AFC Uckfield Town benefit from ground switch as league action continues

While not the first game the Uckers have agreed to see change hosts this season – their RUR Cup semi-final, still yet to be played, reversed to have Peacehaven & Telscombe as the home side, as a league fixture against Tye also was before postponement – this fixture will certainly prove a rarity for most fans, and may prove more unpredictable as a result.

With John Lambert’s Town sat third in the SCFL Premier Division, just seven points behind leaders Lancing with two games in hand, they would automatically become favourites, a tag only bolstered by the fact the match will be played on home turf.

At the Saffrons, one of the most charismatic grounds in Sussex non-league football, Town have only suffered five league defeats in the past two seasons, with only one – a 4-1 loss to Horsham YMCA in February 2019 – being by more than one goal.

The Uckers did, however, notably get the better of Lambert’s side there earlier this season; securing a 2-1 win in the Sussex Senior Cup first round, which along with a RUR Cup exit to Peacehaven & Telscombe by the same scoreline, has somewhat questioned the Blue and Yellows’ otherwise formidable record.

With Anthony Storey’s side returning to sixth in the table via an 86th-minute winner – either credited to Dean Stewart-Hunter or Liam Baitup – at Hill Park last weekend, confidence will be boosted despite a lack of recent match practice, and it is unlikely that the Uckers will give Town an easy ride despite their opponent’s gesture of goodwill to host the fixture.

Five sides sit within five points of the Uckers behind them – albeit having completed more matches – and with that pressure set to follow them for the rest of the season in a race for sixth, Storey’s team will be hoping to kick things off in the last few weeks of the season with another positive result.

Against an outfit with by far the best goal difference - +51, having netted 75 times and only conceded 24 goals from 26 games – and a strike force reaching red-hot form whilst led by Zac Attwood, however, that task will be one that provides the biggest test for some time for the Uckers, in what is likely to be a highly competitive meeting.

Match Information

Eastbourne Town vs. AFC Uckfield Town kicks off at 7:45 p.m. tonight at The Saffrons (Eastbourne, BN21 1EA), with information on how to get to the ground available here; http://eastbournetown.com/club-information/.

Admission is £6 for Adults, £3 for Concessions and free for Under-16s.

Updates on any pitch inspections, as well as team news and all the action as it happens, will also be available from the @AfcUckfieldTown Twitter pages throughout.