A real resilience: The factor that helped Eastbourne Borough prevail near the palace

There’s a feeling of pride in Danny Bloor’s voice at the game’s end as he stands triumphant, speaks of praise towards his deeply determined infantry.

On this particularly mild south-west London evening it could have thrown up any scoreline. Indeed, it was those that hail from Sussex’s shores that claimed the juiciest of three points, lifting them, assuredly, into those revered play-off positions. A Charley Kendall double — how exquisitely taken they were — combined with a defence seemingly constructed of the firmest steel to make this a night of joy, a night of victory, a night of warning.

Entombed snugly amongst the castles, rivers and roads there glowed a beaming light in the darkened clouds above, a beacon to Hampton & Richmond Borough. Angelic in nature, beneath lied no manger, but something better: eight thin structures lit dazzlingly from the top, shining rays down on to a gorgeously vivid, expertly mowed surface that would play host to two sides with flickering ambitions of playing in a higher league. A cosy place, surrounded by the naked trees stood still as if frozen in time, the usual procession wandered in gallantly with the usual senses of sight, smell and sound equally aroused. The scene was set for a good old-fashioned game of ball and kick.

The 'Borough derby' in pictures.

There went the echoing, deafening whistle to mark the start of another on the tour of Eastbourne Borough’s campaign. Two changes in personnel to the side recently victorious over Hemel Hempstead: Jake Elliot and Dominic Hutchinson thrown in at the expense of Jaden Perez and Charlie Walker. Those opening moments were of a lively, erratic nature. The opening day result between these two Boroughs must not be forgotten. On that warm mid-August afternoon the Beavers struck five times, the Sports not once. So, a shot at a spot of revenge to try to eradicate the woes of a blurring past in their own home.

An early succession of Beaver corners, nibbling at the defence but cleared, launched, nodded away went the silver ball. But Lee Worgan in the visiting net was mostly untroubled, testament to a backline inspired throughout. Eastbourne had yet to counter, yet to forge an attack of genuine threat. That is, until the ninth minute. He only needs a yard, does Kendall. A hopeful pass along the right channel, it was nothing more than that, unleashed the rapid forward who sped through the gears beyond a trembling Ruaridh Donaldson. Defender huffing in the dust, Kendall skittered towards an onrushing Alan Julian before smacking viciously through the open legs of the ‘keeper and into the netting behind. Lift-off.

That seemed to calm things down a little. Frenetic were the early exchanges, it appeared to flip the metaphorical pendulum. Sure, defending still had to be done, chiefly as a result of Tommy Block’s mighty throws into the box but, serenely enough, the danger was suppressed. In the upmost truth it was a half for the footballing hedonist: swift, intelligent passing cut short by a rigid formation. Unlocking the gleaming door for a second time proved an arduous assignment. A yellow card was flashed in the face of Hutchinson for cynically chopping down Jake Gray adjacent to the dugouts, as this half stuttered on its approach to the interval.

Seconds rolled ever closer to that looming blow of the whistle with The Sports in the slightest of control. Within a few inches came Sam Deadfield from knotting things up as he struck one sweetly, arrowing goalwards but avoiding the crossbar to the great relief of Bloor and the rest of his cohort. That’s the half. A nimble scurry to the bar, burgers and bathrooms before a second instalment of National League action. Upon re-arrival not much had changed, as is the nature of these midweek affairs. Returning to a more rugged turf were twenty-two figures, half clad in light blue, the other half dressed regal-like in their red and navy strip. All were poised, all were calm. Forty-five minutes from three crucial points, the sands begun to fall.

For the initial part there was the usual passing, running, intercepting. In the final third Eastbourne looked to play speedily, carving through the hosts’ defence in the form of Kendall. Like an air hockey puck constantly shifting at pace, he was the outlet, the main source of life. Hampton & Richmond would see more of the ball, but Worgan received relative impunity. Donaldson flashing a glaring, glancing header wide of the upright, it prompted Bloor into a 67th minute change: Chris Whelpdale brought on in place of Hutchinson for some offensive defibrillation as the contest spiced up.

Here came the goals. First, it was Kendall once more, the Seigneur of the manor. Greg Luer slipping in Kendall with the forward yet to make up the ground. Julian sprinting out of goal, trusting his aged agility. Racing, pouncing, Kendall got to the ball first, taking it around Julian and another defender as he fired it low into a goal devoid of a ‘keeper. 0-2. Sixteen minutes remain. Cue more excitement: the hosts halved the deficit. For all of Eastbourne’s wonderful defending, their downfall arose through a simple corner. Zach Robinson leaping high like a salmon out of water, he powered the ball over a rooted Worgan, billowing the net in the process.

Then things became a little nervy. Partly as a result of the constant crosses into the Eastbourne box, partly because Deadfield slipped it a whisker wide of the post. Half of Hampton jumping with the excitement at drawing level, on the stretch the connection was not quite enough. That was the chance, that was the moment. Time ticked by with the visiting contingent strong in their minds that the points might just be sealed after all. They were. A few Sussex cheers drowned out the Hampton & Richmond sorrows as this Borough derby was claimed by Eastbourne. Up into the sixth position they ride, with positive winds firmly in their sails that will carry them to Braintree on Saturday.