Isthmian League Division One South
The Dripping Pan, Lewes
Admission: £11.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 802
Match Rating: 3
It was with some considerable reluctance that I attended this game, not wishing to pay a shocking £11.00 to watch Step 4 football. However, the location fitted in well following my morning game at Peacehaven, the alternative of bottom of the table Whitehawk against out of form Eastbourne Borough did not sufficiently appeal, and it is always a joy to visit the wonderfully named Dripping Pan, a ground that just oozes charm and uniqueness from every pore.
The Dripping Pan is located just a couple of minutes walk from Lewes train station, not that trains were an option today with no services running on Boxing Day. Spectators enter through turnstiles behind one of the goal, at the top of a modern terrace with an attractive cover. Immediately to the right of the terrace is the tall clubhouse building which does obscure the view of one corner from the terrace, and the clubhouse is located on the bottom floor. Beyond a tea bar window in the corner, there is a modern and stylish all-seater stand stretching most of the length, whilst behind the far goal, there is a steep bank of uncovered terracing built into a grass bank. Walking to the left from the entrance turnstiles past the covered terrace, four beach huts are located in the corner to be hired out, and which offer a good vantage point particularly during wet, wintry days such as today. Around the corner, the path continues high along the top of a tall grass bank, offering a great elevated view of the action. The 32 page programme, a double issue also covering the coming Saturday's home game, was a really professional job, in full colour, attractively laid out, with interesting articles to read and the important stats mentioned.
Lewes are having a great season so far, top of the division following 15 wins and six draws from their 24 league games, leading the table by two points and have played less games than most teams below them. Hastings United, who lost in the play-offs last season, have had yet another turbulent season, losing their newly appointed managed Adam Hinshelwood in September, then allowed most of their high-earners to leave in favour of younger, more local players. Coming into this game, they were in eleventh place, having won nine and drawn eight of their 24 league games, but they did come into this game on a 10 game unbeaten run.
The day had become really chilly with frequent rain showers, and Hastings did seem to have the confidence of a team unbeaten in ten, as they had most of the possession and looking good with it for the most part, but they never really looked like scoring, lacking a final ball. And on 24 minutes, after a Hastings attack broke down following an apparent handball by a Lewes defender, Charlie Coppola kept on running, into the penalty area where he was brought down by defender Jack Dixon. Jonte Smith hesitated in his run-up, putting the keeper on his backside before rolling the ball into the bottom right corner. Not much else occured for the rest of the half, as Lewes held a narrow lead at the interval.
Unfortunately some rather unsavoury scenes occurred at half time, and some young intoxicated delinquents supposedly supporting Hastings but much more focused on causing trouble set off a very loud explosive device in the covered terrace, provoked a brawl which even Hastings substitutes helped to address, and early in the second half, the "gang" let off firecrackers onto the pitch, before the stewards got them under control with the assistance of the police, sadly. Perhaps events had an effect on the Hastings players on the pitch, as they put in a really subdued performance after the break, and on 57 minutes, Lewes doubled their lead with a superbly taken free-kick by Leon Redwood, which went in off the underside of the bar. That really killed the game, and for the most part Lewes looked content with playing out a comfortable 2-0 win, although on 79 minutes a dipping shot from just outside the area came back off the crossbar, and Hastings seemed to lack the inspiration or imagination to get back in the game, although in the last minute of normal time, they saw a far post, close range header blocked on the line.
This was a case of Lewes doing enough to claim the three points and they look on course to claim promotion back to the Isthmian Premier, whilst Hastings are destined for mid-table obscurity, hopefully to build towards a more exciting season next year.
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