Isthmian League South East Division
Dave Read reports for us on the battle to stay at Step 4:
I found myself having to leave the game at the Amex dead on 90 minutes just to catch a train back to Eastbourne in a mad dash to get to The Saffrons, home of Eastbourne Town, in time for the 3pm kick-off. I made it with minutes to spare…phew!
Going into the game, Eastbourne Town were sitting comfortably in 15th position but this was to be a must win game for Phoenix if they wanted to keep their chances of staying in the division alive.
Entry on the day was £10 and again a printed programme was available at £2.
It was a predictably hectic start to the match with goalmouth incidents at a premium. The first of note came in the 7th minute, Dan Hull getting on the end of a corner only to head powerfully over the bar.
The first thirty minutes were pretty much devoid of chances, plenty of decent football from both sides but both not being able to find the crucial final ball through, defences definitely on top as they say.
Phoenix did fashion an opportunity when Tyler Anderson ran on to a ball inside the full back and ran into the right side of the area. He pulled the ball back into the box but unfortunately for the visitors, managed to dissect his two team mates and Town cleared.
A minute before the break a nice passing move down the left set Ollie Davies free. Bearing down on goal the keeper Andrew Zambrand-Reascos raced out to dive at the feet of Davies and was adjudged to have taken him down in the view of the well positioned referee. James Stone took responsibility and calmly fired the penalty past the left hand of Zambrand-Reascos and into the net. 1-0
H-T: Eastbourne Town 1 Phoenix Sports 0
The visitors came out all guns blazing in the second period knowing they had to get back into the game to give themselves a chance of staying up. Jerson Dos Santos picked up a pass on the edge of the box, shifted his feet to make space and sent a superb strike goalwards only to see keeper Chris Winterton make a magnificent save.
The waves of attacks kept coming from Phoenix as they forced a succession of corners, all defended well by the home side.
On the break, Marcin Ruda raced clear after picking up a loose Phoenix pass, ran to the edge of the box but sent his effort to close to Zambrand-Reascos and he blocked well.
Second half substitute Will Efambe was looking dangerous running at the home defence down the left and on 63 minutes he smashed a fine shot which was brilliantly parried away by Winterton. Dos Santos looked certain to score from the rebound but for a strong challenge from Hull allowed him to clear.
Still the visitors plugged away, a free kick on the edge of the box was wasted when it was fired into the wall, and a shot from Jamarie Brissett forced another save from Winterton.
Eastbourne should have wrapped the game up in the 68th minute. A lovely one-two down the right set Davies free to run towards the byline, he cut the ball back to Leon Grieg on the edge of the box only to see his shot fly over the visitors goal.
Phoenix kept pressing for the leveller, Brissett had a snapshot from the edge of the area which the keeper saved comfortably before Dominic Morgan-Griffiths forced Winterton into a full length save to his left, palming the ball away from danger.
Their final chance came again from Brissett, he turned his defender on the edge of the area, hit a fine shot but saw it just clear the crossbar, Sports running out of time and with it relegation to the Southern Counties East Premier Division meaning safety for fellow Sussex outfit Littlehampton Town.
F-T: Eastbourne Town 1 Phoenix Sports 0