Anthony Barness knows he has a key role to play as Lewes try to finish the season with a flourish.

Barness, the former Charlton, Chelsea and Bolton defender, is one of a handful of older heads in a predominantly young side.

The Rooks head to Kettering tonight trying to end a run of 15 successive Blue Square premier defeats.

A squad containing 12 players aged 22 or under lost 1-0 at home to Kidderminster in caretaker manager Steve Ibbitson's first game in charge on Saturday.

Although relegation looks a formality, Ibbitson is determined to finish the season well and Barness, together with Danny Cullip and Guy Butters, has an important part to play in that.

He said: “Because of the situation we are in, we have had to throw the youngsters in at the deep end. They have got to come in and learn quickly.

Coast “They are not in a team where they can come in and coast. It is difficult for them but they are going to have to learn quick because with the way the situation is going it is sink or swim.

“It is our job, for the likes of me, Danny and Guy, to encourage them because it will be tough and there are a lot of things that go wrong in a struggling team and we must show them the right way to do things.”

Barness, who once cost Chelsea £350,000, is determined that Lewes salvage something from the season.

He added: “We don’t want this season to peter out and for us to be losing to the end of the season. We want to try to get some pride back and show we have got a bit of character about us to stop this run.

“Hopefully we will keep improving the performances because on Saturday we were better in the second half than the first and we kept them under pressure for long periods. Hopefully it will turn and we will keep trying 100% until it does.”

Ibbitson will travel to Kettering with an unchanged squad. Danny Cullip expects to play despite a niggling thigh injury but Michael Standing will miss out again with a back problem.

Striker Chamal Fenelon, meanwhile, is leaving the club. Fenelon, who has been on loan at Whitehawk, has moved to London and started a new job so Lewes will be cancelling his contract.

Ibbitson said: “He is likely to be leaving us, which is not my choice. He has played for me in the reserves this year and I have seen something I thought I could work with. I thought he could be an asset to the squad.”

Fenelon's departure may free up some funds for Ibbitson to work with. He added: “We are trying to freshen the squad but at the moment money is tight. We are looking to see if there is anything we can do with the budget we have got.”