The number 28 bus is busy, mostly with students heading to Falmer, writes Mike Wallis. Someone is describing Swindon in great detail to their slightly bemused friends. “It’s like a place near Bath with a really big roundabout“.
Lewes have just won the Sussex Cup again in what was a weirdly flat game in a very odd tournament and I’m not quite sure what to make of it.
For Lewes, the road to Lancing involved two byes, an 11-0 win, a walkover and an 8-2 win. Saltdean have had a similar run, scoring 19 from their three games in the competition. We reckon eight of their squad plus their manager has played at Lewes at some point.
Lewes totally dominate right from the start and are in full control by half-time. Ferguson to Lane, 1-0. Lane to Ferguson 2-0. Lane lobs the keeper, 3-0. A combination of Ferguson and a defender scramble the ball over the line, 4-0. Lane lobs the keeper again, the pick of the goals from a tighter angle, 5-0. Seaby, Howells, Ginger could all have got on the scoresheet themselves. Lane could’ve had 4 or 5. The Saltdean keeper is seemingly wasting time with more than an hour left to play.
The temperature thing at the ground says it’s 13 degrees. It definitely isn’t. “More like Reykjavík than Lancing” suggests Ash.
I’m reluctant to mention the second half as not much happened. Lewes were running half speed with the match on Sunday against Bournemouth in mind. Saltdean had a couple of chances, but I don’t recall either Lewes keeper making a meaningful save in the whole game (we swapped stoppers at half-time). Somehow, I end up having the last touch of the game after a shot is sent wide and the referee blows for full-time.
I’m off the bus and walking home, still not sure what to make of the final. Sure, winning a trophy is great… but we all expected Lewes to win not only this game, but the whole tournament.
Perhaps I’ve been a bit negative on this, winning the cup again is a big achievement but, for me, the bigger achievement up for grabs is to finish fourth in the league, the best-of-the-rest in a league that’s actually been of a pretty good standard this year (Billericay aside). Wins against Bournemouth this Sunday and Oxford next would do it and if it wasn’t for daft defeats earlier this season against Hashtag, Wimbledon, Cheltenham and Wimbledon again, we might even be talking about sneaking into the play-offs!
Lewes [including rolling subs]: Moore (1st half)/Young (2nd half), Brant, Schremaier, Ferguson, Seaby, Trewhitt, Howells, Rowe, Priest, Edwards, Lane, Godfrey, Ginger, Roche, Gilligan.
POTM: The Sussex FA found “a matchball of a suitable standard” to give to Leah Lane for her hat-trick, so it can’t really go to anyone else, can it?