Morale boost just as important as the three points for Mark Beard and Eastbourne Borough

Speaking to the Herald after the final whistle, Beard was a happy man. “We’re very pleased, of course, with such an important three points. The players were outstanding to a man. They worked their socks off, every one of them.

“We had a game plan that we had worked on all week. Welling have a lot of good players and we handled them, especially their pace up front. Remember that just last week they had beaten Brackley in the Trophy, a tough opponent, and the previous week they had beaten Yeovil Town, the league leaders.

“Bringing in players of the experience of Brad Barry, Sam Beard and Jack Paxman made a huge difference – it’s what we had been lacking. In the week you could see the mood in training, the standards they set, and the standards then rise. And that brings out the younger players like Fred (Carter) – who was immense at the back.

38 pictures of Eastbourne Borough's brilliant win at Welling United

“I have to say also that the performance of our goalkeeper Harrison Foulkes was outstanding. He kept a clean sheet, he made some brilliant stops – and one of those saves in the first half was just world-class.

“At the end of the day it’s just one win, and we will be back at it on Monday! And we’ll be preparing all week for Yeovil Town on Saturday!”

The Sports are exactly halfway through their league programme – 23 games played and another 23 to come – and they are just inside the relegation places, on goal difference. But this year’s National South has a very crowded mid-table, with plenty of opposing clubs who could be overhauled with a decent Borough run in the New Year. It’s all to be done on the field- and the training ground – and not on paper.

But Beard will surely be looking for ten or a dozen victories as a minimum, to reach safety and to give a platform for 2024-25. The immediate challenge is quite formidable: Borough’s next four games are against leaders Yeovil tomorrow (Saturday) at Priory Lane, then Worthing both away and at home - Boxing Day and New Year’s Day respectively – and then a long haul westwards to face Torquay United on 6th January.

The difference now, though, is tangible. The Sports opened the month of December with a doom-laden visit to Hendon in the FA Trophy – with literally just eleven fit players plus a reserve goalkeeper. Given the over-riding importance of preserving National South status, the 0-2 defeat in North London may have been no disaster.

Mark Beard always promised that, with the return of so many key players, the tide would turn. His own boss has kept faith: Simon Leslie, who may be having private thoughts about how much it costs to run a football club, has not flinched from supporting Beard through the addition of fresh players. Sam Beard may be the manager’s son but there is absolutely no nepotism: signed from Barnet, Sam is clearly a player of National League calibre and brings crucial experience.

Exciting full-back David Sesay, brought in from Weymouth, is also raising Borough’s game.

And busy front-man Louis Collins – the man whose goals fuelled Whitehawk’s promotion drive – looks a very canny signing. With the two Jacks, Paxman and Clarke, available in midfield, and Callum Kealy bringing class and strike power up front, the manager is almost spoiled for choice!

“I had twenty-four players training last Friday – which means I had to disappoint eight of them for the Welling game!” remarked Beard. But he hardly needed to add that it’s the best headache for any manager to have.