Lewes 2 Dorchester 0.

Ten years ago almost to the day Lewes were hammered 4-0 by Epsom and Ewell and no one was surprised.

Next season the Rooks will be mixing it with the likes of Wrexham, Exeter, York and Oxford United in the elite division of non-league football.

The contrast is stark.

In 1998 Lewes were languishing in the long-forgotten Ryman division three, which was a standard akin to somewhere between County League divisions one and two, playing the likes of Ford United, Tring Town and Aveley.

Crowds of barely 50 peppered the grass banks at the Dripping Pan and anyone calling the ground enquiring about the kick-off were probably asked, What time can you make it?'.

Defeat to Epsom and Ewell was the club's fourth on the trot and their third game without scoring. The Rooks were also soundly beaten by County League sides Littlehampton, Three Bridges and Ringmer that season.

The club was skint and going nowhere. I remember it well, covering the club as I have been for the last 16 seasons.

If you could jump in a time machine, go back ten years and tell people at the club then where Lewes are now they would laugh in your face.

Lewes's rise in a relatively short space of time is remarkable.

These days it is all change at the Dripping Pan. Three of the four grass banks have been replaced by new stands or terracing.

The club averages home gates of almost 800 and twice this year they have been forced to delay kick-off by 15 minutes in order to get supporters into the ground.

On the pitch the team is a world apart from the collection of cast-offs that the late Andy Sinden did his best with back in 1997-98.

My point is not to knock the people who were at the club then. There were a lot of good people involved but they lacked the capability to take things forward.

A few club stalwarts who remember those times - like Terry Parris, his father Derek and groundsman Roger Feltham - were at the Dripping Pan on Saturday to watch Lewes finally clinch promotion to Blue Square premier for the first time in the club's history.

Victory over Dorchester, which also relegated the visitors, was the culmination of an epic title battle with Sussex rivals Eastbourne Borough.

The championship baton was passed from one to another in a season-long contest between two very good teams.

Lewes had the comfort of going into Saturday's game knowing victory would clinch the title and while the match was not a classic, they did what was required.

There were some nerves at times and there were not too many clearcut chances but goals from Paul Booth and substitute Jean-Michel Sigere proved enough.

Booth scored the first on 67 minutes, heading home an inch-perfect cross from substitute Anthony Barness for his 34th goal of the season.

Dorchester, who had spurned a great chance to take the lead just four minutes into the second half, responded with Gary Bowles and Jon Docker (twice) having chances before a second goal killed the game off a minute from time.

Andy Drury delivered a corner from the left which Booth flicked on and Sigere fired home.

At the final whistle, fireworks went off while players and management celebrated on the pitch, parading T-shirts reading Champions' and a banner declaring We Are Going Up'.

Even manager Steven King had to choke back some tears before addressing the Press at the end of a terrific championship battle.

The title race certainly captured the imagination of football folk in the county and Saturday's gate was their third four-figure crowd for a league game at the Dripping Pan this season.

More importantly it has breathed life into Sussex football and created a wave of optimism which Horsham, Worthing and Crowborough have all jumped on to this season.

As well as facing a cluster of former League sides next season, Lewes will find themselves in the same division as Crawley Town - and hopefully Eastbourne Borough too - and just two leagues below Albion.

It is hard to believe when you look at where they were just a short time ago.

Lewes: Jordan, Conroy, Hamilton (sub Barness 60), Cade (sub Barr 86), Robinson, Simpemba, Drury, Holloway, Groves (sub Sigere 67), Booth, Binns. Subs not used: Legge, Kennett.

Booking: Sigere (89, ungentlemanly conduct).

Dorchester: Ramos, Cumming, Smeeton, Clay (sub Rowe 79), Browne, Liburd, Bowles, Jermyn (sub Forbes 67), Awuah, Docker, Gleeson. Subs not used: Nicholson, Peprah-Annan, Watts.

Bookings: Clay (25, foul), Gleeson (57, foul).

Referee: Warren Atkin (Crawley).

Attendance: 1,665.

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