The dropped points had been a blow in the fight for a play off spot. But redemption comes quickly in a tight season and so the visit of 6th place Hendon would give Lewes a great chance to “bounce back” as Mr A Partridge is so fond of saying.
This game marked the closure of the Non League transfer window so the days in the run up to the game had seen some frenzied activity by Lewes boss Simon Wormull. Well, actually, it had seen one player exit and nobody come in. With a few injuries picked up recent weeks I offered my services to the club – my price? Just two pints of Harvey’s Armada and a Steak and ale pie. Cheap at half the price. I had hoped to announce the signing on Sunday morning as an April Fools joke but that was pushing the boundaries of reality a bit far.
Lewes 3 Hendon 2 – The Dripping Pan – Saturday 31st March 2012
I do not think I can remember a better four minute spell of all out attacking football than I witnessed from the 47th to the 51st minute in this game. Lewes went in at the break 1-0 down but angry. Angry that a perfectly good goal had been ruled out by sheer incompetence of the officials. The response was a devastating burst of football that saw three goals in that four-minute period. But still there was time for a nervous four minutes of injury time.
It is fair to say that the highlight of the first twenty minutes from a Lewes point of view was the arrival of Lolly with the Rook Pies (Please note: No rook was harmed in their production). It was disjointed, passes were going astray and Hendon had already hit the bar when a defensive mix up saw them take the lead when Belal Aite-Ouakrim got to a ball before Matt Ingram and it rolled slowly into an unguarded net.
Gregory missed a sitter for Lewes, firing straight at local hero (and returnee for 2012/13?) Rikki Banks who is now on loan with the North Londoners when it would have been easier to score, and then Paul Booth nearly got on the end of a Crabb cross. But the main talking point came on the 40th minute. A Harding free kick was put into the box, Breach headed it goal-wards and Banks could only get a fingertip to the ball as it hit the back of the net.
If you were still at the bar, or dare I say it, watching the TV in the Rook Inn as the second half started then you probably missed not one, maybe two, potentially three goals. The team talk by Worms must have been one up there with Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday as within 60 seconds Breach had forced a fantastic save from Banks. A minute later the keeper wasn’t so fortunate as Breach rose again and powered the ball home. Lewes had missed Breach in his hiatus down the A27 at Bognor Regis and whilst he was playing out of position in midfield, his presence at set pieces proved how he had been missed.
Booth had a chance a few minutes later to score a fourth but Banks, who by this time had stopped playing along with the chants of the crowd, made a great save. This was the best spell of play I had ever seen Lewes play. We all felt the same. Cynical Dave was so excited he cracked open the emergency Humus and pitta. Yes, you read that right. Last year he kept an emergency pint in his inside pocket. Today, on his health drive it has been replaced by wholemeal pitta and tasteless mediterranean dips.
With the clock ticking down and us leading by “the most dangerous score line in football” (according to David Pleat) I turned to a beaming Patrick Marber. “Three points in the bag, unless he puts up 4 minutes to add on”…and sure enough 4 minutes went up. At this stage I would have rather put money on Carlton Cole being top scorer in Euro2012 than Lewes holding on for a win based on recent form. And sure enough with a minute gone in added time, Hendon scored, although Scott Cousins shot was pretty unstoppable. Just three minutes to hang on for…
….and breath. Three points over a play off rival, a beer, a pie and all in the name of a great cause.