Point against Enfield stems flow of Eastbourne Borough defeats – but need for wins is growing fast

The Sports had led for most of a feisty and entertaining game at a blustery Connect Management Stadium, before reverting to type and conceding a late Enfield equaliser.

With both clubs in real danger of slipping through the trapdoor to the Isthmian League, this contest would always be tense and tight – but for all those wrong reasons it turned into a genuinely gripping watch.

The end-of-season arithmetic does not look great. Sixteen games, and the Sports simply must win at least half of them, while hoping that the other struggling clubs fail. But after a month of falling short, and frankly throwing away precious points, this was a brighter performance without a single hint of throwing in the towel.

With Tommy Widdrington absent, Hugo Langton and Robbie Blake urged, cajoled and tweaked from the sidelines. A freshened line-up saw Adam May take a commanding role in midfield, and the Forest Green Rovers recruit will be absolutely key to the survival plans. Not exactly the father-figure but certainly the man who can lead by example.

The enigma of where to play George Alexander - striker, second striker or midfield creator remains unsolved, but George is giving blood for the cause, and must surely keep a starting shirt.

The other eyebrow-raiser was the deployment of Arthur Grout at left wing-back. The young midfielder's quicksilver movement and passing are surely needed "between the lines", where he has been startling and eluding opponents all season. But what does a reporter know? As the great Jimmy Greaves observed, it's a game of opinions…

Whatever the XI, and whatever their roles, the commitment could not be faulted.

Youngsters Lachlan Byrd, Archy Taylor and Will Armitage defending like veterans alongside new skipper Tayt Trusty. Kai Corbett showing the pace to unsettle Enfield all afternoon. In goal Woody Williamson was once again faultless - his best moment actually coming as early as the second minute with a blinding save from an Enfield striker.

Maxwell Mullins looked increasingly like the forceful attacker who broke into the Aldershot first team; Kai Corbett added lightning pace, and was perhaps unlucky not to earn a penalty when one of his efforts struck an Enfield arm. And experienced striker Gold Omotayo just needed that break or two up front.

Priory Lane supporters have had an awful lot of names to learn this season, but - even with time running out – they are starting to adopt this bunch of unlikely heroes.

So to the action: and on 32 minutes the Sports were ahead. From a right wing corner, and on a pretty tight angle, May had his first. right-foot shot blocked by a defender, but he brilliantly changed feet and arrowed a dipping strike which cleared the keeper and curled into the top far corner of the net – a genuine moment of class and a massive boost to Eastbourne belief.

The rest of the first half was simply a rolling tide of home attacks, with visiting keeper Joe Wright somehow keeping his side in the game. His most dramatic moment came just before the break, when his clearance only reached May - who struck a perfect looping shot from the edge of the centre circle, breathlessly turned over the bar by the back-pedalling goalkeeper.

From the start, Enfield had taken no prisoners - they conceded 25 fouls through the 90 minutes, and Yacou Traore was surely fortunate to escape with only a yellow card for a studs-up challenge on Omotayo.

But ironically it was a Town free-kick - quite generously awarded by Mr Dann-Pye, out wide in front of the dug-outs - which brought the equaliser. The kick was swung high to the Borough back post, where Henry Hawkins squeezed an angled low shot into the home net.

Broken Eastbourne hearts? Another implosion? Well, at least this time the Sports rallied, and had the better of the final quarter-hour as they strove to turn a useful point into a priceless three. Mullins clipped the post from a Grout feed, May saw a shot deflected just wide, and - recorded in the interests of balance - May headed heroically off his own goalline to preserve that point.

In the context of the battle for survival, it was not enough - but Borough will take it, and move on to the next challenge.

At least we had clear evidence that this Borough team will not surrender National South status without a fight.

"Do not go gentle into that good night," wrote the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas; and the coming weeks will be anything but gentle on everyone's nervous health.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet had it right, though: "Not in our stars, but in ourselves". Widdrington’s lads may not have too much time for literary studies, but they must seize their chances in the unforgiving arena of National South.

The Priory Lane theatre of dreams is still open – every Tuesday night, and matinees on Saturdays. And the final pages are still to be written...