Eastbourne Borough win at Maldon and Tiptree - report and 32 photos

Their nickname is evidently adopted from its predecessor club, Maldon FC, but it's the sort of curious detail that gives non-league football its character. And this was a proper non-league encounter, in terms of a warm welcome on a pin-sharp autumn evening, and a shared love of the game.

After an amalgamation of two local clubs, the lucrative sale of a former town-centre ground and the input of a couple of generous new owners, the Essex club have a smashing, well-appointed new stadium and a bright future. A wobbly start to the new season and a change of management has brought good recent results, and this game would be no walkover for Steve King's men.

Right now, though, the Sports fear nobody. Eleven victories in 12 games - with just the FA Cup defeat at Salisbury spoiling the sequence - have given King's men a momentum which is close to unstoppable.

Skipper Josh Rees was serving a one-match suspension, and striker Liam Nash is still recovering from his cracked cheekbone, but the manager has options enough - and the starting XI on Tuesday night made a perfect start.

With barely six minutes played, an attacking move across the front of the home penalty area fell perfectly for Kai Corbett, who lashed his first-time shot past a startled home keeper for 1-0.

Corbett, brought in a year ago by Tommy Widdrington from Aldershot, never found his role last season - but under King, he is rediscovering his own love of the game and unlocking his lavish talent.

Within two minutes, the Jammers were reeling again. Freddie Carter - a towering presence all night - swung a superb long pass to Corbett, who slalomed in from the left and struck an explosive shot which a hapless defender could only deflect into his own net. 2-0, and even the Borough faithful were rubbing their eyes.

At any level of football, you are thrilled by an early breakthrough, but you know there is plenty of work to do. The match settled into a pattern of attack and counter-attack, with possession turning over and some penalty area scrambles at both ends. But Eastbourne - and their fans - were loving it.

The Sports were easily the better side. Sam Oguntoyo, nominally a full-back, was having far too much fun on his attacking sorties, and the home side were simply not coping with Borough's pace and place-changing.

It was 24 minutes before the Jammers created a really threatening move - an awesome crossfield pass to the left wing - but Elliott Johnson, restored at centre-back in place of the injured Giles Phillips - intercepted impeccably.

Lewis Carey, still basking in his incredible four penalty saves in the Trophy shootout win at the weekend, was hardly called into action all night, but he did improvise a headed clearance - from outside his area - to thwart one dangerous home attack.

The Sports had been commanding, and the match should have been put to bed, but a minute before half-time the Jammers surprised everyone, pulling a goal back with a wickedly deflected shot by Mustapha.

The home side thought it was game on and the half-time break was rippling with exchanges of wisdom between both sets of supporters. The half-term break meant a permitted late night for Borough's younger generation of fans, who spent half-time in a cheerful showdown with the local preteens, over who could chant the loudest and who had the finest flags. Honours even.

The second 45 minutes brought much open expansive play by both teams, but surprisingly no more goals. the seamless movement of Arthur Grout persistently troubled the home side, and the commanding Freddie Carter broke up Maldon's most dangerous move with an impeccable 73rd minute interception - and then the Sports professionally saw the game out.

Maldon and Tiptree - now under new management - will surely climb the table. But they will still be a country mile behind King's committed and talented Sports.