Lewes manager Steve Brown has said that the most important thing about Tuesday night's relegation clash is to "not concede."
Steve Brown has had a tough start to his reign at Lewes, triumphing 1-0 over play off chasing Kingstonian in his first game in charge before being defeated 2-1 away to table topping Maidstone on Saturday, however despite being at the other end of the table, Hornchurch are expected to be just as tough.
All games in the Ryman Premier League are difficult. Both Lewes and Hornchurch have picked up a bit of form and both are now looking to push on and move away from the relegation zone to ensure their safety and remain in the division for next year.
It is a huge game for both sides. Lewes are only 3 points ahead of Hornhcurch and the Essex side have a game in hand.
Hornchurch have just won 2 games in a row including a win over 3rd place Dulwich Hamlet.
George Purcell has started hitting some form for Hornchurch and Lewes will need to be wary of the threat that him and the leagues third top scorer, Kieran Bishop, bring to the table.
While the game will certainly not be the final say in the race for safety with 8 more games after this one left to play, it could be a huge step in the right direction for whoever comes out on top.
Lewes travel tomorrow to play Canvey Island who beat us at the Pan not too long ago, not long before Garry Wilson was relieved of his duties as Lewes manager.
The fixture comes straight after an impressive win for Lewes over Loxwood in the semi-final of the Sussex Senior Cup. A win that sets Lewes up for a date with either Whitehawk or Burgess Hill at The AMEX stadium.
The 3-0 win was the final step on the road to AMEX, with Lewes having beaten Brighton and Hove Albion, Horsham YMCA and Eastbourne Borough along the way.
Whoever is in charge of Lewes on Saturday will be hoping for a similar result as attention turns back to the fight to remain in the Ryman Premier League.
Lewes will not name a new manager before the game so it will be down to either Martin Hinshelwood or Steve Eke to make the key decisions before the game. Both of whom are well known names who can be trusted to do a brilliant job.
There are plenty of decisions that need to be made before 3 o'cock tomorrow. Namely the starting eleven. The team played wonderfully on Wednesday night but Jordan Badger and James Fraser, both in form, could not play as they were cup tied. Tom Davis and Gary Elphick took their places and it remains to be seen whether they remain in the starting line up.
Sam Cole was also replaced by Ollie Rowe at left back, presumably tactically as there is no news of any injury to Cole, although he has been one of the stand out players for Lewes so far this season.
You can only assume that Jack Walder suffered an injury in the game against Peacehaven, although there is rumour that Martin Hinshelwood sees him as too much of a liability, with a pretty poor discipline record.
Other than that, Rikki Banks and Henry Muggeridge are likely to still be injured but Alex Mallins is on his way to returning after coming off the bench on Wednesday night.
Lewes will want to make sure they don't get complacent, with a nice game at the AMEX to look forward to, the players will know that they will only be able to enjoy it if they complete the task of staying up. A win on Saturday would go a long way to helping them achieve that.
'Soccer' is growing fast in the States. We all saw that with their sterling performances in the World Cup, progressing through a group they were given no chance in and giving Belgium a hard time in the knockout rounds. The USMNT (United States Mens National Team) progressed further than England in the competition, and while that is not difficult, they won over a lot of American fans who had previously thought the game had no passion or excitement, now all we need to do is get them to stop calling it the S word.
But how does the MLS work? The country is not like England, it is roughly 37.5 times bigger and the UK as a whole could fit in to the state of Oregon. The rules can be complicated for it is not a simple 20 teams play each other home and away, but it is fun.
Conferences
Due to the fact the country is absolutely massive, it does not make geographical sense to have every team in the top flight play each other. Imagine if the space between Chelsea and Newcastle was 37 times further, would players and fans really be expected to make that distance on several different occasions for various teams in those areas? No.
Therefore in America, the MLS is split in to an Eastern and a Western conference.
You may notice that there are 10 teams in the Eastern Conference and 9 teams in the Western Conference. Each team will play 34 games in the season. For the Western teams this is simple, play each other three times, once at home, once away and then the opposite to what they did the previous season so home to 5 and away to 4 or vice versa. For the ten Eastern teams, they simply play a couple of the sides only twice rather than three times, to ensure they are not playing more games.
You may be thinking, these numbers don't add up. Well, each Eastern team also plays each Western team home or away depending on the same fixture in the previous season. After all of these games have been played, every one of the 19 teams will have played 34 games.
The point system is very much the same as in England, 3 points for a win, one point for a draw and nothing for a defeat.
The table is ordered by points won but if teams are level on points by the end this is the sorting order:
Game Rosters
On match day, the sides must submit an 18 team 'roster' therefore allowing them to have 7 substitutes as well as the 11 on the pitch. Similarly to English football, teams are allowed to make three substitutions per game.
Yellow Cards
One interesting thing about the MLS is their 'good behaviour' clause. In the MLS and the BPL, 5 yellow cards means a one match ban. In the MLS every subsequent three yellows means another ban. However, if a player receives a yellow card and then plays three consecutive matches without picking up another booking, the yellow they received is expunged. However they can only use this clause once per player per season.
The Playoffs
Who are they between?
Once the two Conferences have finished, the top 5 teams from each table qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs. Here is how they work:
Round 1: West 4th V West 5th
East 4th V East 5th
Round 2: West 1st V West 4/5th - West 1
West 2nd V West 3rd - West 2
East 1st V East 4/5th - East 1
East 2nd V East 3rd - East 2
* These semi final rounds are decided over two legs with away goals rule applied and extra time/penalties if necessary
Round 3: Winner of West 1 V Winner of West 2 - W1
Winner of East 1 V Winner of East 2 -E1
*These games are 2 legs the same as round 2
MLS CUP FINAL : Winner of W1 v Winner of E1 - the host is decided by whichever team won the most points during the season.
The current holders of the MLS Cup are Sporting Kansas City who beat Real Salt Lake 7-6 on penalties to take the title in 2013.
The league has not been sorted for next season yet, however with no relegation, teams have to apply to join and the number of teams can be changed. Next season, Frank Lampard's new club New York City are joining as well as Orlando City SC.
The latest twist of the already extremely controversial 2022 World Cup in Qatar developed today, as FIFA Executive committee member Zwanziger has revealed that he does not believe the World Cup will be held in the country. Zwanziger's comments are the first time a current member of FIFA has said that they do not believe it will happen, although the FIFA executive committee have been quick to point out he was not speaking for all of them.
Did they not realise it would be hot?
The biggest problem with Qatar is that it is extremely hot in the summer, even today for example, the temperature there is nearly 40degrees Celsius, a quite frankly ludicrous heat to be playing football in.
"The Qatar technical report indicated clearly that it is too hot in summer, but the executive committee with quite a big majority decided all the same that the tournament would be in Qatar," - Sepp Blatter
To get around the temperature, it has been proposed that the tournament instead be played in the winter. However, as you can imagine this had not gone down very well with domestic leagues, which would be severely disrupted. The premier league for example, would have to be halted for a whole month, right in the thick of the action, let alone time before this for the players to join their national sides and get ready. Is that really viable? Although Qatar was voted, the vote was for a summer World Cup, surely now that the facts are out and if it would need to be winter, there should be another vote.
Another suggestion is one that I can barely even contemplate. It has been suggested that games may be played in 3 thirds rather than 2 halves. This is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard, even worse than having a 'B' league placed below league 2. I will never, ever watch a game of football in three thirds I can promise that much.
You do have to question the brains of FIFA however, as Qatar has not suddenly become a hot country…
Corruption
The whole decision stinks of corruption. There has been a 200,000 page report in to corruption handed in to FIFA to investigate, however it is unclear as to who these reports refer to and how many people may have been involved, if any, in any corruption in the decision making process.
There is no doubt that Qatar is a very wealthy country. The allegation is that they have been 'buying votes' from members of FIFA and it would not surprise me in the slightest if this was true. Otherwise, how an earth would Qatar, slaved with racism, homophobic violence, slavery and terrorist threats be considered the best location to hold a World Cup?
FIFA is hardly full of angels. Many of the voters in 2010 when the decision was made, have since resigned while under investigation of financial wrongdoing. Much like a suspected robber, fleeing from the Police, it is fairly likely that this would indicate their guilt.
The problem though, is that the report is to be investigated by FIFA… Something needs to be done about this organisation running football, how can everyone be sure that this investigation won't also be corrupt? It is insulting to everyone who loves the game for this organisation to continue to run football the way it does.
USA
The United Sates of America are waiting in the wings for the chance to host the World Cup, and I say, why not? USA is a nation where 'Soccer' is growing at an extraordinary rate. The last time they hosted the World Cup was the year I was born and so I did not get to catch any of the action but am told that it was a fantastic tournament.
USA's side won the hearts of their nation and others across the world with their display in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They progressed further than England and put in an awesome performance against a much fancied Belgium side, nearly getting past them. Tim Howard became an American hero with his record number of saves in a World Cup game (16).
When Manchester United recently played a friendly in LA, a crowd of over 100,000 attended. America has an atmosphere like no other, they would make the world cup fun. Everyone would be welcomed in the typical American fashion. There is far less racism, homophobia, slavery, bribery etc.
The USA deserves another World Cup, and I am all in favour of giving them this one.
Ollie Rowe scored a late winner to knock Bognor out of the FA Cup in the first round of qualifying. A corner from Jack Dixon was met with a bullet header from Rowe as he out jumped the Bognor defence. Both keepers had kept their sides in the game with each making one superb stop for their respective sides. Bognor pushed on in the last five minutes but Lewes held on to win the tightly contested replay.
- Lewes reach the 2nd qualifying round for the second year running
- Lewes are now unbeaten in five games having kept a clean sheet in the last 4
With Saturdays game at Bognor finishing 0-0, Lewes welcomed the Rocks to the Dripping Pan for the replay of the fixture, a similar result would result in extra time and ultimately penalties. Last season Lewes made it to the 3rd qualifying round before being knocked out by Conference South side Sutton United.
Bognor started the first half on top, dominating the possession without creating any real chances or causing the Lewes defence much of a problem. The Bognor full backs provided them with some width however despite his best efforts, James Crane struggled to put in a decent cross after doing the hard work and getting in to the right position.
Bognor's Stuart Green was trying to pull the strings up front for the Rocks, cutting inside from the left on a couple of occasions, his best moment coming when he found some space and fired the ball at goal forcing Rikki Banks to palm the ball away out for a corner.
Lewes fought their way back in ten minutes in and the game evened out, both teams getting forward although neither seeming to have the cutting edge needed to get on front. The Rooks had their first effort on goal when a free kick was floated in and met by a Gary Elphick header. However there was no power in the effort and Chris Winterton had a simple task to stop the ball.
Lewes fans thought they were going to take the lead when a ball in to the box from Nick Wheeler found Nathan Crabb, however he somehow missed the goal from inside the 6 yard box. Although he was spared his blushes as the linesman raised his flag for offside.
Lewes had decided to start with Luke Blewden up front in place of Elliot Romain who had caused Bognor problems on Saturday. It was Blewden who flicked a long ball forward with his head, looping the ball over the Bognor defence and in to Crabb who burst through on goal. However, Chris Winterton spread his body out well denying Crabb a second goal in successive home games.
Lewes were beginning to get on top of the game and Phillip Appiah broke forward before a poor challenge over the ball from Doug Tuck stopped him in his tracks. The referee failed to take any action to the frustration of the home fans. Jack Dixon blazed the resulting free kick over the bar, the score remaining goalless.
Bognor came flying out of the traps for the second half, almost immediately forcing Steve Brinkhurst in to a goal line clearance.
Again, both sides were creating decent chances but neither were able to get the ball over the line. A headed effort from Jack Dixon went wide before Rikki Banks was forced in to a brilliant low diving save at the other end.
Elliot Romain and former Bognor striker Terry Dodd were brought on for Lewes with thirty minutes to go. Bognor had fought their way back on top and could have taken the lead when Harvey Whyte found himself in plenty of space after some sloppy play lead to Jack Dixon giving the ball away. Whyte lined up the shot as he cut in from the right hand side of the box but sliced his effort sending it crashing in to the advertising boards behind the Lewes goal.
After a spell of being on the back foot, in a game of swings and roundabouts, Lewes took control again for the final ten minutes. It was mid way through this spell in which Elliot Romain won a corner after he chased down a Jack Dixon shot and forced another fine save from Chris Winterton. Despite both keepers being in fine form, neither of them would have kept out Ollie Rowe's blasting header from the resulting corner, placed perfectly by Jack Dixon. Ollie Rowe flew in from the back of the area, planting the ball firmly in to the back of the net.
Bognor threw everyone forward for the final five minutes but ultimately, the game was already decided, Lewes progressed after two very close encounters with their local rivals and will now travel to Whitham Town on the 27th September for the next round of the FA Cup.
Dulwich continued their unbeaten start to the season, beating Lewes 2-0 in the Ryman Premier League.
Nyren Clunis, a graduate from Dulwich Hamlet's youth side, gave them the lead after 59 minutes, scoring from a tight angle after a throw in on the right hand side of the Lewes penalty area.
Another youth team product Xavier Vidal, doubled Hamlet's lead with virtually the last kick of the game, with Lewes throwing everyone they had forward for a corner, Dulwich broke allowing Vidal to score a tap in at the other end after a great pass by Abdul Mansaray.
Lewes were proving hard to break down, a performance completely different to their 2-0 defeat to Tonbridge mid week. The Rooks could have taken the lead in the first half when Terry Dodd found himself through on goal after a defensive mistake, however, the man who scored over 30 goals for Bognor last season some how put the ball wide of the goal. Anyone at Tonbridge on Tuesday may have expected Dulwich to destroy Lewes, however Jack Dixon coming back in to the side seemed to make all the difference for the team playing in orange.
Dulwich were limited in the first half to a couple of chances on the left wing, Steve Brinkhurst at first unable to keep up with Vidal who put in a great ball early on, however no one was there to meet it. Another chance, again created by Vidal was blasted over the goal. Lewes had their own chances on the break, George Branford marly opened the scoring when his cross went a lot closer to the top corner of the net than Phil Wilson was expecting in the Dulwich goal.
Terry Dodd took a shot from range that only just went over the cross bar causing Dulwich fans to silence for a moment. Dulwich continued to have a lot of the possession, however a well drilled Lewes back four kept them from creating any real chances.
Lewes started the second half well, Nick Wheeler creating space before firing a shot well off target and out for a throw in. Luke Blewden also had a chance on the right hand side but blasted the ball wide of the goal.
Despite Lewes pressing, the break through goal eventually came in the 59th minute when a throw in was won on the tight hand side of the Lewes penalty area. A short throw in to Ashley Carew was drilled in low, Clunis got to the ball first and was able to flick it past Rikki Banks giving Dulwich the lead.
Lewes brought Elliot Romain on to replace Terry Dodd and the former Three Bridges striker showed some impressive touches running forward on the right hand side. Lewes would not have been fortunate to get a goal as they pushed forward time and time again in search of an equaliser. First a ball in from Romain nearly found Luke Blewden who just couldn't get to the ball ahead of the goal keeper. George Branford struck the post from range through a crowded area, a shot that had the keeper well beaten. Elliot Romain again caused trouble as Dulwich failed to clear a Lewes corner, Romain's blasted shot was well held by Wilson.
The final chance for Lewes came in the 94th minute, youngster James Fergany making his return had done well to win a corner. Everyone went forward for the corner, including goalkeeper Rikki Banks. However, the ball was cleared out of the defence, Nathan Crabb was able to do just enough to delay the ball for Rikki Banks to get back in goal,however a second clearance saw Abdul Mansaray through on goal. Mansaray was one on one with Banks and produced moans from the crowd as it looked like he had wasted the chance and dragged it wide however actually he had seen Vidal to his right and placed the ball past the keeper for Vidal to run on to and blast in to the empty net, doubling the Dulwich lead and sealing the victory.
Dulwich remain in third place having won four games and drawn one. They will travel to Leatherhead on Monday whereas Lewes who are still to pick up the first win are down in 19th place and will face league leaders Margate at the Dripping Pan on monday. Margate will surely be a tough test as they have a 100% record in the league so far having won all five games.
Fans Corner
@Gingeraction "Despite the defeat, loads better from @Lewes_CFC today, probably best display so far."
'LinesmanIan' "Tough game against Lewes who always look a well drilled side, neither keeper making a save of note."
'Pink Panther' "With better finishing Lewes may well have recorded their first win of the season."
Lewes's poor start to the Ryman Premier League continued as they had no response to Billericay's two first half goals.
Lewes were never in the game, once again going behind within the first ten minutes in what was a frustrating day for Garry Wilson against a well organised, strong Billericay side.
Neither side had any real chances before the 8th minute when Garry Elphick was judged to have jumped unfairly with Ricky Sappleton on the edge of the Lewes area. Sappleton took the free kick himself placing the ball in to the left hand corner of the goal beyond Rikki Banks' reach. It was only ten minutes later that Lewes found themselves two goals down as their former midfielder Callum Dunne slotted the ball past Banks again.
Lewes can have no complaints after being defeated by Billericay. The Sussex side were poor all over the park, being outmuscled and outfought for the majority of the game. Every chance Lewes did create, the Billericay back four did a good job of mopping up right up to the final whistle.
Lewes failed to show the spirit that was with them on Wednesday night when the came back from two goals down to draw with AFC Hornchurch, and despite a better last twenty minutes and a potential penalty shout, Lewes failed to hit back at all.
Not a very good game.
The Dripping Pan
It was the first Saturday home game of the season, for many the first time they had been at the Pan in the sunshine for a long while.
Many were trying out the new food company, sampling a Rooks burger, or watching Manchester United lose to Swansea inside the Rook Inn. The two goal comeback in midweek and given fans a sense of optimism for the day. If Lewes could perform how they did in the final thirty minutes of that game then they would do well today.
The team sheet went up and there was a good reaction that Elliot Romain would be making his first start after signing in the Summer from Three Bridges. Romain had provided the necessary spark on Wednesday night and fully deserved his start. Romain came in to the side for Ebbsfleet loanee Jordan Sanderson.
Left back Sam Cole was still suspended for Lewes and so that meant a debut for young left back Jerome Jibodu while Steve Brinkhurst have his knee a rest. Key midfielders Jack Walder and Jack Dixon were also ruled out through injury/suspension meaning Byron Napper and Fraser Logan were once again in charge in the middle of the park.
Last season Lewes drew with Billericay at home, a result they were hoping to better to pick up their first three points of the season.
First Half
Right from the off it was clear that Billericay's tactics had not changed. From the moment their back for got the ball there was only one target, and that was to launch the ball down field towards Ricky Sappleton, a big lad, who was superb in controlling and keeping hold of the ball.
However, this was not Billericays only threat, with a couple of tricky wingers and Callum Dunne performing excellently in midfield, Billericay appear to have put together a very well organised outfit that could well be challenging for promotion again this season.
The chances Lewes did manage to create were weak, a wayward shot from Nicky Wheeler and a soft header from Terry Dodd were about the best Lewes could muster.
It could not be said that the work rate was not there. Napper, Romain, Blewden and Dodd in particular worked tirelessly chasing balls down, but the service from the back and midfield was just not good enough for Lewes to get past the Billericay back line.
On the eight minute Billericay took the lead. Another long ball from the Billericay keeper met its target in Sappleton, however, Garry Elphick won the ball in the air but was penalised for having his arms laid on the Billericay strikers back. A free kick was awarded and taken by Sappleton, placing the ball beyond Rikki Banks in to the top corner.
Lewes tried to get a goal back quickly, winning a couple of free kicks in dangerous positions on the left hand side, however, Nicky Wheelers effort was far from goal bound.
Sure enough just ten minutes later Billericay had found the net again. This time a ball in from the left hand side should have been comfortably cleared by Jibodu, however he failed to clear the penalty area, allowing former Rook Callum Dunne to slot the ball underneath Rikki Banks before running off and celebrating with the noisy away support.
Neither side really threatened again in the first half with both teams becoming able to deal with long balls.
Second Half
Many may have been expecting with another earful from Garry Wilson, Lewes might come out and show something else for the second half, however the game continued as though it had never stopped, both sides unsuccessfully launching long ball towards each others box.
Fraser Logan was quickly replaced after a performance he is likely to forget quickly. The former Crawley Down man did not look in the best of moods having been taken off, striding towards the dressing room rather than warming down. George Branford came on replacing him in a bid to give Lewes a more attacking edge.
Alex Malins was also brought off on the hour, being replaced by Steve Brinkhurst, and while Brinkhurst did get forward more than Malins, he could not make a huge difference to the game.
Billericay edged the majority of the half, however neither side created much in the way of chances, both defences seeming to be cleaning up everything that came their way. Man of the match Garry Elphick had gained control of Sappleton, meaning Billericay had become much less of a threat despite the wind being behind them.
For the final twenty minutes Lewes gained control of the game but were not able to carve open Billericay as they would have liked. The best chance came to Nathan Crabb in the Billericay area where he was just about to pull the trigger before appearing to be sliced down by a defender. The referee waved his hands indicating no foul, much the frustration of the Lewes fans in the Philcox stand.
The game was beginning to open up for the final ten minutes and Billericay nearly added a third when Sappleton broke free of his shackles, knocking Byron Napper to the ground before barging through the Lewes defence and in to the penalty area. A last ditch block/ challenge from Ollie Rowe saw the ball fall to another of Billericay's attackers but his shot cannoned back off the post.
Lewes continued to press for a goal in the last few minutes but apart from a couple of soft headers towards goal, they did not get a look in.
Disappointment is the word that would sum up the mood around the Dripping Pan after the game.
