SEASIDE strugglers Eastbourne Borough capitalised on a coasting York City performance to secure three crucial points in their fight against relegation.

Despite City securing a play-off place on Wednesday night, manager Martin Foyle illustrated the importance he attaches to avoiding a fifth-place finish in the Blue Square Premier standings by only making one change to the side that walloped Wimbledon 5-0.

But Eastbourne’s battle to beat the drop seemed to serve as a bigger incentive for the home team on Saturday.

The Minstermen trailed by three goals after 32 minutes at the Langney Sports Ground and might have been 4-0 down had a further effort not been disallowed for offside.

Eastbourne were livelier, won countless tackles that visiting players shirked away from and reaped the rewards their superior work-rate merited.

Following Michael Rankine’s 45th-minute penalty, the nervy hosts then retreated into their own half for long spells of the second period, but a labouring City managed few meaningful efforts on Danny Knowles’ goal.

Foyle was disappointed with his team’s standards although, considering the players’ punishing recent schedule and inevitable mental release after cementing a top-five spot, this result was perhaps inevitable if not completely excusable.

Eastbourne’s pre-match odds of 3-1 for a home win certainly offered greater value than most of the longer prices snaffled up by eager Grand National punters at the weekend.

Garry Wilson’s men forged ahead in the 14th minute when cumbersome home striker Andy Atkin stumbled his way through the City penalty box before the ball ricocheted into Matt Crabb’s path.

He then drove in off Michael Ingham’s right-hand post from 12 yards.

Three minutes later, Eastbourne doubled their lead with an unmarked Atkin heading in Crabb’s inswinging corner after his run to the near post went unchecked by a static City defence.

The home side went on to put the ball in the net for a third time in five minutes when Jamie Taylor converted from eight yards after a sweeping move, involving Crabb and Neil Jenkins down the left, but the assistant referee’s flag spared City’s blushes on this occasion.

Richard Brodie missed the target with a couple of attempts from acute angles at the other end and Luke Graham headed wastefully over from a Chris Carruthers corner before the Sports did make it 3-0. Atkin, with just two goals in 31 outings prior to City’s visit, doubled his tally for the season when, unmarked again, he scrambled in a scruffy header from two yards meeting another Crabb corner with Ingham choosing to stay on his line.

City were thrown a lifeline when Rankine was tripped in the box by Gary Elphick and, after refusing to hand over the ball to nominated penalty taker Brodie, sidefooted firmly to Knowles’ left as the Eastbourne ’keeper dived in the opposite direction.

Rankine, having reached his stated target for the season of double figures, might have claimed his 11th ten minutes into the second half, but missed the target from six yards after being picked out by Carruthers.

Eastbourne displayed little attacking intent thereafter, but City’s goal threat was also minimal.

Paul Harsley had a curling 20-yard effort comfortably saved, Alex Lawless booted the ball out of the ground from a similar distance and substitute Adam Smith appeared to run out of ideas and options before electing to drive a helplessly-ambitious effort harmlessly wide.

Later attempts saw an angled Rankine shot kept out by Knowles at his near post, David McGurk head over from a Courtney Pitt corner and Brodie fire wide from the edge of the box.

Rankine then badly sliced wide in stoppage time as City failed to prevent a fighting Eastbourne team from enjoying their third successive home win.


Match facts

Eastbourne Borough 3 (Crabb 14; Atkin 17, 32), York City 1 (Rankine 45 pen)

York City: Michael Ingham 5, Ben Purkiss 5, Luke Graham 5, David McGurk 5, James Meredith 6, Alex Lawless 5, Levi Mackin 5, Paul Harsley 5, Chris Carruthers 6, Richard Brodie 5, Michael Rankine 6.

Substitutions: Adam Smith 5 (for Mackin, 46), Courtney Pitt (for Carruthers, 70), Michael Gash (for Graham, 90).

Subs not used: Daniel Parslow, Neil Barrett.

Key: 10 – Faultless; 9 – Outstanding; 8 – Excellent; 7 – Good; 6 – Average; 5 – Below par; 4 – Poor; 3 – Dud; 2 – Hopeless; 1 – Retire.

City’s star man: Carruthers – only real supply line of service in open play and from dead-ball situations.


Eastbourne: Danny Knowles, Darren Baker, Ben Austin, Gary Elphick, Neil Jenkins, Luke Rooney, Simon Weatherstone, Matt Smart (Dan Brown, 66), Matt Crabb, Andy Atkin (Liam Enver-Marum, 51), Jamie Taylor (Simon Johnson, 73).

Subs not used: Marc Pullan, Joe Benjamin.


Booked: McGurk 60, Brown 90.

Shots on target: Boro 4, York 3.

Shots off target: Boro 1, York 9.

Corners: Boro 2, York 5.

Fouls: Boro 14, York 16.

Offsides: Boro 1, York 3.

Referee: Carl Berry (Surrey).

Rating: Sensible and decisive.

Attendance: 1,144.

Move of the match: The interplay between Crabb, Jenkins and Taylor for Eastbourne’s disallowed goal.

Cross of the match: Both of Crabb’s corner for Atkin’s goals were well delivered.

Miss of the match: Rankine’s chance early in the second half.


Head to head: Michael Rankine v Gary Elphick

York City’s 6ft 3in striker had the potential to give Elphick a difficult afternoon, as was demonstrated when he won a penalty after the former Brighton defender lunged for him in the box. Those uncomfortable moments for Elphick on the ground were few and far between, however, with a frustrated Rankine appealing for fouls more and more as the game went on. The battle for aerial supremacy between the pair was also fairly equal.