Eastbourne Borough FC endured a tough afternoon in their away trip to Chelmsford City FC, losing 4-2 in a game that was largely defined by a disappointing first-half performance. Chelmsford raced into a commanding 3-0 lead by half-time, and despite a spirited second-half fightback from Borough, thanks to two goals by Odusanya, it wasn’t enough to overturn the deficit.

Chelmsford took control of the game early on, with Borough struggling to get out of their half. The first warning signs came in the 15th minute when Thorn’s ball found Crichlow in the box, but Wright comfortably saved his header. The pressure mounted, and it paid off for Chelmsford in the 20th minute when a clearance fell to Donaldson on the edge of the box. His shot took a deflection helping it beat Wright and nestled into the back of the net.

Borough found themselves pinned back for much of the first half, with Chelmsford continuing to apply pressure. A well-worked move saw Foyo break through the defence in the 39th minute and calmly slot home to make it 2-0. Things went from bad to worse just before the break, as Greenidge rose highest from a corner to flick the ball past Wright at the front post, giving Chelmsford a commanding 3-0 lead heading into the interval. Borough’s attack, meanwhile, struggled to gain any real foothold, with a Pavey volley just before the half the only real threat.

Adam Murray made three changes at half-time in an effort to spark a response, introducing Ligendza, Sesay, and Bird. Although Borough came out strong in the early stages of the second half, and it wasn’t long before Chelmsford extended their lead. In the 51st minute, Greenidge outmuscled Diarra to get on the end of a through ball, rounding Wright and slotting into an empty net to make it 4-0.

Despite the uphill battle, Borough began to show more fight in the second half. They pulled one back in the 67th minute when Pavey’s header from a corner was knocked across the goal for Odusanya to bundle into the net. As Borough pushed forward, they began to create more chances, with Ligendza and Diarra both coming close. The pressure finally told again in the 87th minute, when Bird’s corner found Odusanya once more, and it was put past the keeper to reduce the deficit to 4-2.

Chelmsford, however, remained firm in defence during the closing stages, and despite Borough’s best efforts, they couldn’t find the goals needed to complete the comeback.

A massive thank you to the traveling Eastbourne Borough supporters, who backed the team throughout the 90 minutes. Borough will be looking to build on the positives as they prepare for their next match in the week.