Eastbourne Borough sack their manager Jamie Howell after Billericay defeat

Eastbourne Borough have sacked their manager Jamie Howell.
Jamie HowellJamie Howell
Jamie Howell

The club parted company with Howell just hours after their latest defeat - a 2-0 loss at Billericay on Saturday afternoon. An experienced interim manager - who used to manage Brighton among other clubs - is expected to be announced shortly.

Injury-hit Borough have been on a dismal run of late and have won just once in their last seven matches.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A club statement read, “Following a board meeting Jamie Howell has left the club. We would like to thanks Jamie for all his efforts. A further comment will made soon.”

The Sports began the season well but their form dipped badly and it showed no sign of improvement since January. They are 15th in the National League South and their only league victory of 2019 so far was a 3-2 win against Chippenham. They also crashed out of the Sussex Senior Cup last week at Bostik Premier strugglers Burgess Hill.

Even so, the news will surprise many as traditionally Borough are not a sacking club and Howell, who’s contract was set to run out at the end of this campaign, admitted last week he was busy making plans for next season.

Howell’s attacking style of play gave no shortage of excitement at Priory Lane but his failure to sign a permanent goalscoring striker, alongside a defence that has consistently shipped goals, appears to have contributed greatly to his dismissal.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Howell, 41, was brought in to replace previous manager Tommy Widdrington in 2017. The former Torquay United and England schoolboy midfielder had enjoyed tremendous success as manager at Bognor Regis and guided them to the National League South on 1 May 2017.

Borough finished midtable in his first season and looked set to do the same once again this year. What he would have done in his third campaign - the year Howell insisted real progress would be made- we shall never know.