Sunday 15 July 2012

Lewes FC 2012/12 Day 3: PSF V Worthing

So Lewes have their first Saturday game of the season with their now seemingly annual trip to Woodside road to face Worthing, previous results their have not gone our way in the last two years pre season we drew 0-0 and last year we lost 1-0. Once again, work commitments have meant that I was unable to get to Worthing for the first time and so once again I had to listen out for tweets on the game.

Thank you to Barry Collins on Lewes facebook page for this photo follow this link to see all his brilliant photo's in James Boyes absence from the game http://www.facebook.com/groups/120383828014437/410247275694756/?notif_t=group_activity


However it does not sound as if I missed much with Lewes playing a few trialists and under 18's leading to a very subdued and I would imagine wet game. The game finished at 1-1 with Lewes going behind before Steve 'Robbo' Robinson headed home a corner, in what sounds like a replica of last weeks Chris Breach goal last week as Lewes won the supporters direct sheild over Fisher.

All I can go by for this particular pre season friendly is the reaction from apparantly the large number of fans who did decide to attend. Nickyboy commented on the Lewes unofficial forum that our back four looks very decennt, but we are a little light up front, hopefully that will not be the case as that seems to be a reccurring theme at Lewes.

Once again it sounds as if Karl Beckford had another good game which is promising as he may be the man to fill the boots that Harry Harding left, still yet to finalise a deal with Macclesf.. oh wait his 'new club' yet.

For now though we wait until Tuesday when I finally take in my first pre-season game of the season and Lewes play against Brighton and Hove Albion's first team who on Saturday beat Maidstone united, containing a certain Paul Booth and Ian Draycott 5-0, hopefully it was not be so Blue and White sided on tuesday!

Monday 9 July 2012

Lewes FC 2012/13 Day 2: SDS V Enfield Town

Now at this time of year, clubs would normally be starting a pre-season friendly that does not mean anything at all. But not Lewes, oh no, we are a community club and so this year Lewes FC were invited along to Enfield Town to play against Fisher FC to fight it out for the Supporters Direct Sheild, Lewes FC's first chance for silverware in 5 years since they won the Conferecne South back in 2007/08. 

Lewes played in old green kit
Again, for the second day in a row I was working and so had to look out for updates from the one o clock kick off in my breaks at work, a very difficult thing to have to do. It has to be said the game does not sound like it was a thriller but from the sounds of things the Lewes team looks like a decnt outfit. It was very difficult to get any team news as apparantly there were, dissapointingly no Lewes fans there. I can confirm the game ended 1-0 to Lewes in typical fashion as it was Chris Breach who headed the ball home from a corner, will that ever get boring?

It was rather fortunate that Lewes did win as if the scores were level , a unique fans penalty to shoot out was to decide the result. In which the scores were as follows:

Lewes                                                                                      Fisher

James Boyes (photographer) Scored                                       Scored
Kevin Brook (club secutary) Scored                                        Scored
Pav (Kitman) Scored                                                               Scored
Stuart Fuller (director) Saved                                                   Saved
Sam Piper (Kitboy) Saved                                                       Scored

It was a shame that there were not enough Lewes fans to play rather than club officials having to fill in but at least in this case we are a fan owned club so it still counts!

Crabb and Walder celebrate
Overall it was a decent first game for Lewes to get in to the swing of things. I twas important to get in to the winning way as soon as possible, after all winning is a habbit! 

Lewes Team: Kieran Thorpe, Lee Cooper (trial), Chris Breach, Steve Robinson, Charlie Leach, Jack Walder, Callum Dunne, Karl Beckford, Max Howell, Steve Brinkhurst, Nathan Crabb


Lewes Season 2012/13 Day 1: Open Day

Saturday the 7th of July and Lewes FC's season is underway at last. There is no game on today, however the club are taking the opportunity to have Lewes FC's first ever open day going along with the theme that they are a community club and all that.

The under 18's ironically pour around the bar to fill out their
 forms
Unfortunatly due to work commitments I was unable to attend this years open day and so I had to keep up to date with what was going on during my breaks at work on the now reliable source that is twitter. As I am sure you are aware the weather we are experiencing is not what you would expect in July and so the open day was desperatly hoping for a bit of nce weather so that the event wasn't a washout.

The main thing that would excite me about the day was to find out if there were any new signings or anyone else staying on from last year. Obviously there were a few players I did not recognise and with the images being so small and no sort of update as to who players were it was difficult to tell whether they were just under 18's or the real deal. However upon seeing a picture of all 4 Lewes squads for the season (Men, under 18's Woman and Girls under 15's) there was a face laughing at the back that I thought I recognised. But no, surely not that can't be former Lewes player, part time model and ex- The Only Way Is Essex character and boyfriend of Amy Childs, Jay Conroy surely? I didn't want to let myself get excited but I had known that Worms was looking to sign a new full back and so could it really be him? I typed his name in to twitter and on his account @conroy02 I could find nothing about signing for Lewes. But it appeared that I was not the only one who thought they had recognised him with @tomharper94 also questioning whether it is the man or not. Desperate now to find out I searched for him on google and still could not find out even what his last club was let alone whether he had signed for Lewes. I only actually found out when I got home from work and on the Lewes FC facebook page the question had been asked and confirmed by Stuart Fuller that it is indeed Jay Conroy, what a signing! Although it does still leave a taste of Steve King on the club but that will be forgotten with a few decent performances as we know he is capable of!

Lewes FC First team

When the first team photo came up I tried to spot what players we have and from what I can make out this is who each of these people are starting from the top left. In black we have kit man Pav, usually follows King so suprised to see he is staying here at the pan. Then we have Steve Brinkhurst great winger signed from Eastbourne Borough, he played here before on loan from Brighton a few years back when we were relegated from the Conference Premier, seems a long time ago now! Then there is Jay Conroy, can you spot the model look about him? Next to him Steve Robinson, well done Worms for getting our captain to stay at Lewes even though King cam calling from two divisions up at Macclesfield! Next up in white we have Pawel our Polish keeper, had a dodgy game last year but is young and still good to have around. Next to him is our main keeper Kieran Thorpe, signed from Eastbourne Town supposed to be a great shot stopper. Following him there is Chris Breach and Lewis Hamilton, Lewes fans will be aware of who they are by now. Next to Hamilton, I believe that it is Callum Dunne a midfielder signed from relegated Horsham, still ver young but was captain t the Hornets. Next to Dunne is a player who I am not sure on yet so still have some more exciting finding out to do! And finally on the top row is Sam Piper, our very kean yet very useful helper.

Players get photos taken for new website
And now the bottom row! On the very left we have Karl Beckford, one of those players who looks tubby but has the legs of anyone else, the kind of midfielder you hate to see playing against you, we signed him from play off rivals Concord Rangers, he scoreed a wonder free kick in Lewes 3-2 win over Concord last year. Then there is Charlie Leach, a product of Lewes FC's under 18's, a great young full back will quickly become a fans fave I feel . Then there is Aaron Hopkinson, also from our under 18's although he is now 20 years onl Aaron is setting himself the target of getting a first team spot this season after a few poor years of football for him personally. Next up our goalscorer, Nathan Crabb scoring goals for fun with his electric pace last season. And there he is in white, player/manager Simon 'Worms' Wormull, what a man. Next to Worms is first team coach and under 18's manager Nick Browne, who also happens to be employed by Chelsea FC in Sussex. 3 more products of our under 18's next in Leyton Scaaf, Max Howell and Jack Walder three very decent players who are all ver cabable of making the step up to our first team . Last but not least I am unsure of who the player on the end of the row is so that makes two players still to find out about!

Overall it seems that the open day was fun and so a success, lets hope the club made some money out of it and perhaps signed some members up, but for now, at last the season is here!