It’s February. It’s raining. It’s windy. The downs have disappeared into the clouds. Terry posted on the group chat this morning asking if anyone could come down and help fork the pitch. It’s one of those sort of days.
Exeter have white numbers on light grey shirts so at first glance it looks like they’re playing in training kits with no numbers. After an uneventful first few minutes they score a very typical crap weather Dripping Pan goal where the Exeter winger sliced a cross which caught the wind and looped over Emily Moore. Lewes almost equalise in similarly chaotic fashion, a sliced clearance from an Exeter defender ended up as a shot on target for Lewes, forcing a great save from the keeper. Annoyingly Sarah Harvey couldn’t quite reach the rebound.
The rain gets heavier. Lewes create a few half chances but Exeter are defending well.
Always a sign of how well things are going, Lewes are sent out early after half time with a triple substitution.
Ruby Seaby, having arrived on loan from Ipswich this week, makes an immediate impact. Running through the Exeter defence and pulling back just too far away for Ferguson to score, but some comedy defending sees Exeter take two or three goes to clear the ball away anyway.
Seaby got the equaliser shortly after, cutting in from the wing and shooting low past the keeper from the edge of the area.
Lewes had half chances: Lane headed over, Seaby had another run and shot, the Exeter defence tried their best to create an opening for Lewes with more excellent comedy defending, ending with someone manging to hack the ball straight up in the air, then catching the wind to go out for a corner.
The second half was building to a frantic finish. Lewes were dominating but not getting many shots at goal. Exeter were shaky in defence but always looked a threat on the break. It really could’ve gone either way. And then…
It was all a bit odd. Exeter captain Bow Jackson had gone down injured, helped off the field and had been substituted. Play carries on, as you’d expect. Five minutes or so later, she was still at the Philcox End, off the pitch receiving treatment from an increasing number of medical staff. Lewes were knocking the ball around at the back, building their next attack when the referee stopped the game, with 88 minutes on the clock. I checked and double-checked that there were 11 players on each side, so this seemed odd.
After ten minutes or so Jackson was stretchered from the field, just as the referee blew the full-time whistle. The game was abandoned, having been stopped with two minutes of the 90 plus a fair bit of added time to play. You’d think the result should stand, but given our recent previous experiences with abandoned games, that’s anyone’s guess.
Lewes A-A Exeter City – match abandoned on 90+10 with the score at 1-1.
Lewes: Moore; Harvey, Edwards (Priest HT), Godfrey, Brant (c); Banaras, Schreimaier, Howells; Lane, Carpenter (Ferguson HT), Trewhitt (Seaby HT).
Goal: Seaby (54)
POTM: On the basis of the 40 minutes we saw today, Ruby Seaby looks a good signing.