask about the result.  Don’t worry – I will take this one for the team.  Until I return I bid you a fond farewell.

However, all was not lost.  The Rooks had to chance to show their “bouncebackability” with another home cup tie.  And not just any old cup tie.  One against Eastbourne Borough, sworn enemies, deadly rivals and pretenders to the title “Best Non League team in Sussex”.

The Sussex Senior Cup is a strange competition.  The bigger clubs (i.e Crawley Town and Brighton & Hove Albion) rarely take it seriously, yet every year it is the same story.  The former seem to be eliminated early, the latter in for the duration despite fielding essentially a reserve team.  Last season Lewes lost in the quarter finals at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, thus denying themselves the chance to reach the final, which was played at The Amex.  This year, wins over Wick and East Grinstead had sent up a mouth-watering tie with Eastbourne Borough.  The winners would join Crawley Down, Whitehawk and the winner of the BHA v Bognor Regis Town game in the draw for the semi-final.

Brighton & Hove Albion had reached the final of the last five competitions, winning four. In fact it was Lewes who were the last team to break this run back in 2006 when they beat Horsham.

Lewes hadn’t met Eastbourne Borough since New Year’s Day in 2009 when they met in the Conference Premier.  Both teams had been promoted from the Blue Square South the previous season – Lewes as winners and Boro via the play offs.  Those two games over the Christmas period had attracted near 5,000 fans.  How both would love half of that now.

The clubs have lived almost parallel lives in the past season.  Both were relegated last year – Eastbourne Borough from the Blue Square Bet Premier, and Lewes from the South division.  More recently both had become manager-less as Eastbourne decided to part company with their management team who in part had been at the helm for over a decade.  But whatever the circumstances both sets of fans wanted to get one over on the “old enemy”.

We were expecting a decent crowd.  Obviously this was a “minor” cup competition in the eyes of many fans and we would normally only expect a few hundred.  However, the draw of the derby-day atmosphere was certain to bring a few more through the gate.  But perhaps the real compelling event would be the lure of the Lewes burger.  Last week The Guardian Food and Drink supplement no less had spoken about the Lewes Organic burger being “the best fast food he has come across so far. The club spends more on its chefs that it does on players”- The Guardian Food and Drink – 18th January 2012

Lewes 1 Eastbourne Borough 2 – The Dripping Pan – Wednesday 25th January 2012
For 94 minutes this was a classic cup tie full of passion (on and off the pitch), hard tackles, goal mouth incidents and a decent atmosphere created by 637 fans.  And then, the curse of the Dripping Pan struck again.  Just as we had seen so many times (in fact twice already in January) we concede a late goal.  Not quite a Horsham late goal, but still deep into injury time.  Unlike the Horsham game this one was the knock-out box.  With the game poised to enter Extra Time, Eastbourne Borough took all of the spoils and dumped Lewes on their backsides and out of the Sussex Senior Cup.

Pre-match had been a juggling act for new boss Simon Wormull.  I arrived at the group at 4pm to find him busy on his phone trying to work out the formation.  With our only goal keeping option, Rikki Banks, on loan from Eastbourne Borough and thus not able to play, he had managed to pull in a young Polish keeper to make his debut (Pawel would later dislocate his finger in the warm up, yet in true British Bulldog spirit simply taped it up and carried on playing).  He brought in a number of the impressive youth team players and leading from the front, named himself on the bench. The spirit of the team of 2008 was not yet dead.

The opening exchanges were fast and frantic.  Eastbourne had the better of the opening exchanges but then the Lewes midfield got hold of the ball, and Mel Kamara started powering forward from midfield.  In a space of a few first half minutes Michael Malcolm showed that when luck is not on your side, nothing rolls for you.  First he powered a header against the inside of the post, with the Eastbourne keeper stranded and then he saw his goal-bound toe poke trickle slowly towards an unguarded net only for it to be cleared by a last gasp sliding tackle.  Half time – all square in love and war.

The Eastbourne fans had come in good voice, although some of them had obviously brought the “Football Fans song book from Green Street” with some of their chanting.  Chaps – it’s a Sussex Senior Cup game not Millwall v West Ham.  A chant of “No one likes us” made me chuckle as I recalled an away game back in April 2009 when they played at Altrincham which I saw where the home fans all clapped the 13 supporters who had made the trip on a cold Tuesday night – see someone does love you!

Ten minutes into the second period Eastbourne took the lead when a misjudged throw from the Lewes keeper fell straight at the feet of Matt Crabb and he sent the ball back over his head into the net.  Lewes doubled their efforts with the impressive Harding always looking dangerous and Malcolm seeing efforts blocked by last gasp defending.  Finally Lewes got their reward when Nanetti was brought down by the Eastbourne keeper Masters.  With no covering defender and Nanetti not going away from goal it was bizarre that the referee (interestingly sharing the same unusual surname as an Eastbourne player) did not even book the keeper.  Good job Hansen et al didn’t see it as we would still be discussing it now.  Booth stepped up and dispatched the millionth penalty of the season for Lewes and it was game on.  

We were in for a frantic final period with both teams having chances but failing to really test the keeper.  Four minutes of injury time were announced, and with the clock showing 93:47 Ciardini’s sliced clearance fell to Ben Watson who thumped the ball home.

Lewes can feel hard done by to lose so late on, but in these games there always has to be a winner.  This was one of the best performances of the season without a doubt and with more luck the scoreline would have been more favourable.  But that is football.  This is a team in transition and most of the fans appreciated the spirit, effort and hard work of the players as they made their way off the pitch.  The Sussex Senior Cup will just have to wait another season.

It is amazing to think that clubs were average attendances sometimes barely break 2,000 can muster ten or twenty times that when there is a cup final in the offing.  Take the example of last season’s FA Trophy Final.  Darlington played local rivals Mansfield Town at Wembley Stadium.  The attendance?  24,668 which was less than in previous years.  Nearly 15,000 had come down the M1 from Nottinghamshire for their first appearance at Wembley Stadium.  Yet in the fixtures between the two sides earlier in the season the crowds had been 2,234 and 1,614 respectively.

Or who can forget the site of Luton Town legend Mick (friend of The Ball is Round) Harford holding aloft the Johnstone Paints Trophy at Wembley Stadium in April 2009?  The Hatters were about to be demoted from the Football League thanks to the ridiculous 30 point penalty levied on them by the authorities yet nearly 40,000 fans had made the short hop down from Bedfordshire for the game.  40,000 is quite a difference to the average 6,019 who attended games at Kenilworth Road during the season.

The magic of the cup eh!

Lewes are another side starved of cup final glory.  Our Wembley aspirations this season were firmly shut by Bonfire night thanks to away defeats to lower league Chertsey Town in the FA Cup and Harlow Town in the FA Trophy.  Our last cup final was many-a-year ago in the Sussex Senior Cup (in 2006 to be precise) so like most fans at this level, The Rooks feel they deserve a chance to dust down the Rosettes and the tin-foil replica’s of the trophy.

Despite the early exits in the two FA competitions we had made steady progress in the other two cups available to us.  In the Sussex Senior Cup victories over Wick and East Grinstead have set up a mouth-watering local derby next week with Eastbourne Borough but first up was the quarter final of the Ryman League cup against AFC Sudbury.

The competition, which had been renamed the Alan Boon Trophy in honour of the ex-Staines Town chairman who had done so much for Non League football had proved to be incredibly competitive this season.  Lewes had overcome Crawley Down and Folkstone Invicta in the early rounds before being drawn away to Met Police in December.  A hard fought 2-1 victory put the Rooks in the last eight of the competition and fortunately avoided a long away trip (also in the draw was Lowestoft Town and Bury Town – both 3 hour plus away trips).  Instead a home tie against Ryman League North AFC Sudbury was our reward.

That is not to take anything away from the Suffolk club.  We visited them last season, thoroughly enjoying the afternoon in the sunshine at their smart King’s Marsh ground.  They have tasted success before as a non-league side, reaching three consecutive FA Vase finals.  Alas it was in the period when Wembley was being rebuilt and so they cannot wear the “I’ve played at Wembley” badge.

After the impressive turn out on Saturday for the visit of Kingstonian it would be interesting to see how many would be back for this match.  Cheap admission (just £5 for the 700+ Lewes Members), warmer weather (a balmy 13 degrees forecast for East Sussex), the lure of a cup semi-final appearance and the second game of Simon Wormull’s temporary stewardship of the team.  All valid reasons for people to get on down to the Pan for this one to see if Lewes could join Lowestoft Town and Bury Town in the semi-final draw and be just one step away from the final at Staines Town’s Wheatsheaf Park.

This really was a journey and a half on a wet and misty evening for the visitors and it was no surprise that we received notice from them that they were delayed north of the river.  As time ticked on the referee instructed the Sudbury players to be “changed and ready for action” by the time they arrived at the Pan, which they duly did around 7.45pm.  A quick warm up on the pitch and it was time for the fate of the two teams to be decided.

Lewes 1 AFC Sudbury 1 – The Dripping Pan – Wednesday 18th January 2012
As a neutral penalty shoot outs are the best invention ever.  As a fan who is watching one unfold in front of you it is a completely different affair.  Every time a player comes up to take one you feel yourself trying to get into their head, trying to work out what they will do.  At 10.08pm last night when, after eleven spot kicks, Lewes keeper Rikki Banks dived low to his left and pushed the ball out we could all breathe a sigh of relief.  This extended torture was not in the script.

The game had started with both teams playing some decent football.  Sudbury surprised the home fans with their expansive play and created the first real chances of the game which Banks had to be alive to.  Lewes rarely threatened the Sudbury keeper in the first half an hour, and what balls were pumped into the box were easily handled by their keeper.  Michael Malcolm saw his toe poke past the keeper roll agonizingly for the Lewes fans towards the goal but then hitting the post and falling to safety.

However, as if to remind the Lewes fans standing on The Jungle that football can be a fickle master, Sudbury then went and took the lead when Robbie Martin’s “lofted” shot flew over Bank’s head.  This was not in the script.  Fortunately the lead only lasted ten minutes as Matt Somner powered in a near post header from a Nanetti cross to level the scores.

I don’t think any neutrals or Sudbury fans could say that the second half wasn’t one way traffic as Lewes pounded the visitors goal.  The Rooks had three shouts for penalties which 99% of officials would have given (well, two of them anyway – the third appeared to have been committed inside the area but he gave it outside) and Malcolm, Booth and youngster Howell all went incredibly close.

With five minutes to go we had a horrible thought – “Does Simon Wormull know if the game finished all square it goes straight to penalties?”. ClubSec Kev was dispatched to the bench to find out – fortunately he knew which was handy as at just on 10pm the referee blew full time and the game would be decided by spot kicks.

I could describe them all in glorious detail, but instead Lewes owner Matt Holland filmed all of the tension on his trusty iPhone where I can be seen in the foreground as calm as anything (in front of Big Deaksy, who is the big chap in front of camera).
watch?v=IQ-_zq9swAg

There always has to be a winner and a loser in penalties, and whilst we commiserate our visitors, our attentions now turn to the draw for the semi-finals and the hope we avoid long away trips to Bury Town and Lowestoft Town.

The magic of the cup is still alive and well in East Sussex.

Postscript: Just as the game was starting, the club announced that manager Steve King had left after a mutual consent agreement had been reached.

For those of you who are new to The Ball is Round you will have never come across Football Jo.  A few years ago she used to accompany me around the world to watch football.  But then she decided she really did need a boyfriend.  In the past she had a “love my football and love me” motto.  She has her own house, own car, own extensive porn collection and own teeth.  But some men couldn’t hack her commitment to the beautiful game.  So she compromised and stopped coming to strange overseas locations to watch bizarre games.  But it didn’t last and she rang me two weeks ago asking when she could come down to Lewes.  She was single again and thus she wanted to get back into football.  And what better place than The Dripping Pan.

Today’s visitors were Kingstonain, complete with Martin Tyler as their assistant manager.  Yep, THAT Martin Tyler.  One can only speculate if he commentated on the game from the bench in the same style he does for Sky Sports.

This was another Lewes game that was due to clash with Brighton.  Previous clashes had seen average gates of less than 600 and on a chilly afternoon a crowd of around that would be a good turn out.

Lewes 1 Kingstonian 1 – The Dripping Pan – Saturday 14th January 2012
It was Horsham all over again.  Lewes ended up conceding a late equaliser in a game that they should have put to bed before half time.  At least this week we didn’t see any silly antics when Lewes were awarded a first half penalty as Paul Booth took one look at the bench and Simon Wormull’s nod said it all.

Lewes started in third gear, racing forward and using the width of Nanetti and Ciardini from the first few minutes. However, it was the visitors who had the best early chance when Duff blasted over from close range.  Lewes responded, Harding danced into the area and was brought down.  Harsh?  Well, compared to one that wasn’t given later on then I would say so.  Booth stepped up and made no mistake from the spot for his tenth goal of the season.

Half way through the first period the linesman called the referee over.  A heated debate took place on the touchline with the Kingstonian bench, the result of which was the K’s manager was sent off.  In a day and age where any language seems to be acceptable on a football pitch it must have been something very bad for the red card.

Half time and to feed my hunger I queued for a burger.  ”Cheese burger please” I asked…”Chedder, Stilton or Burger Cheese?”  I can honestly say I have never been offered Stilton on a burger at a football game and it was tops.  If that is not enough to put another few hundred on the gate I don’t know what ever will.

The second half saw Kingstonian come back into the game and test Rikki Banks.  Lewes had a great shout for a penalty when Nanetti was hauled down but the referee instead chose to book the Italian for diving.  A big let off for the visitors and they made The Rooks pay.  First Banks pulled off the “save of the season” from Simon Huckle.  But the 711 in the ground could feel a K’s goal coming and with ten minutes to go Duff skipped around the normally solid Hustwick and he beat Rikki Banks to give Kingstonian a deserved equaliser.

A draw wasn’t the tonic we were looking for after a difficult week but results elsewhere still kept the Rooks in 4th place.  The cold wasn’t enough to keep away the fans and even Football Jo loved it, although that was perhaps she fell in lust with a certain little Italian with magic feet.  Here we go again.

The reasons for this were plentiful.  A local derby against one of Lewes’s oldest rivals, and one just 30 minutes away by car was always going to attract a large crowd.  Coupled with Brighton’s “local” game versus Southampton at 3pm, the fact that Lewes has become the place to “park and ride” for the Amex, as well as the local licencing laws meaning the pubs couldn’t open until midday anyway.  Finally,  Plumpton racecourse was hosting the Sussex Grand National no less (Many thanks to Eddie The Shoe for the tip on Double Dizzy) so a few of the crowd may be planning to head up to the estate of Lord Plumpton and lay a bet or two and keep him in fine wines and cigars for another year. So we (the board) voted overwhelmingly to move the game.

Every fan at this level matters. The average league attendance at The Pan this season is 599, the second best in the league behind Lowestoft Town.  But on the two occasions when the game has directly clashed with Brighton, the attendance has on average been 521. Per game, we see £11.54 spent per paying fan so that 78 difference costs us around £900.  For a small club that is quite a bit of cash.  So by moving the game to an earlier kick off not only will we not lose those 78 fans, and their £900 but we may also gain a few “early doors” Brighton fans (in theory).  And if we can get 100 of them then we will see another £780.  Grown up thinking?  We will see.

The world of watching Lewes for me changed on the 27th October when I joined the board.  I now feel the pain of every ball that is hoofed out of the ground, every player that goes down holding his leg and every Golden Goal ticket left unsold.  Such is the community spirit now within the club that there is a regular sweepstake among the Lewes Lunatic Fringe not only on the final score, but also the crowd.  Anything that starts with a 5 normally produced a frown, a 4 is a wince and a 6 or above a smile.

Today was going to be interesting though.  With a number of pubs in the area also not open until 12pm the Rook Inn could be the social hub of the town.  It would also mean I got to see my mate Hugo Langton.  One of the nicest people you could ever want to meet, I first met Hugo a year ago (well, 364 days ago) when he was a coach at Thamesmead Town.  He then joined Horsham in the same capacity in the summer and then in the Autumn stepped into the hot seat. Despite all of his efforts, Horsham are still rock bottom of the league and came into the game on the back of seven consecutive league defeats.  What odds would you get on a away win today?  Could they do a Blackburn and upset the form book?

Lewes 1 Horsham 1 – The Dripping Pan – Monday 2nd January 2011
With all three additional minutes played in this game, Lewes were wasting time in the corner, happy that a 1-0 win would take us closer to Billericay at the top of the league.  Twenty seconds our Bank Holiday world had been turned upside down as the visitors broke and scored with literally the last kick of the game.  Fair?  Well, actually to some extent, yes.

By 11.30am there was a good five hundred in the Dripping Pan, and our initial pessimistic view of a crowd of 600 looked wide of the mark.  The “Brighton factor” or more likely Danny Last’s networking, had pulled in a number of early doors Seagulls fans, resplendent in their candy striped shirts.  Extra hands were being employed in the Rook Inn and in Maria’s kitchen where Venison pasties were on the menu (They didn’t sell very well according to Mr Freemantle because they were too deer!).  The sun was shining, the beer was flowing and people were loving the early start.  What could go wrong?

Horsham’s fans had turned up in big numbers, complete with big flags.  They didn’t let up their support for their team throughout the 94 minutes, despite their team’s wretched form, and it was the visitors who had the better of the opening exchanges.  In fact if it wasn’t for the reflexes of Rikki Banks they would have been a couple of goals to the good within the first half an hour.

With such excellent weather I decided to climb to the top of the mound outside the ground to get a different perspective on things.  The mound was made, apparently, from the earth moved from the site of the Dripping Pan and commands fantastic views over the ground to the South Downs as well as Lewes Castle to the North.  Within minutes Lewes took the lead.  Nanetti crossed and the every impressive Harry Harding smashed the ball home.

As I cheered from my lofty position I saw a flash of green out of the corner of my eye.  I turned my head quickly to the side, but saw nothing.  Then again, but from the other side of the mound.  I must have been seeing things, with Northern Rachael’s punch from New Year’s Eve now taking on hallucinogenic properties.  But no – straight ahead of me panting as he climbed the final few steps was a man (I think) dressed as the Green Hornet, complete with mask and yellow gloves with flashes on.  He was followed by a man (again I think) with a blue full body suit on.  They looked at me, I looked at them and then they turned, pulled out a video camera and started shooting a make-believe super hero action scene.  Two’s company, three’s a crowd so I left…

The second half saw Lewes more comfortable on the ball. Nanetti was again teasing and tormenting the full back into mistakes, and it was inevitable he would be booked for one foul too many. However, it was a surprise that it remained 1-0 until the 72nd minute when Horsham’s Hunter, who had just saved his team with a great stop, brought down Harding in the area.

It became obvious that with first choice (Ciardini) and second choice (Booth) penalty takers on the bench, no instructions had been given to the team.  Queue a farcical scene of bickering between a group of players before rock, scissors, stone decided that Albert Jarrett would take the kick. It wasn’t the worst spot kick you will ever see but Hunter dived and parried it away.

Time ticked down and Lewes seemed happy to hang on for a 1-0 win.  But then with time up Horsham broke and the ball fell to Kedze on the edge of the box and his shot beat Banks and rippled the net.  A collective sigh went up from the crowd at one end, ecstatic cheers at the other as the form book had indeed been upset again.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom though.  The official attendance of 1,005 beat our most optimistic expectations, and was over 400 higher than our average.  If all of them spent their £11.54 it would have been a very successful financial decision to move the kick off.  Time will tell but for now we just had to be content with a point and our place in the top four.

More pictures from the afternoon can be found here.

This was no ordinary midweek game for Lewes. Well actually it was.  Let’s start again.  This was no ordinary midweek game for the Lewes away fans. It would be the first time that the Danish fan club would be seeing The Rooks.  In theory the fan club, formed back in July 2009 numbers over 60.  In practice making everyone in my Copenhagen office watch a Powerpoint once a month of the highlights of Lewes’s games probably didn’t endear many of them, and I think that one or two of them may have been responsible for grassing me up for importing Marmite and thus putting in place the ban as retribution.

So six weeks after I returned to the UK here I was taking a small group of them on the tube to watch Lewes play. Apparently they had been a small core of fans who missed their monthly slices of life in the English non leagues and so they used some excuse to wangle some time in the London office.  They may say it was co-incidence as they said they were really here to get up close and personal to The Shard, which is already Britain’s finest erection.

And also making his debut was my Partner in Carlsberg infused Crime Ben, aka Excession1, who used to live just a stones throw from The Hub and had managed to repair his relationship to the lovely Christina since I had come home.  Despite being a Spurs fan, he did know a thing or two about football and purred with excitement about seeing Nanetti in the flesh.

So off we hopped after work to the Market Porter.  Where else in London serves a better pint of Harvey’s Best to get us in the mood (well, apart from the Royal Oak)?  It is against the law to “only have one” at the Porter and so we departed a little bit later than expected.  7pm to be precise.  And one thing you have to remember is that tube and bus timetables in London do not exist.  The stated 33 minute journey actually took over 50 minutes so we were not walking into the ground until ten minutes into the game.

Tooting & Mitcham United 2 Lewes 2 – Imperial Fields – Wednesday 14th September 2011
And what had gone on in those eight minutes we missed? In the words of Frankie Goes to Hollywood – “Absolutely nothing”.  What was a pleasant surprise was the turn out from Lewes.  A very impressive number of fans, and quite a few neutrals who were slowly being converted to the ways of the Rook.  Game-a-day John had popped down, this being the only real option in the south, as too had Lizzy Ammon who loved our banter so much that by 9.45pm had signed up to be an owner of Lewes FC (as you, dear reader can too).  With her was a new face.  And what a lovely face to have watching our game – Sarah Flotel, aka SarahHotScores.  Her video pods are legendary and I was very encouraged to see her whip out the camera at various points, perhaps for a special Lewes episode.  Not that there was much to write home about in the first half.

The great thing about Imperial Fields is the view you get from behind the goals.  Quite steep terracing and old fashion crush barriers meant that the Lewes fans presented a wall of black and red for the team to kick towards.  Even with King back on the touchline after his ban, Nanetti and Ciardini working the wings well nothing really went to plan in the first period and for the first time this season The Rooks went in at half time without scoring a goal.

Results elsewhere on Tuesday night had meant that a win would take Lewes to within one point of the top of the table.  However, the talk in the bar at half time was of more pressing matters.  James Boyes and his fascination of going to a game by tram.  As a Manchester United “die-hard” you would have thought that he had been on countless trams to get to Old Trafford but apparently not.  So whilst he waxed lyrical about the nostalgic trip he had to get to the game, we disappeared to get some food.  Now here is a strange thing.  A football club deciding to stop selling food at the end of half time.  Not after 50 minutes or an hour, but as soon as the whistle went.  We had to persuade him to put on a few more burgers and even then when four more people arrived he couldn’t be arsed to cook them.

With a burger in hand it was the sign for the game to come into life.  Tooting, who had looked as blunt upfront as a the knives BA give you to eat your inflight meal these days all of a sudden realised that they were allowed to attack at home and from a dangerous cross that was cleared initially by Stuart Robinson but the rebound fell to Hall to drive the ball home.  In the time it took us to walk around the edge of the pitch to the far end it was two nil as Hall again smashed the ball home on the volley from distance.

Were the wheels coming off the Lewes machine?  After all Tooting had shipped six at the weekend, yet here they were comfortably holding a lead against one of the promotion favourites.  What we needed was a spark, and as if by magic it arrived.  The old Ciardini/Malcolm partnership struck again, as the centre forward did all the hard work in beating defenders in the box and playing a great ball across the six yard line for Ciardini to smash it home.

Just two minutes later it was all square as this time Ciardini didn’t need any help as his shot from twenty five yards took a slight deflection (although Nic claims the sound was his boot kicking the defenders – one for the dubious goals commission I think).

Lewes were on top and with just seconds left should have wrapped the game up when Nanetti’s cross was met by Malcolm inside the six yard box but his effort someone managed to go over the bar.  Sickening, but Malcolm has been on top form in the past few games so we cannot hold that miss that could cost us automatic promotion and a return to the Blue Square Bet South against him (Only joking MM!).

Full time and with Sarah kindly offering me a lift home it was all in all a mixed evening.  The Danes really didn’t know what to think, comparing it to a second level game back home, but not impressed by the lack of a sausage or two.  Our growing band of neutral Rooks still hadn’t seen us win but had at least see us score, and we had gained one more owner.  Bring on Chertsey and the magic of the FA Cup.

The fixture computer had been a bit cruel this season for Lewes, seeing us playing away on Non League Day, Bonfire Night (THE night of the year in Lewes) and New Years Eve (The last night of the year spent in the company of the Met Police isn’t that appealing I am sure you will agree).  But Boxing Day has seen us drawn to play along the coast at Hastings United, “The Arrows”.  Whilst not in the same league as the rivalry with Eastbourne Borough, it was still the game at this level between two teams from East Sussex.

You would expect this to be a bumper crowd.  Lewes, with an ever growing away support, playing just twenty miles to the east in Hastings, or “God’s overflow waiting room”.  Hastings, where Harold lost his eye and subsequently the English throne forever.  Hastings, birthplace of such distinguished world figures as Andy Bell (of Erasure fame), Harry H Corbett (of Steptoe and Son fame), My namesake Simon Fuller (of S Club 7, Spice Girls fame) and Graham McPherson (of Suggs fame).  Hastings, home of The Pilot Field.

Who wouldn’t want to miss this one?  High flying Lewes, unbeaten away from The Pan for over a month, against a Hastings side that has struggle to find consistency this season.  A mouth-watering derby, and a chance to blow away the Christmas Day cobwebs.  Just a short hop on a Southern train.  Except it wasn’t.  Southern decided that they didn’t want to run any trains on Boxing Day, and buses between the two towns are almost non-existent, so literally hundreds of fans would not be able to get to the game.  Did we expect anything different?  Not really – after all it is ONLY Non League football.

I was OK as I was driving anyway.  The Lewes FC chauffeur driven directors car was picking me up from home and taking me straight to the Executive Entrance in Hastings (OK – my Dad was driving) and for me this would be a visit to a new ground which simply doubled the excitement to fever pitched level.

Boxing Day football has always been very kind to me.  I’ve seen some absolute crackers down the years and it has long been a Fuller Family tradition that we all go to a game on Boxing Day.  Despite the fact I also try to sandwich in another half a dozen games before the New Year I was unlikely to break the tradition as it has been handed over from father to son and now to daughter as Lolly came along decked out in Hollister and Ralph Lauren.  The kids of today eh!  In my day it would have been a Y-Cardigan and a pair of stay-press Farah’s.  None of this US-branded stuff malarkey.  Have you been into a Hollister shop?  Do they not pay their electricity bills or something?  Or is it a ploy so that you don’t know what you are buying.  Anyway, teenage clothing rant over, let’s get on with some action.

Lewes came into the game on the back of a “hot streak” of away form. Five consecutive away wins sort of hot streak, and with Hastings not exactly enjoying life at the wonderful Pilot Field, my money was going on a Rooks win.  Of course, as Mr Marber reminded me, I cannot actually put money on the game.  As a director of Lewes it is one of the things I have to remember not to do, along with singing along to “sack the board” and not passing brown envelopes stuffed full of cash to strange men in dark overcoats.

We arrived in good time in Hastings and caught a glimpse of Pilot Field through the trees on the way down the hill.  It was clear that this would be a big crowd for the Arrows, in fact as it would prove, the biggest crowd of the season by some distance (689 if you must know).  The ground lived up to its reputation as one of the finest traditional arenas in the Non Leagues.  Once home to greyhound and speedway racing, the ground sits on the edge of a natural hill.  The old grass bank that once allowed the capacity to be over 10,000 cannot be used anymore but the large Lewes following behind the goal made a huge amount of noise in the cavernous stand as the teams walked out onto the pitch.

There was just time to grab a pint of Harveys, provided by Lewes FC, in the bar before the Rooks kicked off, looking to put pressure on Lowestoft in third place.

Hastings United 0 Lewes 1 – The Pilot Field – Monday 26th December 2011
With players even falling foul of the lack of public transport, Lewes started with one of the most experienced benches they have had this season with both leading goalscorers sitting out the opening period of the game.  Replacement striker Ian Draycott nearly opened the scoring in the first few minutes but his shot was well saved by the Hastings keeper.

With Jarrett and Nanetti both seeing lots of the ball it was a very positive Rooks team that dominated the first half.  Despite not being able to create many chances of their own Lewes simply did not looked troubled at the back.  Perhaps this is due to the settled back four, who have started over 70% of the games together this season.  Familiarity breeds solid defensive robustness, as the saying goes.

Harding, one of the most impressive players in the last month came the nearest to breaking the deadlock when his header somehow managed to hit the post and stay out with half time approaching.

The Lewes fans were undoubtably the stars of the first half, raising the roof on the covered terrace.  With the Non League tradition of swapping ends at half time, the Rooks fans found themselves almost on top of the action, willing the ball into the net.  We nearly had our wish on the hour mark when substitute Michael Malcolm headed the ball into the net but was harshly ruled offside.

With just ten minutes to go, Hasting’s midfielder Attwood received his second yellow card in just a few minutes and he became the victim of another refereeing decision in Lewes’s favour in the past few weeks.  The Rooks sensed victory and both Nanetti and Jarrett stuck to their wings, creating havoc with the full backs.  With just five minutes to play, Jarrett beat his man again, sent in a deep cross that was then hit back into the area and in a carbon copy of Trevor Brooking’s 1980 FA Cup winning goal, Malcolm stooped to head the ball home. Such was the relief from the players that Harry Harding ran to the crowd and was embraced by the Rooks fans as if he was Santa Claus himself.

Lewes saw out the final few minutes with some comfort and for a brief few minutes whilst we waited for the Lowestoft score to come in, rose to second in the league for the first time in three months. Captain Steve Robinson came over and shook hands with it seemed the whole away support.  Six out of six away from home demands respect and that is what the team have from the fans at the moment.

On days like today football overcame the inefficiencies of our public transport system and a bumper holiday crowd enjoyed a game free of the poison of the professional game.

More pictures from the Christmas extravagansa can be seen here.

There are teams dotted all around the county but rarely do they pop up in the same league.  We’ve been waiting for a juicy “Thanet” derby for a few years now, but Margate have stubbornly refused to go down, or Ramsgate go up so we will have to keep on waiting. But one game that gets the pulses racing in these parts is the Neame derby.  The Shepherd Neame derby aka Faversham Town versus Sittingbourne.

The brewers have been based in Faversham since 1698 and are one of Kent’s finest exports today with their Master Brew, Spitfire and Bishop’s Finger beers known the world over.  But few outside the county will know where the brewery is, let alone where Faversham is.  They should be ashamed of themselves for a town that once could boast to be the capital of England and today is home to England’s oldest person, 112 year old Violet Wood.  The town also hit the headlines in November when it was discovered that the copy of the Magna Carta they had turned out not to be a £10,000 replica, but a £20.1million original.  The things you find in your attic!  Neither town can decide if Sir Bob Geldorf lives close by, although I am not sure if they are embarrassed or trying to brag this one.  According to the website Knowhere.co.uk, Marlon Brando once dined in a restaurant in Faversham, or at least someone who looked like him.  Pass the butter madam.

But we weren’t here to talk about history or celebrities.  This was all about football.  Ryman League South football to be precise.  The teams coming into this derby were separated by just one place and three points.  There was more at stake than just points though.  This was bragging rights for the whole of Swale.  You’re hooked now aren’t you?

Both sides had similar early histories, playing in the Kent Leagues until fairly recently.  Faversham moved out of the Kent League in 2009 after years of trying, whilst Sittingbourne had taken a similar route in 2006, although they had previously been as high as the Southern Premier League before a financial crisis had seen the club tumble ingloriously.

So after the excitement of the Double dose of Essex United,  I headed back to familiar territory saarf of the river and settled back for the battle of the Men of Kent.  A simple drive down the M2 saw me pulling into the car park before kick off.  The queue to get in was rather large, but I saw the door that said “Guests, Media and Passes”.  Well, I could tick all those three boxes so I opened the door, expecting the third degree.  Instead I simply stepped into the ground without challenge – a non league Narnia.

I headed to the bar for a quick pint of Shepherd Neame Smooth and then settled back for the white hot atmosphere in the ground.

Faversham Town 4 Sittingbourne 0 – The Shepherd Neame Stadium – Tuesday 27th December 2011
The teams emerged from what can only be described as a converted stable block.  The ground ticks all the boxes at this level.  New floodlights, new fences, new goals and plans in place to upgrade the ground as and when needed.  The old main stand still does the job although it has he smallest press area in the world (two seats sitting in isolation on a terrace) and the food hatch was producing the biggest pile of chips known to man, which was welcoming on a chilly night.

The Sittingbourne fans had come out in force, creating a real noise behind the goal for the whole ninety minutes.  In fact an attendance of 294 was the biggest Salter Lane has seen for many a season thanks to the away following.  They sang their hearts out, focusing on the social defects of various parts of the county.  They seemed to direct some of their venom at Tottenham Hotspur which seemed strange as I wonder if most Spurs fans actually know where Sittingbourne is, let alone they had a football team.

Anyway, back on the pitch, events were muted.  In fact the first chance of the game fell to Faversham’s Adrian Stone who got the wrong side of the Sittingbourne defence and powered the ball home.  Thirty seven minutes had passed.  It felt like three hundred and seventy.

In the second half after Adrian Quain had powered home a header from close range which essentially ended the fight of the “brickies”.  Despite an incident involving a female Cardiff City fan on crutches who had the most grating laugh in the world trying to hit another (related?) fan with her crutch whilst she was in the toilet (I know – it takes a bit to get your head around).  Alas, it didn’t inspire the team as two more goals from the two Adrians put a bit of an unfair gloss on the score.

Time to go home I think.  Two and half games in one day was a good return, although the actual standard had been poor.  But hey-ho it’s Christmas after all – what would I have been doing otherwise?  Sitting at home, eating turkey and drinking a beer?  Hmm on second thoughts…

First up was a trip under the Thames to Essex for the “Battle of the M25 junction 28″ as they call it in these parts. Billericay Town sat proudly on top of the table before a ball was kicked.  Despite their nearest rivals all winning yesterday, their amble goal difference of plus 27 saw them safely sit in first place.  Visitors AFC Hornchurch lay in fourth with a game in hand and just four points below.  So a win for either side today could be pivotal in the final shake up.

Whilst most football leagues will boast “this is the most difficult division to get out of”, few can claim that at the halfway point in the season there has been five different leaders, or that the top if they won their games in hand would be separated by just five points.  The Ryman Premier League has proved to be a great league for the neutrals to follow, but a bugger if you are the follower of one of the clubs.  With the Christmas period throwing up the odd derby or two, we would have been a fool to miss this one.  Billericay Town versus AFC Hornchurch.  Two teams separated by the M25 just a few miles apart and by just four points at the top of the table.

This was hard to miss.  With Lakeside just a few miles away I was able to deposit CMF and The Little Fullers at the Cathedral of Orange Tans and head northish through the vineyards of Essex to Billericay, home of Steve Davis, Alison Moyet and Lee Evans.  All three would surely be at New Lodge for this top of the table clash? I cannot think what else they could be doing on a post Christmas afternoon.

Billericay Town have surprised many this season with their rise to the top of the table.  Just two defeats, one of which was in the first week of the season to Lewes, has seen them jump above the likes of Lowestoft Town, Hendon, Lewes and visitors Hornchurch.  Their success has been built on a strong goal scoring record that has seen them average over two goals a game this season, and seen them put the likes of Kingstonian Wingate & Finchley, Tooting & Mitcham United and Canvey Island to the sword this season at home so far.  Their style has come in for some criticism as being too direct, whilst visitors Hornchurch had been called “too physical” in the past. Frankly, football is about results and so if a style works for a team then they deserve their success.  The facts suggest that whatever style works in this division as they are top of the league, with 46 goals scored to their name.

The club have also been scratching their heads as to what they can do to get more people through the gates.  I sympathise with them and this was my whole reason for writing my Blueprint last year.

One player who unfortunately would not be gracing the pitch was Billericay keeper Nicky Morgan.  Morgan was involved in an incident outside a nightclub in Essex in October and received injuries that resulted in him being paralysed from the waist down.  The police have now arrested a man in connection with the injury.  The club have been incredibly supportive of Nicky and we also wish him well.

As we drove up through the Essex countryside we came across a line of parked cars on the road.  Surely this couldn’t be for the football?  After all, here was a team who were averaging 300 give or take a few.  According to my good friend TomTom we were still nearly a mile away.  But yes, it seemed that the locals had all read the article on the website and had put on their Christmas jumpers and hot-footed it down to the biggest game in Essex.

Billericay Town 0 AFC Hornchurch 1 – New Lodge – Tuesday 27th December 2011
Rule number 1 – when you moan about not having enough fans and then they turn up en mass, make them welcome.  The attendance of over 1,100 put strain on every aspect of the club.  The one turnstile struggled to cope in the lead up to kick off, the hot food ran out in the 44th minute as we were queuing, the bar had queues of fifteen minutes.  I appreciate it is a chicken and egg situation but some forethought could have avoided hundreds of people going away from the ground with a poor impression.

The game in truth failed to live up to its top of the table billing.  An over fussy referee tried his best to antagonise the players, managers and fans alike with some strange decisions and a pitch that made playing the ball on the ground impossible but few can argue with the result in the end.  Hornchurch were the stronger team in the second period and before they had scored the only goal, hit the bar with a well taken free kick.

Billericay had been likened to Stoke City simply because they have someone who can hurl the ball in from the touchline.  Sam Berry’s talents were used whenever there was an opportunity in the game and once or twice his throws caused chaos in the Hornchurch area and the odd controversial moment when the referee automatically penalised the home side irrespective of the outcome of the throw.

Both teams are strong, well organised and that seemed to cancel out their attacking threat.  As someone had said to me prior to the game “It won’t be one for the purists” and it certainly wasn’t. Glen Poole had the best chance of the first half for the home side but his shot was well saved by a confident, if bruised Hornchurch keeper, Joe Woolley.

In the second half the momentum swung to the visitors and on the hour they got their goal.  Michael Spencer was sent away down the wing and his cross was met by Tommy Black.  His first effort was somehow scrambled off the line but he followed up and turned the ball home.

With time running out, Billericay pushed forward, first putting one centre back up front, and then another.  Finally, keeper Dale Brightly was added to the attack.  However, from one set piece Hornchurch broke quickly and with the goal empty. Hunt shaped to shoot from the half way line but was brought down by a Billericay player.  Technically he was the last man, even though he was in the Hornchurch half.  The referee decided to give a yellow in one of those decisions that nobody will ever agree on.

Three points to Hornchurch gave them their ninth consecutive win and lifted them up into third, above Lewes and mean that the top four in the Ryman Premier are now separated by just four points.  As Glenn Frey once said – “The Heat is On”.

As the crowds tried to make their way home, we headed through the country roads of Essex, avoiding the eight mile traffic game on the M25 to Mill Road, Aveley for our second slice of Essex United in an afternoon.

Aveley 0 East Thurrock United 3 – Mill Road – Tuesday 27th December 2011
Well, sort of.  We arrived just as the teams came out for the second half, with East Thurrock United holding a 3-0 lead thanks to an eleven minute hatrick from Sam Higgins.  More was sure to follow to warm up the cockles of the bumper 250 people in the crowd.

Aveley’s ground is hard to love.  It looks as if the pitch has shrunk, or that it was once home to an Aussie Rules team.  The huge grandstand with its paddock in front looks like it belongs to a racecourse somewhere and with wasteland behind the other side of the ground it begs for some love and attention.

However, it is home to them (and Romford FC) and is more than adequate for their needs.  Alas, hot food had also run out here as well-meaning that Lolly had to go without her chips (for her Non League chip survey).

It seemed like all of the energies of the players had been spent in the first half as both teams failed to find any rhythm, demonstrating why both had started the day in the bottom three.  The Aveley keeper, David Hughes, was the busier of the two in the second period, making a fine save from Newby and Smyth, underlining the dominance of the away side.

A vibrating in my pocket meant that it was time to leave.  CMF had finished her shopping and it was time for me to return to the safety of South of the River.  Ryman  Premier League scouting assignment completed for the day.

The Terrors came into the Christmas special with Lewes on a horrendous run.  One point from their last eight league games, and twenty-three goals conceded put them firmly at the bottom of the current form table.  Despite Mark Beard being a “good all round chap”, any club owner would be compelled to act in such circumstances, mores the pity, especially when a new board had just taken over the club with grand plans that included “League Two football in a 14,000 seater stadium within 10 years”.

The non leagues are littered with clubs who thought they could change the world.  Few clubs have ever made it – Yeovil Town’s rise was built on being the biggest club in a huge catchment area, coupled with a well run club.  Accrington’s rebirth on community spirit and even Crawley Town had plied their trade in the Conference Premier for a number of years before the money appeared.  Whilst I admire the ambition of any club (and being a director of Lewes I know what our ambition is), there is a sense that someone needs to just remind them of reality.

They currently get crowds hovering around the 300 mark, sitting at the apex of a triangle with Sutton United and Carshalton Athletic just a couple of miles away, whilst AFC Wimbledon are just five miles to the west.  With thousands of people sitting on the doorstep you have to wonder why they haven’t been through the gates of The Hub (as their ground complex is called).

With their new owners came a new manager.  Kenny Brown, son of the legendary West Ham defender and Norwich City manager Ken, was last seen in the non league game at Grays Athletic working alongside Julian Dicks.  Kenny once cost Manchester United the league title with a goal for West Ham against them in April 1992 which handed the momentum to Leeds United.

Brown joined the club just a few days ago and had already brought in a number of new faces, some of which who met for the first time on the coach down to Lewes.  With the Rooks recent form (apart from the blip last week against Concord Rangers) being white-hot, few would have backed anything apart from a home win.

With this being the last game before Christmas and to celebrate our nomination as the Best Football Blog at the NOPA’s (Well done to In Bed With Maradona for winning the award btw) we agreed to be Matchball sponsors for the day.  My special guest, Sarah “Hotscores” Flotel was to decide the man of the match.  Little did we know that the choice would be so easy.

Lewes 3 Tooting & Mitcham United 1 – The Dripping Pan – Saturday 17th December 2011
At 3:12pm, five miles away at Falmer, Brighton & Hove Albion had been reduced to nine men.  ”Blimey” was the collective comment on the Jungle terrace as Lewes battered Tooting & Mitcham United (hereby called TMUFC for brevity).  Less than an hour later the visitors would have gone one better than the Seagulls, playing out the final period of the game with just eight men.  Anyone looking from the outside in would assume this was a dirty game.  The truth was very different.

In one of those instances where the planets align, the game was being attended not only by the Sussex FA but also by a referee assessor putting undue pressure on the man in the middle Saul Kay.  That can be the only reason why the official was far too quick to take action in a game where there wasn’t a malicious tackle.

Lewes started as if they meant business, carrying on the attacking intent from Tuesday nights win at Carshalton Athletic.  Early in the game TMUFC keeper Darren Behcet was called into making a couple of saves from Malcolm and Harding.  In fact Behcet earnt top marks for his banter with the crowd all afternoon.  It is rare that keepers bother to interact with the crowd, but when they do it creates a bond, and the fans appreciate it.  Even when Christian Nanetti’s cross drifted over his head in the 45th minute to give Lewes the lead we couldn’t bring ourselves to mock him even though it had to be his fault.

By this stage TMUFC were already down to ten men.  Midfielder Charlie Dove went to challenge Nanetti in front of the benches and the linesman.  He didn’t leave the ground in the tackle, his studs were not showing and contact with Nanetti, who was already trying to hurdle the tackle, was minimal.  A yellow card would have been harsh, but Mr Kay pulled out a straight red.  Even the Lewes players put arms around Dove as he walked off the pitch.

The second half started with a bang as within a few seconds of the restart Malcolm hit the bar with a thunderous shot and Harding’s follow-up somehow being kept out by the TMUFC fullback on the line.  With Lewes camped firmly in the TMUFC half things went from bad to worse when Jordan Wilson received a second yellow for a very soft challenge.  With the possessionometer (that must be a Sky inspired word?) firmly in the red for Lewes, and the visitors now two men down  only a fool would have put a bet on TMUFC scoring the next goal, but that is exactly what happened when Charlie Stimson was unmarked (how?  We had two extra players!) at the far post and steered the ball home.

If it wasn’t for Rikki Banks in the Lewes goal TMUFC would have then taken the lead as he made two world-class saves in quick succession.  Were the wheels about to fall off the Lewes juggernaut?  Cometh the hour, cometh the little Italian wizard.  Finally Lewes realised that there was more room on the pitch and started feeding Nanetti.  With full back Terry Fennessy already on a yellow, and a trigger happy referee, he started to take on the full back at will, getting to the byline on a number of occasions without the final ball finding a home.

Then with twenty minutes to go Malcolm managed to get on the end of one of these runs and despite Behcet’s initial save, he followed it up to stab it home.  Number three came again from Nanetti’s byline insertions although he had decided to swap wings.  His low cross was smashed home by Alex Stavrinou to make it three with ten minutes still to play.

It was inevitable that Nanetti would taunt Fennessy once too often and the full back brought him down, earning his second yellow and TMUFC’s third red card.  Can they claim they were “cheated” as their fans thought?  There was no doubt every single incident was a foul and perhaps under another referee (not being assessed?) they would have finished with a couple more men on the field.

With a few minutes to go I had to make the call on Man of the Match.  Banks for his brilliant saves?  Max Hustwick for his outstanding defensive performance?  Matt Somner for his solid performance in the middle of the park?  Stavrinou for his box to box running?  There really could only be one choice…..The referee.  No sorry, Christian Nanetti scored one, made two, had a hand in three sendings off and still had the most bizarre haircut on the pitch.  The lad is a real talent and when he is on song like today there are few teams who would want to face him.

So Lewes go into the Christmas period with six wins in their last seven games, back in the playoff positions and having two home ties in the quarter finals of two cups there was reasons to be cheerful.  For the visitors?  One point from a possible twenty-seven, three suspensions pending and a new squad to bed in mean things look a bit Bob Scratchit.

More pictures from an interesting day can be found here.