Eastbourne Borough welcome Torquay United to Priory Lane on Tuesday night knowing they need to bounce back after a frustrating weekend.
The Sports came up short against Hemel Hempstead Town on Saturday and will be looking to put that right against a Torquay side who also suffered defeat at the weekend.
Last Time Out
Tarrell Whittaker scored the decisive goal as Eastbourne Borough were narrowly beaten at Hemel Hempstead Town.
The substitute’s strike after 68 minutes proved the difference, with the Sports guilty of missing chances of their own in a real game of two halves at Focus Community Arena.
The 1-0 defeat leaves the Sports 20th in the National League South standings, with 20 points from 21 games.
Borough’s afternoon was made even more frustrating with Michael Olarewaju coming off injured towards the end of the game. Mark Beard looks set to be without Leone Gravata as well, whilst Jack Paxman is nearing a return to action.
The Opposition
Torquay United make the journey to Sussex this evening looking for a return to winning ways themselves after defeat away at Dartford on Saturday.
Richard Chin, George Alexander and Mo Diarra got the goals for Alan Dowson’s side as they won 3-0 at Princes Park.
Life back in the National League South has proved to be a mixed bag for Torquay after relegation last season.
Gary Johnson’s side sit twelfth in the table ahead of tonight, with their away form certainly proving to be indifferent.
The Gulls have ten points from their 9 away travels so far, and they would be disappointed their couldn’t follow up their FA Trophy success over Yeovil Town with at least a point at Dartford.
Head-to-Head
The two teams have met four times over the years – with Torquay winning three of them.
The latest of those wins came in 2018/19 when Jamie Reid – now at Stevenage – scored a second half hat-trick to give them a 4-2 win at Priory Lane.
Borough’s sole win over Torquay came on December 9, 2008 when the pair were in the Blue Square Premier.
Matt Crabb scored twice for Garry Wilson’s side, with a certain Ashley Barnes also on target. Dan Smith added a fourth for the Sports all in the first half. Elliot Benyon and Tim Sills goals for Torquay proved to be in vein at Priory Lane.
Torquay would go on to finish fourth and win promotion to the Football League via a play-off final win over Cambridge United.
How to follow
For those unable to make the match tonight on the Sussex 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
