Hard-Fought Victory on the Road | Hythe Town 1-2 Eastbourne Town

Written By : on 12/10/2024

Categories: First Team Match Report News

Eastbourne Town secured a vital 2-1 victory away at Hythe Town, showcasing resilience and composure in a hard-fought contest. We started the match brightly, controlling the opening exchanges with James Waters testing the Hythe goalkeeper on a couple of occasions.

Hythe eventually found their rhythm, displaying some dangerous crossfield passes, particularly from their centre-halves. Our step-in right-back, Jamal Lubanga, was tasked with containing Hythe’s full-back Sam Smith, who caused plenty of problems with his overlapping runs. Jamal stepped up to the challenge, producing a solid defensive display.

As the first half wore on, it looked like both sides were heading into the interval on level terms, but we had other ideas. Alfie Simmons picked out a perfectly timed through ball to James Stone, who delivered an inch-perfect cross to the back post. Marcin Ruda made no mistake, calmly slotting home to give us the lead just before the break – the perfect time to strike.

Marcin Ruda celebrating our opening goal away at Hythe Town

Buoyed by the opener, we headed into the second half full of confidence. However, our momentum was quickly halted as Hythe responded just five minutes after the restart. A simple long ball caught us flat-footed, and Sammi Takaloo pounced, finishing low at the near post to level the score. It was a frustrating goal to concede after such a strong first-half performance.

The turning point came just before the hour mark. JJ Walker launched a pinpoint long ball between the Hythe centre-halves, finding Marcin Ruda, who was brought down by Lex Allen just outside the box. The referee showed no hesitation in brandishing the red card for Allen, reducing Hythe to ten men. Sensing an opportunity, manager Jude Macdonald made an inspired substitution, bringing on set-piece specialist Leon Greig. Greig stepped up and delivered with a sublime free-kick, restoring our lead and sending the travelling fans into raptures.

Leon Greig celebrates our winning goal at Hythe Town

Despite being a man down, Hythe remained a threat, particularly on the counterattack. Our goalkeeper and captain, Winterton, was called into action several times, making crucial saves, including a brilliant one-on-one stop to keep us ahead. His leadership and composure were pivotal as Hythe piled on the pressure.

We had a golden opportunity to kill the game when Jack Murphy whipped in a superb cross to Freddie Warren, but Warren, unmarked, couldn’t keep his effort down. As the final whistle approached, we struggled to control possession, and Hythe had one final chance to equalise, but their striker blazed over the bar, much to our relief.

A hard-earned victory on the road, and a performance that showed our character in difficult moments. On to the next one!

Final Score: Hythe Town 1-2 Eastbourne Town

Photo Gallery Here

Hythe Town: 1. Joe Coleman, Louie Procopi, Sam Smith, Siao Blackwood, Lex Allan, Harry Rowland, Anthony Adesite, David Ozobia, Vance Bola, D’Jean Spencer, Sammi Takaloo Subs: Kian Scott, Kelvin Ogboe, Josh Theobold, Amadeus Addotey, Damien Hopkins

Eastbourne Town: Chris Winterton (C), Jamal Lubanga, Jack Murphy, Harvey Greig, JJ Walker, Nathan Hover, James Waters, Alfie Simmons, James Ding, Marcin Ruda, Anesu Sisimayi Subs: Sonny Walsh, Leon Greig, James Hull, Freddie Warren, Sam Scott