EASTBOURNE Borough made it five wins in a row in all competitions after coming from behind to win 4-2 against Welwyn Garden City to enter the fourth qualifying round of the FA Trophy, today.
Manager Steve King named an unchanged side after last week’s dominant performance in their 3-0 win against Windsor & Eton, and he was almost rewarded for his loyalty just 40 seconds into the game, with captain Josh Rees switching the ball to Kai Corbett on the left, who laid the ball off to Arthur Grout outside the box, cutting past his man and shooting towards goal, but his effort was claimed by Welwyn keeper Connor Sansom.
Welwyn would reply shortly after with a chance of their own, but their number eight Ryan Hayes skied a shot over the bar.
Just a minute later, Borough centre half Freddie Carter carried the ball from inside his own half up the pitch all the way to the byline, a few stepovers along the way showed he was in the mood to get forward as he won a corner for the home side which would be met by Sam Oguntayo, forcing another save from Sansom in the away goal.
The game’s pace slowed after the early flurry, Borough still having the bulk of the ball but couldn’t create a true chance on goal to test Sansom.
This pace suited Welwyn though, as Eastbourne took their foot off the gas, proven when Kai Corbett’s short pass was intercepted by Tyreece Robertson, who drove with the ball through the centre of the pitch, playing it to Reece Mosanya, who gave it back to Robertson for him to slot past Lewis Carey, giving the Citizens the lead.
Things almost went from bad to worse for Borough a couple of minutes later as Matthew Hayden was dispossessed by Tyreece Robertson, a thorn in the home teams’ side in the first half, who again dribbled the ball down the pitch but Hayden recovered well and put a tackle in to stop Welwyn’s momentum.
Just as the game was threatening to get away from them, Eastbourne Borough were thrown a lifeline in the 36th minute, as some nice hold-up play from striker Gold Omotayo put the ball at the feet of Rees for him to play the ball wide to Darren McQueen, a player who had been quiet in comparison to his brilliant display a week prior.
He sprang into life on this occasion though, feinting left and right to bait his marker Junior Moses into sticking a leg out and tripping him to earn Borough a penalty, which was calmly dispatched down the middle by Kai Corbett to get them back in the game.
Some nice runs with the ball from Sam Oguntayo and Freddie Carter down the pitch were the only standout moments from the remaining nine or so minutes of play as both teams ended the first half tied at 1-1.
Along with being the first team to score, Welwyn would be the first team to have a player booked as their captain Eddie Corbitt barged into Oguntayo, leaving the ref no choice but to give him a yellow card.
Smelling blood in the water, Borough got the ball to Matthew Hayden, playing a one-two with McQueen to get the full back in a position to send a lofted ball into the box, giving Welwyn keeper a scare as he flapped at the ball, but Borough failed to take advantage.
Their efforts would be rewarded soon after though, centre back Carter once again carrying the ball through the Welwyn midfield, managing to poke a ball through to Corbett inside the box who would get fouled, giving referee Benjamin McDonald no other choice but to point to the spot for another penalty. Corbett stepped up again to double his tally for the afternoon and putting the home side into the lead on 51 minutes.
Two stoppages in play gave the away team a chance to regroup and rethink their tactics, bringing on Nick Ralfe in place of their goalscorer Robertson. This change proved to be exactly what they needed, as Ralfe took on his man and put Matthew Hayden on the floor, then sent a cross along the box to Mosanya at the back post to give himself a goal to add to his assist earlier in the match.
Seeing how a substitute changed Welwyn’s fortunes, Borough made a few of their own, McQueen and Omotayo making way for Terrell Egbri and Shay Harrison, the latter coming on for his debut after signing a few days prior. Egbri was the one to make the difference though, constantly running at his man every time he had the ball.
This would lead to Borough’s third goal after Egbri put a dangerous cross to the far post, which was met by Corbett, who was denied his hattrick by a nice Sansom save. The ball would be cleared only as far as Arthur Grout on the edge of the box, who, in a moment reminiscent of last Saturday, shifted the ball onto his right foot and fired a shot past Sansom to give his side the lead for the second time in the match on 80 minutes.
The win would be sealed only four minutes later, and it again involved Egbri. This time, the winger took a corner from the right-hand side, which Freddie Carter turned in to put his side 4-2 up with six minutes plus injury time remaining. A collector’s item for the centre back, who deserved a goal after his performance today.
The ref blew for full time after six added minutes, giving Eastbourne Borough two cup tie wins in as many weeks and their fifth win in a row.
The Sports will return to league action next time they play, with a trip to Carshalton Athletic set for Monday 5th of October. Click for tickets.
