Excellent display at Welling gets Eastbourne Borough back on winning track

In these days of new, Lego-kit stadiums, smart and functional but soulless, Park View Road is a treasure, a living football museum. Think Life on Mars… Your Herald correspondent first visited (as a rookie student reporter) in 1967 – and not a lot has changed. Lots of dark red corrugated iron; mountainous wooden stairs that lead to nowhere; open terraces; dugouts in touching distance of the front row of the stand; and we’ll not even mention the Gents toilets.

And, of course, a well-grassed playing surface, in pretty good shape at this quite early stage of the season, and a definite gradient on the pitch, but you can’t quite decide which way it’s sloping. Stuart Watkiss, veteran assistant manager and the “Gaffer’s Gaffer”, emerged at 2.00pm to set out the cones and pronounced with a greedy smile: “Proper football ground!” Stuart, we know just what you mean!

The match in pictures by Lydia and Nick Redman.

In fairness, Park View Road now also boasts a much newer stand on the opposite touchline – and the character of the club shines and smiles broadly. Helpful folk, no jobsworths, and even a cup of tea on the press bench.

Should we expect an old-fashioned football match? Well, they didn’t line up in the 2-3-5 formation of that 1967 era. In fact, Borough did set up with a very clear and effective team shape. Club captain Brad Barry made a hugely welcome return, and with fit-again Pierce Bird and the commanding figure of Moussa Diarra they formed a rock-solid back three.

David Sesay and CJ Clarke admirably filled the wing-back slots; Odusanya, Klass and Williams secured the midfield; fit-again Yahya Bamba was flying; and up front George Alexander was a proper striker and not just a “false nine”.

And Alexander proved Welling’s tormentor from the very start: with barely five minutes played, Bamba headed on a free-kick into his path across the goalmouth, and home keeper Rhys Lovett clumsily floored him. A clear penalty, and Alexander himself drilled the spot-kick decisively past Lovett for 1-0.

Now, there is an argument that if you are to win a match 1-0, it’s better to score in the final five minutes rather than the first five. Either that, or you score a couple more before half-time to put the result beyond doubt. If only….

The Sports did enjoy the better of the first half, moving inventively and passing the ball decisively. Among several spells of pressure, two great chances came and went. Just past the half-hour, Bamba’s speed off the mark left the Welling defence stranded, but as he raced through on goal Lovett advanced to close the angle, and guessed correctly as Yahya struck his shot.

Then with Borough in full sail, and all Welling hands on deck, Michael Klass cannoned a shot that left the underside of the crossbar shuddering – but slammed down on to the goalline and somehow spun back out. Hmm – must be those tufty grass pitches…

No matter. Borough still led, and in those first 45 minutes, the home side had offered only brief flurries of attacking threat. There was one half-chance from a right-wing corner, which had Borough off balance for a few seconds, and then just on half-time Mitch Bergkamp (no relation) rounded off a promising move with a low scudding shot from the D, which Joe Wright saved comfortably enough.

Second half? More of the same, really. The Wings certainly made a game of it, and in all fairness they created as many openings as Borough. But in defence, where a week earlier at Chelmsford, the Pink Army had groaned at gaps, gaffes and calamity, now they could cheer every block and tackle by a defence full of discipline and organisation.

Joe Wright enjoyed a very impressive afternoon (apart from one drop-kick downfield which landed on the main stand roof – but this reporter will avoid mentioning that) and he saved his very best for the very end. Two outstanding saves – low to his right from substitute Elliott Long – and then arching back to deny a Dave Winfield header – preserved Borough’s precious lead and secured their precious three points.

Third in the table; and if Murray’s men are to stay there, every game and every performance will need this level of organisation, inspiration and perspiration. The next three fixtures? Merely Torquay United and Boreham Wood at the Lane, with a visit to Hampton and Richmond slotted in between. Talk about full-time football…

THE VIEW FROM THE PRESS BENCH

There are victories and victories. There is one kind of triumph in a romping 4-0 win, with a bit of showboating thrown in. But there is equal – or even more – satisfaction in a battling three points secured, stride for stride and tackle for tackle, by a single goal against physical opponents.

Murray will look back, not just on the win at Welling, but on a week when he drove out the Chelmsford demons, restored his players’ confidence and purpose, and reset Borough’s compass. It wasn’t exactly winning ugly, but it was winning by not giving an inch.

THE VIEW FROM THE GAFFER

Murray said: “Very pleased with that. We needed a reaction after losing last Saturday, we called the boys in on Sunday and we’ve worked very hard to draw a line in the sand. We said to the guys before this game: you have to earn the right today! When you come to Welling it’s not usually a beautiful game, but we showed bits of quality when we could. We matched Welling for their fight and battle and endeavour. We could actually have had four or five goals, but in the end it’s three points!”