Match Preview: Darlington v. Eastbourne Borough

Eastbourne Borough are anticipating another big crowd through the Priory Lane gates this Saturday for the first-ever clash with former Football League club Darlington on ‘Non-League Day’.

With no Premier League or Championship fixtures this weekend, and England playing on Friday night, a campaign initiated by QPR fan James Doe is urging those who would usually go to top-flight matches to instead ‘adopt’ their local side for the day. Non-League Day has the backing of the Football Supporters Federation, Conference sponsors Blue Square and the Portsmouth Supporters’ Trust. It has also received national press coverage and is spreading fast across the Internet, via fans’ forums and club websites. The Eastbourne Herald, in the shops from Friday, will also be running a full-page feature in its sports pages, promoting Non-League Day and giving ‘first-timers’ a guide to each of the three Eastbourne clubs, including Borough.

Garry Wilson’s side will be hungry for points after two defeats over the Bank Holiday weekend, which has left them in 14th in the Blue Square Bet Premier. Since their relegation from League Two, Darlington have made a steady start to life as a non-league outfit. They have beaten Gateshead and Newport County but away from home have only managed three draws, and the Quakers are currently ninth. Their squad includes midfielder Paul Terry, brother of Chelsea and England defender John, who is their leading scorer so far with two goals.

Tickets are priced at £14 for adults, £10 concessions and £4 for children. Stand tickets will cost an extra £2. Free car parking for around 400 vehicles is available at the ground. For more information on Priory Lane and the match, visit www.eastbourneboroughfc.co.uk.

James hopes Non-League Day will encourage those who normally go to watch big teams to take in a game at a nearby club and those who usually travel up to watch any of the big London clubs will be welcomed with open arms as visitors to Priory Lane, for a match with one of the biggest clubs in the Blue Square Bet Premier. Kick-off is 3 pm and the game will be UNSEGREGATED.

Borough chairman Len Smith said: “There’s a lot of people from the Eastbourne area who go up to watch league games in London. We hope those who have never tried it at Priory Lane will come along, enjoy the experience and be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the football. We really want to get the gates up to 1,500 this season. That would make us more comfortable and we’d maybe even be able to strengthen the squad. If we can keep playing as we have done at home hopefully people will keep coming.”