LEWES are battling to stay in existence.

The chairman, vice chairman and secretary have all resigned during a traumatic week at the Dripping Pan, leaving just two people running the club.

The Rooks are currently without a manager, without a caretaker boss and struggling to cobble a side together for tomorrow's Ryman League game at Egham.

But director Billy Nixon says he and former boss Jimmy Quinn, who remains a director, will do everything they can to keep the club alive.

Everything looked rosy for Lewes when Gordon Lucking and his three associates won power of the club in the summer.

But, since the campaign started, internal rumblings have overshadowed the club's season and there have been a string of resignations over the last month:

lLucking resigned as chairman this week after claiming he was getting no help.

lVice chairman Andy Lees also quit, backing Lucking.

lA day earlier secretary Steve Kitchener left after 22 years with Rooks because he could not work with Lucking.

lManager Jimmy Quinn stepped down last month, saying he wished he had left nine months earlier.

lReserve team chief Roy Dartnall also resigned.

lUnder-18 boss Bill Johnson quit after his sons, Chris and Andy, were axed by the club.

Since Quinn stepped down as manager, nobody has really known who has been running the side.

An attempt to bring Barry Lloyd to the club broke down over terms, former Horsham boss Russell Mason has been earmarked as a potential successor to Quinn, while former Crawley chairman John Maggs has also been linked with a return to club management at Lewes.

In the meantime, Mason ran the side for one game, ex-Horsham and Steyning chief Peter Evans took over for one match and Graham Bannatyne, who was Quinn's No. 2, has also taken a turn running the side when his work commitments as a policeman allow.

For last Saturday's game with Great Wakering, though, there was nobody in charge and it was left to Kitchener to announce the side and hand out the shirts.

Nixon said: "The future of the club is the most important thing for us and we will do our best to keep it afloat.

"We don't want the club to disappear, but it is in grave danger of doing that unless we get somebody in.

"Jimmy and I will both be staying. If somebody new comes in we will stay and help them. If they ask us to leave, then we will."

Nixon admitted it was "crisis" time at the club, but he remains hopeful that the Rooks can fly again. Nixon would not rule out Quinn taking charge of the team for an interim period and he said they were keen to persuade Kitchener to return.

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