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FC Beigem gaat het maken; Thanks, we're doing a lot right but it's just sloppiness on occasions. Hopefully we'll do things more professionally this year.

Aside from Steve Robinson , for whom we've recieved no offers, the loan-listed players have all attracted plenty of interest - and now it'll be up to them to decide which club they make the switch to.

Other than that though, it would be a quiet few days ahead of the midweek match - our first Home game of the competitive season sees us welcome Braintree.

Lewes v Braintree - Conference South Game 2 (15/8/06)

Lewes; 4-4-2; Wilkerson, Hustwick, Hooper, Hankin*, Legge, Clarke, Semple, Bridcutt, Johanssen, Holligan, Sigire

Subs; Okuonghae, Tanner (GK), Taylor, Barker, Lockett

An unchanged side for the visit of George Borg's men - We started well, albeit with both sides scrapping hard, and on 6, took the lead - Dean Hooper's long, searching ball forward found Gavin Holligan , who beat 'keeper Duffy from just outside the area. Braintree got at us quickly - the Essex side, as a George Borg team usually are, were pretty physical - Blackwood didn't give up to break through before hitting the woodwork on 9, before Prestedge fired wide. On 37, however it was Lewes who were celebrating - a looping header from Jean-Michel Sigire doubling our lead after Hankin's ball had put Henderson under pressure in the air. With Semple not quite match fit still, the new signing made way for Barker at the break - and Lockett also made his first home appearance of the season, replacing goalscorer Holligan. On 49 however Braintree struck back - with ex-Newcastle midfielder Daryl Smylie planting the ball into the roof of the net from the edge of the area after a neat through pass from youngster Kyle Storer. We could have had a third on 62 - indeed Sigire did put the ball in the net from Hankin's long ball - but as he wheeled away to celebrate, the Frenchman saw the assistant and referee Barker deep in talks - and after an agonising 30 seconds, no goal was awarded. Braintree sub Joe Flurry should have equalised three minutes from time - his pathetic shot straight at Wilkerson from close range after a good through ball from the impressive Storer, but it wasn't to be - another useful three points.

Lewes 2 - Braintree 1

Attendance; 356
MOM; Sean Hankin (Lewes)

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While obviously the main purpose of their visit was to play a League fixture, Braintree manager George Borg had another reason to travel to Sussex on a Tuesday evening - and his team returned defeated, but with a new recruit. Bally Smart rejected the opportunity to join Margate for three months, but instead will play Conference South football for the League newcomers.

On Wednesday morning, Antonio Bryan chose his destination - the ex-Man Utd winger will spend 3 months at AFC Wimbledon after turning down the opportunity to go from the Premiership to the Badgers Ales Sussex County League in a few months - he could have gone on loan to Hailsham Town. Ex-Spurs man Joe Martin , however, will do exactly that - the 17-year old left winger is going to spend 3 months by the seaside, just down the road at Eastbourne Town .

By far the biggest news of the week though came off the field - in a slight revamp, ex-Brighton man Simon Morgan could be coming in as my assistant after Stuart Cash chose to move to a more traditional Coaching role and step down from his position as my right-hand-man.

Basingstoke v Lewes - Conference South Game 3 (19/8/06)

Lewes; 4-4-2; Wilkerson, Hustwick, Hooper, Hankin*, Legge, Williams, Semple, Bridcutt, Johanssen, Holligan, Sigire

Subs; Okuonghae, Tanner (GK), Taylor, Barker, Lockett

With Dwain Clarke rested, another new singing in the form of Mike Williams comes in. Williams certainly isn't a natural left winger, but has the ability to settle in well in that more forward role, with the Welshman certainly a key part of the squad. One of the features of our play this season has been scoring early goals - and again we achieved that at The Camrose. A well-worked ball out to the right found Semple, who swept a deep cross into the middle for Martin Johanssen to crack the ball beyond 'keeper Rice. Semple then fired wide, while at the othe end Wilkerson was kept busy, holding Ogbodo's 14th minute header. On 27 however the Nigerian was felled in the box, and as the last man, Sean Hankin had to go. Following him off after taking a slight knock was Ryan Semple, as well as Dean Hooper in a tactical reorganisation. Barker and Okuonghae replaced them, with a 3-man central defence. Nick Skinner, incidentally, blasted his penalty in off the underside of the bar. Basingstoke got their second before the break - on 38 Wilkerson made a terric stop from Wyatt, but was unable to get up in time to prevent Uwakbunkeonye Ogbodo from tapping in the loose ball on the rebound. At half time we made our final change, replacing Williams with Taylor - and immediatley the substitute had an impact. On 47 Bridcutt intercepted the ball in midfield and came forward, before passing to Barker. The youngster fed Chris Taylor , who then made no mistake - drilling the ball beyond 'keeper Rice to pull us level. Basingstoke never gave up - Bristow headed against the bar on 58 - and at the back, Andrew Teague seemed dominant in the air, twice outjumping Sigire. On 83 though the French striker got hold of a loose ball in midfield, before embarking on a lung-busting run to the edge of the area. His simple pass released Gavin Holligan , and he made no mistake from just inside the area. A fourth would follow in injury time - Johanssen's ball down the line releasing Holligan, who swung the ball over to the far post, where it was met by Steve Barker , the youngster controlling before beating Rice at the near post. Top after 3 games!

Basingstoke 2 - Lewes 4

Attendance; 324
MOM; Jean-Michel Sigire (Lewes)

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Victory comes with three disapointments - notably injuries to Ryan Semple (Thigh) and Liam Bridcutt (Wrist) - and suspension for Sean Hankin , who was sent off as the final man. We'll appeal - Ogbodo went down a little easily - but to be honest I'm not expecting anything useful back in the post from the FA.

Simon Morgan took over from Stuart Cash as my assistant on Monday morning - Cash moving to a Coaching role with 'Morgs' becoming Number Two - administrative work will be his main area of work, but Simon will also have a part to play in the changing room and on the training field.

Lewes v Forest Green Rovers - Conference South Game 4 (26/8/06)

Lewes; 4-4-2; Wilkerson, Hustwick, Williams, Hooper*, Legge, Clarke, Johanssen, Okuonghae, Barker, Holligan, Sigire

Subs; Robinson, Tanner (GK), Taylor, Hunt, Lockett

Young Micheal Hunt is called up from the Youth team to sit on the bench for the visit of highly-backed Forest Green. The Gloucestershire side came down last season from Conference National, but are expected by the bookmakers to return at the first attempt. Clarke, Okuonghae and Barker also come into the starting eleven, replacing the banned Hankin and injured duo Bridcutt and Semple. As expected, the visitors set about us from the off - even though Holligan slammed one over after just 24 seconds. Forest Green made the most of this early pressure, and on 19, David Shaw took advantage of a defensive mixup to steal in and open the scoring from close range at the far post. The second would come 20 minutes later - on 39 Shaw the provider with Carl Finnigan on target, heading home from a corner. We rallied after the break, with substitutions changing the game, but were still somewhat disapointing - Lockett, Johanssen and Holligan all close without really coming close to scoring the goal that could have set up a revival. Disapointing, but it's the first defeat of the season in any case.

Lewes 0 - Forest Green 2

Attendance; 452
MOM; Eddie Ancalet (Forest Green)

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Over the weekend we took the decision to add another striker to the squad - and quickly identified our target. By Tuesday, 32-Year old Duane Darby had put pen to paper on a deal until the end of the season. Duane is a big, physical player - and has always scored goals. In just over 400 professional appearances, he has scored 124 times - and for some pretty poor sides too. His best season came in 2000-01 - netting 24 in 38 after signing for Rushden & Diamonds from Notts County. He joins us on a free after leaving Shrewsbury in the summer.

Saturday, and the World Champions - and the other 51 European nations - start the task of qualifying for Euro 2008. England began with a 1-1 draw away in Belgium - Andy Johnson scoring for Sven's men. Ireland beat Lithuania 2-0 - goals from Elliott and Connolly providing the victory.

Better news arrived on Tuesday morning - Liam Bridcutt returning to training after he picked up a wrist injury in the victory over Basingstoke.

Further international action followed in midweek - with Northern Ireland evoking memories of 1982 against Spain at Windsor Park. This time, unfortunatley, they would not be successful - having two dismissed as the Spanish cruised to a 3-0 win. England meanwhile thumped Azerbijan 7-0 - Owen and Johnson bagging a brace each, with Wright-Phillips, Defoe and Gerrard also netting. Scotland went down 1-0 to Serbia & Montenegro , with Wales suprisingly beaten 2-0 by Lithuania . Ireland survivied an early scare to beat Lichtenstein 2-1 - Macken and Robbie Keane scoring the goals in Dublin.

Lewes v Yeading - Conference South Game 5 (09/09/06)

Lewes; 4-4-2; Wilkerson, Hustwick, Hooper, Hankin*, Legge, Clarke, Johanssen, Bridcutt, Barker, Holligan, Lockett

Subs; Okuonghae, Tanner (GK), Williams, Taylor, Darby

With Darby on the bench, Hankin back from a ban and Bridcutt back after injury, there are changes to the side who were outplayed by Forest Green a fortnight ago. We're still without Semple, so midfielder Johanssen continues wide on the right, but with Yeading struggling, the prematch discussion is of an optimistic nature. After a scrappy opening, we began to impose ourselves on the game, with the tricky Clarke causing real problems for the visitors. Holligan grazed the bar with a header on 22, while on 34 Lockett inexplicably shot wide after failing to connect properly with a through ball. On 39 though - and somewhat against the run of play - veteran Yeading defender Ashley Vickers saw a gap, and hit an effort as a set-piece broke down. We should have hit back immediatley - Holligan drawing a good stop from 'keeper Bryant, but the loose ball fell invitingly to Bridcutt - who tried a volley on his left peg, and ended up screwing his shot well wide of goal. Three minutes later, however, Gavin Holligan met Hankin's cross from the left with a bullet header and did draw us level. At half time I told the boys that they could go out and win it - and despite making a couple of changes, was given precisely nothing for most of the second period. Play became bogged down in scrappy midfield battles, with a number of bookings. Nine minutes before the end, however, Clarke lofted the ball towards Darby on the left of the box. He nodded it back, and Williams crossed perfectly for Gavin Holligan to power a second past Bryant. Four minutes later we won a corner - and after it had been headed away, Bridcutt played the ball back to the edge of the box for the corner taker, Steve Barker , to drill a powerful shot beyond Bryant which beat the 'keeper at the near post. As a spectacle, the Second Half wasn't a patch on the first - but on a practical level, the two goals are very useful. Back to winning ways!

Lewes 3 - Yeading 1

Attendance; 318
MOM; Gavin Holligan (Lewes)

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Bishop's Stortford | | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | +8 | 15 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | LEWES | | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 12 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Forest Green | | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 11 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Dorchester | | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 10 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Histon | | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 10 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Weston-super-Mare | | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 10 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Braintree | | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 8 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Bognor Regis | | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 8 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Carshalton | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Welling | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 7 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Thurrock | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 7 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Sutton Utd | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 7 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Havant & W | | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Billericay | | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 6 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Eastbourne Boro | | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 5 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | St. Albans | | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 5 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Basingstoke | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 4 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Maidenhead | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 4 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Newport Co | | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 3 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Eastleigh | | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | | Yeading | | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 2 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | | Margate | | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | -10 | 1 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

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Sunday morning, and the return to fitness of Paul Kennett is another major boost - though young Bridcutt has done well, the skipper is a more experienced player in the midfield holding role, and offers us plenty of backbone and fighting spirit - as his role suggests.

Later in the week, we also welcomed Ryan Semple back to training after his ankle injury - the capture from Peterborough settling in well to life at The Dripping Pan.

Welling v Lewes - Conference South Game 6 (16/09/06)

Lewes; 4-4-2; Wilkerson, Hustwick, Williams, Hankin, Legge, Clarke, Semple, Kennett*, Johanssen, Holligan, Darby

Subs; Okuonghae, Tanner (GK), Bridcutt, Barker, Lockett

Changes then to the squad ahead of the trip to Park View Road - returns for Kennett and Semple, and a first start for Duane Darby - while at the back, Hooper is rested for Williams to come in on the left. We started very well - and within 25 seconds, had the ball in the net - Holligan's strike ruled out for offside. It did set the scene though - on 7 minutes Shearer dwelt on the ball just outside the area, and was robbed by Johanssen, who quickly fed Gavin Holligan for the opener. Two minutes later however Welling drew level - winning a free kick some 30 yards from goal after Kennett pulled back Day. Oliver James stepped up and lifted the free kick over the wall and into the net. We then proceeded to dominate the first half without scoring again - Darby, Holligan and Johanssen all busy. The Swede, as well as a tiring Semple, was replaced at the break - Barker and Lockett on. The second half though started with the Rooks in more incisive mood - Hustwick won the ball in the air for Lockett, playing wide right, to loft it forward - into the path of Gavin Holligan , who ran on and made no mistake with an excellent finish. As the second half limped, rather than ran, to a conclusion, Welling rallied a little - Pinnock shooting over, while Clarke saw a header stopped by Wilkerson. Two minutes from time, however, we broke down the right - Hustwick putting the ball over the top for Holligan to run on. He drew 'keeper Turner to the near post, before unselfishly putting the ball square for Duane Darby to smash his first goal for the club. A minute later, it was four - Kennett the provider this time, and Gavin Holligan on target with a low finish into the corner to claim his hatrick - and send us back to the top of the table!

Welling 1 - Lewes 4

Attendance; 912
MOM; Gavin Holligan (Lewes)

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Last season we went all the way to the First Round - which, given our League form at the time, was something of a miracle - but now it's the time of the Second Qualifying Round yet again. The FA Cup is back - and on Monday, we learnt that it'll be a trip to Conference North leaders Marine on Saturday - Ali Watt's men have begun well after promotion from the Northern League last season, and with one-time Lewes target Matty Barlow a regular goalscorer, we may have a tricky afternoon in a competition which I'm desperate to do well in.

All in all though, it was a quiet week - players and supporters alike gathering on Friday for the long trip Northwards ahead of the big match on Saturday afternoon.

Marine v Lewes - FA Cup Second Qualifying Round (23/09/06)

Lewes; 4-4-2; Wilkerson, Hustwick, Williams, Hankin, Legge, Clarke, Semple, Kennett*, Johanssen, Holligan, Darby

Subs; Okuonghae, Tanner (GK), Bridcutt, Barker, Lockett

It's not quite 'dark satanic mills' - but Marine is certainly a Northern club, with the Rossett Park ground in Crosby quite traditional in it's look. On the park however, Marine are a classy team, who like to play the ball rather than rely on the direct stuff - and they could have taken an early lead, with Wilkerson having to make a couple of early stops. On 21 however it was us who opened the scoring - the 'Soft Southerners' warmed up with a great ball from Williams releasing Holligan, who poked the ball through for Duane Darby to crack the ball into the corner. Marine have some talented players, and some who have played at a high level - Rob Ullathorne amongst them, and he was winning plenty of battles against Semple on the right. The young winger gave way for Lockett at the break, but it was Marine who seemed to have more luck in the opening spell of the second half - a lot of 50/50 balls and deflections falling to the home side - Swift though twice denied by Wilkerson. We made a double change with 10 minutes to go - Clarke and Kennett departing to applause, replaced by Bridcutt and and Barker. As Marine went 'all or nothing' with the aim of securing an equaliser, we found ourselves with more space - and when Darby picked out Gavin Holligan , the big striker's 10th of the season was a pleasant inevitability.

Marine 0 - Lewes 2

Attendance; 458
MOM; Duane Darby (Lewes)

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We would come out of the Third Qualifying Round hat pretty early - but a trip to Conference South rivals Basingstoke certainly isn't the draw we were hoping for. We did, however, win at The Camrose earlier in the season, and will be considered favourites for the game.

Lewes v St Albans - Conference South Game 7 (26/09/06)

Lewes; 4-4-2; Wilkerson, Hustwick, Williams, Hankin*, Legge, Clarke, Johanssen, Bridcutt, Barker, Holligan, Darby

Subs; Okuonghae, Tanner (GK), Kennett, Taylor, Lockett

No rest for the wicked, and with a game on Tuesday we're rotating the squad - mainly the midfield, as we play a pretty all-action, physical game, and players do tire at this level. We began brightly, with Bastock's goal quickly under pressure - Darby, Bridcutt and Johanssen all threatening early on. On 36 we scored the goal that our pressure deserved - Holligan's centre finding the head of Duane Darby , who made no mistake with an expertly placed header beyond Bastock. Holligan and Hustwick too had chances towards the end of the first half, but we went in with just the solitary goal advantage at the break. St Albans faced a rocket at half time, and came out a little better at the start of the second half - they did manage to put Wilkerson under pressure, with Beech not far away. It was a little nervy at times - for both sides - but on a pitch beginning to cut up as we head towards winter, there never looked likely to be further goals. Roger will have to get his roller out - I think we can afford that luxury now that we are top of the league again!

Lewes 1 - St Albans 0

Attendance; 687
MOM; Ben Patten (St Albans)

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Cheers


With a game midweek and one at the weekend, training is heaily focused on fitness - we need to get the players up and running again quickly, because with the rain beginning to come and pitches getting cut up, legs will begin to get tired quicker.

Margate v Lewes - Conference South Game 8 (30/09/06)

Lewes; 4-4-2; Wilkerson, Hustwick, Williams, Hankin, Legge, Barker, Semple, Kennett*, Johanssen, Holligan, Darby

Subs; Okuonghae, Tanner (GK), Bridcutt, Taylor, Lockett

With that in mind we've made a couple of changes for the trip to Kent - Kennett and Semple return, with Clarke and Bridcutt missing out. Margate, however, fielded a debutant 'keeper in new signing John Dodds, and and he hardly endeared himself to the 'Gate supporters on 24 - minutes after having one disallowed, Dodds came out of his box to reach the loose ball - and Gavin Holligan robbed him before shooting into an open net from 35 yards out. Aside from seeing Mark Williams limp off with four minutes to go, that was about it - we were in control for much of the game, but even that wasn't especially inspiring. The result, however, was a positive one.

Margate 0 - Lewes 1

Attendance; 327
MOM; Mike Williams (Lewes)

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After a Man of the Match performance, it was somewhat disapointing to see Mike Williams involved in a heavy collision - the result of which, a bruised rib, will keep him out for around a fortnight.

We did, however, welcome Jean-Michel Sigire back into training on Wednesday - while on the same afternoon, Ryan Semple becomes Lewes' first International! - the winger called into the Northern Ireland Under 21 squad for the double-header of Under 21 European Championship qualifyers against Romania and Macedonia . It does, however, mean Ryan will miss Saturday's FA Cup qualifyer.

In Romania, Ryan Semple came off the bench to win his fourth cap at Under 21 level in Northern Ireland's 2-1 win over the hosts.

Basingstoke v Lewes - FA Cup Third Qualifying Round (07/10/06)

Lewes; 4-4-2; Wilkerson, Hustwick, Hooper, Hankin, Legge, Clarke, Johanssen, Kennett*, Barker, Holligan, Darby

Subs; Okuonghae, Tanner (GK), Bridcutt, Taylor, Lockett

We've brought Clarke and Hooper back into the team - with the duo replacing the injured Williams as well as unavailable Semple. Johanssen moves to the right wing, while after his display of loyalty in the paper, Barker continues in midfield. On a filthy, wet afternoon, we began well - and within 9 minutes, had taken the lead - Dwain Clarke's long cross flicked on by Holligan, into the path of Martin Johanssen , who drilled the ball underneath the diving body of 'keeper Rice. Basingstoke should have scored on 19, when Ray and Wyatt both had chances, but found Wilkerson equal after a superb double stop. At the other end, Duane Darby could have netted our second when he hit the post on 22 - an all-action Cup tie very much in essence. On 39 however Hillier's ball released Williams, and his cross into the middle was handed by Barker. With the call a little harsh, and the youngster protesting, referee Prosser signalled for a penalty, which Neville Stamp converted with no problems. Basingstoke began to press us after the interval, and when Darby departed for Lockett after picking up a knock, they really took control - two minutes later, on 61, going ahead when Uwakbunkeonye Ogbodo tapped in at the far post. While we did begin to win more possession and impose ourselves on the game, a leveller never looked likely - and instead, there will be no Cup run this year - out at the second hurdle.

Basingstoke 2 - Lewes 1

Attendance; 666
MOM; Jason Bristow (Basingstoke)

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Monday's Fourth Qualifying Round draw saw our conquerors, Basingstoke , come out first - drawn at home to Unibond League Radcliffe Boro . I feel we would have beaten them, so it's somewhat annoying that we already find ourselves out of the famous old competition.

The week was a quiet one - England's 3-2 win over Greece on Wednesday providing some light relief, but with a game on Saturday, we decided to focus the lads on bouncing back immediatley from the Cup exit.

Lewes v Sutton United - Conference South Game 9 (14/10/06)

Lewes; 4-4-2; Wilkerson, Hustwick, Williams, Hankin, Legge, Clarke, Semple, Kennett*, Johanssen, Holligan, Darby

Subs; Okuonghae, Tanner (GK), Bridcutt, Barker, Lockett

The recall of Semple will add something to the side - he's back after playing for the Northern Irish Under 21's recently, while Mike Williams passed a late fitness test and will start in place of Hooper - Barker the other player who misses out after the Cup exit. We started well with a Gavin Holligan goal on 5 minutes - and simply got better. Duane Darby rifled home from Semple's cross on 29, and that was quickly followed by the big striker's second of the game on 34, finishing after a Hankin ball had caused all sorts of trouble for the visitors. On 37, he turned provider - setting up Gavin Holligan for the fourth, with a very healthy Dripping Pan crowd in very cheerful mood on the terraces. It got worse for Sutton on 41 - as if we needed a hand, Marc Newsham put through his own net after his attempt at a clearance from Semple's cross went horribly wrong. Kennett's long ball found the head of Duane Darby on 43 to make it six - but it was simply dreamland stuff when, a minute into injury time, Gavin Holligan got through on goal to rifle the ball beyond a hapless Emberson after good work from Johannsen. Inevitably, the second half was a far quieter affair - at 7-0 up, the boys were told at half time to just keep going - and Sutton did pull one back through Steve Douglas on 58, after he got between Hustwick and Wilkerson to round the 'keeper and slot home. The result was ironic cheers from both sets of supporters - but when the final whistle blew, it was the Rooks fans who will go home happy. Just the response we were looking for after that Cup exit!

Lewes 7 (Seven) - Sutton 1

Attendance; 802
MOM; Gavin Holligan (Lewes)