It’s the one you’ve been waiting for: Lewes (A). 

And the weather looks fine, too, for this South Downs derby between two teams somewhat stuck in mid-table, pretty safe from those below them, and pretty far off those in front.

Which is perhaps what prompted the previous result on home soil for the Hawks on Saturday, losing out in an underwhelming affair on Saturday to Canvey Island.

But Shaun Saunders’ side have proven to be hard to beat on their travels this season, especially in front of a large crowd. And today promises just that, and a fair few of our own journeying to the quaint town of Lewes. 

The Opposition

Lewes supporters have a right to feel a little disgruntled at their campaign. They’ve been in this league a while, yet hopes of a late play-off push were effectively extinguished in Folkestone on Saturday, losing 3-1 at Cheriton Road.

It’s been an inconsistent campaign with some truly excellent wins at home, and truly surprising defeats away from it, yet for a club of Lewes’ size, coupled with narrowly missing out on the play-offs last season, Tony Russell would have unquestionably hoped for a more effective season.

One to Watch | Chris Whelpdale 

A seasoned pro, Lewes secured his services last summer and he has been their catalyst in attack.

Having spent the last three seasons with Eastbourne Borough where he scored 18 goals in 62 appearances, Whelpdale’s last five seasons in total were at National League South level, and before that spent his whole career at League One and Two level – finding success at Gillingham and Stevenage. 

Chris came through the ranks at Peterborough United, making over 100 appearances for the Posh and was part of their 08/09 promotion winning season to the Championship.

Recent Form – DLLWL

2/3 | Canvey Island (H) | Drew 2-2

9/3 | Enfield Town (A) | Lost 1-0

16/3 | Dulwich Hamlet (A) | Lost 2-0

23/3 | Concord Rangers (H) | Won 2-1

29/3 | Folkestone Invicta (A) | Lost 3-1

 

Previous Meetings

This is the third meeting between the two clubs this season, with the teams drawn against each other in the FA Trophy earlier in the season. Whitehawk would claim victory then through a 3-1 victory, before losing the Boxing Day fixture by a 2-1 scoreline.

Travelling further back in time, the Hawks’ last trip to The Dripping Pan was back in 2019, when Jude Macdonald’s side claimed a memorable 3-1 win. Lewes won the reverse fixture by a 1-0 scoreline.

You’ll have to go back to the 2012/13 campaign for the meetings prior, which Whitehawk took maximum points from in a 3-2 home victory, and a 3-2 away victory.

How to Follow

If you can’t make it to The Dripping Pan today, then you can follow the action via our X (Twitter) channel, which can be found here.