Eastbourne Borough will be searching for a return to winning ways when they travel to Dover Athletic tonight (Tuesday).

The Sports have suffered back-to-back defeats in league and cup over the last ten days, and will be looking to get back on track at The Crabble.

Last Time Out

The Sports bowed out of the FA Trophy on Saturday, as a depleted side fell to a 2-0 loss at Hendon.

Mark Beard could only name 13 players on the team sheet, with the substitutes being goalkeeper Finn Holter and Michael Olarewaju – who himself was carrying a knock.

And the Southern League Premier South side sealed a 2-0 win at Silver Jubilee Park with two second half goal.

Borough though had their chances – particularly in a first half that saw them miss a penalty – but with a threadbare squad had no reply.

The Sports supporters will be hoping that a few faces return to the squad ahead of tonight’s return to National League South action.

Hendon’s reward for the win is a home tie with Weymouth in Round Three.

The Opposition

Dover Athletic sit second from bottom in the National League South, having won just one game in the league to date. However, they have shown they aren’t the easiest team to break down with eight draws from their 18 games ahead of tonight’s showdown.

Mitch Brundle’s side have only scored twice in their last five league games, but put their struggles in front of goal to one side in the FA Trophy on Saturday.

The Whites played out a thrilling 4-4 draw at home to Weymouth in the Second Round, only to lose 4-1 on penalties. Iffy Allen and George Wilkinson goals put Dover two goals up inside 15 minutes, but they found themselves 4-2 down after an hour. Despite that, Nick Dembele and Zidane Sutherland struck inside the last five minutes to draw Dover level – only to bow out of the competition after the shoot-out.

Head-to-Head

Played: 12     DAFC: 6     X: 5     EBFC: 1

The Sports travel to Dover tonight searching for their first ever win at Crabble Stadium, after three draws and three losses over the six games in Kent.

Overall, Borough’s record against the Whites makes for grim reading – although their first ever win against them did come at Priory Lane last season.

Chris Whelpdale got an early goal, with Jake Hutchinson scoring a brace in a 3-1 win for the sports.

Last season’s league game in Kent saw Borough go in front early on through a Leone Gravata penalty. But they were pegged back with Tyrone Sterling and then Josh Ajayi scoring in the second half to give the hosts a 2-1 win.

Ticket Information

Crabble Athletic Ground, Lewisham Road, Dover, Kent, CT17 0JB

Both cash and card payments are accepted at the turnstiles at Crabble Stadium, and prices are as follows:

Adults: £17, Over 60 concessions: £15, Under 18 Concessions: £9, Under 11s free with a paying adult.

How to follow

For those unable to make the match tonight on the Kent coast, you can follow The Sports’ progress across our social media channels, including live match commentary on our X (formerly Twitter) channel – @EBFC_Official

The match is also broadcast live on National League TV, and supporters can buy a match pass for £9.50 via NationalLeagueTV.com