City produced a superb display against the odds to bring home a point after having to play the majority of the game with only ten men following the early dismissal of goalkeeper, Danny Naisbitt.

Lee Chaffey stepped into the breach and along with Craig Dobson who netted twice against his former club, became the hero of the day with an incredibly assured performance.

Unchanged for the 5th game in a row, City were quickly into their stride and took the lead with their first meaningful attack on the Lewes goal after only eight minutes. Dale Binns produced a perfectly measured pass down the left hand side for Robbie Simpson. The striker easily beat Leon Legge and lofted a great ball into the path of Craig Dobson as he sped in on the right. The former Lewes man needed no invitation to take his shot full on the volley and Paul Wilkerson in the home goal was left grasping thin air.

Glenn Fuff gets the better of an opponent

Three minutes later and City should have doubled their lead. Binns was again central to the move as he found Paul Booth wide on the left. Continuing his run, the pacy winger received a return ball from Booth as he powered into the area. Picking out Simpson, six yards out and unmarked, scoring looked a formality but the ball arrived a tad behind the frontman and he could only hit the keeper with his shot.

It was to prove a costly miss as the home side drew level soon after. Naisbitt appeared to have been fouled by Steve Robinson as a right hand side corner was swung into the box. Nothing was given and Craig Watts looked to have overhit his ball to the back post but Dean Brennan did well to keep it in play. Robinson had a slash at the ball but only managed to scuff the it goalwards where Amos Foyewa nipped in to score from close range.

Things were to get worse for City. Seconds after conceding, an obviously still aggrieved Naisbitt was shown a straight red card for directing a verbal tirade towards the officials. With no keeper on the bench, full-back Lee Chaffey took over between the sticks as he did last season against Grays Athletic. Mark Molesley soon found his way into the referee’s notebook for continuing the argument.

City were forced to reorganise with Binns dropping back into the full-back spot and Robbie Simpson into wide midfield, leaving Booth up as a loan striker.

Having just scored, having a man extra and the opponents with a stand-in keeper, the Lewes fans could have been forgiven for expecting their side to go for the jugular, but it was not the case as Chaffey was not seriously tested. The home side only managing to hit a few long range shots that failed to trouble Chaffey as City’s players worked tirelessly to deny Lewes any space

.In fact it was City who looked the more likely to score as Josh Simpson produced a wonderful run into the heart of the home defence. Drawing three defenders, the youthful midfielder slipped the ball to his namesake Robbie. Cutting inside, Simpson whacked the ball goalwards and would have certainly tested Wilkerson but for a last gasp block from Legge.

Mark Molesley directs a header at goal

Dean Brennan provided Chaffey with a bit of fielding practice with a weakly struck 25 yarder before City finished the half strongly. Robbie Simpson just failing to get his near-post header on target as good work between Dobson, Molesley and Pope had allowed the latter to get the cross in.

Jamie Southon replaced Robbie Simpson at the interval and slotted into Chaffey’s vacated birth allowing Binns to return to his more customary wing position.

Two minutes into the second half and Lewes so nearly gifted City the lead. There didn’t look a lot of danger as Dobson whipped in an early cross but Robinson made a complete hash of clearing and presented it straight to Josh Simpson. Quick as a flash he fed the ball to an overlapping Binns who smacked in a shot that Wilkerson did well to get down and push away.

It was not long before the Lewes defence again looked shaky as this time Legge made a mess of an attempted clearance. Booth pounced on the error and sprinted clear. Wilkerson came off his line well and Booth skipped round him, unfortunately the striker was pushed wide and a defender was able to block on the line as he shot from a tight angle.

Following their couple of escapes, Lewes hit back and Owen Price, on as a substitute for Foyewa, produced a cross that skipped alarmingly across the City area unmolested. Shouts for a penalty were waved away as Kirk Watts’ return ball struck Glenn Fuff on the arm. Jefferson Louis then struck the loose ball wide of the upright.

On 54 minutes City’s resistance was finally broken when Jean-Michel Sigere struck to edge the home side in front. The former Hornchurch striker leapt highest to beat Glen Fuff to Price’s looping cross and direct a bullet header past Chaffey via the underside of the bar.

Paul Booth steadies himself

With their tails up, Lewes pressed forward and Louis saw a header drop just wide of the target before Brennan found space in the City six yard area from a right wing corner to thump in a header only to see Pope divert it to safety, although it looked to be going wide anyway.

Despite Lewes enjoying a good deal of possession, City always looked dangerous with Binns and Dobson to the fore, so it was no real surprise when they deservedly levelled the game shortly after the hour mark. Lewes conceded a sloppy throw-in deep in their own half and City took advantage working Dobson into a good position on the edge of the Lewes area. Turning his marker, the winger burst in on goal and unleashed an unstoppable shot across Wilkerson and into the far corner.

Molesley saw a goalbound shot blocked then Booth got away as he latched onto a long upfield ball. In an almost action replay of his earlier chance Booth was pushed wide by Wilkerson but this time he looked to square the ball, however with City not throwing too many bodies forward there was no support and by the time Molesley got up alongside him, the defence had mustered and the chance snuffed out.

The final minutes of the game belonged to Lewes as City contented themselves with making sure they held what they had got. Sigere produced something out of nothing as he chased Wilkerson’s long ball and backheeled it into play as it looked to be going harmlessly out for a goal kick. Watts quickly hit a low cross but just failed to find an inrushing Brennan. Then Louis again saw a header go off target followed by Mo Harkin’s drive that sailed a foot over the bar as Lewes looked for the winner. It wasn’t to be for the Rooks and City held on to record a very well deserved point given the circumstances.