Football Season Review

№22: Eastbourne Borough

Eastbourne Borough will be dropping back to Blue Square South next season after spending two seasons in the top level of non-league football. Boro just about managed to beat the drop in the previous campaign and it was clear before the start that the upcoming campaign will be a struggle with all of the newly-promoted signs unlikely to struggle. This notion was not really changed despite a great start of the season with Boro winning 5:0 on the opening day of the seaosn and display some lively football in the early weeks. The run of good form was maintained for most of September too but the impressive 2:1 victory at home to York on October 5 proved the last for the club in a league game until February. A number of injuries forced Garry Wilson to be constantly dipping into the loan market and a few bad results have really damaged the confidence of the team as they forgot that winning feeling. At least the team was getting some draws from time to time but as the went on, the Sports suffered a seven-game losing streak that left them in a really difficult position in the drop zone. A few deflating home defeats in early February plus a thrashing at Darlington suggested that the players have given up but a shock 1:0 win away at Fleetwood gave them hope. A few promising results followed after that but any hope was crushed by thre home defeats in the space of a week in March. From then on, it was just an agony and relegation was confirmed two weeks before the end. The team boasted too little quality to cope and the constant changing and chopping of the side played its role as well as Boro will try to rebuild next season with long-serving Wilson staying in charge.


Player of the Season: Matt Crabb