20/4/10

The Dripping Pan's second highest crowd of the season saw Lewes lose their four match unbeaten home run against a Bath City side aiming for a play-off spot.

The defeat means that Lewes face a tough trip to Hampton & Richmond on Saturday where they have to match or better the result which Worcester achieve at home to Eastleigh to stay up.

Lewes were dealt a blow before the match started when the referee deemed striker Rob Gradwell's wrist cast to be dangerous and told him he couldn't play, despite the cast gaining the approval of the referee the previous Saturday in the game against Dorchester.

The Rooks began poorly and conceded in the 11th minute through Darren Edwards. Lewes struggled to make an impact throughout much of the first half and went further behind just after an hour when Gethin Jones headed home from a corner.

With Kane Louis' introduction, the home side began to become more involved, although James Fraser's 71st minute penalty miss meant Lewes faced an uphill struggle.

The last twenty minutes were dominated by Lewes, with Sami El-Abd and David Wheeler bundling a cross in at the far post with seven minutes left although Louis missed a golden chance from close range before Chris Breach had a late header cleared off the line.

Before the match, Lewes keeper Rikki Banks was presented with his Player of the Season trophy awarded by the supporters for his outstanding displays during the course of the campaign.