EASTBOURNE Borough have secured their place in the third round of qualifying for this season’s FA Cup after they stormed to a 3-0 win over Windsor & Eton.
All three goals came in a dominant first-half display, with Borough proving too much for their Berkshire opponents.
Borough showed their intent from early in the game, with Darren McQueen cutting inside onto his left foot and cracking the crossbar in the 10th minute.
Their intense start would be rewarded just five minutes later, as McQueen was once again involved, his cross being cleared only as far as Arthur Grout, who touched it to his right and fired the ball into the net from just outside the box to give Eastbourne the lead.
Another five minutes and another goal for Eastbourne Borough on 20 minutes, when after winning possession back from an opposition throw, Borough captain Josh Rees played a fantastic through ball from inside his own half, which played in the danger man McQueen, who calmly slotted it past Finley Purcell in the Windsor & Eton net to double their lead.
The pressure didn’t stop there though, with McQueen and Kai Corbett causing havoc on both flanks, the latter hitting the post from distance, almost sending the home fans into delirium.
Borough wouldn’t have to wait long to get their third though, as striker Gold Omotayo reacted first to a low driven free kick from Corbett, just getting enough contact on the ball to bundle it into the net, to give Eastbourne Borough a commanding lead in 35 minutes.
Windsor & Eton’s first effort on goal would come 40 minutes into the game, but Trey Pender-Brown’s shot would sail over the bar as they struggled to get to grips with the game.
Despite that effort, Eastbourne Borough still looked the most likely to get the fourth goal in the game, with efforts from Josh Rees and Corbett keeping the Royals’ goalie Purcell on his toes, but none would hit the back of the net as the half-time whistle blew with the score at 3-0 to the home side.
Eastbourne Borough’s super first half led to them taking their foot off the gas in the second, getting a few scares from a much-improved Windsor & Eton but nothing to reduce the deficit.
Kai Corbett was Borough’s main man after the restart, with lots of their best play coming through him on the left-hand side as he put in a few crosses which narrowly avoided his teammates and sent a free kick just over the bar.
Still probing to make it 4-0, manager Steve King would refresh his attack on 73 minutes, with his starting front three of McQueen, Corbett and Omotayo making way for Tyano Wilson, Terrell Egbri and Owen Bellamy respectively.
That change almost got the desired effect when Terrell Egbri put in a lofted cross from the right, which found its way back to him and, with some quick feet, Egbri put himself in a position to send another ball in, this time putting it across the ground but just out of reach of a Borough body.
A few free kicks crossed in from range for Windsor & Eton were all the Royals had to try to get a consolation; however, Borough keeper Lewis Carey claimed each ball and a clean sheet to boot as they made it three wins in their last three games and progressed to the next round of FA Cup qualifying.
