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playiNg<br />
away<br />
A Rooks road trip<br />
“Who is the number 11?” I am asked for the tenth<br />
time as <strong>Lewes</strong>’s impressive winger puts in a pinpoint<br />
cross. “Jardini” I respond, consulting my notes. I really<br />
have no idea who he is or where he has come from.<br />
Welcome to the world of pre-season friendlies.<br />
We headed off to St Neots with our cups overflowing<br />
with hope for the new season. Even the torrential<br />
rain could not dampen our spirits. Football was back,<br />
and that meant a purpose to our Saturday afternoons.<br />
Whilst the Hunts Post Community Stadium was no<br />
Dripping Pan it was pleasant enough for the start of<br />
the return of the King.<br />
Manchester United can keep their American tour,<br />
Spurs their visit to South Africa. For us Rooks fans it<br />
was all about the Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire borders.<br />
We had hope, and on seeing the new <strong>Lewes</strong> kit<br />
we had joy. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,<br />
so it was a bold move to suggest we would be the AC<br />
Milan of the Ryman Premier based on our new strip.<br />
You could sense the pride the players had pulling on<br />
their shirts, imagining this was how it felt in the San<br />
Siro.<br />
We reacquainted ourselves with a beer on the terraces,<br />
Greene King IPA not quite hitting the same spot that<br />
Harveys does. Fifteen minutes in hope turns to familiar<br />
realisation that we were not watching the great<br />
Rossoneri as St Neots took the lead. Shoulders sag<br />
as we remembered the painful times from last season<br />
when one often became two or three. We didn’t even<br />
have to say a word when just that happened. St Neots<br />
2 <strong>Lewes</strong> 0. It was going to be a long nine months.<br />
But then again it was only a pre-season friendly. The<br />
W W W. V i Va L E W E s . C o M<br />
Photo: stuart Fuller<br />
first game that many of the eleven Rooks had played<br />
together. So let’s cut them some slack. We are <strong>Lewes</strong>!<br />
We won’t be Druv.<br />
And then it happens. A ball is played to the left, Jardini<br />
slips inside his marker and smashes the ball home.<br />
St Neots 2 <strong>Lewes</strong> 1. We are on top as the half time<br />
whistle blows.<br />
Time to change ends. Each team has half a dozen subs<br />
to make in the second period but the <strong>Lewes</strong> tempo<br />
isn’t affected at all. Substitute Merchant has a shot<br />
from distance, the keeper can only parry it and Draycott<br />
taps the ball in. GOAAAAAAAAL. We are <strong>Lewes</strong>,<br />
we’re going to win the league.<br />
Could it get any better? This is pre-season after all.<br />
Anything and everything can happen. A Jardini run,<br />
jink, cross and Draycott heads home. St Neots 2<br />
<strong>Lewes</strong> 3. <strong>Lewes</strong> have scored three for first time in nine<br />
months.<br />
The clock ticks down. Confidence has replaced hope.<br />
When the final whistle goes it is not joy we display,<br />
but an indignant self-assurance, as if to say we knew<br />
we would win all along.<br />
The season is underway. Our exile from football has<br />
been quashed. Life can return to normal on a Saturday<br />
once again.<br />
It turns out our new hero is actually Nic Ciardini and<br />
not Jardini. The handwriting on the teamsheet would<br />
make a doctor’s look good. Still, it’s only pre-season.<br />
Stuart Fuller theballisround.co.uk<br />
August Home Fixtures: Wed 24th vs Met Police,<br />
7.45pm. Sat 27th vs Billericay, 3pm<br />
f o o t b a l l<br />
9 5
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