Two down, and one to go: Eastbourne Borough's eight-day week is embracing three different competitions - and manager Steve King has mixed feelings so far.

Last Saturday, the Sports journeyed to Salisbury for a very challenging FA Cup encounter, which was much closer than the Wiltshire club's 3-0 victory suggests. An exciting game was goalless until just past the hour mark, but Salisbury came through the final stages strongly and deserved the win.

Salisbury's reward is a very winnable home tie with lower-league Sholing, and Borough might be permitted a little glance of envy. But they returned to action on Tuesday night in a slightly more parochial Isthmian Premier visit to Three Bridges - with two goals and three points towards the season-long promotion cause.

It left them sixth in the table, though their next league outing is not until next Tuesday (Oct 27) when they venture to Maldon and Tiptree.

Borough battle at Salisbury | Picture by Lydia Redman

placeholder image — Borough battle at Salisbury | Picture by Lydia Redman

Tomorrow (Saturday) the Borough team coach - with the supporters' usual charabanc following behind - will head to Leatherhead on the FA Trophy trail. It will be no easy task against a club who are in a similar league position to the Sports - and who seldom under-perform in cup competitions.

But Borough are in really buoyant mood right now, and Steve King's response to the FA Cup exit was far from depressive.

"I feel for the players, because it really wasn't a 3-0. We had our chances but didn't take them, and we would have been ahead through Gold Omatayo's header, but for that brilliant save by their keeper.

"Then once Salisbury were ahead, our legs went just a little bit, and they were sharper. There were mistakes from our players - for their first goal, a miscontrol by our player and the ball went under his foot. And for their second goal, we didn't track the runner. Teams will punish you, and credit to Salisbury who are right on the crest of a wave."

Significantly, the Borough manager was speaking with realism and without excuses - and he is still full of belief in his own players. "They didn't really deserve that. But that's football.

"Now we pick ourselves up and climb back on the horse, as they say! Our confidence is not gone, nowhere near gone. We have just won nine games on the bounce. We are ready and eager for the next challenges!"

And with three or four players returning from injury, King's squad will travel in buoyant mood to take up the season's next challenge - in a competition which also has the goal of a Wembley final, just a mere six further rounds away.

Eastbourne football followers in need of a more local fix have options.

They can pop along to Princes Park Oval, where Eastbourne United entertain Roffey FC in the Southern Combination. Or if the footy scarf is yellow and blue rather than black and white, Eastbourne Town have an Isthmian South East home fixture against Punjab United.

The gardening can wait.