Eastbourne Town

Back on a December evening we visited Eastbourne Town on the back of a dreadful run of form. So much for the form book as the lads produced on of the best performances of the season to win 2-0 and start a run of four wins and four clean sheets. Our form is a bit middling while Eastbourne Town arrived on a run of seven league wins in a row including a win at our next opponents, Newhaven. It is a credit to us that it did not look like there was such a difference in form but in the end, they took a chance in the second half to score the only goal of the game.

Great credit to the groundsmen for producing a playable pitch given the recent conditions and this was only the second time this year we have played on consecutive Saturdays. There was a perfectly observed minute’s silence before kick off in remembrance of long time Lingfield supporter John Barnes who passed away last week. Eastbourne Town were the first to threaten a penalty box with a ball into ours with three minutes on the clock but Josh McArthur Nolan cleared the danger. A glimpse of a first chance for us came a minute later when Jay Simpson laid the ball onto Richie Wetton in the D but his shot was blocked. On 6mins Town had possession around the edge of our box being held at bay before with the ball out on the left they lost patience and had a shot that went high and wide of the right post. A free kick from the left of midfield into the box by Tom Green was well claimed by their keeper. On 8mins Town had possession around our box once again but as before impatience got the better of them again and the shot was high and wide again. More Town pressure down the left, pressing on to the byline but George Branton blocked the cross at the expense of a corner. The corner was headed behind for a goal kick.

On 13mins a driving run down the left by McArthur Nolan allowed him to set up Simpson in the D but Town were quick to tackle him. Jimmy Williams took possession on the left and went a on driving run towards the box before he was scythed down in a central position. David Heaton delivered the ball into the box only for it to be punched clear. A free kick from the right by Jason Stripp found the head of Green but the header did not have enough power and the keeper caught it. The clearest chance of the half came on 31mins when Stephen Hodge collected the ball on halfway, drove forward and unleashed a fierce shot that just shaved the outside of the right post and rippled the net from behind making it look like a goal for a moment or two. Good link up play between Heaton and McArthur Nolan saw him provide a good long ball down the left for Stripp but the move ended with a free kick awarded to Town. On 33mins a ball from Stripp out to Simpson on the left was played into the centre for Wetton but he was challenged and the ball cleared. It had been a quiet spell for Eastbourne Town but on 38mins there was a reminder that they were still there when a corner from the left was headed onto the top of the bar and behind. A minute later Tyrone Magala-Bryan was on hand to head away a free kick into our box from the right. A few added minutes were played but the first half ended goalless.

As the players were leaving the pitch Jay Simpson collapsed in the centre circle. Our physio John Tovey was nearby and was assisted by Eastbourne Town’s physio along with our substitutes in dealing with the situation while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Jay was taken to hospital and was seen sitting on a chair chatting to somebody by a member of the club staff who happened to be there after the match had finished. The good news is that he has been reported as fine following checks at the hospital.

The delayed second half got underway and right at the start McArthur Nolan out on the right fed the ball on to Hodge for a cross that was overhit. It found newcomer Louis Gates, a half time substitute for the stricken Simpson, out on the left to cross it back but after finding Hodge the ball rolled out for a goal kick. Eastbourne Town were on the attack a minute later and a shot from the left hit the bottom of the post. An early wake up call for our defence. In response Green exhibited excellent control of a long ball and played it forward down the left to clear and drive us forward. On 52mins Town won a corner on the left and got a head on the end of it but our keeper Nathan Carter, recently arrived from Tunbridge Wells, gathered comfortably.

A minute later Town were in possession on the left corner of our box and a good turn by their forward created a shooting chance. Carter got his hand to the shot down to his left but the ball spun up just inside the post and into the net to give Eastbourne the lead. A good response saw Gates driving forward down the left to find Wetton in a central position where he could lay it off to McArthur Nolan. His cross was long but Gates collected it and set up Wetton but he could not get a good connection on the ball. A minute later with the ball in our possession on the right, a clattering foul by the Eastbourne Town number 6 saw the referee flourish a red card for a second offence. Could a man advantage get us back into the game. The resulting free kick by Heaton saw the keeper scrambling to gather the ball. On the hour Stripp put a free kick into the box that was cleared out to McArthur Nolan and then onto Green but Town were able to clear.

Toby Hill came on for Green and a couple of minutes later Town had a chance to seal the win but the header on the end of the cross from the right hit the bar. Gates was on the receiving end of a hard challenge and sustained a knee injury so was replaced by Nathanial Williams on 63mins. On 66mins Wetton launched a trademark long throw into their box but from the clearance Town were breaking down the centre so our skipper Heaton probably took one for the team as they say. From the free kick Carter needed to make a save and push it out past the right post. Another change on 73mins brought on Conor Wilford for Heaton. On 78mins he had space on the right of the box for a shot that was just wide of the left post. Following this Williams was replaced by Dennis Asante. Pushing forward for a goal it needed a good piece of defensive work by Hodge when one on one with their forward to win the ball and clear. A long ball into the Town box on the left had Asante in chase but he was just not able to get a shot away but a corner was conceded.

The corner from the left by Stripp on 83mins was scrambled clear but McArthur Nolan collected the ball and laid it back to Stripp. His ball in was long and curled out past the right post. Inside the last five minutes and having won the ball back on the edge of the ball and breaking forward the referee decided to see the linesman’s flag for offside. An awful failure to play on. Into added time and Town had to deal with a couple of long throws. The second one saw our lads having shots, Town players diving in to block and then when the ball came out wide left to Magala-Bryan he put too much on his cross and it went behind. So, it ended with a win for Eastbourne Town by the only goal of a tight game.

It was not a day for a full programme of matches but our neighbours Crawley Down were playing one of their rescheduled games and with a win have moved past us in the table to push us down to eleventh by a point. They still have two games in hand on us as well. Next up for the Lingers is a visit by Newhaven who currently sit second in the table after winning their last two games but have had a couple of stumbles recently.