As footballing Friends Reunited go, this was quite the flagship occasion, writes Ash Head. Scanning the line-ups before kick-off, including coaching staff, I counted no less than ten former Lewes players and staff on the Saltdean benches.
One name appeared on the team sheet twice: Katie McIntyre. Recently lauded in our very own Legends section, Macca took up managerial duties after the recent, sudden departure of Saltdean manager Zac Dove.
Their skipper, another Lewes Legend, Georgia Bridges, once scored four goals in one match for Lewes in this very competition. With Faye Baker between the sticks, Sienna Howells joining Macca in central defence and Charlie Boswell on the bench, Saltdean, the 2024 SWCC Champions, appeared well-equipped to cause an upset.
As the shiny new scoreboard at the Dripping Pan peeled over to 90 minutes, it seemed like we were on course for exactly that.
Saltdean set out their stall early on, yielding possession – 78.8% across the match, it says on the back of my napkin – to the hosts. Lewes, on the back of two superb home performances against FAWNL South title contenders Ipswich Town and Hashtag United, oozed confidence on the ball.
Skipper Lois Roche was at the heart of everything good, marshalling her players and orchestrating early advances on the left through Skye Bacon and the right through Lucy Connolly-Brame. Tucker and Creese had their work cut out for Saltdean, keeping those two out on the flanks. When they faltered, the low, hard crosses pinged in were mopped up by Baker or thumped away by McIntyre and Sienna Howells.
Izzy Glass-Oliver settled down at the back for Lewes, looking for all the world like a deep-lying midfielder. She pinged a series of pinpoint passes out to those wide players, a couple over 40 yards that Paul Scholes would have been proud of.
Lewes’s problems this season, for both first teams, has been finding a prolific finisher. So it proved on Sunday. Paula Howells, playing against her team-mates from last season, looked most likely, firing shots in that either flew over the crossbar or landed squarely in Baker’s bread-basket.
Saltdean played on the counter. Bridges, combative as ever, harried the Lewes full-backs, using her experience to unsettle and force errors. On the right flank, Filippa Millqvist showed a fair turn of pace, running hard at the excellent Maddie Brant without making a telling cross.
On 13 minutes Bridges got the better of Glass-Oliver, the ball ricocheting through. The former Rook raced onto the ball, literally, planting her landing foot on it, allowing the Lewes defenders chance to recover.
Moments later, after Eze lost possession in a Lewes offensive, Bridges was away again, firing early from outside the area. The shot sailed over Moore, dipping just too late from a Saltdean perspective, rattling into the Philcox.
The first decent save of thew afternoon came when Millqvist finally got the better of Brant on the Saltdean left. Her low cross was pulled back to Bridges who fired first time from 16 yards, Moore at full stretch to push the ball around her post.
Bacon knocked the ball past LilianTucker, running around the defender to gather and cut inside, her left foot effort curling away from Baker’s right left post. Paula Howells, ever-more involved behind Eze, popped up inside right to fire straight at Baker. Moments later she tried again, a fierce strike that beat Baker but not her crossbar, the rebound thrashed clear by McIntyre.
Schreimaier made way for Layla Proctor as Lewes upped the ante. Katie Gilligan slipped in a delightful pass to release Roche who once again could only find Baker’s midriff. Gilligan and Roche combined again, the later getting her top-knot onto Gilligan’s cross. The ball struck a Saltdean hand and the referee blew, only to award a free-kick to the visitors for a shove.
Eze tried to clear the Terry Parris Terrace with a fearsome thump with three players screaming for a square pass, and that was half-time. HT 0-0.
The second 45 saw more of the same, Baker commanding her area with authority, punching clear and bellowing orders at her under-siege defence. Lois Roche shot wide and Nat Lawrence rang the changes, sending Carpenter and Ginger on for Bacon and Eze. Carpenter wasted no time, poking a left-foot effort low which Baker, having just received lengthy treatment for a calf problem, blocked with an outstretched leg.
Paula Howells, roaming to find space, popped up in the Saltdean area wide right and was duly up-ended by Beth Creese. The Philcox rose as one to hail the award of a penalty, only for jaws to drop as Mr Bird raced away waving his arms as if trying to take off. The assistant, wit5h the best view in house, remained silent, and on we played.
Chances, chances. Howells again, this one dipping just over Baker’s bar. Brant crossed, Howells, leaning back, headed straight at Baker. Then, the save of the match. Sarah Harvey pinged in a sweet cross that Layla Ginger met on the full. The ball flew at the bottom right corner only for Baker to make thew save, full stretch, to her left.
Saltdean replaced the tiring Millqvist with Maria Tsaftaridou, just as Roche, outstanding all afternoon for Lewes, went down with a leg problem. Lawarence, taking advantage of the rolling subs rule, returned Schreimaier to the fray.
On the stroke of 90 minutes, the deadlock was broken. Carpenter, lively and involved since coming on, crossed for Proctor, Saltdean clearing for a Lewes corner. Howells delivered, the ball bouncing horribly on the six-yard line and there was Layla Ginger to force it home. 1-0 Rooks.
Moiments later, the tie was sealed. Another cross from Howells through the shattered Saltdean defence and here comes Maddie Brant, still full of running, to smash home the second. FT 2-0.
The Lewes fans declared Brant player of the match. Hard to argue, though mentions in dispatches for Izzy Glass-Oliver’s passing and Lois Roche’s incessant work-rate.
Saltdean should be proud of their players. Never over-awed, they ran their socks off. On another day they’d have made it to penalties.
Lewes: Moore, Brant, Schreimaier, Glass-Oliver, Eze. Howells, Connolly-Brame, Harvey, Roche ©, Gilligan, Bacon.
Subs: Godfrey, Ginger, Proctor, Carpenter
Saltdean: Baker, Tucker, Creese, Robinson, Howells, McIntyre, Millqvist, Melis, Emmerson, Bridges ©, Sullivan
Subs: McEvaddey, Tsaftaridou, Boswell
Boyesy’s brilliant photos:
