• Create partnerships between Premier/Football League clubs and local Non League clubs
• Play the county cup competitions at the end of the season
• Flexibility on when the leagues end
• All non league clubs to offer free entry to Under 16s
• Allow alcohol to be drunk on the terraces
• Play the FA Trophy and Vase as a double header on the same day at Wembley Stadium
• Make Non League Day a permanent feature in the calendar
• Alleviate the financial catch 22 of promotion
• Scrap the ground grading farce

So why the sudden goal bonanza? Certainly if you look at some of the games was there simply an element of last game Can’t-Be-Arsed-itis?  De-Mob happy was the “official” statement from the Ryman League.

AFC Hornchurch 2 Leatherhead 1 – Neither team had anything really to play for. Hornchurch were already guaranteed a home tie in the play offs so the result was to an extent irrelevant. Leatherhead were safe from relegation.

Aveley 1 Hendon 7 – A six goal second half performance from Hendon who had to win to keep up their slim chance of a play off spot against an Aveley team who were relegated some weeks ago.

Billericay Town 1 Lowestoft Town 4 – Already crowned Champions against already confirmed play off contenders Lowestoft. A shock result if taken out of context…but it wasn’t.

Canvey Island 5 Margate 0 – Neither team had anything riding on this one, although Canvey had a shout of 6th place. A case of a day out at the seaside.

Cray Wanderers 3 Horsham 1 – Nothing to play for here either. Horsham were relegated nearly six weeks ago.

Hastings United 0 Metropolitan Police 2 – No surprise result here – league form and placement would suggest this would have been the bookies favourite result.

Kingstonian 2 East Thurrock United 5 – Again neither team had anything to play for although few would have backed such an emphatic away win. East Thurrock scored five for the second away game in a row.

Lewes 4 Harrow Borough 2 – Lewes had to win to stand any chance of a play off spot. Harrow were safe from relegation. In truth this could have been significantly more although it is hard to say whether it was because they knew they were safe or there was such a gap in ability.

Tooting & Mitcham United 1 Bury Town 7 – If the reports are to be believed, then Tooting & Mitcham slashed their weekly budgets on being relegated a few weeks ago and consequently the squad was decimated. Their two games before this one had seen a 5-0 and a 6-0 defeats Bury Town needed to win to secure a play off spot and were ruthless in their execution.

Wealdstone 3 Concord Rangers 1 – Wealdstone had to avoid defeat to secure a play off spot and Concord gave them a real game. Certainly no CBA-it is at Grosvenor Vale.

Wingate & Finchley 2 Carshalton Athletic 1 – Two teams who finished in the lower reaches of the table. Again not a surprise result.

The Ryman League, surprisingly, is not the Premier League. There is not £756,000 riding on each league position. Games in the English top league(s?) stay competitive until the very end as the share of prize money is huge. But as you move down the divisions you can see that “dead rubbers” at the end of the season count for much less and teams cut their cloth accordingly. Non League clubs below the Blue Square level only normally have a few players on contract. The rest will be on a weekly wage but are free to join other clubs (subject to a seven day approach), have their wages cut, be released or even play on a dual registration for another club in a different league at any time.

So this means that clubs can cut their budgets if circumstances dictate almost immediately. If you are relegated then there is nothing against you releasing all of your first team squad and in their place playing your mates, subject to them being registered. Few clubs would be so drastic but it does beg the question is that fair on everyone else in the league?

The case of Tooting & Mitcham United is an interesting one. They were relegated back in early April and knew they faced a run-in from hell with their final three games against three teams at the top end of the table. So they decided to cut the wages of the players, drastically. You can see why they did it from a financial perspective. They could win every game 10-0 and they would still be relegated; the transfer/loan window had shut and so the players couldn’t go and join anyone else, and they would reduce the running costs for the rest of the season.

It is difficult to assess the true effect of this move on the results. The fact that they were already relegated says they had played poorly for the majority of the season anyway. They were playing teams who were also enjoying a great run of form towards the end of the season, although the failure to field a goalkeeper in one particular game would have had an impact on the final score, if not the result.

So what can be done to stop such CBA-it is? Actually nothing. They clubs aren’t doing anything wrong. They had an obligation to field their strongest team for each game, but a) it is just that, an obligation and b) if they trim their squad according to their situation then in all probability it would be their strongest team. In fact what better time to blood some of the youngsters who may be challenging for a first team place next season in games like these.

We love football because it is unpredictable. It is possible for any team to beat anyone else on their day. So I think my frustration of CBA-itis is that it takes away that unpredictability. Still faced with ten weeks without football in this country I’d take just about any game come mid June.

In the twenty four hours before the game the good luck messages started streaming into the club.

“Good luck, fellas. Win or lose, play-offs or not, it’s been a terrific season. But stay off the pies and Harveys until full-time.”

“Good luck and whatever happens thanks for a memorable season and hopefully both the players and management remain for next year.”

“Come on you lovely lot, we’re right behind you! Possibly eating chips & drinking beer, but supporting you all the way. COYR!”

“from a new found supporter and now owner, all of Rome is behind you! Good luck and do what you do best, win :) Ciao, a presto!”

Even the rain that had blighted Southern England could not dampen the spirit of the fans.  The pies were ready, the beer had been poured.  Our bumper end of season programme was selling like hot cakes (have a look for yourselves here) and our club shop had been decimated like a pack of locusts by the fans wanting their Rooks merchandise.  After a week of remarkable football scores in the Champions League that had seriously upset the odds, was there going to be one final twist that would cause shock waves across the Ryman League?  Only time would tell.  That and constant refreshing of Non League Live.

Lewes 4 Harrow Borough 2 – The Dripping Pan – Saturday 28th April 2012
The rain fell, the pies were all eaten, the programmes were all snapped up.  Over 1,000 fans braved the elements to cheer on Simon Wormull’s team as they made light work of Harrow Borough.  If results elsewhere had gone our way then it would have been the perfect afternoon.  But they didn’t.  However, not one fan, player or club official could have a bad word or a “what if” after the last few weeks.  Five wins out of the final six is title winning form, and whilst we will look on this week whilst the play offs start, Worms will commence the task of building a squad to take that form into next season.

This had been a season of mixed emotion that at one point looked as if it would go off the rails.  And whilst in the end our league position could have been 6th or 16th, everyone came away with a smile on their faces as we saw a bunch of players put the pride back into the badge.  In addition we had a fantastic Youth Team as well as the record breaking Ladies Team who will next season be doing battle with the likes of West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, just one level below the elite of English football.

So all we needed was a win plus Tooting or Concord to win.  And after 10 minutes it couldn’t have gone any worse.  Harrow Borough, despite having a player sans shorts as the elastic broke in true Are You Being Served style, went ahead after just 97 seconds whilst most of us were still at the bar.  Jon-Jo Bates put the visitors ahead, and a few minutes later we heard that Wealdstone had gone ahead, and then so did Bury Town (and for good measure so did Hendon and Canvey Island – other teams who could finish above Lewes.  We were fighting for 4th place but could finish in 8th.  That wasn’t in the plan.

But then things started to look up.  Twenty five minutes gone and another Lewes corner is floated in.  Paul Booth reacts the quickest and shows that despite his years he still hasn’t lost it and its 1-1.  Five minutes later and another header from a set piece, this time from Chris Breach, put the Rooks ahead.  To celebrate, Lolly arrived with the pies, and Concord arrived with an equaliser at Wealdstone.  Lewes were now one Concord goal, or Twenty nine Lewes ones away from a play off spot.

At half time the scores elsewhere basically saw an end to our play off hopes.  Bury Town were 4-1 at hapless Tooting, and Concord were hanging on at Wealdstone.  But that meant we needed to restock with some Harveys.

The final 45 minute push started and soon Lewes were 3-1 up when Nathan Crabb kept up his remarkable record of scoring in the opening five minutes of another half.  Three became four when Paul Booth was brought down by the keeper and he converted the spot kick.  For the first time this season the Rooks looked totally rampant.  Unfortunately, so too were Bury Town, Hendon and Canvey Island as they were winning 7-1, 7-1 and 5-0 respectively.  Oh and Wealdstone had scored a third.

Time for plan B then.  Harvey’s and lots of it.  Harrow scored a consolation, although for once it wasn’t in injury time and at the final whistle everyone to a man stood and applauded the team.

So there we are.  Another season has come to an end.  Football is not life or death and despite what a certain Mr Shankly once said, it is not more important than that.  But being in a place, surrounded by family and friends, enjoying the banter, the food and the drink – well that is more important than football. My first as a Director of a football club, one where I had been subject to terrace taunts early in my tenure, but ended with members buying me beer.  Not a bad old life really.

A trip to Canvey Island on a wet, wild and windy April afternoon probably doesn’t feature in any Top 100 Days Out in England programmes, but for Lewes fans it was going to be THE place to be.  Through a combination of favourable results and some excellent performances, the Rooks came into the second to last game of the season still in the play off spots.  Granted Wealdstone and Cray Wanderers had games in hand, and the momentum was with The Stones, especially after their 6-0 away at keeper-less Tooting & Mitcham United in the week, but every manager knows it is better to have points in the bag than games in hand (that is unless you are the team with games in hand).

So this was our last away trip of a long season that had started for some of us back in early July with a friendly away at St Neots Town.  Fortunately, our hosts Concord Rangers had just ruled themselves out of the fight for the play offs and so they would simply open the front door and allow us to have the run of the house, right?  That is what normally happens isn’t it?  Perhaps they would also put a striker in goal for us like Tooting?  What are the odds of that?

It has been a good season.  I had nearly achieved my aim of visiting every Ryman Premier League ground, although there was still hope that a play off place and a victory in the first game COULD take Lewes up to Bury Town which was my one and only missing visit (I was in Rome at the derby when Lewes visited back in March) and enjoyed every single one.  There is nothing like turning up at a new ground to see the same faces, drinking the same beer and talking about the same things week in, week out.  Familiarity never breeds contempt in these circles.

And what would replace my travels over the summer?  Well, not that I was counting but it was only going to be 69 days after the final league game of the season before Lewes would be running out at Donkey Lane in the final of the Supporters Direct Shield against Enfield Town, and I did have a few little trips up my sleeve (Zagreb AND Belgrade derbies in same weekend thank you very much), so add in a few Rugby League games and a trip or two to the Touring Cars then I am sure I wouldn’t miss my fix.

This was Lewes’s first ever trip to Concord Rangers.  The club have risen like a ghoul in Michael Jackson’s Thriller video through the local leagues since being formed back in 1967.  They finally gained promotion to the Ryman League back in 2008 after twice being denied entry for winning the Essex Senior League.  Two years ago they won promotion from the Ryman North and competed at this level for the first time last season, finishing comfortably in 8th place.  They are an ambitious side, living within their means at the end of a leafy lane in rural Canvey Island.  Very Terry & June it is two – well apart from the huge caravan park on one side of the ground, and the massive oil storage site on the other.

The club are one of a rare few that have joint managers, who are both called Danny. In fact it seems to be the pre-requisite to be called Danny if you are employed by the club with top scorer Danny Heale, reserve manager, Danny Clare and Danny Boy.  Last season we visited them for the El Grande Islande Classico, aka the local derby versus Canvey Island. Whilst the Island, only has 37,000 people living on it, it has happily supported two teams who have a friendly rivalry for a couple of decades.  There was some paper talk earlier this season of a potential merger, but that is all it seemed to be.  Obviously it was a slow day in the Lobster Smack, the pub made famous by Charles Dickens in Great Expectations and our first port of call for the day.

The Beach Boys (now do you get the musical intro?  Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys) had deemed this last game of the season a celebration of all that is good with football, and so admission was free, with an optional donation to a local charity.  A nice touch from a club I have always enjoyed dealing with.

I picked up the LLF at South Benfleet, the nearest railway station to Canvey Island.  Deaks and Dave had packed their holiday bags – after all it wasn’t often we get to go to on an island holiday.  We headed down to the Lobster Smack for a pre-match stiffener.  ”Have you got any ales on?” asked Terry.  ”No, sorry luv”.  ”Do you have a TV?” Joel asked, hoping to catch the end of the Arsenal game.  ”Yes, darling…..but it ‘asn’t worked since that switchover thing last week”.  Fortunately they had plenty of flat warm Carling for us.

We headed for the ground after the heady heights of the Lobster Smack.  In the ideal world we could have walked there from the pub.  After all, it was just half a mile away.  Alas in between the pub and the ground was a dirty great oil depot, with its razor wire topped fences, big dogs and unfriendly security.  We did offer to do our bit for the environment.

Concord Rangers 2 Lewes 3 – Thames Road – Saturday 21st April 2012
Two weeks ago Lewes were denied one of the clearest penalties you will ever see in the game versus Aveley.  That penalty decision in the nil nil draw could eventually be the difference between a play off spot and not..  But today on Canvey Island that injustice was righted to an extend when referee, Lee Venamore gave the softest of penalties in the last ten minutes which Harry Harding converted and led Lewes to their fifth win in seven games.

Whilst Lewes have had a bad habit of conceding in injury time this season, they also have a great habit of scoring very early.  And today was no different.  Just 93 seconds were on the clock when Chris Breach, again holding the midfield together, put the ball through to the red hot Nathan Crabb and his lob from distance bounced into the empty net causing Roger to almost drop his burger.

Unfortunately because of the precarious position of the league we probably spent more time in the first half looking at scores elsewhere than the Lewes performance.  Everything was almost going our way.  Almost.  But then we forgot the fact we actually needed to hold onto the lead and despite Ingram hardly being troubled in the first thirty minutes (bar one shot he let go that hit the post), all of a sudden Concord Rangers were level when a harmless ball eluded the Lewes defence allowing the Beach Boys to equalise (probably scored by a Danny).

That goal wasn’t in the script and we headed to the bar at half time downcast, especially as the results around us were in our favour.  But the reason why we love football is that it can change in a heartbeat.  And so just fifty seconds into the second half we were back on cloud nine as Paul Booth jinked, shot, the keeper could only parry the shot and Nathan Crabb was on hand to score.  High fives all round.

But the lead didn’t last long.  Concord refused to lay down and equalised with a brilliant free kick.  The fate of our season was once again in doubt.  But then the officials took over.  Substitute Hopkinson seemed to over run the ball in the area and a defender muscled in front of him to shepherd the ball out.  Hopkinson fell, the referee pointed to the spot.

With Paul Booth off the pitch, one of the youngest in the team took responsibility.  Harry Harding blasted the spot kick home and ran to Cynical Dave to celebrate.  Or is that Cuddles Dave from now on – the players cuddler by choice.

Concord were quite rightly furious, and in the ensuing moments they lost one of their managers (at a guess, called Danny) for his protestations.

We willed the final whistle and when it came the sense of relief that washed over the traveling fans and players alike was huge.  Wealdstone, Hendon and Canvey had all won, meaning the final play off line up would go down to the last day of the season.  Who would have thought that six weeks ago when the team had lost away to Bury Town, relegating them out of the play offs, they had gone eight league games without a win.  Since then the Rooks had played ten games, winning seven and drawing two.  Ninety minutes is now all we have left, to dream what might be.

One, two, three, four…Essex has the sunshine, and the girls all get so tanned. I dig a french bikini on Canvey Island dolls, by a palm tree in the sand.
 

Every football team in every season has one defining event, the moment that decides the fate of the team, the players, the manager and the club. That moment may be a refereeing decision, a piece of individual brilliance or simply a team collectively not turning up on the day. But you can look back at the history books and find that compelling event. In this season’s Premier League there have been many, but if Manchester United take the title, many will point to the events of Easter Sunday as that moment when United got a fortuitous refereeing decision in their game versus QPR and then a few hours later Mikel Arteta’s last minute winner for Arsenal against Manchester City all but ended their challenge.

But for Lewes that moment still hasn’t really happened yet, or so we think. We could point to the last minute equaliser at home against Lowestoft Town, or Billericay Town’s 93rd minute winner in March. But with games running out perhaps the most defining moment was going to come at Hayes Lane, BR2 when the Rooks were going to take on Cray Wanderers. Fifth place taking on sixth, separated by just one point. A draw would open the door for Hendon, Wealdstone or Canvey Island; defeat for the Rooks would almost spell the end of the play-off charge; a win for Cray would see them with a foot in the end of season lottery.

The mood around the club had been improving almost every day since mid January. The all conquering Lewes Ladies, the Rookettes, had secured the South East Combination title some weeks ago and would be welcoming the likes of West Ham, Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur to the Dripping Pan.  In addition they had the small matter of the Ryman Cup final next week versus Eastbourne Town. The Youth team are one game away from winning the Ryman League South (albeit they have to play the team who are top, away and win by three clear goals).  And then there is the first team.

Cray Wanderers continue to surprise me.  They are a tiny club in comparison to the likes of Lowestoft Town, Wealdstone or Lewes.  They ground share with Bromley FC, have average attendances of 193 this season and rarely take more than a Smart car full of fans to away games.  Yet, just like last season, they are still in with a shout of promotion via the play offs.

The club also dream of “going back home”.  When they were founded back in 1860 by workers building the railway line through Kent they were the third oldest club in the world.  Quite who they played during this period is unknown as the two others were local neighbours Sheffield FC and Hallam.  For those unfamiliar with the area, the Cray is a river than used to run from the Thames Estuary, close to Dartford and down towards Bromley.  However, the club have not been able to find a home back in this area for decades.  Hope is on the horizon though and they are planning on developing a site in Star Lane and have made an excellent video about their plans.

But today playing at Hayes Lane, Bromley suited me fine.  A short journey 15 minutes from TBIR Towers and I was in the quite bizarre Barrel and Hole in Bromley High Street.  £5.15 for a pint of Innis and Gunn wasn’t the first surprise – that was reserved for the prevalence of rocking chairs instead of normal chairs and big luggage cases instead of tables.  Quite a strange choice to meet the rest of the Lewes Lunatic Fringe in.  So much so than they took one look of the picture I tweeted and headed into Weatherspoons opposite the station.

Cray Wanderers 0 Lewes 1 – Hayes Lane – Saturday 14th April 2012
Current form doesn’t lie and so coming into this game Lewes were top of the table from the last eight games.  And bizarrely at the end of 90 minutes they had dropped down into third place despite another excellent win on the road.  It certainly was a game of two halves as Lewes dominated the attacking play in the first half, and showed strength at the back in the second.  One Ian Draycott header was enough for all three points and finally, after months of downward trending, push the Rooks back into the play off zone.

There was two surprise guests when we arrived at the ground.  First up was Current Mrs Fuller, who had manage to escape from Littlest Fuller duties for an afternoon and thought she would spend some time with the man of her dreams.  But he was busy so she came along to football (boom-boom).  And then in the bar was none other than Steve King, ex-Lewes manager who had come along to cheer the team on (I would imagine).

Lewes started the more positive of the two teams, with young Charlie Leech slotting in a full back instead of Kamara and Chris Breach back in midfield.  For the first twenty minutes the ball hardly left the Cray Wanderers half, although there were few chances.  However, it was inevitable that a goal would come and sure enough on 25 minutes it was the Rooks who took the lead when Ian Draycott stooped to head home with ease after a well worked move involving Harding and Crabb.

It should have been two or three by half time with Crabb and Booth both going close, testing the Cray keeper, whilst Matt Ingram at the other end could have had a wander into the Town Centre such was the threat on his goal.

The second half was really a battle of the midfields, with Lewes’s unlikely pairing of centre-back Chris Breach and centre-forward Ian Draycott dominating the play.  Nathan Crabb was the star again, simply for his continuous running and chasing and he was unlucky not to double the score when Harry Harding’s free kick fell at his feet but for a great save by the Cray keeper.

The clock ticked down and we amused ourselves by looking at the score at Upton Park where Brighton had been hit for six.  I mean, who would fancy paying £45 for that type of privilege as an away fan eh Mr Last? (Especially if you have to sit in the home end to witness it).  Other results started filtering through before the 90 minutes were up in our game.  Wins for Bury Town, Wealdstone, Canvey Island and Hendon took the gloss of this victory for Lewes, but even still, the win pushed us into 5th place and come the end of the season that would be enough to go into the play offs.

Two weeks to go and next up would be a trip to the seaside to visit the Beach Boys at Concord Rangers.  Time to get out the fancy dress I think.

That isn’t a quote from one of the current board of Lewes FC, although it could quite easily be one. It is from the excellent film, Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. It is a true story of the Oakland A’s baseball team and their meteoric rise to success despite having zero cash.

Having joined the board of Lewes six months ago I can certainly relate to Billy Beane, the character played by Brad Pitt and his quote above. The club have been through the mill in the past few years but have emerged from the other side with a Community Benefit Society, with over 800 members today, each of whom contributes to the ongoing survival of a club at the heart of the community.

Since I joined we have had a dream to become the most transparent club in Non league football. Others have called us mad, naive and made us feel we were breaking the magicians code of football when we stated our intend. One member of the board summed it up as follows:-

“The inner financial workings of a football club tend to be a bit of a black box. Any documentation, if it exists, is kept “in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying Beware of the Leopard”

But we stuck to our guns and not only produced a document to show the current workings, but went back a total of seven seasons so fans and commentators alike could see what exactly it was like to go through the boom and bust periods. Some of the figures make staggering reading.

• Operating revenues are at the lowest they have ever been.
• Sponsorship is down to a third of what it was four years ago
• Cup prize revenue this season was down by nearly 80% on three seasons ago (caused by 1st round exits in both FA competitions to lower division clubs away from home)
• The club has run at an annual deficit in each season for the past seven to the tune of at least £68,000

However, we can only give ourselves a pat on the back when the journey is complete. When the club is able to function without these donations (and it should be noted that that is what they are – not any strange types of loans with complex repayment terms) AND compete at a natural level on the pitch. Many fans have asked what that level is? The answer is we do not know yet. This season, working on a reduced budget the club has performed well. However, there is an argument that we could have done more – and that isn’t down to wages. Points dropped in injury time to Kingstonian (2 points), Horsham (2 points), Lowestoft (2 points) and Billericay Town (1 point) have cost us an almost guaranteed play off spot. It should also be highlighted that a large percentage of the playing budget was also consumed by one player, Gary Holloway, who through an injury sustained before the season started, did not play one game for the club yet was paid top whack during that time whilst under contract.  No club at Lewes’s level can sustain a drain on their playing budget of a long term injured player – contracts work both ways.

But this is only part one of our plan to open the kinomo. In the next few weeks we intend to publish an interactive calculator so that anyone can see what our playing budget will be next season by changing some of the variables such as how far we get in the cups, new sponsorship money and new club sponsors. We like the idea that our fans know what our manager has to spend and that way they can set their level of expectations accordingly.

Last season Easter Monday was a very dark day for the club. The club was sitting in the relegation zone of the Blue Square Bet South. Only two games remained but with the first of those against fellow relegation fighters Bishop Stortford there was hope, especially as the team had dragged themselves back into contention with a fine run of form. Unfortunately the team simply could not continue their winning ways and a home defeat consigned them to relegation to the Ryman League.

A year on Hastings United arrived at the Dripping Pan, themselves in a relegation fight. Two dropped points on Saturday for the Rooks had dented our promotion play off push but then with virtually all other results went the Rooks way.  Alas, the same cannot be said for Hastings who were still hovering just above the drop zone.  With three of the four spots already taken their fight seemed to be with Leatherhead and Harrow Borough for the last remaining spot.

Being Easter Monday and a week into a hosepipe ban it was obvious the weather would be foul, and so it was. I had met Danny and Cynical Dave a few hours earlier for a bit of breakfast, which in football code means an early kick off at Crowborough Athletic where they beat East Grinstead with ease.

After a brief stop at the Coopers Arms in rural Crowborough for a pint of Coffee Pilsner it was on to the Dripping Pan, which could not have been a more apt name on a chilly, windy and soggy day. Even the debut of the Apple Pie couldn’t raise our spirits as the teams walked out.  Could a win made it all better?  Only ninety minutes would decide.

Lewes 2 Hastings United 1 – The Dripping Pan – Monday 9th April 2012
Well at the end of the day it was 3 points, and a step closer to the playoffs.  The appalling weather didn’t help matters nor did the presence of Lizzy “Jonah” Ammon who had presided over more Lewes defeats than Avram Grant did at West Ham.  But as we discussed last week, it is all about the result and not the performance.  Two first half goals have the Rooks enough of a cushion that even when Hastings scored the inevitable late goal AND the 4th official put up four minutes (why is it always four minutes?) Lewes had enough in the tank to ride out the storm and take all three points.

Simon Wormull made a couple of changes from the side that failed to beat Aveley with Paul Booth dropping to the bench and Max Howell getting a start, whilst at the back Max Hustwick replaced the absent Chris Breach.  Hastings fielded a number of ex-Rooks although it appeared that someone forgot to tell their fans that there was a game on as they appeared to have come in a Smart car.

Whilst the weather made it difficult, Hastings seemed to use it as an excuse to make the tackles a few seconds too late.  The referee needed to grab a drink after just ten minutes as he seemed to be hoarse with all of the whistling.  But after issuing a yellow card in the eleventh minute against a Hasting’s player the resultant free kick led directly to the opening goal.  Matt Somners long free kick caught everyone out and despite Nathan Crabb and Ian Draycott desperately lunging at the ball it appeared to go straight in the net.  With a quorum of the board standing on the Jungle acting as the dubious goals committee we determined this as the fair decision (and nothing to do with the fact that Crabby is on a goal bonus).  Danny Last, with Golden Goal time 11 minutes was also denied a certain £25 by the referees delay in booking the Hasting’s player and demanded we talk to the Referees Assessor at half time.

Despite a rare save from Matt Ingram at the other end, it was all about the Lewes attacking threat and the referees whistle (although both justified and necessary).  The second goal was inevitable and it was great to see young Max Howell get on the score sheet when he calmly slotted home after finding himself clean through on goal after great work from Gregory and Crabb.

Two – nil at half time was a fair reflection on the game and made the breaded crab meat parcels with a spicy chilly dip most welcoming at half time.  Lolly had done a fantastic job selling pies in the second half, and loaded up for a push on the new apple “desert” pie.  Nothing like a bit of ethical child labour.

Alas the pie was the only hot thing in the second half.  Neither team really could beat the conditions, and despite a Hastings goal with fifteen minutes to play we didn’t see the same nervousness of old in the Lewes camp.  Even with Jonah Ammon (and even bigger Jonah in more ways than one, Eddie The Shoe) on the terrace their injury time vibes didn’t rub off on the team and three points were in the bag.  Results elsewhere weren’t exactly perfect, although Bury Town’s home loss to Lowestoft did drag them into the six-way fight for two play off spots.

The maths are really quite simple.  Lewes now need to beat Cray Wanderers next week, hope that they lose their game in hand and that the ridiculous fixture pile up catches up on Wealdstone. Oh, and that we also win our other two games.  Simple really.

Football is supposed to be a simple game that gives pleasure to players, manager, fans and owners.  So often the finance side of the game complicates matters but actually the truth is easier to tell than a lie.  Football doesn’t owe ANYONE a living but fans, players, managers and owners have to respect that.  We are all just guardians of the beautiful game for tomorrows fans, players, managers and owners.

So much pressure is put on sports players to perform. Win at all cost seems to be the motto at all levels of the game we should love. And why should we love it? Because it at the end of the day it is supposed to be a past time, something to enjoy, to relieve our stress of an ever increasing hard life. But there is more to life than the pursuit of winning. There is enjoyment.

Relevance? Well ask any of the 600 or so Lewes fans how much they enjoyed the second half of the game versus Hendon last week. Whilst the last few minutes were nervous to say the least, the outstanding display from the team in the opening period of the half was scintillating. Attacking football, played with heart, passion and belief is all that our fans can hope for.

I have been brought up watching West Ham. The Academy. Brooking, Devonshire, Di Canio. Happy to be losing 4-3 than grinding out a 1-0 win. That is why so many people used to consider the Hammers their second team. But all of that has changed now – money has become more important than enjoyment and so it is all about the result and not the performance. And that is why I get my kicks at the likes of Aveley’s Mill Field, one of the least aesthetically pleasing grounds we will come across on our tour of the Ryman Premier League this season.

Looking up Aveley on the internet, you can find very little information. Apparently it is named after Aelfgyth’s wood clearing, although quite who or what Aelfgyth is or was is not known. It sort of blends in with Thurrock, Purfleet and Rainham just north of the Thames close to the Dartford Crossing. The club not only have to fight for fans with the dozen or so non league teams within a 15 minute drive but also West Ham, Dagenham & Redbridge and Arsenal. It is no wonder then every season they can survive without sliding backwards is celebrated.

But the good times were about to take a bit of a dent. Any other result against Lewes and they would be re-acquainting themselves with the Ryman League North next season, whilst Lewes could just put themselves into the race for the final play off spot.

The last few days had been spent in the TBIR Northern HQ in Lincoln where we had taken in Darts (PDC Premier League in Nottingham), Rugby League (Doncaster and Wakefield) and finally Barnsley before we headed back down south before the Little Fullers started speaking funnily. A quick drop off at the dream factory and I was back across the Thames to Aveley. The car park wasn’t exactly overflowing and walking into the club house saw only a group of the usual Lewes away support, and few home fans.

Aveley 0 Lewes 0 – The Mill Field – Saturday 7th April 2012
Football should not be a results-based business.  Remember I said that at the start of this tale?  Well when you are doing everything to score what would be a winning goal against an already-relegated team whilst all of the teams around you are losing then it is all about the result.  Enjoyment needs to take a back seat to a goal, any goal.  The fickle world of contradiction.

An hour after the game had ended all square and Aveley’s relegation had been confirmed, it was again a bitter taste of what could have been in the mouths of the Lewes fans.  Matt Ingram in the Rooks goal did not make one save in the ninety-odd minutes, whilst at the other end the Aveley keeper had a great game, stopping numerous chances when the Lewes players realised where the goal actually was.  But what if….A single goal would have taken Lewes above Hendon and Cray Wanderers into a play off spot.  And with a game against Cray next week, promotion could have been a step nearer reality.

But somedays it is not meant to be.  The game kicked off with no more than one hundred fans in the ground, with nearly half of them following the Rooks.  On such a huge playing surface and with the wind blowing across from the Thames estuary any opportunity the Rooks had to play the ball to feet was limited.  Far too often the ball was lofted into the area, with Aveley’s keeper dominating his six yard box.

The second half saw Lewes getting closer and closer.  The Aveley keeper seemed to dislocate a finger yet he still managed to keep all borders away.  Draycott fired into the side netting, Booth almost headed home with a spectacular leap and Ben Billings should have earnt Lewes a penalty when he was clearly felled in the area but the referee, struggling with the size of the pitch, was so far behind play that he was still in the Lewes half when the challenge was made.

Simon Wormull brought himself on as time ticked away and nearly broke the deadlock with a stinging strike near the end but at the final whistle it was the Rooks who seemed to be the relegated team as they bowed their heads, knowing that a massive chance to move into the play offs and have their fate in their own hands had slipped away.

Football is supposed to be enjoyable, but on days like these it is really all about the scoreboard out there.

The dropped points had been a blow in the fight for a play off spot. But redemption comes quickly in a tight season and so the visit of 6th place Hendon would give Lewes a great chance to “bounce back” as Mr A Partridge is so fond of saying.

Hendon had been a surprise package this season. Not tipped amongst the favourites back in the pre-season, they started off like a train and topped the table in September when Lewes visited Vale Farm. Since then they unsurprisingly fell away, but recent form and the taking of a few big scalps has seen them jump back into the play off spots. Could they compete in the Blue Square Bet South? Well, many people thought exactly the same of Tonbridge Angels this time last year and they seem to be holding their own in the higher league, whilst the likes of Braintree Town and Hayes & Yeading were surviving against all the odds in the Blue Square Bet Premier on crowds of less than 400.

This game marked the closure of the Non League transfer window so the days in the run up to the game had seen some frenzied activity by Lewes boss Simon Wormull. Well, actually, it had seen one player exit and nobody come in.  With a few injuries picked up recent weeks I offered my services to the club – my price? Just two pints of Harvey’s Armada and a Steak and ale pie. Cheap at half the price. I had hoped to announce the signing on Sunday morning as an April Fools joke but that was pushing the boundaries of reality a bit far.

For the past few seasons Lewes have given their shirt sponsorship away to charities. Last season it was the NSPCC and a local hospital, whilst this year it has been Samuels Childrens Charity on the home shirt, whilst the away one has donated to Maggies, an organisation who provide care, assistance and advice for cancer sufferers and their family.  This game had been designated the “Maggies game”, where the club would promote their cause and try to raise some much needed cash for them.  Recent events on a national scale had made many people associated with the game realise there are more important things than football and today was Lewes FC’s way of remind people of that.

Lewes 3 Hendon 2 – The Dripping Pan – Saturday 31st March 2012
I do not think I can remember a better four minute spell of all out attacking football than I witnessed from the 47th to the 51st minute in this game.  Lewes went in at the break 1-0 down but angry.  Angry that a perfectly good goal had been ruled out by sheer incompetence of the officials.  The response was a devastating burst of football that saw three goals in that four-minute period.  But still there was time for a nervous four minutes of injury time.

It is fair to say that the highlight of the first twenty minutes from a Lewes point of view was the arrival of Lolly with the Rook Pies (Please note: No rook was harmed in their production).  It was disjointed, passes were going astray and Hendon had already hit the bar when a defensive mix up saw them take the lead when Belal Aite-Ouakrim got to a ball before Matt Ingram and it rolled slowly into an unguarded net.

Gregory missed a sitter for Lewes, firing straight at local hero (and returnee for 2012/13?) Rikki Banks who is now on loan with the North Londoners when it would have been easier to score, and then Paul Booth nearly got on the end of a Crabb cross.  But the main talking point came on the 40th minute.  A Harding free kick was put into the box, Breach headed it goal-wards and Banks could only get a fingertip to the ball as it hit the back of the net.

The referee immediately signalled a goal but then the linesman raised his flag.  Now as you can see from the picture above, Gregory appears to be in an “active” offside position in front of the keeper.  He didn’t touch the ball.  Breach, the “scorer” is four players back (blonde hair, stooping down).  The linesman told the referee (first hand information here) that the player in an offside position was “the scorer”…So Breach was offside when there was at least four players between him and the goal.

As you can imagine when the half time whistle sounded the officials judgement on this was seriously questioned. Under Simon Wormull, our “technical respect” scores have been very good (in a low way) but recently we have been officiated by idiots.  The presence of an assessor in the board room at half time gave me the opportunity to show him my photographic evidence.

If you were still at the bar, or dare I say it, watching the TV in the Rook Inn as the second half started then you probably missed not one, maybe two, potentially three goals.  The team talk by Worms must have been one up there with Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday as within 60 seconds Breach had forced a fantastic save from Banks.  A minute later the keeper wasn’t so fortunate as Breach rose again and powered the ball home.  Lewes had missed Breach in his hiatus down the A27 at Bognor Regis and whilst he was playing out of position in midfield, his presence at set pieces proved how he had been missed.

Sixty seconds later Lewes took the lead.  Another ball into the area, the ball pinballed around and Nathan Crabb prodded home. Seventy seconds later and Paul Booth rolled back the years to put Lewes three one up.  We were on fire.

Booth had a chance a few minutes later to score a fourth but Banks, who by this time had stopped playing along with the chants of the crowd, made a great save.  This was the best spell of play I had ever seen Lewes play.  We all felt the same.  Cynical Dave was so excited he cracked open the emergency Humus and pitta.  Yes, you read that right.  Last year he kept an emergency pint in his inside pocket.  Today, on his health drive it has been replaced by wholemeal pitta and tasteless mediterranean dips.

With the clock ticking down and us leading by “the most dangerous score line in football” (according to David Pleat) I turned to a beaming Patrick Marber. “Three points in the bag, unless he puts up 4 minutes to add on”…and sure enough 4 minutes went up.  At this stage I would have rather put money on Carlton Cole being top scorer in Euro2012 than Lewes holding on for a win based on recent form.  And sure enough with a minute gone in added time, Hendon scored, although Scott Cousins shot was pretty unstoppable.  Just three minutes to hang on for…

….and breath.  Three points over a play off rival, a beer, a pie and all in the name of a great cause.

On the 19th August 1588, just as the rest of England was preparing for the start of another season of ye olde football, Queen Elizabeth (obviously the first but she was never known as the first as she would not have known there would be a second 400 years later) made a surprise visit to Tilbury. War was in the air with the Spanish (what were the odds on a Spanish victory back then I wonder?  Same as for them winning Euro2012?), and any day soon it was expected that an Armarda would sail up the Thames, stopping at Margate for a visit to Bembon Brothers Amusement Park, before continuing to London where they would buy a day pass to rape and pillage. Lizzy was obviously a tad concerned so she wanted to rally the troops at Tilbury. Her speech is one of legend today and it included the immortal lines:-

“I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field.”

Rousing stuff indeed and it seemed to do the job as today we can still call the settlement Tilbury and not El Tilburia. But the river still dominates the daily life of the town. The fort that was build to protect the Thames is still in existence, the landing stages now welcome more paper for newsprint than anywhere else in Europe and cruise goers get their first taste of London with a view of Tilbury power station when they alight at the London International Passenger Terminal here.

But to me, a North Kent lad, Tilbury is all about the ferry. History shows us that enterprising individuals first starting charging passengers to cross the river in rowing boats in the late 16th century. The service was one of the most important river crossings in the 19th century as land owners from Essex brought their produce across the river to the market in Gravesend.

Today, the ferry is still going strong and the 700 metre river crossing takes just 8 minutes. During my school days in Gravesend we had often ventured across the water, and for a period of time when I was a bit too young I had a girlfriend in Tilbury and used this route frequently when I should have been studying. She was a bit older than me (me 17, her 26), had a strange tattoo on her left breast of the Winnie The Pooh, and had a 10 year old sister (which looking back now I think was actually her daughter) but this was in the days before Pumas, Cougars and Panthers so it was a badge I wore with pride, especially as she worked in a supermarket (on the kiosk) and used to supply me with packets of Marlboro, which I of course brought back across the river (did that make me a smuggler – if so I apologise) for my friends who indulged. So I have always had a soft spot for Tilbury.

So with a spare few hours on a Saturday I planned to take a trip back in time and revisit my youth. I was going to get on the ferry once again and see one of my true loves. CMF needn’t have worried – I was not going to fall back into the arms of Sally (names have been changed to protect myself) but into those of Chadfields, home of Tilbury FC of the Rymans League North.

South Essex is awash with non league football clubs.  Within a 15 minute drive of Tilbury there is Thurrock, Grays Athletic, East Thurrock, Canvey Island, Concord Rangers, Brentwood Town, Aveley and Billericay Town.  Add in the attentions of professional clubs such as Southend United, Dagenham & Redbridge and of course West Ham United and you can see how difficult it is to sustain a club in this area.  But Tilbury do OK.  Despite fighting a battle last season against relegation back to the Essex Senior League they are faring better this season, in fact coming into this encounter they were in the play off spots, mainly thanks to the incredible goal scoring record of Alex Reid had bagged 10 in the last six games.

Their high point in recent years came when they won the Isthmian League Cup back in 2009, beating Harrow Borough in the final, whilst the undoubted low point came after the “Battle of Chadfields“, in the game last season against Grays Athletic where over 100 fans thought they were on the set of a Danny Dyer film.  Stone Island and Henri Lloyd did very well that day.

Hands up who has heard of Gorleston?  Nope, me neither.  I had to look it up on the t’internet.  To put you out of your misery it is a small village of 5,800 people close to Great Yarmouth.  But back in 1949 it seems that most of the village got in the old charabang and headed down to Tilbury for an FA Cup game.  In fact over  5,500 people crammed into the ground, which today remains a record attendance.  Those post war years were bumper times for all non league clubs (Gorleston actually played Leyton Orient at Highbury in a cup replay in 1951 – so now we are all educated).  This season the average is just 102 so I didn’t really need to worry about getting in.

The sun was shining as the ferry floated across the water, laden with misbehaving children, tired looking young Mums and men wearing lycra.  On the far side were relatives waiting to whisk them all (apart from the cyclists) back into the womb of Essex…all apart from me.  I needed to get a bus.  But in their infinite wisdom the local bus company’s twice an hour bus doesn’t wait for the ferry to arrive; it is due to depart 1 minute after the scheduled docking, so because I was a nice chap and helped two young Mums off the boat with their children from hell, I missed the bus.

So I had the pleasure of walking into Tilbury, past cars awaiting new owners, containers with mysterious cargoes and locals sniffing glue.  Welcome to England circa 1983.  I took the footbridge over the railway line, adorned with musical style graffiti including one which said “Is this the way to Amarillo” to which some local had put “yeah, and she with nosh you off for a £5″…nice.

Even with the sun shining it couldn’t make the place look much better.  Local residents sat outside their flats enjoying a Special Brew whilst berating “Wayne” or “Stacey” and I was expecting to see Frank Gallagher around every corner.

Eventually I found Chadfields.  Walk past Lady Tattoo and do a left, making sure you do not walk into the “Travellers settlement site” next door – you can’t that – it is the one with the biggest collection of Pitbulls in England wandering around.  After such an exertion I needed a beer and fortunately found the very welcoming club house that was busy with people watching the Chelsea v Spurs game on a foreign satellite feed.  Two Strongbows later I was ready to face all that Chadfields had to offer.

Tilbury 0 AFC Sudbury 1 – Chadfields – Saturday 24th March 2012
With both teams vying for a play off spot and just four points between them, this was always going to be a tight encounter and in the end a soft penalty was all that separated the teams.

The game started with the use of the regulation Red Ryman League ball for Sport Relief, which as most clubs have found, is like playing with a beach ball.  Sense prevailed after 15 minutes and it was ditched in favour of the regulation version.  Tilbury had a plan – I know they did because it was taped to the dug out so we could all see it.  Lulling the opposition into a false sense of security perhaps?

Chances were few and far between in the first period.  AFC Sudbury thought they had scored when a lobbed shot was scrambled off the line by a Tilbury player.  Straight away Tilbury had a similar chance with prolific scorer Reid trying to lob the Sudbury keeper but he was tall enough to catch the ball.

Just on the half hour mark Sudbury launched another attack and their centre forward fell to the ground with relative ease and they were awarded a penalty which James Baker slotted home.  A few minutes later the home side could feel further aggrieved when the referee failed to send off Sudbury’s Sam Clarke flew into a challenge with both feet off the ground, missed the ball and caught the Tilbury player.

Half time and as the sun was out I thought I’d treat myself to another cider.  With only a few minutes until the restart I followed a couple of home fans back in, holding cans of beer.  But I was stopped, and was directed to the notices on the wall – “No alcohol to be consumed in the ground.”.  It appeared I didn’t look “local” enough to be allowed to do this (according to someone on Twitter anyway).

The second half was more of the same.  Lots of huff and puff on both sides in quite difficult conditions, with a referee who loved getting things wrong.  A great example came near the end when the Sudbury keeper fell to the floor after catching a high cross.  He appeared to take one hand off the ball and a home player spotted this, kicked the ball from his other hand and started to play on.  Of course the keeper then pretended he was injured, the referee blew his whistle for a foul and consulted his assistant who then picked out completely the wrong player to receive the lecture.  Whilst this was going on, every man to a tee in the ground (players, supporters, woman in the Tea bar) were telling the ref he had the wrong man and who it was, but he was too proud/dumb/ignorant (delete as applicable) to admit his mistake.

The final talking point was a bad injury to Tilbury substitute Bostry Bansende who appeared to fall awkwardly as he turned with the ball.  Play was held up for ten minutes before he could leave on a stretcher, although most of those ten minutes were taken up by actually getting someone to find the stretcher and then get it onto the pitch.

My journey home was less traumatic as CMF had diverted through the lanes of Essex after a shopping trip to Lakeside.  I found her parked on the main road, doors locked and looking worriedly around.  It had been an enjoyable afternoon in the sunshine.  Just like Queen Elizabeth, I feel I had done my regal duty.

The Ides of March were a hallowed day in Roman history as it was the prime day of celebration for the worship of the god Mars. Just like today Mars was revered but not quite in the same way. Our worshipping of a chocolate bar is a bit different to their deference of the god of war but not far off if you have seen the scrum in Netto when they do a buy one get one free. It was also the day, back in 44 BC when Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was murdered by his back benchers for fiddling his expenses. As he uttered the words “Et Tu Brute” he created the immortal line about literally being stabbed in the back, made even more famous by Kenneth Williams in Carry on Cleo.

The Ides of March had raised their heads at Lewes this season already. Two excellent wins had put the Rooks back on track for a push for the playoffs, sandwiched by the news that the awe-inspiring, record-breaking Lewes Ladies had won the Womens South East Counties League without even playing. Their record so far thus season of just dropping 2 points is amazing and the club can now boast an England International with Naomi Cole.  The chance of the double came on the Ides of March – the Sussex Cup final versus Brighton & Hove Albion. Looking to defend their trophy, the Rookettes battled hard but fell agonizingly short. The Ides of March – stabbed in the back by those so close (I.e Brighton).

There was still the matter of the League Cup to come as well as looking forward to next season when they would be taking their place in the Premier League against teams who could call on significantly more resources than the Rookettes. Oh, and there was the small matter of Naomi Cole’s recent England debut. Superstition? Who needs it?

But there was another matter on the horizon. A monster of a two-week period would see Simon Wormull’s side take on the teams in 1st, 3rd and 5th in the league starting with the visitors of the Trawler Boys, Lowestoft Town.

The Blues were tipped as promotion favourites at the start of the season alongside Lewes and in our meeting on the opening day they won the bragging rights by beating the Rooks 3-1. Despite an impressive home record with only one defeat, the long journeys to away games had taken a toll on their results where they had lost seven times. So there was hope that Lewes could pull off a result in the return fixture.

The match of course coincided with St Patricks Day – not quite the Ides of March but close enough. Of course Lewes were doing something to celebrate this hallowed day. The Annual Beat the Leprechaun Penalty Shoot Out. Of course it was. You can hardly accuse the club of being boring and simply doing a promotion on Guinness. In fact with the Lewes annual Beer Festival only finishing a few hours before, Guinness would be at the bottom of the agenda, with 20 guest ales making their debuts at The Pan.

The afternoon started so well when we arrived at the ground to hear Anarchy in the UK blaring out of the PA system.  It looked as if Ed had been barred once again from the office.  But hope was short-lived as he had lured us into a false sense of acceptance by following up the Sex Pistols with The “bloody” Fall.  Stick to the complex financial modelling Ed and leave the music to us “young ‘uns”.

One crisis averted it was time to sort the next one out.  Pie selling.  After the success of the RookPies last week we had doubled production and added a Lamb Hotpot to the menu.  But we had lost our pie sellers.  Fear not, I said, not wanting to see the bumper crowd disappointed.  I used my head and volunteered Lolly.  ”I’m not wearing a hat…..or a bum bag” she said as she put in a good pre-teenage strop as she marched across to the portakabin.  I shed a tear – my baby girl’s first day at work – what more could a Dad ask for – selling pies at football.

Lewes 2 Lowestoft Town 2 – The Dripping Pan – Saturday 17th March 2012
Even now, some three hours after the game ended I still cannot believe the result.  As the game entered the fourth (and final) minute of injury time I turned to Pan virgin Matt Lewis and said, tongue in cheek “Watch us concede one now”…Fifty six seconds later that is exactly what happened.  It wasn’t the first time this season we had dropped points in the last season but every time it leaves that gut-wrenching feeling in your stomach.

BUT let’s not forget that we were playing one of the top teams in the league and for 94 minutes we had completely bossed the game.  This is Lewes mark II, the Wormull version.  Players playing with a smile on their faces, working for each other, showing high levels of fitness and above all creating chances.

The game couldn’t have started any better for Lewes.  After just four minutes we were one nil up.  Crabb noticed some dithering in the Lowestoft defence and nipped in and poked the ball home.  Last week it was a third minute winner, today it was sixty seconds longer.  Golden goal ticket times – 71 and 79 minutes….Ten minutes later and Crabb had scored a second when he slotted home with ease after creating some space for himself in the area.  Lewes were rampant.

The Lowestoft keeper, Andy Reynolds, was having a nightmare.  He looked shaky under pressure, so that is exactly what Lewes put him under.  He probably wasn’t helped by the “banter” from the Jungle and proved to be one of those keepers who decided not to join in (unlike the top chap from Carshalton last week).

Lowestoft came back into the game with ten minutes left in the half when Kamara conceded a soft penalty.  He did what most defenders do when pressuring a forward, “leaning” into him but the referee deemed this was a penalty.  Two minutes later it seemed that another keeper error at the far end had resulted in a third Lewes goal, but the referee deemed that a Rooks player had touched the keeper and it was ruled out.Two-one Lewes at half time.

Lolly had sold out her pie allocation (the top seller today was the fantastic Steak and Ale – the king of pies) and was in possession of a crisp £10.  I explained the economics of the situation to her.  For an hour’s work she had earnt more than she would in two week’s pocket money.  Children today – never had it so good. Ah yes – half time. The annual Leprechaun penalty shoot out.  Despite what Ian King from Two Hundred Percent may say (or report), I WAS NOT THE LEPRECHAUN!  The picture below proves that.

I was holding the “pot of gold” – the chocolate coins every one of the kids got for taking a penalty against the Leprechaun, aka Barry from the Club Shop who did a fine job between the posts.

The second half was dominated by talk of the fantastic Eastbourne Star beer in the bar, Lord Plumpton’s fine looking moccasins shipped exclusively from Maine and the new website discovery Non League Chips.  On the pitch the battling Lewes team continued to harass, harry and hussle the visitors and it seemed they were always on the verge of a third.  But as the minutes ticked by nerves started to grow.  Ninety three minutes were up and Max Howell had the ball.  He jinked inside and looked to push the ball past the covering defender but he was muscled out of the way and pushed the defender to the ground.  93 minutes 43 seconds.

The free kick was taken and pumped long into the Lewes area.  Robinson (outstanding all afternoon) appeared to leave the ball to Ingram (top notch) and in the confusion Lowestoft equalised.  Bugger.

The final whistle brought disbelief.  Some fans booed the referee (apparently a fair number believed that Lowestoft’s number four had been booked twice), whilst others didn’t know what to do.  But here is the perspective.  We had just outplayed one of the top teams in the division and got a point.  As one of their fans said to me in the bar “You were robbed”.  We would have taken that point at 3.03pm.  This was a sign of our progress in the past month.  The play off dream was still alive.

Other results weren’t exactly ideal but at least we knew one thing – a point on Wednesday versus Leatherhead would make relegation a mathematical impossibility.  Always look on the bright side of life, even when the Ides of March strike you down.