Eastbourne Borough’s preparation of the new season continues after the team spent five days away in South Wales.

Staying at The Vale Resort, next to Hensol Castle, the trip has given the squad the perfect opportunity to spend more time together and bond ahead of the forthcoming campaign.

Days consisted of players making use of the hotel facilities, including the gym and swimming pool as well as using the Welsh FA National training pitches, which are also used by Cardiff City.

There were also inspirational talks from owner Simon Leslie, as well as coaches carrying out in-depth analysis of players’ individual development programmes.

The five-day stay concluded with a behind-closed-doors friendly with Southern League Premier side Merthyr Town, where the Sports ran out 4-2 winners.

All the goals came in the first 45 minutes, with Decarrey Sheriff opening the scoring inside the first 60 seconds.

The Welsh side fought back to draw level from the penalty spot, before Fletcher Holman and then Jack Clarke strikes saw the Sports go 3-1 to the good.

Merthyr came back again, however, to halve the deficit only for Sheriff to score just before the break.

We would like to thank The Vale Resort for their amazing hospitality over the last few days.