Lewes rocked by rout – now they must try to halt Cray Valley PM charge

The Rooks were never truly in the game as their Essex hosts took the lead in the 14th minute through Chris Harris and doubled their lead with Kane Gilbert’s 32nd-minute header.

Harris later grabbed his brace and Ethan Kaiser’s sending-off paved the way for Darren Foxley to grab an added-time fourth for Canvey.

While the result was a horror show for Craig Nelson’s side, it identified a difference in motivation at this stage of the season.

Canvey were desperate for points to pull clear of the relegation zone, while Lewes were safe in mid-table after three consecutive wins.

The Rooks remain just as well-placed despite the latest result, with 48 points from 35 matches taking them to 13th place in the table and meaning they will realistically be competing to finish between 8th and 17th.

Several of their remaining matches are against sides in similar positions, with 10th-placed Wingate & Finchley, 15th-placed Cheshunt, Folkestone Invicta (12th) and Cray Wanderers (11th) all to come in their last seven games.

Their other three fixtures are against sides competing for play-off spots, with Chichester City and Carshalton Athletic to come and 4th-placed Cray Valley Paper Mills arriving this Saturday.

Cray Valley have only lost six matches in the Isthmian Premier Division all season and come into this match unbeaten in four, with their only defeats in 2025 coming at the hands of fellow promotion chasers Horsham, Billericay Town and Hashtag United.

They have struggled against the Rooks this season, however.

Most obviously, the December meeting between the two sides saw Lewes leading 2-0 in the 77th minute when defender Marcel McIntosh suffered a leg break and the game had to be abandoned.

The rearranged fixture saw the sides share the spoils in a 0-0 midweek draw, with a fine defensive performance from both teams.

Cray Valley are targeting back-to-back promotions after winning the Isthmian South East Division last season and boast two dangerous marksmen in former Lewes forward Freddie Parker and Tom Beere, who have netted 17 and 13 goals respectively this season.

The fixture is part of a big weekend of football at The Dripping Pan, with the Cray Valley game kicking off at 3pm on Saturday before Lewes FC Women take on Billericay Town this Sunday, kicking off at 2pm.