10:00am Friday 12th March 2010
By Howard Griggs
LEWES have boosted their attacking options with the signing of James Fraser.
The 20-year-old midfielder or forward is hoping to go straight into the Rooks’ squad for tomorrow’s home match with Havant and Waterlooville.
Fraser, who is the younger brother of former Albion midfielder Tommy, had a spell on loan at Lewes from Bristol Rovers at the start of last season.
After being released by Rovers last summer, Fraser joined Eastbourne Borough but has spent most of his time in the reserves and has made just four first-team appearances. He has also turned out for Whitehawk and, most recently, Eastbourne Town.
A versatile attacker who can play in midfield, up front or in the hole behind the strikers, manager Steve Ibbitson believes the signing of Fraser will help Lewes in their fight against relegation from Blue Square south.
The Rooks fell seven points behind fourth-bottom Worcester City after their relegation rivals enjoyed a surprise 2-0 win at Dover in midweek.
Ibbitson’s men have two games in hand but know they need to start picking up victories after eight league games without a win. There have been five draws in that sequence, including one away to tomorrow’s opponents, Havant, last month.
The demise of Chester City and Blue Square north side Farsley Celtic could have a knock-on effect on the relegation issues in both the north and south divisions.
While Ibbitson would prefer Lewes to stay up of their own accord rather than through the backdoor, he knows his side cannot afford to slip any further down the table.
With ten games left, Ibbitson feels the introduction of Fraser will be good for team morale.
He said: “James has a good footballing background. I have not seen too much of him but he can play a number of roles.
“I believe his preferred position is centre midfield but he can also play off the main striker and in between the two. I think he will be a good addition.”
Ibbitson has two major injury concerns ahead of tomorrow’s game.
Chris Breach is still struggling with a dead leg which forced him to miss last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Basingstoke while midfielder Jack Walder is almost certainly out with a combination of thigh and groin injuries.
Tim Rivers also misses out as he is playing for England Schools under-18s away to Wales tonight along with Worthing’s Matt Whitehead. Goalkeeper JJ Banasco-Zaragoza, who was on standby for the England Schools squad, is currently gaining match experience at County League division one side East Grinstead.
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