By Tim Embleton
Lewes 2 Whitehawk 3
Ryman Premier League high-fliers Whitehawk visited the Dripping Pan in Lewes on Saturday (8 December) to taking on a side that had not lost a home game since the first week of the season.
The match was a historic first meeting between local rivals Lewes and Whitehawk.
It was Lewes who struck first, with Jack Walder taking advantage of some poor defending just after the half-hour mark.
That took the Rooks into the lead and they maintained it until half-time.
Whitehawk found themselves further behind a minute after the restart with Ben Godfrey doubling Lewes’ advantage.
Lewes have been tough to beat home and away of late, and Hawks manager Darren Freeman would have been excused for believing the match was over.
A substitution by Whitehawk changed the game when Freeman brought Jefferson Louis on for Charles Konadu-Yaidom.
Within minutes Whitehawk were back in the game, with Danny Mills striking a volley into the back of the net.
Louis squared things up with an equaliser in the 71st minute but a moment of controversy threatened to overshadow the comeback.
After Whitehawk had successfully defended a corner, Sami El-Abd was involved in an altercation in the box which saw referee Elliott Kane reaching for the red card.
He believed that El-Abd had headbutted a Lewes player, although subsequent replays suggested that he hadn’t.
With ten minutes of the game remaining, Whitehawk finally took the lead and the win through Josh Jones.
The victory moved Whitehawk back to the top of the Ryman Premier League while Lewes will be hoping that this is merely a blip before they return to their previous good form.
