Lewes have used break wisely says Russell

Manager Tony Russell has made good use of Lewes’ 14-day break from Isthmian Premier action. Picture by James Boyes

The Rooks have not taken to the field since their 3-1 home defeat to Hornchurch on Saturday, September 25.

Lewes were due to host Carshalton Athletic the following Tuesday, but the Isthmian League gave sides permission to postpone games because of the fuel shortage.

The Rooks were without a game at the weekend due to East Thurrock United’s involvement in the FA Cup.

Instead, Lewes took on National League South outfit Dulwich Hamlet in a behind closed doors friendly.

The friendly has given Russell plenty to be pleased about. He was delighted with the Rooks’ performance against their division-above opponents, and said the game had given him a welcome selection headache.

Russell said: “We played really well, got a really good result, but we’ve also got some headaches.

“We put in some of the boys that hadn’t been starting games and they were outstanding. We were blown away by them.

“It’s great that we’ve got a squad where everyone’s tripping over each other to get that starting XI shirt.

“There’s a couple who started the season who we pulled out but they’ve been doing well in training and had an outstanding performance on Saturday.

“I know it’s only a friendly, and people don’t look too much into them, but I’m big on performances.

“I’m not really results driven. If you’re performing really well you naturally win games of football, and if you do that people put trophies in your hands.

“We’ve trained well, played some games, done some training and a bit of recruiting so we’ve used the time wisely.”

Lewes return to action with an Isthmian Premier clash at Margate this Saturday.

The Gate sit eighth in the table, level with the Rooks on 14 points but two-places below.

Speaking on Margate, Russell said: “We’ve watched some videos on Margate. We’ll train on Wednesday and do some prep work.

“I know Jay Saunders [Margate boss] really well and he’s a top man.

“It’ll be a tricky place to go, but we’re confident. There’s a nice 3G there and it will suit the way we play.”