Kevin Keehan was delighted with striker Chamal Fenelon after Lewes moved off the bottom of Blue Square premier with a 2-1 win at Salisbury.

Fenelon celebrated his first start for more than a month with the opening goal as the Rooks recorded their first away win of the season.

With Scott Taylor having left and Sam Gargan out injured, Lewes are desperately short of strikers but Fenelon took his opportunity well.

Keehan said: “I would still like to bring another forward in but I was pleased with Chamal.

“Once he gets the ball he wants to go 100 miles an hour. I have told him to be more composed and he was much better.

“He knows he’s not first choice but we are playing him and he can only get better. If we can build his confidence a bit more he will be a real handful.

“He is so strong but he has got to be confident in his strength and his touch and not panic on the ball.”

Joe Tabiri’s first goal for Lewes made it 2-0 at half-time and the Rooks held on despite a barrage of second-half pressure after Salisbury reduced the deficit from the penalty spot on 54 minutes.

Keehan said: “I am more than delighted. We played ever so well, took our chances and could have had more.

“The referee gave them a very dubious penalty which gave them the incentive to go on but we could have caught them on the break.”

Keehan made one change to the side that lost 2-0 at Stevenage on Saturday with Fenelon replacing Gargan.

There was also a tactical switch with full-back Aswad Thomas pushing forward to play ahead of Seb Wallis-Tayler down the left and that seemed to work well.

Lewes found themselves on the back foot for much of the first half and could have fallen behind as early as the 12th minute when Sean Clohessy's fierce 20-yarder was beaten away by Rikki Banks at full stretch.

But the game turned with two goals in the final 12 minutes of the half.

The opener came on 33 minutes when Chris Breach’s pass from deep got Fenelon in behind the Salisbury defence to finish smartly into the far corner.

Fenelon’s confidence was now up and moments later he advanced in the inside-left channel before shooting low narrowly past the near post.

Lewes doubled their lead on 42 minutes with another move started by Breach who picked out the run of Anthony Barness down the right and he crossed for Tabiri to turn well before firing home at the second attempt.

Salisbury manager Nick Holmes was so incensed with proceedings at half-time that he left his players kicking balls around on the pitch rather than retreating to the warmth of the dressing room.

But it was Lewes who made the brighter start to the second half and Thomas could have made it 3-0 on 51 minutes when he raced on to Wallis-Tayler’s through ball but goalkeeper James Bittner saved his shot.

Within a couple of minutes Salisbury were back in it when Adam Hinshelwood was adjudged to have pushed Daniel Webb in the penalty area and Charlie Griffin tucked away the spot-kick.

The iniative was now back with the home side and they put Lewes under heavy pressure without creating too many clearcut chances Lewes were reduced to rare counter-attacks but they should have wrapped up victory three minutes from time when Fenelon dispossessed former Rook Djoumin Sangara, ran on and round the goalkeeper but then air-kicked and fell over with the goal gaping.