Relegation fears growing fast at Eastbourne Borough after another home collapse

The Sports had led for almost an hour - and spurned a number of chances to extend that lead - before the dogged Hampshire visitors grabbed an equaliser and then a dramatic winner in added time.

Home supporters know the script by heart - but Tommy Widdrington and his squad will have tear up and rewrite the last few pages, if the club are to avoid only the second relegation in Borough’s 60-year history.

Is it failure in front of goal, or fragile defending? A little bit of both: but seven clubs are lower scorers this season than the Sports, including mid-table opponents like Chelmsford and Chesham.

But after Saturday’s late collapse, the Sports’ goals-against tally is the highest in the division. Ironically - and despite this result - young Ipswich Town loanee Woody Williamson has looked the part, and should not be discouraged.

A word for Farnborough, who - like their manager Spencer Day - are National South’s great survivors.

The Hampshire club had lost two players to illness overnight and could not fill their bench. But they have experience in their ranks and they know how to scrap - legally - for a result. Spencer’s and Tommy’s rivalry goes back more than a decade, and this time it was the team in blue and yellow who refused to be beaten.

But heck, a win should have been packaged and sealed before Farnborough’s late comeback. There was so much to impress in the Sports’ performance, and only the goals were lacking.

A youthful line-up was missing influential skipper Harry Cripps with a shoulder injury - the versatile and intelligent Tayt Trusty taking the armband. And with talented youngsters like Lachlan Byrd, Archy Taylor and Will Armitage eagerly seizing their chance, the home side were on the front foot almost throughout the afternoon.

Almost.

After a bright opening, Borough did take a deserved lead on 19 minutes. Taylor’s curling corner from the left was met by Ben May - fresh in from Forest Green Rovers - whose fierce volley was parried by the visitors’ keeper but whacked into the net by a triumphant Maxwell Mullins for 1-0.

Before and after the bridge of half-time, Eastbourne edged possession and openings. But could they make the game safe? If only…

Two minutes after the break, George Alexander broke clear, but his angle narrowed as defenders raced back and his strike on goal was blocked. And just past the hour mark, the Sports spurned two golden chances to make the points safe.

Taylor raced clear through a wide open inside-left channel, but chose his stronger right foot to shoot for goal, and pulled the ball wide of the near post. And then Gold Omotayo pounded through the middle of an absentee Farnborough defence but, one on one with the keeper, he came off second best.

When your team is winning, then - subconsciously or otherwise - you can so easily think it doesn’t matter. But it did. Within two minutes, the visitors were level, the experienced arak Bingham sliding in from a narrow angle.

Widdrington threw on two attacking subs as the home side now chased a precious victory. Kai Corbett was halted by a desperate tackle and Arthur Grout saw his 20-yarder saved. But when a single point was being grudgingly settled for, Farnborough were awarded a final free kick, wide on their left wing. The steepling high delivery was missed by Williamson - in fairness, under a tumble of players more resembling a rugby union line-out - and big Ollie Robinson bundled it in from a tight angle beyond the back post.

Disappointing. Maddening. Catastrophic. Take your choice. But this was the day, and the moment, when relegation turned from a worrying possibility to a huge likelihood. But with a wise experienced manager and an ever strengthening squad, it is very far from unavoidable. Eighteen cup finals to play.