Why Widdrington is coming back to Eastbourne Borough
Eastbourne Borough’s pre-season plans are taking shape – and they include the welcome return of a familiar face at Priory Lane.
Aldershot Town manager Tommy Widdrington will bring his National League side – who won the FA Trophy last month in front of a 50,000 Wembley crowd – to the Lane for a friendly on Tuesday 29th July (7.45pm).
Tommy was a popular and pivotal figure, taking over from long-serving manager Garry Wilson in February 2012 and reshaping the squad to establish it securely in National League South. It was a crucial phase of the club’s history, hallmarked by Widdrington’s distinctive mix of tough love, honesty and a dash of Geordie humour.
His many friends at the Lane will be delighted to welcome Widdrington back – and equally delighted to find the former boss in fine health after defiantly recovering from a stroke in last midwinter.
The programme of friendlies for Matt Gray’s new-look Sports also includes a visit to the Lane by Jay Lovett’s promotion-winning Burgess Hill Town, on Tuesday 22nd July.
Before that home fixture, the Sports will have travelled to Isthmian League Farnham Town on Saturday 12th July, and to old rivals Dartford on Saturday 19th July.
Borough round off their pre-season programme with a home game against Hashtag United – always entertaining opponents – at the ReachTV Stadium on Saturday 2nd August, a week before the National South season opens. The new league fixture list will be published on Wednesday 9th July – and for those with multi-year diaries, the season ends on 25th April 2026 !