AFC Hornchurch V Lewes Preview

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.

The game kicks off at 7.45pm on Tuesday night.

Semi Final Win Will Boost Lewes

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.