National League South
Priory Lane, Eastbourne
Admission: £13.00
Programme: £2.50
Attendance: 710
I try to watch Eastbourne Borough at home at least once a season, and this evening's game, midweek against a club I watched fairly regularly when I lived in West Kent when I was younger, was an appealing opportunity to do so this season.
It has been an interesting season for Eastbourne Borough so far. There threatened to be turmoil in January, when eight board members, including the Chairman, CEO and Company Secretary, resigned, but happily within a few days, differences were made up and the resignations were rescinded. It was all the more remarkable as Eastbourne Borough Football Club have always seemed a very stable club, on and off the field. On the pitch, things are going very well, in this the club's 11th season in the National League South. They came into this game in eighth place in the table, just one position and one point outside of the promotion play-off places, following ten wins and six draws from their 24 league games. They were unbeaten in their last four league games, including two wins, although they could only manage a goalless draw away at second bottom Braintree Town in their last game on Saturday. Although Tonbridge Angels are down in 18th place in the table, following six wins and seven draws from 24 league games, they have had some great results lately, losing just once in their last seven games a run which has included knocking out National League opposition in Kings Lynn Town (after earlier despatching Torquay United) from the FA Trophy, and most recently won 1-3 at leaders Dorking Wanderers on Saturday. This evening's game, rearranged from 28th December due to a Covid outbreak at Eastbourne Borough, would be the first meeting between the two clubs this season.
On a relatively mild evening, mainly dry but with occasional drizzle blowing across the ground during the second half, the game had a fast start, with the visitors opening the scoring on 4 minutes when the ball was launched forward down the left wing for Ibrahim Olutade to run onto by the edge of the area, with former Tonbridge keeper Lee Worgan coming out to close the ball down, but Olutade passed the ball infield to Adam Coombes just inside the penalty area, and he struck the ball powerfully inside Worgan's near post as he scrambled to get back in position. But on 9 minutes, Eastbourne equalised with a quite astoishing goal. Dominic Hutchinson, on loan from Watford, received the ball on the left wing before jinking past a defender and then reaching the byline, and although it looked like a covering defender had smothered the ball out of play, somehow Hutchinson, lying on his back on the byline, managed to scoop the ball over the keeper and over the goalline. The rest of the half was mainly a midfield battle, although both sides managed to get forward to create half chances, but in the third minute of added on time at the end of the first half, Eastbourne took the lead following a quick break and Charley Kendall, who sealed a transfer to Lincoln City last month but will remain at Priory Lane for the remainder of this seaason on loan, drove towards the penalty area, evading a covering defender, before striking the ball past the advancing keeper.
Tonbridge had a good chance to equalist two minutes after the break, when Sonny Miles met a corner with a bullet header which sent the ball just wide of the target. Eastbourne had a good chance on 49 minutes, when Tonbridge keeper Jonathan Henley sprinted outside his area to kick the ball away from Kendall, but it landed at the feet of Hutchinson, and he took a few touches before curling a shot goalwards from outside the area, but Hudson comfortably headed the ball away. Although Tonbridge had more of the ball in the second half, Eastbourne defended well and the visitors rarely threatened to grab an equaliser, and in added on time at the end of the game, Eastbourne made completely sure of the three points when, following some possession football winding the clock down out on the wing, Chris Whelpdale passed the ball across the outside of the penalty area to Joel Rollinson all alone just outside of the area, and he took a touch before firing past the keeper. The three points were enough to lift Eastbourne Borough into sixth place and into the play-off positions, whilst Tonbridge remain in 18th place, safe enough with a nine point gap to the sole relegation spot from this division.
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