Report: Eastbourne Town 5-3 Deal Town

Storm Bert raged over the Saffrons on this very wet and windy Saturday afternoon, where it seemed the weather would have a big part to play on the quality of the match. Both teams sat comfortably mid-table, something fans should be happy with, considering both teams only got promoted last season. With Eastbourne on 19 points (and two games in hand) and Deal on 24 points, this match provided a good measuring stick for both managers to assess their respective teams.

The match took no time at all to get going with a red card to Deal Centre-Back Alfie Foster and a penalty awarded to Eastbourne. The wind blew viciously against the hosts in this first half, but the ball holding up in the air worked for them in this attack. A long ball over the top is flicked over a defender by Marcin Ruda who then touched it down and bore down on goal. Foster went to ground and there was some contention on whether he headed the ball away or knocked it with his hand. The linesman couldn’t see, and the referee sided with the home team awarding a penalty and a red card to Deal. Town’s top scorer James Stone stepped up and slotted the penalty away cooly. 3 minutes in and Eastbourne were one nil up against a 10-man Deal, they couldn’t have asked for a much better start.

However, this joy was short lived as the torrential rain and 70mph winds proved a great equaliser. The match looked 11 v 11 with Deal moving the ball around nicely. The perceived injustice of the red card and penalty only amplifying this spell of possession and pressure. Following a missed one-on-one from James Hull, Deal’s pressure reaped the reward of a penalty for themselves and a yellow card for Tom Vickers. Deal’s tenacious striker just got to the ball in front of Vickers in the box and his attempted clearance took out the opposition forward. Macca Murray finished the penalty comfortably into the bottom left corner. The game was all square with 10 to go in the first half, and many of the 170 down at the Saffrons would say that was the least Deal deserved from their dogged performance thus far.

It took a different James to reply for The Town. James Hull floated out to the left side where an over-the-top ball once again held up in the air, allowing him to beat the offside trap and drive towards goal. The chance looked to have passed when he cut back inside the box into a recovering defender, but with some close control, and the right body movement, he smartly curved the ball around the defender and past Adam Molloy right into the bottom corner. With a couple of minutes left to play, Eastbourne looked to be going into the second half one up.

That was until the 3^rd penalty of the match was awarded. Only 2 minutes after the Eastbourne goal, a Deal attacker is pushed in the back when being contested for a header and the penalty is given. This was once again taken by Murray who changed tact by smashing this penalty straight down the middle. Halftime and it was 2 goals apiece, a fair scoreline considering the performance of both teams in the first half.

A halftime substitution of Sisimayi off and Alfie Simmons on demonstrated our intent to take the game to Deal more, and to make use of the wind and man advantage in the second half. The first 20 minutes saw Eastbourne grow into the game more as they started to play like a team with more players on the pitch. The closest they came to scoring was in the form of a brilliant ball in from Ruda who found Leon Greig flying through the air and connecting with a diving header at the back post. It was a great chance to score but the impressive effort went the wrong side of the post, a big let off for Deal. They weren’t so lucky in the 68^th minute when the ball found it’s way to James Stone on the edge of the box. Town’s number nine cut inside to create some space before rifling the ball into the top left corner. A superb finish from a James very much on form.

This lead was doubled not 10 minutes later by Eastbourne’s other dangerous James. A classy first time cross from Left-Back Jack Murphy arrowed towards the well-executed run from James Hull who couldn’t miss inside the six-yard box. Although, this extra buffer didn’t last long as two minutes later Deal went down the other end to reduce the gap to one through Tom Chapman with 15 left to play. At 4-3 and in treacherous conditions this could have been a nervy end to the game for the hosts if not for the man of the moment James Stone. Marcin Ruda intercepted an attempted clearance and played the ball into Stone in the box. He turned sharply and passed the ball past Adam Molloy who could only get a hand to it but not prevent the clinical number nine from securing his hat-trick and taking his goal tally into double digits for the season. That 5^th and final James goal secured all three points for the home team.

A well-fought win against a formidable Deal team who prove resilient and difficult to beat even after being down a goal and a man in the first few minutes. Storm James proved all too much for the visitors and the crucial three points moved Eastbourne into 10^th; now two points behind Deal in 9^th and with those important two games in hand still to play. The next game for Eastbourne Town is a midweek clash against Broadbridge Heath back down at the Saffrons before an away visit to Sheppey United on Saturday the 30^th of November.

Final Score: Eastbourne Town 5-3 Deal Town
Man Of The Match: James Stone
Attendance: 170
Matchday Sponsor: Coleman Plant Hire
Media Partner: HCB Solicitors