‘Start again next year’ – Lewes FC secure safety but seek improvement
Lewes manager Craig Nelson says his side must “start again next year” after finally securing safety on the penultimate week of the 2025-26 season.
Nelson has overseen a season of mixed fortunes since he returned to The Dripping Pan on 23 October 2025, with the Rooks in 14th place in the Isthmian Premier Division at the time.
They can finish anywhere between 14th and 17th place this weekend, but with 15 points coming from 19 games since Christmas, there has been a sense of disappointment with the delay in securing survival.
A 1-1 home draw against Wingate & Finchley made certain last Saturday, with Charlie Paye’s 42nd-minute header enough to take a point.
“If you had said it at the beginning, ‘Would you take a point against Wingate and stay in the league?’, everybody would have bitten your hand off,” said Nelson.
“I was proud of the way the boys came back into the game. I think we were largely the better side in the in the later part of the first half, and in the second half, it seemed a bit cagey from both sides.”
With only a trip to Chatham Town remaining this Saturday, the Rooks signed off on home action last week with an awards presentation after the match.
Devonte West took home five awards - the Players’ Player, Fans’ Player and Supporters Club Player of the Season, as well as the Golden Boot and Goal of the Season for his March scorcher at Brentwood Town.
Goalkeeper Louis Rogers, meanwhile, won the Managers’ Player of the Season award. Men’s team kit manager, Lewis Robinson, won the Lewes Legend award and Paul Denny won the Volunteer of the Season prize.
There were several messages of thanks for the club’s supporters, too, who have contributed to an average home attendance of 846 this season.
“Regardless of the score, as long as we’ve put a performance in or shown effort, they’ve always got behind us, home and away,” said Nelson.
“I don't think anybody from my team will say that this year has been successful. The only positive is we're now safe and we will be here next year. That was my remit when we came in, to ensure we didn't go down.
“We have to make sure we rest and prepare in the summer. Then, we get to start again next year, refresh and hopefully have some brighter moments than we did this year.”