Play off hopes fade as Grays do the double

A pretty dire game between two teams with an extremely slim chance of making the Ryman Premier league play offs, ended with the away side taking home the three points and completing the double over Lewes, effectively ending their chances of making a late run for promotion.

The game was incredibly flat with both teams looking tired, something they better get used to with fixtures coming quick and fast. Lewes perhaps had the better chances of the early stages, despite losing the toss and being forced to face the sun for the first half. 

Luke Blewden had a chance after a witty run by Nick Wheeler saw Blewden through on goal before the Grays impressive number four salmon dived at the ball on the floor to put Blewden off his stride. 

It was Blewden again, guilty of wasting chances when, this time Brinkhurst fed him the ball on the right hand side, only for Blewden to nearly smash the ball out of the ground from a tight angle. Both teams were persistent in trying a long ball game, Lewes in particular having a tough time with it, Blewden having to feed off scraps, playing up front on his own. 

Grays took the lead through their first meaningful attack when they played down the right hand side, beating Sam Gore and dinking the ball across the box, where it was met with a glancing header in to the bottom left hand corner, beyond Banks, by Joao Carlos. 

The goal briefly sparked some life in to Grays who then quickly won a corner, forcing Banks in to a diving save. The corner fell well for them and a back heeled attempt also forced another save from Banks, this time a bit more comfortable. 

No one had a particularly good game first half, but Jay Lovett was having a torrid time, summed up when Grays launched the ball forward from the back. The ball was heading straight to Banks, however Lovett felt the need to chest the ball beyond the Lewes keeper and out for a corner. 

Fans of both sides were probably hoping their team would come out with a bit more fight in them for the second half, however it wasn’t to be and for the first twenty minutes or so the game was at its worst point with nothing of note happening. 

The introduction of Jack Maloney, replacing the worn out Steve Brinkhurst woke Lewes up a bit. The Portsmouth loanee made some decent runs on the ball, looking very strong and skillful, giving an edge to Lewes’s game. However, not long after coming on, Maloney was booked for taking a tumble in the Grays penalty area, despite the fact that he got straight back up and did not appeal for a penalty at all. 

The best effort of the game came in the second half when left back Sam Gore saw the ball cleared after a corner, fall directly to him on the edge of the box. Gore hit the ball on the full volley, at first it looked as though the ball would go miles over, similar to a couple of efforts by Sam Crabb and Luke Blewden. The ball dipped right at the last minute, forcing the keeper to tip the ball over the bar, in a chance that would easily have been goal of the season. 

Lewes kicked on in the last ten minutes, but it was not enough. They were perhaps lucky not to see Jay Lovett sent off, after the referee ruled he had brought down a Grays player on the edge of the box who appeared to be through on goal. 

Despite a little bit of pressure on the Grays goal near the end of the game, there were no clear cut chances and Grays held on to win 1-0 and pick up three valuable away points. 

Lewes V Grays 08/03/14

For Lewes, March looked like it could shape up to be an extremely tough month. However two games in to the month and Lewes have taken on first placed Dulwich and beaten them 2-0, before then just  few days later taking on second placed Maidtsone and again securing the win, this time it was 1-0.

While Lewes will be feeling good about these two wins, they know that the month is far from over. They welcome Grays today who beat Lewes 4-2 just a week ago. They then have fixtures against Hornchurch (H), Lowestoft (A), Carshalton (A), Kingstonian (H), Wealdstone (H), and finally Thamesmead (A). That is games against four of the top five in one month, as well as a trip to Lowestoft who have been consistently in the play offs for the past few years, although it doesn't look like they will have any luck this year. 

Garry Wilson has always stressed that this year is a building season for the club, Lewes will try to finish as high as they can, building up to get ready for next seasons promotion push. However, although the chances are very slim, the recent couple of wins have proved that Lewes can beat anybody in this league and if they can continue this form, who knows, we might see a late charge for a play off place. 

To really still be in with a chance of a play off space, I would say that Lewes would need 15 points from the rest of March which really does not leave them much room for error. In Garry Wilson and Danny Bloor's interviews this year you can tell that they are two men who know exactly the direction that they want to take Lewes, which is great to see. 

Hornchurch are the team that Lewes would most likely catch, they are 9 points ahead but Lewes have a game in hand and also are playing Hornchurch at home in a game that they must win if they are to push for that spot. 

Interestingly Grays would catch up with Lewes on points if they won all of their games in hand. Therefore if Grays win today, they could overtake Lewes and perhaps push for a place themselves, although it seems unlikely they will win all of their games in hand and their fixture pile up will surely take its toll on results. Their lowly position of 17th is deceiving as Lewes found out the other night when they travelled to Grays and lost the match 4-2. 

Hornchurch play at home to Thamesmead today, a game which really they should win so Lewes will most likely need to get a win over Grays in order to keep up the pressure. Grays have the chance to overtake Margate today if they can beat Lewes and Margate lose at home to Kingstonian. 

March really is going to be an exciting month! 

3G Pitches, are they the way forward?

Another saturday for Lewes football club without playing a game of football. There has been no snow so far this winter, however 6 games have had to be postponed already since the start of December 2013, all due to waterlogged pitches. 

This week the Conference arranged a emergency general meeting in order to have a vote as to whether 3G pitches should be allowed in the three Skril divisions. The vote took place due to Maidstone United's fine form in the Ryman Premier league where they are currently allowed to play on their 3G pitch. 

However, the vote was heavily in favour of a 'no' to the artificial pitch. However with yet another wet day and another match postponed, is it time to start looking towards 3G pitches as the way forward? It is worth noting that Maidstone have managed an additional 4 extra home games this year than Lewes and I would't bet against that increasing. This will be a huge advantage to Maidstone come the end of the season when teams around them will have to be playing three games a week just to get all their fixtures finished as it is very unlikely they league will be extended. 

Advantages of 3G

1) 3G Pitches Survive the Weather

This has to be the biggest advantage of a 3G pitch. Heavy rain is not an issue, as the pitches can be made to drain perfectly and any lingering water can be brushed off easily as there is no worry about damaging the grass underneath. 

So many games have been postponed this year due to waterlogged pitches, whereas Maidstone have been able to carry on playing which can only be down to their 3G pitch. 

Maidtstone's 3G pitch 

HOWEVER, while it has been claimed that the pitches are weather proof, I have experienced frozen 3G pitches before while ordinary pitches would be fine to play on. The small rubber balls on the pitch can freeze up on a cold morning meaning when the frost is melting the water is staying on top of the pitch as draining is being restricted by the frozen rubber under the pitch. 

Also a wet pitch or recently frozen pitch, while it may be playable can get very slippery, when players are not able to wear metal stud, the game could be very difficult to play. 

2) The Money 

There are two huge money advantages to 3G pitches. Obviously money is a huge bonus for non league teams, most are cash strapped and any additional income would be an offer that can't be refused. 

The first money advantage is that when games are postponed, they will be played on a weekday where attendances tend to be at least a third less than a usual gate. For example at Lewes they usually get around 500-800 people through the gate on a saturday, whereas this season on weeknights they have been getting roughly 200-400. This means that when a game is postponed there is a significant loss of revenue, not to mention loss on things such as programme sales and printing costs that have gone wasted. 

The second money bonus of 3G pitches is the fact that the pitches don't suffer from any dame and so can be played on as many times in a week as required. This means that clubs would be able to rent out their pitch for others use to gain a lot of extra revenue without any worry that the pitch won't be playable on the weekend for the senior teams game. It also means that the club can train on the pitch rather than having to find somewhere else and potentially have to rent out somewhere for the team to train, which would be throwing more money away. 

Maidstone have received support from Gillingham boss Peter Taylor, who says that at the level Maidstone are at, making money has to be a priority for clubs. 

Disadvantages of 3G

1) Potential to Cause Injuries 

One man who is certainly against artificial pitches is Rangers manager Ally McCoist as in September 2012, his then new signing David Templeton, who suffered a severe injury to his ankle which medical staff claimed was caused by the artificial surface. 

This is not the only injury to happen on a 3G pitches and it is argued that the hardness of the surface causes a lot of stress when running or jumping, or even cuts the skin when going in for a slide tackle. Former Maidstone and Lewes striker Ade Olurunda who played on Maidstone's surface for a whole season claims that after playing on the surface your body aches far more than it would playing on grass. On the other hand current Lewes striker Luke Blewden has apparently said that the 3G pitch is great to play on. 

I have played full hockey matches and six a side games on 3G pitches and it has to be said it is not the same as playing on grass. I have never been injured or seen anyone noticeably injured because of the pitch although former Lewes player/manager did suffer a very serious ankle injury which effectively finished his playing career, although he had already suffered numerous other injuries prior to this, while playing at Maidstone in a pre season friendly which he felt was down to the pitch. 

When I have played football on a 3G pitch, especially after it has been raining the ball moves noticeably quicker and bounces up at you quicker than on a grass pitch making it far harder to control, giving an advantage to the team who plays on 3G regularly as they can train and play on it every week meaning they can get used to how the ball works on the pitch. 

AFC Bournemouth are just one league team of many who do not even allow their players to train on a 3G pitch through fear of injury. 

2) Cost 

While a huge advantage is the extra revenue that is gained from a 3G pitch, however they are not cheap. Teams are looking to pay in the region of at least 600k just to lay down the pitch. Then there is the maintaining costs and the fact that the club would have to pay for a new pitch every 10 years or so to keep it up to the required standards. n other words, while 3G pitches bring in heavy financial rewards, they are also too expensive for non league teams especially to afford. 

3) Changes the Dynamics of the Game

I have already said about how the ball runs and bounces far quicker on a wet 3G pitch. It is also argued for some that a 3G pitch suits smaller players far more than the bigger players, allowing creativity. This would be seen as a huge positive by many with some people arguing that many other countries such as Spain have far more creative players due to allowing them to be playing on 3G pitches. However, this would make a difference if it was Premier league teams training on 3G pitches, however what difference does it make in non league? 

I very much doubt it would encourage teams to be more creative. Football is traditionally played on grass. Non league football prides itself and attracts many fans due to its traditionally values: you can still stand up and watch a game, you can drink a beer on the terrace, players tend to come from the area around the team they are playing for often resulting in more passion, fans can mingle with opposition supporters without being segregated away from them. If they took away the fact that teams play on grass it could lead a change in times for non league football which would take away most of the enjoyment. 

Personally I am against first team games being played on 3G pitches. While I am all for them being used by clubs to train on and I believe the Premier league should fund non league clubs a 3G pitch so that they can train and rent it out to gain revenue ( the cost is nothing to most Premier league clubs and footballers, Wayne Rooney could build on with 2 weeks wages.) It just does not seem right for football to be played on anything other than grass. 

However I can understand the argument for Maidstone as this patch of no games is very frustrating, it makes it difficult for teams to pick up any kind of form, if they win one week and then don't play again for another 2 or 3 weeks then it can be difficult to get back in to the swing of things and so it completely changes the context of the season. For example Wealdstone were flying high at the top of the Ryman league and then the weather hit in and because of postponed games they are now chasing other teams as Wealdstone have four games in hand. 

Match of the Day Running Order

Every week people are always complaining about the match of the day game slots. If you are a fan of Norwich, of course you want to see Norwich play first, however how likely is this going to happen unless they have had a particularly exciting game?

It must be very difficult to chose the order of the games as do they make the show as if it were to be played to a complete neutral, or do they show 'bigger' teams such as the Manchester's, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool first as these teams, like it or not, have a much larger following. Do they show a boring 1-0 win that has a huge significance on the title or relegation or a 4-3 victory from one mid table team over another that has absolutely no significance on anything. The tricky part is, different people are going to have very different opinions.

Here is what I feel the most important choices should be:
1. Number of goals (entertainment value) - this is what football is all about, even if the game didn't have much significance, we watch the show as we love football and we love goals.
2. Title clash - Secondly, games that have a big impact on the title such as a clash between two highly placed teams or an upsetting of the big team.
3. Six pointers - similar to the above but here I am referring to relegation battles. They may not be between the 'big' teams but they are usually very exciting.

I would not take in to account whether the team were the champions last season or how many fans they have, although often the big teams are the ones involved in the title clashes which is probably why many people complain that Manchester Utd. are "always shown first." However, this season they have still often been shown first despite the fact that they are 14 points off the top, not a team you would say who were challenging for the title, so perhaps the BBC do look at how big the team is and how many of their viewers are Utd. fans.

Looking at purely the fixtures over the next two days and taking in to account my points 2 and 3 as point one would obviously have to wait until after the games, the order would be something like:

1. Tottenham V Manchester City
2. Liverpool V Everton
3. Southampton V Arsenal
4. Sunderland V Stoke
5. Swansea V Fulham
6. Palace V Hull
7. Manchester Utd. V Cardiff
8. Aston Villa V West Brom
9. Chelsea V West Ham
10. Norwich V Newcastle

The actual results could change a lot in my order however, such as if West Ham upset Chelsea, that game would go straight up much nearer the top or if the Norwich V Newcastle game finishes 4-4 that would be far higher up. Similarly if the potentially exciting clashes of Spurs V City and the local Merseyside derby actually end up being dull, they could slide much further down as well.

Many people would not agree with the order I have given now without even seeing the results such as Newcastle, Chelsea or Manchester Utd. fans, this shows just how difficult it must be to chose the order every week and why people will still be complaining about the running order for a long time to come.

Why Arsenal Will Win The Premier League

If Manchester Utd, City or Chelsea where currently sitting in the position that Arsenal find themselves in, 4 points ahead of second place, then people would be saying that they are in with the best shout of winning the title and that only their own mistakes would be the reason for them missing out on it. However, with Arsenal top of the league, people are still saying they are not favourites to win the Premier League this year, it is almost assumed that they are going to mess up somehow at some point. Manchester City are even still odds on to win the league despite being 4 points behind the Gunners.

However, I am not sure why this is. Of course there is the obvious fact that Arsenal have not won any silverware for eight years, however, with Aaron Ramsey bang on form and Mesut Ozil seeming to bring the best out of everyone, more and more people are coming round to the idea of the London team lifting the title.

Where Arsenal have failed in the past is when it comes to beating teams they really should be beating, they often drop points. At the very start of the year they lost 3-1 to Villa and people believed the tradition would continue, however after their 3-0 win away to Cardiff, a different tune is being sung.

Let's not forget, Cardiff beat Manchester City and achieved a draw with Utd. Southampton beat Utd and Liverpool but both of these teams suffered in the hands of Arsenal. And the win over Cardiff was nothing short of a hammering, and what's more, in style.

This was Arsenals third clean sheet in four league games, showing their defensive problems appear to be over. Their midfield is incredible, I would say the best in the Premier league especially with Aaron Ramsey being in the form he is in currently. Arsenal have now also scored 27 goals this season, they appear to be the real deal.

A lot of the recent success can be put down to Mesut Ozil. This signing has done so much for Arsenal, firstly because he is a wonderful player and has been assisting for fun since signing the dotted line, but also for the change of mood he brought to the club. He excited fans, the other players and has made everyone up their game. Fans had long been crying out for a big name signing after selling Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie etc. and now they have one, Arsenal appear to have turned a corner.

It is true that Arsenal have not really had to face the toughest of opposition, although they did pick up a win over Liverpool, they lost to Utd and still have to play the likes of Tottenham away, Chelsea and Manchester City in which their season could be turned around completely. However, they have shown they can do the business against the big boys having dominated their group in the Champions League, containing last years runners up.

Arsenal have 11 different scorers this year, joint most with Everton, which shows they have a good team. Often it is the teams who share the goals around who do well, unlike teams such as Liverpool (Suarez) and Manchester Utd (Rooney) who look to one man to score all their goals. However it is undeniable that Arsenal need to sign a world class striker.

Giroud has put in some good displays this season, but he is not as prolific as you would expect of a title winning striker. The only back up Arsenal have is Walcott, Podolski and Bendtner, none of these have set the Premier league alight. If Arsenal were to sign a Rooney or a Suarez they would have a terrific chance of wining the Premier League, this would make a statement that they are in this to win and they are going to achieve that goal.

While there is still a long way to go, I think Arsenal have shown enough for people to take them seriously as title contenders. I may eat my words come May when they are celebrating a fourth placed finish, however I feel Arsenal can for the first time in years, realistically win the title.

Seven Days Of Christmas Sackings

25th November - Guy Whittingham: Portsmouth (17th, League 2) 

Guy Whittingham was the first victim of this mass manager sacking week after being in charge of Portsmouth for just over a year. Whittingham was originally appointed as a temporary manager after Appleton left for the Blackpool job, however after impressing he was given the job. He lead Portsmouth to a bottom of the table finish in league one, meaning Portsmouth are now in division 2, although to be fair this was with a minus ten point penalty to deal with and the club had just come out of a 14 month spell in administration.

Portsmouth are only 6 points above the league 2 relegation zone and after a fourth successive defeat, relegation from the football league altogether just could not be risked.


27th November - Richie Barker: Crawley Town (15th, League 1) 

Scoring just one goal in seven games was enough o get Crawley Town boss Richie Barker the sack. Barker had been in charge for just over a year after taking the role following Steve Evans departure to Rotherham. Last season Crawley Town finished 10th in league one but they were expecting to be improving on that this year. Despite only scoring one goal in seven, the Red Devils are actually unbeaten in their last four games, however Barker could understand that goalscoring was a problem.


28th November - Sean O'Driscoll: Bristol City (23rd, League 1) 

The third man to go was Bristol City boss O'Driscoll who left with only two wins in 18 games and Bristol deep in to the relegation zone of League 1. Sean took over Bristol last season with the club deep in to relegation troubles in the Championship. Ultimately he was unable to save them, however now they face the same situation but a whole division lower.

Sean decided to completely change the squad around over the Summer and it does not appear to be a plan that has worked in his favour. City have one of the biggest budgets in division one and should really be pushing for promotion, however, failing to win their first 12 games has set them off on the wrong foot and the owners felt a change was needed. This is their seventh change in three years however....


30th November - David Flitcroft: Barnsley (24th Championship) 

Bottom of the league Barnsley relieved manager David Flitcroft of his duties on the final day of November, less than a year since he was appointed. The Tykes are not only bottom of the league but they also have the worst defence stats as well. Last season, appointed in January, Flitcroft managed to successfully guide Barnsley to safety where it looked they could be relegated, however with the club 6 points from safety it looks as though they may have to find someone else to do that job again this year.


1st December - Martin Jol: Fulham (18th Premier League) 

After five straight defeats, Fulham lie just inside the relegation zone of the Premier league, somewhere they just cannot afford to be. Jol has been at Craven Cottage for two and a half years and despite being a popular manager, the owners felt he had to go. Jol was very gracious in being removed stating there are "better days" ahead for Fulham. He understood the decision after his final game was a 3-0 defeat by West Ham in which Fulham failed to register a single shot on target.


1st December - Dave Jones: Sheffield Wednesday (23rd Championship) 

With Sheffield Wednesday once again in relegation trouble, Wednesday have taken the decision to remove Dave Jones as manager. The Owls had lost their last three games. Dave Jones lead the club to promotion from league 1 in his first season in charge. Wednesday are the only side in the football league who do not have a single clean sheet to their name.

Last season, Wednesday only just survived relegation finishing in 18th place and the board do not want to take another risk this year. Bottom club Barnsley made the first move by sacking Flitcroft just the day before and Wednesday quickly followed suit.


2nd December - Owen Coyle: Wigan (14th Championship)

To complete the week of managerial changes, Owen Coyle has left Wigan by "mutual consent". Wigan are the highest placed team to change their manager over this last week as they currently sit 14th in the Championship, however, having only just been relegated from the Premier league they were hoping to bounce straight back.

Wigan had a odd season last year, winning the FA Cup and therefore playing in Europe this year, however they were also relegated from the Premier League. Boss Roberto Martinez decided to leave the club and is currently having a very successful spell at Everton.

Coyle won only seven games for Wigan and they are currently 6 points off the play offs, not really promotion form. On the other hand Wigan are having a decent time in Europe and still have a chance to qualify for the last 32. It would surely be easier for them to be competing in the Championship when they are knocked out of Europe, something which Wigan probably should have thought about.

Wigan did make some impressive signings over the Summer, with Grant Holt being an example, a proven Premier League goalscorer, however they have failed to impress in the Championship as of yet this season.

Kingstonian V Lewes: Match Preview

Lewes have some severe injury problems to be dealing with before their trip to high flying Kingstonian.  first of all goalkeeper Rikki Banks should be fit despite hobbling towards the end of the game in mid week against Cray. 

Sam Gore is still out with his shoulder injury and will continue to be replaced by loanee Sam Cole. Andy Pearson was this week released by Whitehawk but may not be fit after he was taken off in mid week with an injury. Captain Jack Walder was also taken off mid week and probably will not make the game on Saturday, along with fellow midfielder Jack Dixon who was taken off with injury in the home loss to Lowestoft the previous Saturday. 

Sam Crabb is also carrying a knock but is still expected to start at right back against Kingstonian. Steve Brinkhurst is still having troubles with his knees despite scoring a remarkable over head kick against Cray, he may find two games in a week to be too much. Ross Treleaven is still out after picking up an injury in training, similar to Matt Crabb. Nathan Crabb is still available as his suspension for the red against Lowestoft does not kick in until the game against Thamesmead. 

Former Lewes player Matt Somner will not be facing up against the Rooks as he has recently gone on loan to Crawley Down Gatwick, managed by former Lewes captain Steve Robinson. 

Lewes winger, Nick Wheeler is really starting to wow the fans at the Dripping Pan with his tricky performances, he has made the step up from the Ryman South look easy. The winger will need to be in top form on Saturday to get through the stern Kingstonian defence. 

The Lewes midfield is looking weak at present with the two big names: Jack Walder and top scorer Jack Dixon both out injured, under 18 player Josh Marshall was called upon against Cray in midweek and could well find himself starting against Kingstonian unless Bayan Fenwick recovers from his flu in time. 

A win at Kingstonian would set Lewes up for a promotion push going in to the christmas period. After Kingstonian Lewes play Thamesmead before they have a run of potentially difficult fixtures which will really show Lewes fans where they could end up at the end of the season, starting with Kingstonian tomorrow. However after tomorrow, Lewes will have played all of the top five away from home, with them all still to play at the Dripping Pan, they have only lost one of these fixtures (away to Dulwich.) 

This time last season Lewes only had 18 points whereas this year they are flying on 30, a huge difference for Lewes fans. It now appears that the decision the board made to remove Simon Wormull from the manager role was completely justified as Garry Wilson and Danny Bloor have done an exceptional job in transforming the team on the same budget as last season. 

Kingstonian have three home fixtures in a row coming up against Lewes, Cray and Wealdstone, they will be looking to pick up maximin points from these games if possible in order to keep their title challenge strong. Lewes and Wealdstone should prove to be the toughest tests for the K's and they will be keen to get off to a good start when they play Lewes tomorrow. 

My Prediction: 

"Garry Wilson and his team will have to come up with a decent game plan and hope they have the goalscoring form they showed against Cray when they come up what is probably the toughest defence in the league. 2-0 Kingstonian"