Eastbourne Borough FC welcome Dartford - with vital play-off positions at stake

“When the fixtures first came out, way back last summer, everyone’s eyes were drawn to this one. It was always likely that Dartford would be up there, and as it turns out, they absolutely need the points.

“It’s a cracking way to round off our home league campaign – the weather is set fair, the visitors will bring huge numbers, and Dartford are an attacking side who play very good football. So the fans will be richly entertained. Oh, and there's even the Albion-Manchester United game at 5.30 on the clubhouse big screens!"

Picture gallery: Eastbourne Boro v Billericay.

Attacking football looks a certainty. Danny might just have in his mind one or two recent opponents who have arrived at the Lane with more negative intentions. Billericay Town ambushed the Sports last Saturday, grabbing a 2-1 lead and then killing off the game: in a second half of 52 minutes, including added time, the ball was actually in play for precisely 26 minutes – exactly half.

Tonbridge v Sports in pictures.

Steve King’s Darts – who surprisingly lost 0-1 to lowly Braintree on Monday – will be on the front foot. A victory for the men from (the other) Princes Park could see them leap-frog North Kent rivals Ebbsfleet into third place, with a bye into the play-off semi-final.

It’s all too complicated. For Danny, he simply wants to see his side put Monday’s pale defeat at Tonbridge behind them. The Gaffer has a full squad to choose from, except for Greg Luer, who hopes to recover from his meniscus injury in time to play a role next week.

Six straight victories – and then five games without a win? Which is the real Eastbourne Borough? “With the play-offs achieved, we possibly took our foot off the accelerator. Not consciously, but in the event not disastrously. A couple of key events went against us, too. The players have a point to prove, and whether it is now two games, or three or four, they will be focused.”

Four weeks ago, with Borough burning up the tarmac, a final position as high as fourth looked very possible. Now, while the play-off place itself is guaranteed, the chance of a home tie has gone, and the Sports will be on the road to either Oxford City, or to Ebbsfleet or Dartford. The former tie is likelier, and would be scheduled for Wednesday 11th May.

That, however, depends on Bloor’s side avoiding defeat at the Lane on Saturday, or on rivals Havant and Waterlooville failing to put at least five goals past Chippenham Town. Some sceptics, glancing at the current form book, would regard the latter outcome as more likely than the former. But if the results do go wrong, Borough will be heading, on Thursday 12th, either to face Ebbsfleet at Stonebridge Road, a ground where they have never won. Or, ironically, a couple of miles further east for a re-match with Dartford.

Let’s make the rash assumption that the M25 route will be clockwise rather than anti-clockwise. In that case Oxford City, even away from home, holds no real terrors. Borough came away from Court Place Farm in January with an assured 2-0 victory, and the Hoops’ home ground is no cauldron of hostility. Indeed Borough's travelling faithful might even be the noisier set of fans!

And were the Sports to return from the Dreaming Spires with first-class honours, they would be on the road again, on Saturday week (14th) to Dorking Wanderers. Although the team from the Surrey Hills score goals for fun, Borough and the Wands always go toe to toe, with a 3-2 or a 4-3 to one side or the other. Bloor would probably view that prospect as better than a punter’s chance.

But first, the Sports must dodge the Darts…