| Full name | Eastbourne Borough Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Sports | ||
| Founded | 1964 (as Langney) | ||
| Ground | Langney Sports Club Eastbourne (Capacity: 4,151 [1]) |
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| Chairman | Len Smith | ||
| Manager | Garry Wilson | ||
| League | Conference South | ||
| 2010–11 | Conference National, 23rd (relegated) |
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Eastbourne Borough are a semi-professional English football club, based in the town of Eastbourne, East Sussex, and are members of the Conference South. They are known as The Sports after their previous name as Langney Sports. Eastbourne Borough play their home matches at Priory Lane in Langney. Their manager is Garry Wilson.
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They were formed in 1964 as Langney F.C., naming themselves after the Langney district of Eastbourne in which the club continues to play its home games. It all started when a group of friends had played for the Langney and Friday Street youth team were too old to carry on playing and decided to form their own team so they could continue to play football.[2] On forming in 1964, Langney FC entered the Eastbourne & District Football League, competing in Division 2. (Clearly, the team was happy to just have 11 men on the pitch, sans fans.) Prior to the 1968/69 season there was a change of name to Langney Sports F.C. when the club affiliated to the Langney Community Association. At this time the club was playing on local recreation grounds before moving to Princes Park near the seafront, next door to Eastbourne United's ground at The Oval. At the end of the season 1973/74, the club won promotion to the Premier Division of the Eastbourne & Hastings League.
In 1983 the club was elected as a founding member of Division 3 of the Sussex County League, minutely overshadowed by FA officials stating that the club was a "parks team" and not taking the club seriously. They relocated from the playing fields at Princes Park to their current home ground at Priory Lane, in the heart of the residential area of Langney.
In 1986/87 Langney Sports became Third Division champions, and completed a treble by winning both the Division 3 League Cup and the Eastbourne Challenge Cup. Sports followed this with a second successive promotion the next season to Division 1. In 1992, Langney reached the final of the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup, losing 0-1 to the reserve team of Sussex's only professional club, Brighton & Hove Albion. Apart from two seasons (1994/95 and 1995/96) when they finished in 11th and 9th place respectively, Langney never finished outside of the top four in Division One; the manager, Pete Cherry, left the club on mutual grounds having brought Langney Sports up from the Eastbourne and Hastings league into the county league; for two years Steve Richardson took the reins followed by Garry Wilson in 1999. In his first full season in 2000 they finished the season as Sussex County League Champions, and were promoted to the Eastern Division of the Southern League.
After their first season in the Southern Football League Eastern Division, they finished 9th in the table, the club chairman, Len Smith, announced on 26 May 2001 that the club was to be renamed Eastbourne Borough to reflect the town the team played in.[3] In their second season they finished seventh, and in the following season finished second, losing out on the title on goal difference to Dorchester Town, and were promoted to the Premier Division.[4] Though they only finished 11th in their first season in the Premier Division, as the league system was changed the club were qualified to be one of the founders of the newly formed Conference South for the start of the 2004/05 season. A further promotion was almost earned immediately as the club finished fifth, and won the Conference South play-offs, beating Cambridge City 3-0.[4][5] However, they were beaten 2-1 by Altrincham (who had won the Conference North play-offs) in the play-off final at Stoke City's Britannia Stadium, and remained in the Conference South.[6]
The next season they finished in the bottom half of the table in 17th place and in the 2006/07 season they just missed out in the play-offs finishing in 7th place. The 2007/08 season was the best Eastbourne Borough had done. From the start of the season until 1 January 2008 they were unbeaten at the top of the league. Lewes became the first team that season to beat them and replaced them at the top of the table. At the end of the season Eastbourne finished 2nd with 80 points while Lewes won with 89 points.
The club won promotion to the Conference National on 8 May 2008 with a 2-0 win over Hampton & Richmond Borough in the Conference South Play-off final at Broadhall Way, Stevenage.[7]
At the start of their 2008-09 campaign in the Conference they were struggling outside the relegation zone, however after a few loan players being brought in, with the likes of Dan Smith and Ashley Barnes from Plymouth Argyle,[8] and the signing of Dan Brown from Cambridge United,[9] Eastbourne managed to stay in the top half of the table after some surprising wins over full time clubs such as Torquay United and York City,[10][11] until the last day of the season, losing 0-2 to Barrow.[12] They finished their first season in a comfortable 13th place with 60 points and a goal difference of -12. The season saw Eastbourne play 'live' for the first time at Priory Lane in front of national TV cameras, which broadcasted their match against Stevenage, a match they won 2-1.[4][13] Eastbourne also completed the 2008-09 season by winning the Sussex Senior Cup beating Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves 1-0.[14]
The 2009-10 season saw Eastbourne struggle from 'second season syndrome'. After a bright start, beating A.F.C. Wimbledon and eventual FA Trophy winners Barrow at Priory Lane,[15][16] Eastbourne experienced a slump in form and found themselves in a relegation battle. However a strong run of form towards the tail of the season saw them stay up in dramatic fashion beating eventual Play-Off winners Oxford United 1-0 on the final day of the season, with a late penalty scored by Simon Weatherstone in the 84th minute.[17]
Eastbourne were relegated back to the Conference South in 2010–11, after a season which started so promisingly. Having beaten both Hayes and Yeading and Altrincham 5-0 at home early in the season,[18][19] they found themselves as top scorers in the league at one point. However, following a series of setbacks involving injuries to key players, they endured a run of 20 games without a win. The winless streak was put to an end with a 1-0 away win at Fleetwood Town courtesy of an audacious free-kick from the half-way line by Matt Smart.[20] Despite regaining some form late in the season, Eastbourne were unable to recover and ended on 39 points, 8 points short of safety.[21] Ironically, Eastbourne beat Altrincham on the final day of the season to sentence them to the drop.[22]
The end of the 2010/11 season was marked with the first competitive game ever to be played at Brighton's new Falmer Stadium, contested between Eastbourne and Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves in the Sussex Senior Cup Final. Eastbourne lost the game 2-0 with Gary Hart scoring the first goal at the new stadium.[23]
During the 2005/06 season, the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history, when a battling performance saw them hold League Two club Oxford United to a 1-1 draw at home, winger Ollie Rowland, holding his nerve to score a 90th-minute penalty.[24]
This epic match gained the club three milestones. These were:
The East-Sussex side failed to win the replay at Oxford's Kassam Stadium on a cold mid-week November night.[25] losing 3-0, the Eastbourne squad put up a very good fight and were extremely unlucky not to score. Ex-Yeovil Town striker Yemi Odubade played particularly well and caused many problems for the defence, so much so that manager Brian Talbot admitted he was very interested in having the talented youngster play for his side and asked the Eastbourne Borough committee if he could take Yemi Odubade on a trial at Oxford United. In January 2006, Oxford paid Sports £15,000 to sign Odubade on an 18-month contract, rising to £25,000 with appearances.[26]
Again the club reached the FA Cup first round in the 2007/08 season and played Conference National side Weymouth. Borough lost 4 - 0 in front of a crowd of 2711 supporters.[27] Also lost to the same scoreline in the 2008/09 season away to Barrow in the 1st round replay.[28]
Eastbourne Borough have shared a rivalry with Lewes and Crawley in recent years. They have a lesser rivalry with the other two local clubs, Eastbourne Town and Eastbourne United due to not having shared the same league with either of them for a considerable time.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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1. Players that have played in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps.
3. Players that hold a club record or have captained the club.
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Eastbourne Borough have other teams which include:
Below is a list of Langney Sports (1983–2001) and Eastbourne Borough (2001–Present) managers since 1983.
Stats as of 20 May 2011
| Dates | Name | Achievements | Games | Won | Lost | Drawn | % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From: 1983 To: 1997 |
Peter Cherry | Sussex County League Division 3 Champions: 1986/87 Division 2 Champions: 1987/88 |
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| From: 1997 To: January 1999 |
Steve Richardson | |||||||
| From: January 1999 To: 8 February 1999 |
Nick Greenwood (Caretaker Manager) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| From: 9 February 1999 To: Present |
Garry Wilson | Sussex County League Division 1 Champions: 1999/01 Southern League Eastern runners-up: 2002/03 Conference South Promotion: 2007/08 |
529 | 230 | 151 | 146 | 43.48 | [34][35] |
Achievements before 2001 were under the Langney Sports F.C. name. After 2001 under the Eastbourne Borough F.C. name.
League
Winners: 1981/82 Division 1 Champions: 1999/00 Eastern Division Runners Up: 2002/03 Play-off Winners: 2004/05, 2007/08
Play-off Finalists: 2004/05
Conference National: 13th, 2008/09 |
Cup
Winners: 1986/87
Winners: 1989/90
Finalists: 1986/87
Winners: 1985/86, 2002/03 Winners: 2001/02, 2008/09 Fourth Round: 2007/08 First Round: 2005/06, 2007/08, 2008/09 Third Round: 2001/02, 2002/03, 2004/05, 2010/11 Second Round: 1990/91, 1991/92, 1997/98 |
Darren Baker, 904 (as of 21/05/2011)[36]
Scott Ramsay, 185 (2002–2008)
£25,000 for Yemi Odubade, Oxford United, 2006[26]
3,770 V Oxford United, FA Cup R1, 5/11/2005[4]
11-1 v Crowborough (13/01/2009)[4]