Desperate match yesterday not surprisingly due to it being contested by two teams desperate for points to stay up. My day seemed to be reflected by the changing weather. Beautiful Spring sunshine on the train down to the coast, a slight detour via Brighton due to engineering works having the benefit of going through Falmer and seeing Albion's impressive new ground. Reports say that season ticket sales for next season are well into five figures which must have non league clubs across Sussex worried about losing their floating support to the Seagulls who have timed their title season well.
Not that Lewes will be too worried as their location is attractive enough to lure supporters from beyond the county line. Despite their ongoing struggle to stay up the Rooks have undergone a renaissance off it since becoming a community owned club last summer. The list of patrons in the impressive programme is peppered with names from the media and arts which with its egalitarian ethos resembles the way football clubs in the former Eastern bloc were set up in the name of certain professions or industries. Perhaps they should twin with Polonia Warsaw, the Polish capital's club originally set up by white collar intellectuals, and who have lived long in the shadow of larger neighbour Legia. Anyway the changes had not stopped the Harveys flowing in the bar so as far as I was concerned it was business as usual.
The game itself was instantly forgettable but will be remembered by all present for the significance of the result. For the record Lewes' winner came in stoppage time from the penalty spot and that was about it in terms of goalscoring opportunities as the sun went in and the chilly wind got stronger. The two clubs have the two worst scoring records in the division which signals why both are struggling. On the evidence of this afternoon little will change this season. Lewes though will live to fight another day, whilst the Magpies are looking for the sort of revival led by Dennis Greene six years ago to have any hope of going into the final game with the chance to stay up. Otherwise its back to weekends visiting nice places and watching poor football in the Zamaretto League. Like the Harveys the journey home left a bitter taste.
