Men's football news
Written by: Joe
Craig Nelson says youngsters Leo Ginger and Christo Nano deserved their chance to impress in Lewes FC’s 3-1 win over Three Bridges on Tuesday after easing into first-team training recently.
Teenagers Ginger and Nano have come up through the Rooks youth set-up and each came on as second-half substitutes at the Pan for their debuts.
“I felt that both came on and did really well,” says Pitts. “They’ve both been training with us for a few weeks, which is something I look to do. I get to see them in our environment and see their character within our training set-up. Because off that they’ve been given the opportunity to play here. They’ve been working hard and deserved it.”
Ginger replaced Nabeel Ghannam with 22 minutes remaining and was on the field as Lewes grabbed their third to put the Sussex Senior Cup tie beyond Three Bridges.
Nano came on for Izzy Jones on 82 minutes and impressed the onlooking Rooks fans with a number of quick passes and neat touches to spin out of tackles.
“We said to Leo to come on and breathe a little bit and then he’d be alright. He did that – he came on and worked really hard,” says Pitts.
“Christo came on and kept the ball really well. He’s only 15! It’s a massive achievement for them both and I’m happy we’ve been able to provide that opportunity for them. It’s due to their hard work that we’ve spotted them and allowed them to do what they did, so credit to them.”
The boss also took time to reflect on the performance as a whole, which came after Saturday’s first defeat of the season to Potters Bar.
“I thought we started really sharp. What we spoke about off the back of Saturday was making sure we came out with some intent and I feel we showed that really early on,” adds Pitts.
“I feel we could have scored one or two before we actually did, which was really pleasing to see because there was a big shake-around today to give some minutes in the legs of the boys who have been coming on and getting some minutes here and there.
“I’m really, really happy with how they performed early on. The goal we conceded I think was really harsh – everyone in the ground saw it as a foul beforehand. Looking at it from that perspective, we should have come out with a clean sheet.
“The game was a little bit too transitional for my liking but you’re going to get that with wholesale changes, and there were more changes in the game. You’re going to get a lack of fluidity, but on the whole we did well. We threatened the goal a lot, which is good.”
Next up for Lewes is Saturday’s home clash against Bracknell Town in the FA Trophy third qualifying round (3pm). Tickets are available to buy at an online discount ahead of the game.