Men's football news
Written by: Joe
Lewes boss Tony Russell believes his side has hit a new level heading into Saturday’s clash with Margate after a stellar week for the team.
Lewes beat Enfield 4-2 last Saturday in a dominant display that left Russell delighted. And while Tuesday’s clash with Aveley was sadly called off, the training session the next day went as well as any since the manager’s time here.
Saturday sees Margate rock up at the Dripping Pan and tickets are still available to buy online.
And Russell reckons a strong Lewes support is set to witness fireworks once again.
“Margate are a good side. They’ve won two games in a row and are confident,” says Russell. “But ultimately I know when we’re going well as a group and a club when we’re talking about ourselves.
“I feel when we focus on us then any opposition will struggle to contain us. I feel that in the camp now.
“We need to concentrate on ourselves, continue to play well like we did last weekend and build on that momentum. If we do that and hit them with everything we’ve got then Margate will struggle to contain us. If we don’t then Margate are a good enough side to make a game of it.
“I drove away from Wednesday’s training session feeling really confident, and have told the boys that’s our standard for every session now. We need to make sure we come into Saturday with energy – both players and staff – and there’s loads to build off.”
‘The boys are starting to get those patterns’
Indeed, the Rooks may sit 17th in the Isthmian Premier League but have played three games fewer than most other teams. Beating Margate could catapult Lewes into the top half, with another game at the Pan not too far away against Hornchurch on Tuesday.
And Russell is keep the maintain the momentum, even if the Aveley postponement meant he’s had to wait for the lads to get on the field again.
“The game was called off Tuesday which was no-one’s fault, it was a situation that nothing could be done about,” Russell says. “We trained on Wednesday and it was by far the best session we’ve done, perhaps since we’ve been at the club. It was outstanding.
“I know it doesn’t guarantee you anything but I felt a real shift in the squad and staff. We’ve had a chat about things and I came in Wednesday and Nathan’s pre-activation stuff and warm-up stuff was top notch, high intensity. We had the injured players going hard too.
“We did a lot of work with the squad on shape and it all ran really smoothly because the boys are starting to get those patterns now.
“We have stuff that we feel we can hurt Margate with, so we’ve done that work. The boys like the idea of some of the stuff we’re talking about – the session just really flowed.
“It was good energy in the group, lots of noise and intensity, and we finished off with some set plays we’ve been working on.
“The mood in the camp’s good. We’ve got a couple of injuries that we need to be aware of but generally everyone is in good health.”
Lewes face a Margate side on Saturday that beat Canvey Island 2-0 last weekend and also claimed three points at Corinthian-Casuals recently.
Lewes FC vs Margate tickets
The match on Saturday kicks off at 3pm. You can buy Lewes FC tickets for the game online and skip the queue at the gate. Online ticket prices are as follows:
Adults – £12
Concessions – £8
Kids U16 – Free
Beach Huts – £110
Photo: James Boyes