Club news
Darren Freeman has added two young talents to his squad ahead of next Saturday’s curtain-raiser against Enfield Town.
The first signing is midfielder Kayne Diedrick-Roberts. Kayne has Premier League pedigree, having come through the youth ranks at Fulham and Manchester United, where he played alongside Marcus Rashford. Kayne represented United at under-18 and under-23 levels and says he learned a great deal during his time at Old Trafford.
“During the two-and-a-half years I was at the club I gained a lot of knowledge from some of the best coaches in the country,” he told us.
Kayne spent last season at Greenwich Borough, but after impressing in pre-season trials – including the third goal in the win over Whitehawk – Darren has moved for the midfielder.
“Kayne’s a good young talent,” says Darren. “He’s impressed us with his performances in pre-season and he’s scored a couple of goals. If we can get him playing in our system, I think we’ve got a very good little player there.”
Joining Kayne in the squad will be full-back Jason Dawson. Jason has again impressed with a string of pre-season performances in the right-back berth, and like Kayne got on the scoresheet in our win at East Grinstead with a smartly taken goal.
Jason was spotted playing for Loxwood in the Sussex County League, where he’s been playing for former Lewes under-18s manager Alex Walsh. “Jason’s done very well in pre-season,” says Darren. “He’s a strong defender and give us more options at full-back, where we’re a bit light at the minute. He’s still young and got a lot of learning to do, but he’s deserved the chance to step up.”
Jason, who has studied biomedical science at nearby Sussex University, is looking forward to the challenge of playing in the Isthmian Premier. “After being invited to pre-season with Lewes I’m keen to push on and feel I’m already improving with the players and management being accommodating,” he told us. “I like the gaffer’s attitude to work rate and getting down and playing the ball. I feel I’ve performed well so far but I’ve got a lot more to give and I’m eager to improve and show it.”