Nine without a win – but Lewes rescue point against Bowers and Pitsea

Despite controlling large swathes of the game, Lewes had familiar struggles in finishing their chances and staying switched on for 90 minutes.

Poor defending from a corner saw Bowers & Pitsea take the lead in the 57th minute, and while the Rooks were in charge for the rest of the match, opportunities for Danny Bassett, Shae Hutchinson, Calvin Ekpiteta and Jack Meeres all went awry.

The strangest of endings saw Meeres’ thunderous shot crash off the crossbar and bounce away, and from the next move, Hutchinson passed up an easier chance to score than eventual goalscorer Bassett had.

Lewes’ captain stuck the ball away to spark relief, but this was tinged with frustration for Rooks fans, most of whom felt the hosts should have seen off the relegation-threatened visitors.

After two dismal results in Sussex derbies against Horsham and Whitehawk in the previous week, Lewes were battered and bruised.

They showed their scars in the list of players on the sidelines, with Ben Mundele limping off at Whitehawk to join Jack Enkh, Marcel McIntosh, Eddie Allsopp, Maliq Morris, Parish Muirhead and Peter Ojemen in the treatment room.

As a result, in came new signings Jack Meeres and Hassan Jalloh for their full debuts, while full-back Izzy Jones started his first league game of the season after a number of subtitute appearances. This meant Ethan Kaiser and Calvin Ekpiteta dropped to the bench.

Bowers & Pitsea, who had changed their management team in early January but had not won since Christmas, needed a result just as desperately as the Rooks as they looked to escape from 21st place in the table.

The visitors had the better of the early stages, with some dangerous crosses from winger Alfie Evans and Quentin Monville, a promising header for Luke Reeve running wide and George Scales driving a dangerous shot across the face of Toby Bull’s goal.

Lewes had the best individual chance, meanwhile, as Marcus Sablier was teed up by Jalloh for a swirling 18-yard effort which goalkeeper David Hughes tipped over the bar.

Both sides were struggling for control, with their poor form leading to a lack of confidence. Lewes, however, were building some more promising moves by the half-hour mark, with their possession play much tidier than in recent matches and Matty Warren providing some welcome energy on the right.

Going against type, the Rooks’ next chance came down the left, with Jalloh finding Tolu Ladapo who tucked inside right-back Joe Halsey and drew a save from Hughes with a low effort.

Josh Spinks sent a header over from the resulting corner, but Lewes were growing in stature as the half ticked to a close.

Their best chance came moments before the break as well, with a flowing counter-attack seeing Jalloh and Ladapo combine on the left before the ball was worked across to Sablier, who lifted his shot over the bar from the right of the six-yard box.

With the floodlights on and the early evening drawing in, the conditions were set for a blockburster 45 minutes where both teams desperately needed to best the other.

The teams responded to this challenge with verve, as Jalloh dragged a shot wide in the second minute of the half, while Bowers striker Alex Teniola met a cross from the left but tickled his effort wide across goal.

Lewes were having their greatest joy on the counter-attack, and when Sablier turned out of a tackle and released Ladapo, it looked like bringing the opener for Bassett, only for his effort to be deflected into the hands of Hughes.

All that was made irrelevant, though, when Bowers opened the scoring in the 57th minute. As a corner was swung in from the left, Lewes failed to clear the delivery, nor the follow-up, and saw Reeve prod home at the far post to make it 1-0 to the visitors.

The Rooks responded by throwing on Shae Hutchinson for his first appearance since Christmas, and the team’s reaction was positive. More risks were taken, with full-backs bombing on and more direct passing employed, and Lewes were getting on top of their Essex visitors.

In the 73rd minute, a gilt-edged chance came Hutchinson’s way as he made a perfectly-timed run to be played in behind the defence by Jalloh. The substitute’s touch beat Hughes but took him too wide of the open goal, with his shot ending up joining the home fans in the Philcox Stand.

Ekpiteta joined Hutchinson off the bench and had the next big chance, with an opening created on the right and his shot striking the legs of Hughes and going out for a corner.

Lewes had not produced anything from set-pieces all day, however, and when the clock was really ticking down, a spell of corners did them no favours. Rooks pressure poured on to the visitors in added time, and when home debutant Meeres was thrown forward and took aim in the 91st minute, he produced an unbelievable moment.

The defender’s shot from 20 yards rocketed onto the crossbar and appeared to bounce onto Hughes’ glove as it crashed down, thus popping clear and spelling the end of a huge spell of pressure.

Lewes fans were on their feet in celebration before they realised the ‘keeper had foiled them, and the score remained 1-0.

There was still time for late drama, however. With just 90 seconds of the five additional minutes remaining, Bassett won the ball in an aerial battle and squirted the ball out to Ekpiteta, who found Hutchinson bursting down the right.

Hutchinson was free as a bird to take aim at goal but opted to tuck the ball inside to Bassett instead, and the Rooks’ captain drilled the ball home to rescue a point. That settled things at 1-1, with neither team genuinely satisfied with their afternoon’s achivements.

Lewes stayed 13th in the Isthmian Premier Division and Bowers & Pitsea stayed 21st, with the only movements in the table coming around them as sides place more pressure on Lewes.

They travel to league leaders Dover Athletic on Tuesday night before heading to Hastings United on Saturday.