Will formations shape the rest of Eastbourne Borough’s season?

Ten days ago for the trip to Taunton, the Borough boss switched his side’s formation from the 4-2-3-1 which has served them well all season, and decided to “play a three” – three centre-backs and two wing-backs. It served the purpose with a 2-1 win in Somerset.

Following a 2-2 thriller against Chelmsford last weekend, the seams came apart on Tuesday, when a disastrous opening half-hour saw visitors Tonbridge Angels storm to a 2-0 lead. A change back to Borough’s accustomed back four did steady the ship, but Tonbridge hung on for a 2-1 victory.

Bloor said: “The two Tonbridge goals were down to poor errors by two players – they know who they are – but on the night we realised we had the wrong players in the wrong slots.

Eastbourne Borough v Chelmsford City in pictures.

Borough v Tonbridge Angels – how it unfolded.

"We lost Millie Scarlett an hour before kick-off to a sickness bout, and he is the perfect right wing back. And on the left side of your three, you really need a left-footed player.

“In our squad, that means either Mitch Dickenson, currently ruled out with bruised ribs, or Kai Innocent – who is terrific as a left-sided wing-back!”

Hence drastic changes on the half-hour. Leone Gravata switched from right-back to outside-left. Young Jay Beckford, who surely has an exciting future, was replaced by the impressive Jaden Perez. And loanee Ryan Bartley had played in three different positions by the end.

Bartley’s Crystal Palace mentor, Mark Bright, happened to be watching from the main stand. “Players, especially young players, need to have a clear understanding of their roles,” said Bright. “Often it’s just about keeping it simple. It’s a good learning curve.”

The former England striker was, of course, spot on. Coaches used to use blackboards, or move counters around table-tops. Now, they have iPads with multi-layered graphics.

But it’s still down to the 11 players on the field – plus substitutes – to time their tackles, measure their passes and shoot straight.

Borough make the journey to picturesque Clarence Park tomorrow to take on St Albans. And only the manager knows how they’ll line up.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​..