Lewes 3-3 Kingstonian
A gutsy Kingstonian performance sees them come back three times to draw at the Dripping Pan.
With Lewes leading 1-0 at half time, there was little sign that this game would turn out to be anywhere near as dramatic as it turned out to be.
Lewes created most of the best chances in the first half, but the majority of the time proved to be wasteful in front of Julian Schwarzer's goal. With Cheshunt having won at lunchtime, this was a game that the Rooks desperately needed to win to get to within one point of the play-off zone, so the onus was on them to press forward in search of the opening goal. With K's looking like they'd weathered the storm, Lewes took the lead in the 27th minute when Deshane Dalling's long range shot burst through Schwarzer's hands and into the net, a mistake the Kingstonian keeper didn't deserve to make but one he would make up for several times in the ensuing minutes.
Kingstonian were back on level terms in the 57th minute when Ollie Cook took advantage of a flick on from a Kenny Beaney corner, and suddenly the visitors began to create some space and chances as the game opened up.
Lewes re-took the lead in the 70th minute with an absolutely glorious goal, a fine run down the right from Dalling, a fabulous cross to Joe Taylor, who headed home for a very classy and important strike. But the lead lasted just six minutes and this time it would be Lewes' goalkeeper Lewis Carey who would be unhappy with himself, only being able to parry Walter Figueira's shot into the net for Kingstonian's second equaliser.
Both teams went in search of a winner, and, when Lewes went down to ten men in the 86th minute when Mitchell Nelson saw red for a second bookable offence, hopes were raised that K's could get a positive result. However in the 90th minute those hopes were dashed when an unnecessary challenge on the corner of the penalty area gave Lewes a penalty kick, which Joe Taylor gleefully blasted into the net. It would be hard on the K's, whose second half effort arguably deserved more.
But then with added time ticking into the eighth minute, a Kershaney Samuels cross was launched into the penalty area, Lewes defender Michael Klass got his head to it and the ball fizzed past Carey and into the net. A dramatic point won by Kingstonian in a dramatic game, whilst Lewes now need to win their two remaining games and hope for a little bit of assistance in order to qualify for the play-offs.
