Priory Lane hosted an Good Friday spectacle as ten-man Worthing claimed a vital point against Eastbourne Borough in the National League South title race.
A first half dismissal for Worthing’s Aarran Racine looked to tip the balance in Borough’s favour, however Glenn Rea struck ten minutes before half-time to put the visitors ahead at the break. A close-range header from Borough substitute Alfie Pavey restored parity after the restart, with the two sides battling until the end to each secure their share of the points.
In a game billed as a potential title-deciding encounter, it was the hosts who started off on the front foot. With just two minutes on the clock, Yahya Bamba’s square ball from the right flank looked to pick out the run of Jason Adigun, but Worthing skipper Joel Colbran was on hand to clear after Adigun lost his footing.
After setting the tone early on with their willingness to stretch the Worthing backline, it was soon Borough’s turn to defend. On the break, Jack Spong and Temi Babalola combined inside the Borough half with the latter feeding a ball into the path of Mo Faal, whose eventual effort was smothered just inside the box under the challenges of Camron Gbadebo and onrushing ‘keeper Joe Wright.
The first game-defining moment arrived in the 25th minute, when Rebels centre-back Racine was shown a straight red card for an alleged elbow on Borough striker George Alexander. While Racine’s aggressive approach to handling Alexander was evident from the start, intervention by the linesman on this occasion caused referee Alfie Jones to opt for red.
Despite the red card forcing Chris Agutter to shuffle his pack, the incident appeared to inject more life into the visitors as Worthing went on to take the lead in the 35th minute. After another blocked attempt by Faal, Danny Cashman picked up the ball at the edge of the box, this time teeing up Rea who swept a first-time strike under the body of Wright to send the travelling fans into delirium.
With Murray looking to his bench in the hope of capitalising on his side’s man-advantage, the introduction of former Millwall product Pavey would soon pay dividends as Borough made it 1-1 ten minutes after the interval. A free-kick on the left side of the area allowed Jack Clarke the chance to deliver, with the former Chesterfield man producing a superb in-swinging cross for Pavey to head home from just inside the six-yard box. A moment of quality from Clarke, whose performance on and off the ball stood out in central midfield.
Having got back on level terms, Borough soon began to enjoy the better of the chances. Worthing had ‘keeper Lucas Covolan to thank on several occasions, most notably coming up with two big stops five minutes after the hour mark. The first, getting down low to deny Jayden Davis after the Eastbourne substitute passed up the opportunity to square for a teammate. A minute later, Covolan pulled out a stunning save to deny Pavey’s header after David Sesay fashioned a cross from the right.
Sesay’s influence on the Borough attack grew as the second half went on, with the majority of the hosts’ play converging on the right-hand side. With only three minutes of normal time remaining, Sesay floated a ball into the six-yard box inviting Pavey to attack, however the striker could not convert as his header somehow found the wrong side of the crossbar.
Worthing’s defensive resilience would reap its reward come the final whistle, as Agutter’s side returned to the top of the National League South standings after Truro City’s defeat to Torquay United. For Borough, a missed opportunity in the context of the red card, albeit still an important point gained as the league season enters its final two games.
On Easter Monday, Worthing host fellow promotion-hopefuls Dorking Wanderers at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium, while Eastbourne Borough travel to Salisbury for their final away trip of the season.