Lewes preview

A game against bottom of the league Lewes would seem like a perfect game for Wingate & Finchley to bounce back from three successive league defeats. But, unfortunately for the Blues, the Ryman Premier League - this year - has been about as predictable as the National Lottery. Therefore, the Blues players will be looking to impress newly appointed manager, Keith Rowland, in order to nail down a spot in his starting 11. After a topsy-turvy December, the Blues began 2016 with an away defeat at Hendon after leading 2-0 and 3-2, but will be looking to gain some consistency in a much less congested January fixture list. Whilst scoring goals has not been a problem of late, its been keeping the ball away from Bobby Smiths goal that has caused problems for Wingate. However, the postponement of Tuesday nights League Cup Quarter Final against Enfield Town may give the squad time to train with their new manager, and also gain a break after a busy Christmas period. The last time the Blues had a fixture postponed; they bounced back from a loss to beat Staines Town in the final minutes of the game, showing that the fitness gained in the break may just be a blessing in disguise. Wingate will be looking forward to welcoming back Brad Hewitt, Ahmet Rifat and Alfie Bartram to the team after their respective injuries and suspensions, all three will be looking to rejuvenate a slightly depleted squad that has been hampered by injuries over the past months. Lewes have won three out of the last four meetings between the sides, but Wingate were victors in the last clash; goals from David Knight and Karl Oliyide sealing a 2-0 home win in January 2015. The Rooks form table makes for slightly better reading than the Blues, but neither side have much to write home about. Darren Freemans side won one, drew one and lost four of their last six league fixtures whilst Wingate, under Simon Lane, picked up only three points in the aforementioned game against Staines Town. Therefore, the Blues will be looking to top scorer Billy Healey, who has 22 goals in all competitions, to continue finding the net, he is the only Wingate player to score in every month of the season so far. Lewes goal scoring chart looks slightly more spread out than their hosts, with five players on three goals leading the way at the top of the charts. This game between two out-of-form sides will be an intriguing battle and a win could take Rowlands new side level with the play-off places.