Somehow, we’ve reached the final home game of the season already. It’s a shame the season couldn’t carry on for a few more weeks as Lewes are absolutely flying at the moment, writes Mike Wallis.

Not that long ago, Bournemouth looked like the most likely side to catch Watford at the top of the league, but looking at the table before this game, Watford have secured the title and Bournemouth needed a big win to have any hope of catching Plymouth in the North/South play-off spot.

Lewes come flying out of the blocks at the start. Ruby Seaby forces a good save early on and Chelsea Ferguson, who looks like a completely different player compared to a few months ago, is charging down the goalkeeper down at every opportunity.

It’s Ferguson who creates the first goal too, nicking the ball from one of the hapless Bournemouth defenders, who then can only force the ball out wide to Seaby, who wriggles free of a few challenges, pings a cross into the box for Leah Lane to score her 347^th goal in her last four games with a looping header into the top corner. 1-0.

The first was quite opportunist, the second was outstanding. The same three players combined again, this time Seaby found Lane inside her own half, who then charged past a couple of defenders into the box and squared for Ferguson to tap in at the far post. 2-0.

Bournemouth did have chances. Moore was forced into a couple of decent saves, but they didn’t look like a side that were seriously going to challenge for promotion. Sophie Quirke gave Bex Trewhitt a tough afternoon at full-back, so much so that I missed the end of the first half, retrieving a ball she’d stuck onto Mountfield Road.

Bournemouth were much the better side in the second half and ended the game playing something that resembled a 3-2-5 formation in attempt to force the win they needed, but Moore again was equal to any efforts they had on goal. Lewes held on for what, in my view, is the best result of the season in front of a bumper crowd in the bright April sunshine at The Pan.

Oxford’s draw with the authentic Bedford puts us in a great position to finish fourth after the final round of fixtures next week. (Stay tuned for part II next week.)

There ends the report of the actual match.

As this was the last home fixture of the season, Terry and Gaz the Hat had rounded up all the unclaimed footballs left at the 3G, emptied them onto the pitch and invited everyone onto the pitch for a kickabout. Gaz making sure that he scored the first goal before anyone else was allowed on.

The end of season awards managed to take up a full 90 minutes by themselves, with the club celebrating every volunteer that has been part of the club this season, Leah Lane winning so many awards she needed help from other players to carry them away afterwards, and Paula Howells admitting she’d had one too many beers, performing a brief stand-up routine before being the latest inductee into the club’s Hall of Fame.

But the end of the season always comes with some goodbyes and there will be two significant departures from Lewes FC in the summer.

Lynne Burrell, who oversees the Women’s team, had tributes from players and staff past and present and I’d like to thank her for not getting annoyed with me when I always ask to see the team sheet just after she’s filed it away!

I’m absolutely gutted Shrey is also leaving this summer. We’ll probably still be asking each other Where’s Shrey? on the gates when something inevitably goes wrong on matchdays. Indeed he’s still saved in the contacts on my phone as Where’s Shrey! He seems to have done pretty much every job at the club at some point, even apparently stepping in as the backup goalkeeper in pre-season training for the Women’s team this year. I wish him the best of luck trying to summarise his job at Lewes on his CV!

I’ll be at Oxford next week to see if the team can round off what has been a really really good season.

Lewes: Moore, Trewhitt (Kaluya), Priest, Edwards, Brant, Schreimaier, Rowe, Lane, Howells, Seaby (Banaras), Ferguson (Ginger).

POTM: Nobody had a bad game, Emily Moore, as always was excellent between the sticks but Chelsea Ferguson had a big hand in both goals and looked a threat all game so gets the prize this week.

Honourable mention also to Bournemouth’s Sophie Quirk, who gave our defence trouble all game.