‘Buzzing’ – Eastbourne Borough boss Beard ready to roll after AFC Wimbledon are defeated

A 927 Priory Lane crowd enjoyed an open, high paced encounter which stayed goalless until the Sports broke through just on the hour mark. Leone Gravata’s piercing ball from the left was met young Arsenal loanee Billy Vigar with a triumphant smash across the keeper and high into the net.

And in the very final minute of the game – after a couple of breathlessly close moments in the Borough goalmouth – a huge clearance by goalkeeper Harrison Foulkes found Fletcher Holman racing clear on the left and cutting in to drill a cracking second goal past goalkeeper Max Fox.

Eastbourne Borough v AFC Wimbledon in pictures by Lydia and Nick Redman. And see more photos – by Andy Pelling – in the slideshow in the video player above.

Local boy Holman – who was scoring freely last season for Eastbourne Town – is one of three former Borough Under-18s in Beard’s new squad. Freddie Carter enjoyed a useful second half at full-back, while goalkeeper Fin Holter is training regularly with the first team squad.

“We all know that results are secondary in the friendlies,” commented a very satisfied manager afterwards, “but it’s good to have come through them unbeaten.

“One main factor is that we’ve had no injuries. Everyone’s fit, so I can go into next week’s first league game with eighteen or nineteen players to pick from, so that is good news in itself. We tried out a different formation today, with a diamond and a back four – because we need to be comfortable that, if we need to change something and need a Plan B, the players can do it. It took about twenty minutes to get to grips with it, but once we did, I thought we looked dominant, and we kept the ball really well.”

Anything to work on, Mark? “I’d like to have seen more shots – in the first half we didn’t have one shot on target! N fact it took us about sixty minutes to get our first strike on target. So despite all that possession, there was not enough probing in behind, so that’s something to work on this week. But yes, in total it’s been a great pre-season.”

Does Beard know what his starting XI is for the opening league fixture (against Hampton and Richmond Borough on Saturday (August 5)?

“Nope, not yet! I’ve just said that to the boys – because we have eighteen really good outfield players, and two excellent goalkeepers to choose from as well! I’ve had a scout at Hampton’s game (a friendly against Salisbury City) and I will watch that game back myself. On that basis I will pick a team to beat Hampton. And then for our second opponents Farnborough I’ll pick another team.

“It’s one of the great things about this league that we have so many games. And I’ve said to the players, if you’re not selected for the first game, it doesn’t mean I don’t like you! I love them all! It’s because I choose a team to win a specific game, and you might not be suitable for that game.”

One week still to go – and the Gaffer isn’t exactly patient?

“No, I’m buzzing! To be honest I hate pre-season anyway! It’s all so much tossing and turning and changing. But now we are getting to the crux of it – and this is where it really starts for me!”