Eastbourne Town Football Club
 Established 1881

CORINTHIAN CASUALS 4 
EASTBOURNE TOWN 0
Ryman Isthmian League - Division 1 South
Tuesday 5th March 2014 kick off:7.45pm
 
A bitterly disappointed Eastbourne Town returned from their visit to fellow strugglers, Corinthian Casuals, on Tuesday evening, on the wrong side of a 4-0 scoreline. This defeat leaves Town 9 points adrift of their victors, with games starting to run out and a feeling of acceptance starting to gather over the Saffrons based club.
 
In a season of huge upheaval, Town's players have never got to grips with matters on the field and hot-shot marksman, Billy Medlock's goals have seemed to be the only redeeming feature of an otherwise poor season. The return of skipper, Steve Elliot, after a 6 month absence through injury, has not brought about the repair, or upturn in fortunes his absence caused.
 
With a massive turnover in playing staff, under three different management teams, this has been a wretched season for those involved with this old club. A lack of consistency and continuity has been a major factor in their slide down the Ryman table, after achieving their highest ever Isthmian League placing only 10 months ago.
 
Their opponents, however, have recently found some form having built a relationship with Conference club, Woking FC. This tie up has seen the famous Casuals pick up 9 points over recent games and they have given themselves a sporting chance of getting out of the relegation places. Other Sussex clubs, Crawley Down Gatwick, Redhill and Three Bridges are also flirting with a quick return to the County League.
 
Town made the early running on Tuesday but the strike force of Medlock and Clarke failed to take their chances. As usual, in this division, that is punishable and the hosts duly killed off Town's efforts with goals either side of the break. On 43 minutes, Steve Goddard robbed Ross Sutton before firing home the first goal, after finding himself one on one with Callum Christie.
 
Immediately after the restart, the experienced Jamie Byatt beat young Ryan Cooper to a loose ball to ram home a killer second score. A third goal followed just after the hour mark when Byatt beat Christie from 20 yards. The final blow of a dismal evening came from the penalty spot, as Byatt secured his hat trick, following Cooper's foul on Daniel Lancer.
 
ETFC: Christie 6, Joseph 5, Sutton 5, Del-Gaudio 5, (Vaughan 72), Elliott 6, Cooper 4, Hollobone 6*, Bold 6, Clarke 5 (Schaaf 61), Medlock 6, Pacheo 5 (Greenfield 68).

Starman : Max Hollobone -never stopped throughout the 90 minutes.

EASTBOURNE TOWN 1 WALTON & HERSHAM 3

Eastbourne Town 0 Peacehaven & Telscombe 4
Sussex Senior Cup Quarter Final
Wednesday 26 February 2014

Sittingbourne 3 Eastbourne Town 0
Ryman Isthmian League - Division 1 South
Saturday 22 February 2014

Eastbourne Town paid a first visit to Sittingbourne FC's Woodstock Stadium on Saturday, as they came up against one of the form teams in the Ryman League Division 1 South. Unbeaten in 8 games, the hosts beat Town by 3 Ryan Golding goals to nil but two of the hot shot strikers goals came from the penalty spot, as once again, Town contributed to their own downfall. 
 
After Town's morale boosting mid-week slaughter of Crawley Down, this looked a much more difficult proposition, and it proved to be so, as the host side ran out comfortable victors but with much help from a Town side that still hasn't learned the basics of defending well. The goals against column for Town reads like a horror show and despite having scored consistently all season, it continues to be the defensive frailty that haunts Town and mars their chance of escaping a return to the Sussex County League.
 
It could have been so different as Town started the game brightly. Richard Greenfield crossed for Ashley Robinson who mishit his shot but, as it flew goalwards, it was well saved by Adam Molloy in the Sittingbourne goal. Town continued to press forward and further half chances were missed, firstly by Dom Clarke then by Greenfield and Robinson, once again.
 
After twenty minutes, Kieron Joseph made a late challenge on Taylor but the match referee, Rick Boly, played an advantage only to see Town's skipper, Steve Elliott, grab hold of Stephen Okoh, who he hauled to the ground. The referee was given little option as he awarded a penalty kick.  Sittingbourne's top scorer, Ryan Golding duly dispatched the spot kick past the despairing dive of James Broadbent, in the Town goal.

The rest of a pretty mundane first half was played out in the middle of the park with Ashley Robinson and Tom Bold doing good work for Town and Jono Richardson and Luke Grit for Sittingbourne, as each side cancelled the other out. Neither of the goalkeepers was asked to make a save of any note.
 
After the break Ashley Robinson set up a chance for Clarke but his header was well saved by Molloy. Sittingbourne's Grit was lucky to escape the referee's notebook as he tugged at Richard Greenfield's shorts as the wide man looked to go past him. Disappointingly for the visitors, nothing came of the free kick.
 
The killer goal arrived after 73 minutes, as a George Crimmen header found Ryan Golding in the box. Golding reacted quickest to flick the ball past Broadbent, with the effort adjudged to have crossed the line by the referee's assistant on the far side of the pitch. Five minutes later it was all over as Steve Elliott was adjudged to have tripped the lively Golding in the Town penalty box. Golding got up and took the spot kick himself, to complete his hat trick and to put the game well beyond Eastbourne Town.
 
Town's Manager, John Lambert, will take some positives from the performance against a side that has not lost in the league since 30th November last year, but he and his staff must improve Town's overall defending, if they are to have any chance of getting out of trouble.
 
Wednesday sees Ryman League title favourites, Peacehaven, visit the Saffrons for a Sussex Senior Cup quarter final tie. Lambert's men return to Ryman League action on Saturday, at the Saffrons, against a managerless Walton & Hersham. Important games against fellow strugglers Corinthian Casuals (a) and Herne Bay (h) follow, so the next 2 weeks could define Eastbourne Town's season.
 
ETFC:  Broadbent 6, Joseph 6, Pacheco 6 (Sutton 74), Battie 5 (Clifford 74), Elliott 5, Cooper 5, Greenfield 6, Bold 6 (Hollobone 78), Clarke 7*, Schaaf 6, Robinson 6. Unused subs: Davidson, Cumming-Bart.

Starman : Dom Clarke - adapting well at this level.

Attendance: 143