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As has been said before, supporters love derby fixtures. That said supporters tend to love them most when they are won. Sadly for Eastbourne Borough this derby was to end in defeat and mark the end of a fantastic unbeaten league run. However, the 0-2 score line is the key statistic but it does not tell the whole story ..... !
A tough festive period finally began to pull at ‘The Sports’ squad. Matt Smart received an injury late in the win over Eastleigh on Saturday and Andy Atkin was a doubt right up until the day of the fixture; again an injury in Hampshire preventing the Boro management settling on a side before this key fixture. On the positive side Nathan Crabb completed his suspension from the 7-2 victory over ‘The Rooks’ and took a place on the bench alongside brother Matt; Adam Wilde starting the game.
Another key statistic of the day was the attendance ...... 3027. This huge number set a league record for Priory Lane and with only several hundred following the league leaders from Lewes the club has again demonstrated the appetite the Eastbourne public have for football and lifted the current league average to 946; over 200 above the opposition who sit top of the table.
All were firmly inside the ground as a minutes applause was immaculately observed just prior to kick-off as a mark or respect for both Brian Sharman, the popular Kit manager at Priory Lane who recently passed away, and Phil O’Donnell the Motherwell player who collapsed and died the previous Saturday.
Lewes started brightly and both Paul Booth and Tom Davis fired high and wide from distance within the the opening 10 minutes. Simon Wormull fed a wonderful pass to Booth but Boro defence snuffed out the chance as the home side struggled to settle. Finally the away pressure gained its reward as Booth was found in space. He turned inside and fired past Lee Hook for 1-0 Lewes on 14 minutes.
This setback appeared to spur on Boro and the home side began to find their feet. On 17 minutes Atkin found his path to goal blocked in the penalty area. He fed the ball wide to Pat Harding who’s deep cross found Wilde. The Boro No.11 controlled the ball but his shot was wide as Steve Williams struggled to close the angle. Boro pressure led to an Atkin shot deflected over, a Neil Jenkins effort rising effort over ‘The Rooks’ bar and Ben Austin doing the same following a Wilde free-kick. On half-an hour Alan Tait was found by Wilde but the match winner on Saturday could only direct his header down but wide; another opportunity to test the away keeper spurned.
Booth drew a fine save from Hook as the 2nd half began but on 52 minutes the Boro cause was dealt a severe blow. Austin received his 2nd yellow card and a subsequent red as he challenged a Lewes player on the break. The yellow seemed harsh, especially as the rest of the half saw many similar tackles dealt with via free-kicks only. Once again the squad demonstrated their quality when faced with adversity and the crowd were to witness a display by the 10 men that although ultimately fruitless was again an expression of pride and passion; easily dominating possesion, territory and chances. On 57 minutes Atkin drew a fantastic save from Williams as his chest and shot was tipped over but on 63 minutes Lewes scored their 2nd; a cushion allowing them to sit back and simply defend the Boro pressure. Andy Drury did well deep in the Boro penalty area and he smashed the ball into the far corner from an acute angle.
The Crabb brothers were introduced to the fray immediately after this 2nd goal and Matt’s shot from distance was deflected over within 60 seconds. From the corner a Boro head sent the ball goal wards; a goal back now would make the last 20 minutes interesting, but Anthony Barness cleared his lines well. Lewes were now using the space afforded them by the numerical advantage by playing the long early ball and Drury nearly grabbed his 2nd as he beat Hook to the ball but lobbed inches over. Matt and Nathan could not hit the target as the 10 men kept searching a life line but substitute Matt Groves collected the miss of the match as he dragged a poor effort across the face of the goal with only Hook to beat.
As the match ended both sets of supporters saluted their sides for different reasons. The Boro must now set their sights on starting another unbeaten run with all still to play for in 2008..
Match Details - Webmaster.
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