30/3/09

Lewes Under 18's take on Eastbourne Borough Under 18's on Thursday night to earn the right to be known as the best youth side in Sussex.

The Rooks prepared for the final on Monday night with a goaless draw against table toppers Croydon Athletic. The league is still quite open but Lewes are certainly well-placed in second with four games in hand as the season draws to a close.

This has been the most successful season for the youth side in the club's history, with the FA Youth Cup run to the third round, when Premiership side Hull CIty visited the Dripping Pan, being the high point so far.

The well-documented problems with the first team have meant that many of the youth side have been able to gain valuable experience in the Blue Square Premiership, and with joint Youth Team manager Steve Ibbitson becoming first team Caretaker Coach, this trend has certainly continued.

David Wheeler was the first to break through, making his BS Premier debut back in November at Torquay, and since then, he has been joined by Fred Foreman and Tim Rivers on a regular basis, whilst Ryan Storrie, Grant Hall, Andy Wilkinson, Ben Osborn, and Ross Sutton have all featured in the last few weeks.

Two youth team players have also been capped for England Schoolboys this season. David Wheeler and Matt Whitehead both made their England debuts earlier this month at Boston in a 3-0 win against Wales and are hoping to play at Wembley against France in June.

First up though for David, Matt and their team mates is Thursday night's Sussex Cup Final, when the young Rooks will be aiming to secure some silverware and emulate the Lewes Ladies, who won their right to be called the best team in Sussex a fortnight ago.

SUSSEX cobra dennis probee youth CUP FINAL

Lewes v Eastbourne borough

Thursday 2nd April, KO 7.30pm

Lancing FC, Culver Road, Lancing BN15 9AX

Go along and support the Rooks!