Lewes must start beating struggling teams to boost promotion hopes

The Rooks are gearing up for three Isthmian Premier games at the Dripping Pan in 10 days, starting tomorrow against 16th-placed Merstham.

Lewes then entertain Brightlingsea Regent and Cray Wanderers on January 22 and 25 respectively.

The Rooks have been inconsistent against the division’s bottom six. Despite thumping wins over basement side Leatherhead and fourth-from-bottom Brightlingsea, Lewes have been beaten twice by 17th-placed Potters Bar, shipping eight goals in the process, and have lost at Cray and East Thurrock United, who sit in the bottom three.

And Russell said the Rooks must start picking up wins against the division’s strugglers if they had aspirations of achieving promotion.

He said: “We’re coming into a period of games which have been our Achilles heel this season. If you look at our record against the top sides we’re very good. If you look at our record against sides at the bottom it’s horrendous.

“I’d like to think it’s because when we play against top sides, we haven’t got to go hunting. We’re picking them off.

"When we’re playing against the lower sides it’s us driving the game and I didn’t think, back then, we were as fluid as we can. We’d be very open and expansive but then turn the ball over and get hit on the counter attack.

“That’s my theory. Ultimately we’ll know in the next three games because they’re three games, if we have any aspirations of getting promoted, we’ve got to get points.

“But we’ve won four out of the last five. We’re in good nick.”