Lasses Match Preview: Sunderland to face Lewes at the “Pan Siro” today!

Sunday 23rd January 2022

Lewes FC Women v Sunderland AFC Ladies

FA Women’s Championship

The Dripping Pan, Mountfield Road, Lewes, BN7 2XA

Kick-Off: 14:00

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Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Adults £11, Concessions (Students / OAP (65+) / Disabilities) £7, Under 16s Free. Book tickets here. Add £1 to adult and concession prices to pay on the gate. Get a pitchside beach hut (yes, you read that correctly) for six people for £99.

Travel: Two trains an hour run to Lewes run from London Victoria on Sundays.

Coverage: The game is streamed live exclusively through the Lewes FC Owner app. Sunderland fans sign up as an owner of this unique fan-owned club for £5 per month and cancel any time by clicking here.

Highlights: All the action will be on the FA Player from Monday, including highlights and a full match replay.

Podcast: The Roker Report Lasses Podcast Live will be broadcast live again on Monday 8.30-9.30pm on Twitter Spaces - and it’s now recorded too. Listen in live and join the discussion, or listen back afterwards. Last Monday’s edition is still available.

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The build-up...

With over half the transfer window gone, news of new arrivals has dominated the lead-up to today’s game. Sunderland announced a new signing ahead on Saturday night - Grace Boyes, a 19-year-old defender who was playing at Middlesbrough Women FC before being injured earlier this season. The fullback has re-signed for the Lasses in what is our first move this month.

She’s a player Mel Reay knows well - she works with her at Gateshead College alongside a host of our other young players - and has travelled south with the Lasses for this fixture after competing successfully alongside Sunderland stars in a 7-a-side tournament this week.

Speaking to the club’s website, Reay welcomed the prospect’s return to the fold:

We’re delighted to bring Grace back to the club. She is a very welcome addition to the squad. She is one of several players to have come through our RTC and has battled back well from an ACL injury. It’s great to see her back here in red and white stripes.

In her weekly briefing with Phil Smith from the Sunderland Echo, Reay reiterated the limitations on recruitment that geography and money place on her:

There were a couple of loan deals that I was hoping to get done that have fallen short, so we’re still working hard to get some bodies in and we’ve still got a week to get some over the line.

I’ve said it before it’s very difficult when you’re part time to recruit players from further afield, but it is what it is. We’re still hopeful.

We understand that 16-year-old RTC graduate Daisy Burt will miss out on the trip south again this week as she’s recovering from illness, so it is very likely to be the same matchday squad if not the same starting eleven for the Lasses this afternoon that lost 3-1 to London City Lionesses last week. Sunderland sit in ninth position in the Championship table, and will be looking to follow the men in gaining their first league win of 2022 this weekend.

Seventh-placed Lewes, however, have been more successful in bringing in players from nearby WSL side Brighton on dual registrations. On Saturday they announced both Welsh international teenager Josie Longhurst and Belgian Under 19 international Lea Cordier will join their squad and may be in contention for a place today.

Talking to the club’s website this week, interim Lewes Manager Craig Gill said he and his side couldn’t wait to get back in front of the fans in the unique surroundings of the Dripping Pan:

We’re very much looking to play a home league game for the first time in two months. The players are very much looking forward to it. The fans bring a great atmosphere to the Pan, especially with the band!

It means a lot to the players and really does make a difference, helping them to perform as best they can. We’re very much looking forward to seeing the fans back and cheering us on this Sunday.

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The Stats...

As would be expected given the sides’ relative positions in the league, Lewes come into this game with the numbers pointing in their direction. They score 1.8 goals a game at home, and we only score a goal a game away, although they have failed to score in two of the last five games overall in the league. Lewes concede at 0.6 a game at home and, after last week, our goals against away from home has increased to 1.17 from 0.8.

Lewes have a 60% record of keeping clean sheets at home, and although Sunderland have scored in all their away league games to this point, Lewes have scored in all of their home games too and Sunderland have conceded in two-thirds of their away games. So we can expect goals.

The xG and xGA stats are not available for Lewes’ home fixtures.

Ini Umotong is the Lewes top scorer with four, one more than our Keira Ramshaw whose penalty last week took her to the top of our charts.

You can check out the full pre-match stat at Footystats.org.

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League Form... (Last 5 league games home and away)

Sunderland AFC Ladies - WLDLL

Lewes FC Women - LLWWL

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Head to head...

(All venues, all competitions, including friendlies)

Played - 1

Sunderland Wins - 0

Draws - 1

Lewes Wins - 0

Sunderland Goals - 1

Lewes Goals - 1

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Last time out...

Sunderland Ladies 1-1 Lewes Women

Cleverly, McKenna (OG)

26 September 2021, Stadium of Light

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One to watch... Ini-Abasi Umotong

The Nigerian international striker is the leading scorer in the Lewes squad, with four in the league and seven in total. Umotong grew up in Birmingham and came through at Birmingham City and then Aston Villa before following the tried-and-trusted route through college football in the USA.

On her return to England, she was prolific in spells at Portsmouth, Oxford whilst gaining a first-class degree in economics, and then joined Hope Powell’s promotion-winning Brighton & Hove Albion squad in 2017 and was retained in 2018 as they moved up into the WSL.

Next came a transfer to Swedish side Växjö DFF in the summer of 2020 on an 18-month contract, but she was back in the Championship this year as the club’s big-name signing. Umotong is a commanding presence as the focal-point of the Lewes forward line and is an intelligent all-round footballer; Sunderland’s defense will certainly have to keep a close eye on her this afternoon.

Photo by Steve Bardens - The FA/The FA via Getty Images