Flying Rooks back on track

FIRST half goals from Lee Newman and Paul Kennett ensured that the Rooks recorded a midweek league win for the first time in nearly two months on Tuesday, as well as securing a second victory in four days over Corinthian Casuals.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Mar 2003, 18:46 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 22:43 BST

Rooks boss Jimmy Quinn made three changes from Saturday's first encounter, with John Crumplin, Stuart Hack and Jon Palmer swapping places with Dave Soutar, Julian Curnow and Tony Reid, who were all on the bench.

The first 25 minutes were in truth very similar to the opening exchanges at the Pan the previous Saturday, with both sides demonstrating plenty of endeavour but creating precious little to shout about. Lee Newman was thwarted by Casuals 'keeper John Hotchkiss, who raced out of his area to head clear a through ball, but on 29 minutes the young striker latched onto a poor clearance, rounded Hotchkiss and steered the ball past the defender on the goal-line to put the Rooks in front.

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Unfortunately the lead lasted just three minutes. A low free kick from just outside the Lewes penalty area found its way to the far post, where John Russell-Smith was waiting to stab home the equaliser.

However, on 43 minutes, a ball over the top was retrieved by Newman just before it went over the dead ball line, and his back-heel found Chris Dickson whose cross was swept home by Kennett for his 12th of the season.

The second half was nailbiting stuff for the travelling supporters as the Rooks rarely threatened to extend their lead.

Fortunately the home side looked equally unlikely to draw level for a second time. Marc Cable and substitute Reid both had half chances to calm the moods of those around them, and nerves were frayed further by the referee's decision to play six minutes of injury time in a half which saw few stoppages.

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However, another three points were eventually garnered, and those who had already written off the Rooks' chances of promotion this season may yet be forced to eat their words.

The gap to second placed Bognor is now down to just three points, and, with the Rocks still to face in form Whyteleafe and league leaders Carshalton over the next couple of weeks, there is still plenty to play for.

The next hurdle to overcome is a Leatherhead side who have held the Rooks to a 0-0 draw in each of their previous two encounters, followed by a trip west to Woodside Road on Tuesday and a chance to avenge a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Worthing in the Sussex Senior Cup last November.

The home match with Worthing - postponed recently due to a relatively small area of saturated ground by the far penalty area, was caused by the bowed pitch which drains towards the middle rather than towards the touchlines. Contractors will therefore be depositing tons of top-soil along the centre of the whole pitch to correct this situation as soon as the season finishes.

LEWES: Tanner, Crumplin, Dickson, Kennett, Chin, Cable, Hack, Davis (Venables 85), Palmer (Reid 77), Newman, Wright. MOM: Marc Cable