Hawks: Lambert 70′

Rooks: Whelpdale 52′, Moore 54′

A three minute blitz from the visitors just after half-time ultimately settled this hard fought East Sussex derby, in which the scrap carried on after the final whistle with Joel Daly being shown a red card after an altercation with Rooks assistant manager Joe Vines. 

A largely uneventful first half saw Luke Dreher fire over in missing a great chance to give the visitors the lead before Nathan Harvey saved bravely at the feet of Tommy Brewer, after returning skipper Rob O’Toole had won a ball into the box.

Playing downhill after the interval, the Rooks signalled their intentions immediately, when Tommy Wood was denied at the near post by a superb save from Mitch Walker. Chris Whelpdale then broke the deadlock with a classy finish from the edge of the box after being set up by the ever dangerous Leon Moore.

With the Hawks still reeling, Moore then added a second just two minutes later after bursting into the box past Daly and putting the ball in the corner of Walker’s net.

The introduction of Dom Johnson-Fisher and Charlie Lambert on the hour mark gave the Hawks some impetus. Johnson-Fisher created an opening for himself which grazed an upright before Lambert took advantage of some indecision by Harvey on the edge of his area to prod a goal into an unguarded net. After that, the Hawks went in search of their customary late goal to save an unbeaten home record stretching back to January, but it wasn’t to be. The last kick of the game saw a Charlie Harris free kick flick the wall and divert narrowly wide. 

The attendance of 1146 was the highest gate at the Enclosed Ground for a league game since the Rooks visited for a County League title decider, way back in 1964.

You can read Lewes’ match report here

Hawks: M Walker, Daly, Tutt, Brewer (Dawes 89′), Tennet, Cocoracchio, Perez (Johnson-Fisher 60′), Harris, Pope (Lambert 60′), O’Toole, Kayani

Unused subs: Worrall, Wight

Yellow cards: Tutt, Brewer, Pope

Red card: Daly

Rooks: Harvey, Tamplin, Salmon, Elliott, Oguntayo, Penney, Dreher (Murtagh 75′), Whelpdale (Pritchard 74′), Ogunwamide (Olukago 90′),  Wood, Moore

Subs not used: Vint, Lumbomlo-Kalala

Yellow cards: Harvey, Oguntayo, Penney, Ogumwamide, Pritchard

Attendance: 1146