Six wins in a row for Eastbourne Borough after late flurry in Sussex Senior Cup

Harry Phipps, Shay Harrison and Gold Omotayo were on the scoresheet against the Southern Combination Premier Division side, but all three goals came in the final 15 minutes at the Connect Management Stadium.

The win saw the Sports advance into the third round of the Sussex Transport Senior Cup – a competition they reached the semi-finals of last season.

Steve King made 10 changes from the side that earned a 4-2 home win over Welwyn Garden City in the FA Trophy’s third qualifying round on Saturday (September 26).

Despite going behind in that encounter, Borough’s top scorer Kai Corbett dispatched two penalties either side of half time to put the hosts in front.

The visitors fought back to make it 2-2, but late goals from Arthur Grout and Freddie Carter meant spot-kicks were not required to separate the two sides.

King was asked after Saturday’s game about his side’s strong second-half showings in recent matches – a trait he put down to ‘mentality’.

“They're all in,” he said. “All the players are in. In training, I've seen the tempo and everything go up another level this week.

“I thought it was brilliant in training this week, and I’ve seen some very good things that I was happy with today. But obviously, I think we made the game harder than we needed to make the game.”

The Sports also announced two new signings on Tuesday and both made their debuts against Little Common – Australian goalkeeper Jack West-Astuti and 21-year-old wide player Nathan Laleye, who has spent much of his early career in Portugal.

Last Friday (September 25), the club also signed former Tottenham Hotspur youngster Shay Harrison. The experienced forward, 29, has also enjoyed spells at Yeovil Town and Southend United.

With ‘another 40 games to go’ this campaign, the Borough boss has been pleased with how the added competition is making his team ‘stronger’.

King said: “They know the standards now and they know that they can't drop because the players are honest with each other. They're on each other if it's not happening.

“But there's there's some hungry, hungry players waiting to jump in. I'm always fair, and they all know how I manage. You’ve got to be on it. If you don't, then there’s a chance of you losing your shirt. It’s as simple as that, no favourites with me.

“But what I do like is when the boys are coming off the bench, there's no sulking going on. They're getting on and making an impact on the game, which is again very, very important.”

Next up, the Sports will take in their third cup game in a week when they take on Oxfordshire side Thame United in the third qualifying round of the FA Cup on Saturday (October 3).

A quick turnaround then awaits on Monday night (October 5) as they return to league action, travelling to South London to face Carshalton Athletic.