Men's football news
Written by: Stuart
A disappointing performance saw Lewes fall to a 3-2 defeat against Wingate & Finchley at the Pan, reports Tom Harper.
Tony Russell made one change to the side that beat Margate 2-0 in their previous game, with Michael Klass replacing Taylor Maloney in the starting line-up.
Lewes got off to the worst possible start, falling behind inside the first minute, as Isaac Tshipamba-Mulowayi broke free down the left and saw his effort blocked, before Antonis Vasiliou blasted the rebound into the roof of the net.
The Rooks were finding it difficult to reach the levels they had shown against Margate, with a Michael Klass strike over the bar from the edge of the area being the closest they came to a quick response.
The better chances continued to fall to Wingate, who saw Dylan Kearney shoot straight at Lewis Carey, before Tyrique Clarke shot wide from just inside the area minutes later.
The visitors doubled their lead on 20 minutes, Vasiliou volleying into an empty net from close range after Kavan Cotter had got in behind and lifted his attempted cross-shot over Carey.
They could have extended their lead further soon after, with Kearney volleying a cross from the left over the bar from point-blank range.
Lewes pulled a goal back after 27 minutes, as Razz Coleman De-Graft cut in from the right before sending a shot through a crowd of players and past Ben Goode.
The Rooks equalised on 37 minutes through Klass, who met a Pritchard free-kick from the right with a superb volley that flew past Goode and into the corner.
The same combination nearly gave Lewes the lead on the stroke of half-time, but Klass could only head another Pritchard set-piece straight at Goode.
Wingate made a bright start to the second half and saw Kearney head a Luke Ifil cross over the bar, before Cotter shot wide from the edge of the area as they looked to regain their lead.
Lewes were seeing plenty of the ball but were unable to turn this into clear-cut chances, the closest they came seeing De-Graft shoot over the bar after Deshane Dalling had won the ball back high up the pitch.
The visitors made it 3-2 on 65 minutes, as Jake Eales rose highest at the far post to head a free-kick back across goal for Kearney to finish past Carey from close range.
Lewes did their best to put the visitors under pressure for the remainder of the game, with Joe Taylor drawing two smart saves from Goode.
Wingate managed the game well though, competing for every ball and running the clock down at every opportunity.
This led to eight minutes of injury-time at the end of the game, but the closest the Rooks came to levelling the scores during this time saw a far-post Bradley Pritchard header from a Taylor Maloney corner deflected just wide, and Lewes were left to reflect on a below-par display punished by their well-organised and hardworking visitors.
Highlights of the game, thanks to Your Instant Replay, can be watched here.
You can read the progcast here.
Match picture from James Boyes are viewable here.
The Rooks will hope to get back to winning ways when they visit Cheshunt on Saturday, kick-off at 3pm.
Lewes: Carey, Yao, Spencer (Tanner 73), Salmon, Nelson, Pettit (Phipp 69), Klass (Maloney 76), Pritchard, Dalling, De-Graft, Taylor.
Unused Subs: Olukoga, Addy.
Booked: Pritchard, Taylor.
Wingate & Finchley: Goode, Ifil, Emovon, Jordan-Livings (Yeboah 77), Eales, Hobbs, Vasiliou (Achuba 90), Clarke, Kearney (Ofori 70), Cotter, Tshipamba-Mulowayi.
Unused Subs: Hatton, Kessel.
Booked: Ifil, Emovon, Jordan-Livings, Vasiliou, Clarke.
Attendance: 746