Rooks reach for the sky!

LEWES invades Stoke this weekend. Between 1,000 and 1,500 fans of Lewes Football Club are travelling by coach, car and train to the Staffordshire city to watch their team reach for the sky in the first round of the FA Cup.

It is the first time Lewes in its 116-year history has progressed so far in the world s most prestigious domestic cup competition.

More than 400 supporters are heading north in eight specially-arranged coaches and hundreds more are going by car and rail, with many making a weekend of it.

And they believe their team can beat the second division side.

'Of course we can, said one fan. 'Anything can happen.

The Lewes fans will be positioned behind the goal reserved for away fans in the 26,000 capacity stadium.

And the Rooks confidence will be swelled by the fact that they beat Great Wakering 1-0 on Tuesday while Stoke lost 6-1 in a league game at Wigan.

Lewes boss Jimmy Quinn joked: 'They must have been worried about us!

And Stoke lost in the FA Cup to non-league side Nuneaton Borough last year.

Stoke director of football John Rudge said after drawing Lewes: 'They will provide interesting and testing opposition.

The Lewes team are taking a luxury coach up to Stoke tomorrow (Saturday). The Rooks playing and coaching staff will be the guests of honour of Brian Horton, the boss of nearby Port Vale, who will be playing the non-leaguers Aylesbury United in the same competition.

Horton is a former player and manager of Brighton and Hove Albion.

Lewes manager Quinn will also be renewing an old acquaintance with Aylesbury boss Cliff Hercules.

The Rooks will be staying in an hotel and touring the Stoke ground on Sunday, shortly before the 3pm kick-off.

They stand to make something like 90,000 out of the competition even if Lady Luck deserts them this time.

And if they win they will be another 20,000 better off, with the prospect of extra money from ticket sales in a second-round match.