Men's football news
A
second-half equaliser from George Landais saw Lewes continue their unbeaten
start to pre-season with a hard-fought draw against an impressive Eastbourne
Town side reports Tom Harper.
The hosts
saw plenty of the ball early on, but it was Lewes who had the first opportunity
of the game, with Jonte Smith seeing an effort from a tight angle deflected
into the side-netting at the end of an impressive passing move.
Eastbourne
Town took the lead just before the half-hour through Jason Taylor, who sent a
superb free-kick from 25 yards over the wall and into the top corner. They nearly
doubled their lead minutes later, as Chris Winterton was forced into a smart
save to keep out a close-range effort before George McCarthy scrambled the ball
clear from in front of an open goal.
The Rooks
gradually grew back into the game in the lead-up to half-time though, and saw
Bouwe Bosma draw an impressive save from the Eastbourne Town goalkeeper with a
powerful long-range effort that seemed to be heading for the bottom corner. The hosts
continued to threaten and nearly doubled their lead just before the break, with
Winterton doing well to keep out another close-range strike.
Lewes made
several changes at half-time and immediately caused the Eastbourne Town defence
more problems with their pace up front.
James
Hammond came close to equalising within minutes of the restart, as he saw his
in-swinging free-kick from the left come back off the far post before eventually
being cleared. The Rooks
came close to equalising again soon after through Ian Robinson, who was denied
by an impressive save from the host’s goalkeeper when clean through.
Lewes
finally got the equaliser their start to the second half deserved just after
the hour, as Landais found the back of the net with a close-range header after
the goalkeeper had only been able to parry an effort from distance from
Hammond. There were
few chances of note during the remainder of the game as both sides continued to
make several changes, with Hammond having a free-kick pushed over the bar being
the closest either side came to finding a winner late on.
Lewes
continue their pre-season campaign with a prestigious friendly against the
Chelsea Development Squad at the Pan on Saturday, kick-off at 3pm.
Lewes: Winterton, Cotton, Hurley, Malins,
McCarthy, Bosma, Sow, Conlon, Robinson, Smith, Trialist.
Substitutes: Stroomberg, MacDevitt, Trialist,
Gunn, Landais, Trialist, Kealy, Trialist, Hammond.