“At 5.30pm on Tuesday, two and a half hours before one of the biggest games in Lewes’ history, away at Oxford United in the FA Trophy, things weren’t looking good on the goalkeeping front. You could call it a bit of a crisis. On Friday West Ham had recalled our loan keeper David Blackmore, for him to sign a professional contract. Our reserve keeper Aaron France was still recovering from a dislocated shoulder and our youth keeper, Jack Stern, had just won a place on a four-year scholarship to the USA that stopped him from playing any games with non-amateur players.

For the previous Saturday’s league game against Basingstoke - which was eventually postponed - I’d got special dispensation from John Moles of the Conference to play an on-loan keeper, but the FA, in charge of the Trophy competition, wouldn’t allow this option. We appealed, and the Conference appealed on our behalf, but the FA weren’t having any of it. West Ham said we could take Blackmore on loan again and play him but the FA wouldn’t allow that either, because his status had changed from scholarship to professional. So when the team coach left on Tuesday afternoon for Oxford there were two options. Either a one-armed Aaron France or an out-field player. So we decided to play Leon Legge, a centre back, in goal.

At about five I had a brainwave. I asked the FA if we could play one of the goalkeepers from one of the youth sides affiliated to Lewes FC, and they said yes. After a number of phone calls I managed to track down our under-17 keeper, Jack Adams. I don’t know if he was at school, or what. (In fact he was in Hove with his girlfriend). We thought he might be able to get on the supporters coach, but that proved impossible, so we managed to get a Lewes supporter, Miche, to drive him up.