STEVE IBBITSON is delivering on his promise to restore the feel-good factor back into Lewes.

The Rooks were as good as relegated when Ibbitson was thrust into caretaker charge in the middle of March.

But the likeable 58-year-old said he was not prepared to go down with a whimper, insisting they would be trying to win as many games as they could before handing over to a new manager in the summer.

They ended their long search for a win at home to Altrincham last weekend and followed it up with another against troubled Weymouth on Saturday.

That made it back-to-back league wins for the first time this season as well as back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since promotion last year.

The attendance on Saturday also reflected the progress made over the last few weeks. A crowd of 456 was an increase of more than 100 on the previous weekend and their biggest at home since mid-February.

It is all small steps forward for the financially-stricken club who remain up for sale but Ibbitson believes it can only help in the long run.

He said: “The biggest thing for the club is to sort out itself out on the financial side. Once they do that they can start to look for a manager for next year.

“We have spoken to the club about preparing for next year and they have said to us to go ahead trying to get players we think we would like at the club because we will have a say in who next year’s manager is.

“Where these results are important for the club is they keep the supporters happy. We had 100 more than we had last week which helps with the money side of things and when you are winning games the club is buoyant.

“People will want to be involved with the club so that is where we are helping.”

Saturday’s match was not a football classic and Weymouth sacked boss Alan Lewer after the game and announced former Wales manager Bobby Gould as his replacement.

The Terras went into the match on the back of ten straight defeats and having not scored for 592 minutes but they had plenty of chances to end that run in the first half, notably an 18th-minute penalty when Anthony Barness was adjudged to have fouled Cliff Akurang but Rikki Banks kept out Stephen Reed’s spot-kick.

Banks also made good saves from Ben Gill, Akurang and Stephen Reed as Lewes rode their luck while James Coutts lifted a great chance over the bar just before the break.

Weymouth were a big, strong side but with a powderpuff attack and their challenge – which was largely an aerial threat – fizzled out in the second half when Lewes came back into the game.

Chris Breach scored the only goal 20 minutes from time, heading home at the back post from Luke Rooney’s fantastic cross following a well-worked short corner.

Breach was immense in a defence stripped of captain Danny Cullip through suspension but special praise should also go to Banks, who is in the best form of a topsy-turvy season when a few individual mistakes threatened to hamper his progress.

Ibbitson said: “In the six games since I have been involved I have not seen him drop a cross. A goalkeeper is all about confidence and his confidence is sky high.”

Banks himself is pleased with his form and admits confidence is spreading throughout the team.

He said: “From the Havant game my head hadn’t gone but it was nowhere near where it should have been. I was getting frustrated with myself, I was trying to force things rather than let it come naturally.

“Although I made the mistake for the goal which cost us the game at Mansfield I knew I was coming back to form. Since then I have been really positive in what I have been doing.

“The confidence is back in me and now I just feel good in myself. It is a young team but everyone is playing with confidence. I didn’t think we played very well but we got the win which we wouldn’t have done earlier in the season.”

Next up is a trip to Ebbsfleet today. Three wins in a row is probably asking too much but at least Lewes fans are smiling again.

Lewes: Banks; Hall, Barness, Breach, Fisk; Wheeler, Standing, Keehan, Rooney, Banks-Smith (sub Sutton 68); Rivers (sub Storrie 74). Subs not used: Foreman, Wilkinson, Osborn.

Booked: Rooney, Wheeler.

Weymouth: Legzdins; Cutler (sub Hart 58), Critchell, Gavin Hoyte, Collins (sub Onijube 75); Gill, Browning, Reed, Coutts; Palmer, Akurang. Subs not used: Merella, Cooke, Evans.

Booked: Browning, Collins, Critchell.

Sent off: Browning.