Men's football news
Written by: DanielL
Goalkeeper Louis Rogers had played for multiple Sussex clubs, but there was one he had always kept his eye on.
“Lewes was always a place I wanted to explore,” says the Eastbourne native, who got his wish when he signed for the Rooks ahead of the 2025-26 Isthmian League Premier Division season.
“There are lots of things to do. I never really came here much before joining, but now I play here, I’m going through Lewes all the time.
“I prefer places like Lewes compared to a big city. It’s close-knit. Bonfire Night is good too – it’s busy, but I like it!”
Rogers arrived at The Dripping Pan having become a popular figure at Hastings United, where he spent five seasons.
He was a key member of the U’s side that won the Isthmian League South East in 2021-22, earning promotion to the Premier Division and Step 3 of non-league.
After finishing eighth with Hastings in the 2022-23 Premier table, Rogers sought a change of scenery, although when a summer move to his boyhood club Eastbourne Borough fell through, he dropped back down to Step 4 for one season with Lancing.
Rogers then returned to the Premier with Hastings, although on that occasion the U’s were relegated. He remained at Step 3 for the current season thanks to a move to Lewes, a club that had impressed him on prior visits as an away player.
“One of the things that a lot of players would mention is the stadium and the pitch,” he says of his reasons for joining.
“Especially at this level, to find a grass pitch of that standard – I know how well Simon looks after his pitches – that was an easy yes for me.
“I also liked the style of play that Lewes had over the years.
“They’ve always been a possession-based team, playing out like how we’ve done this season.
“Regardless of which manager has been there, that has always been instilled into their game.
“I don’t enjoy smashing the ball up the pitch. I like playing attractive football that fans are going to enjoy.
“It wasn’t a dealbreaker, but Lewes is also local for me. If it was two hours away, I still would have said yes!”
Striker to goalie
Rogers looks at home between the sticks, but his first playing role when he got into the sport aged four couldn’t have been more different.
“I started out as a striker,” he recalls. “I think I lasted about 10 minutes! When my dad, who’s Irish, bought me an Irish goalkeeper kit, I wore that to my first training session.
“The manager at the time assumed I was a goalkeeper, which I don’t blame him for, and he put me in goal. I quickly fell in love with it.”
That was at Eastbourne Borough, where Rogers played until he was 11.
In his formative teenage years, he switched to Eastbourne Town, playing up with their U18s as a 15-year-old.
It was Town that gave him his first-team debut, in an FA Cup preliminary round tie against Whitstable Town.
“The goalie at the time had a shoulder injury in the warmup,” Rogers recounts.
“I got the call-up… I was 16 at this point. It went to penalties, and I saved three of them, on my debut.”
After a few more first-team outings, Rogers went back to Borough to continue his education in parallel with his footballing ambitions.
“They did a non-league version of a professional club scholarship,” he says.
“So my two years of college were full-time football, essentially. We had a tutor coming to the ground and did our lessons that way.”
It was after completing his college courses that Rogers tried out for Hastings, although a two-month injury placed him low in the pecking order and he went on loan to Uckfield Town.
“Aggy [Chris Agutter], the Sutton manager now, brought me back in at Hastings just before the playoffs, straight into the first team. I was about 18 or 19.
“We lost in the semis, but I ended up staying there for four years plus a further season.”
Work ethic
Frequent visitors to a Lewes men’s match will be familiar with the sight of Rogers warming up, as part of the pre-match sequence of events.
He’s usually the first player out, practicing low shots and high catches with Lewes goalkeeping coach Sheikh Ceesay.
The pair have forged a strong partnership during the 2025-26 campaign.
“I had never worked with him before this season,” says Rogers.
“His sessions are really good. We work on different things every week, depending on the day.
“If it’s a Tuesday, it’s a bit tougher, getting the heart rate going more. Being a keeper, a week off can really affect your sharpness.
“In our other sessions, he works on things that are little tweaks for improvement and generally being sharper.
“We also prepare for what the other team is like. Working through little details so that, going into games on Saturday, you have understanding.
“Not only Sheiks, but Pitts [men’s first team manager Craig Nelson], Bryan [Nzinga, assistant manager] and Raf [Azimi, analyst] – their attention to detail is unbelievable.
“Not many people see that side of it. They will see the training or the games, but the stuff they do behind the scenes, in terms of the analytics, is really good.”
Rogers has chalked up seven clean sheets for Lewes so far, though it has undeniably been a mixed season for the men’s squad.
That said, the Rooks number one has been open to feedback and has relished the times when his team has earned a result.
“The fans are honest,” he says. “There was a home game where we lost and didn’t get the best reception, but I prefer that rather than people being nice to your face.
“Honesty is the best thing. Win, lose or draw, they’re still there.
“Previously, I’d been to Lewes once a season with other clubs, but now having that as your home pitch… there’s a big stand behind the goal, and when that’s roaring, it’s a nice feeling.”