Midweek magic follows weekend woe as Eastbourne Borough down Dulwich Hamlet

For Borough supporters, loyalty comes with a sou'wester and a set of waterproofs: only a week ago, after the gale-blown victory over Stanway Rovers, manager Steve King had described the conditions as "horrendous" – and this week's weather was another challenge.

The game began in drizzle and ended in sweeping rain - the sort that, in shimmering floodlights, can look almost picturesque. Almost...

But who notices a few drips down your neck when your team is winning? Borough supporters had returned deflated from Dartford, but by the second half of Tuesday's game they were pumped up and roaring again.

Postponed from an October Saturday because of Borough's FA Cup run, the visit of Dulwich Hamlet was just a little anti-climactic. The South London club and their buoyant supporters usually travel in numbers and liven up any game - but the logistics of a Tuesday night journey to the coast are trickier.

Hamlet's own league form has been patchy this season, but they always play without fear and they enjoy nothing better than a game which starts at high pace and then gets quicker.

That was precisely how Tuesday night's action began at the Lane. After two early chances for the Sports from corner-kicks, Hamlet snatched a surprise lead in the sixth minute, with a flicked finish by David Smith just beyond the reach of home keeper Lewis Carey.

The Sports were stirred rather than shaken - and a bit indignant. Chances came and went, but Dulwich were defending deep, and the home side were caught between playing their instinctive purist football or piling forward and getting the ball any which way into the Hamlet penalty area.

Indeed, the visitors were growing in confidence, and they created chances to extend the lead: one smart Lewis Carey save and two excellent interventions, by Max Sheaf and Freddie Carter, snuffed out the openings.

A huge home shout for a penalty was waved away by the referee - but the Sports were not relying on marginal decisions as they suddenly breached the Hamlet defences.

With 25 minutes played, a deep Josh Rees cross was met at the back post by Liam Nash - in his first full game back after injury - and Darren McQueen pounced to slide in the equaliser.

Most games have a turning point and that McQueen finish turned the mood for players, manager and huddled fans - from soaking wet gloom to a sudden sense of relief and optimism.

This Steve King squad is not perfect, but it has spirit, character, experience. And a drenching night at the Lane is no barrier. Within the next ten minutes, Borough had turned the match irreversibly in their favour with a 3-1 lead.

First, Rees pounded through from midfield, took a touch to get his angle right, and drilled past the visiting keeper for 2-1. The momentum had swung, and the belief was back.

And then it was Rees again - team skipper in every sense, and a man who embodies the spirit of drive and enterprise which his manager is demanding - who extended the lead to 3-1. Carter won the ball from Bangura following a Dulwich corner, and he drove forward with posse of four Borough players, before finding McQueen on the right.

The winger cut across to Rees, whose first effort was blocked before he tucked he ball past Sands at the second bite.

Hamlet really did not know what had hit them. From that bright start, they had seen the match ripped away from them.

The second half brought more of the same. In such buffeting conditions against unpredictable opponents, 3-1 was not necessarily a winning score. Hamlet were looking to sit deep and hit Borough on the counter - and they did exactly that with a swift end-to-end break for 3-2.

Anything Hamlet could do, Borough could do better. Liam Nash - in his first full game since a cheekbone injury - was the man on the mark. Kai Corbett brought down Sam Oguntayo's channel pass with ease, and he drove up the wing before crossing low. Paul McCallum dummied for Nash to steal his fifth goal of the season.

The last 20 minutes saw no further drama. Hamlet brought on the ageless Danny Mills, but even his scoring talents could not retrieve this game for the visitors.