YORK City will make the long trip to Eastbourne hoping to become the first team to take maximum points from Priory Lane for three and a half months.

The Sports have taken 13 points from a possible 15 during their last five Blue Square Premier home games, including victories over Lewes (1-0), Torquay (4-2), Northwich (4-1) and Stevenage (2-1) and a 0-0 draw with Woking.

Kettering were the last visiting team to taste victory at the south coast club, winning 2-1 back on October 7.

Eastbourne have also enjoyed back-to-back away wins at Forest Green (2-1) and Lewes (2-0) ahead of tomorrow’s game.

The Sports currently sit 12th in the table, which is a remarkable achievement for a club who were members of the Sussex County League when manager Garry Wilson came to the helm in 1999.

Former Queen’s Park and Stranraer player Wilson will celebrate a decade in charge of Borough next month, encompassing a name change from Langney Sports in 2001 and promotion to the highest echelon of non-League football following last spring’s Blue Square South play-off final victory over Hampton and Richmond Borough.

Despite their mid-table standing, however, only second-bottom neighbours Lewes have conceded more times in the league this season than the Sports, who have shipped 45 goals.

At the other end of the pitch, former Brighton midfielder Paul Armstrong is the team’s top scorer, albeit with only seven goals, but he is unavailable until March after requiring surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.

The Eastbourne skipper sustained the head injury outside a pub following Eastbourne’s December 27 clash with Crawley.

Wilson has, as yet, made no additions to his squad during the January transfer window but on-loan striker Ashley Barnes is set to return after a one-match suspension and partner Plymouth Argyle team-mate Dan Smith in attack with Andy Atkin dropping to the bench.

Eastbourne are unlikely to name a substitute goalkeeper with Lee Hook’s understudy, Chris Winter-ton, having moved on to Worthing.


Match facts

For the second successive Saturday, City are meeting new opposition.

It happened on January 24

1953: Billy Fenton netted both goals in a 2-2 home draw against Halifax Town and so became the first player since Jimmy Cowie in 1928/9 to score in seven successive League games for the club. The crowd was 9,604 and City stayed third in Division Three North.

1959: A 0-0 draw at home to Aldershot in front of 7,961 and City were in the top four of Division Four.

1970: In the fourth round of the FA Cup, Fourth Division City lost 4-1 at Second Division (Championship) Middlesbrough. Phil Boyer was the scorer and the crowd at Ayresome Park was 38,283.

1976: In an all-Second Division (Championship) clash, Chelsea beat City 2-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Bootham Crescent watched by 10,089.

1998: City lost 3-2 at home to Millwall and were tenth in Division Two (League One). Paul Stephenson and Gary Bull were the scorers and the attendance was 3,508.

2006: A 0-0 home draw, watched by 2,176, against Southport, and City were eighth in the Conference.