Devastated Eastbourne Borough lose 2-1 to Maidstone in National South play-off final - and promotion dream is over

The Sports lost 2-1 at home to Maidstone in the semi-final in front of more than 3,100 at Priory Lane – the Kent side’s winner coming in the 90th minute.

Borough were undefeated at home all season in the league but went the same way as Worthing in the play-offs – losing to a Maidstone side who were well off the title race but qualified for the knockouts by finishing seventh.

They will now go to Boreham Wood in the final in a fortnight, leaving Adam Murray’s Borough to fight it out with Worthing and Horsham in next season’s National South.

This afternoon at a packed and raucous Priory Lane, it was a fairly even matched and at-times cagey opening half an hour with neither side able to break the deadlock.

Yahaya Bamba and Jason Adigun both had attempts at goal blocked while Maidstone struck the Borough bar, albeit with an effort which would have been chalked off for offside had it gone in.

Three minutes before the break, Maidstone took the lead through Jacob Berkeley-Agypong.

It was getting tense as the second half continued but that tension was lifted on 63 minutes when Alfie Pavey levelled for Eastbourne, beating two defenders before finishing clinically.

Eight minutes from time, Maidstone were reduced to ten men when Charlie Seaman was shown his second yellow card.

Despite that setback, the Stones broke Borough’s hearts when Aaron Blair restored their lead in the 90th minute.

It was such a cruel blow to end a fantastic season for Borough – and what a contrast it has been to last year, when they struggled to avoid the drop but ended up celebrating survival.

Reaction and pictures to follow on this website later and in the coming days.

SCFL play-off final

Crowborough Athletic were hosting Eastbourne United vying for a second promotion spot from the SCFL and a place in next season’s Isthmian south east division (not withstanding any shuffling of which step four divisions teams will be in.

There was a perfect start for the Crows – and a disastrous one for United – as Rushaar Samuel-Smikle scored twice within the first four minutes to put them 2-0 up and firmly in charge. But moments before half-time Charlie Ball scored to halve the deficit.

Just after the hour, Crowborough’s Harrison Mayhew was sent off after picking up a second yellow card. But with 11 minutes to go, it was 10 v 10 as Sam Scott was sent off.

That made no difference to the scoreline as the Crows held on to clinch that prized promotion spot.

They will be replaced in the SCFL Premier in 25-26 by Forest Row, who beat Infinity in Saturday’s Division 1 final. Diego Carmo got the winning goal in injury time.

Horsham are Isthmian Premier champtons.

Burgess Hill Town win Isthmian South East play-off final.