On Saturday, November 29th Hampton & Richmond Borough will travel to East Sussex to take on Eastbourne Borough.
The Beavers will look to return to winning ways after their last-minute heartbreak against Bath City at the weekend was followed by a disappointing midweek loss to Tonbridge Angels.
The Angels took three points by a scoreline of 3-0, following Harry Thomas’ second half sending off.
Brody Peart’s third minute goal saw the visitors lay off their press, and the Beavers struggled to break down their compact lines.
Kai Innocent and Nathan Paul-Lavaly looked bright on either side of the pitch. The latter squared a ball to Davide Rodari in the first half, but the striker unfortunately lost his footing before he could finish.
The Beavers came out strong in the second half, but were dealt two fatal blows within minutes.
Bailey Akehurst tapped in a second from the back post in the 53rd minute, and then Thomas received his second yellow for a tackle on former Beaver Bunmi Babajide.
A swathe of substitutions couldn’t help the depleted Beavers, and Babajide scored the third in the 83rd minute after a weak pass from Innocent was intercepted.
HRBFC are now winless since September 27th, and have fallen to 21st in the National League South. But If there's any game to turn the Beaver’s fortunes around and jump from the relegation zone, it’s this one.
Eastbourne sit at the bottom of the table, with 12 points (2W-6D-10L) in 18 games this season. They will be hosting HRBFC following a 7-0 loss to Torquay United on the 25th of November.
Borough owner Simon Leslie recently told BBC Sussex Radio that his side, similarly to the Beavers, have had a “terrible injury start to the season,” and their record reflects those struggles.
So far this season, they have conceded 32 goals and scored 14, less than one goal per game.
The Beavers are doing better up top with 21 goals, but 29 conceded so far paint the picture of similar defensive woes.
The sides haven’t drawn since 2019, each walking away with a win in five of their last ten games. Their two matches last season both ended 3-1, with the Beavers victorious in the first at the Bev, and Eastbourne in the return leg on the South Coast.
HRBFC, who looked disjointed on Tuesday following a positive performance against Bath City, will be hoping to end their winless streak this weekend.
Sitting in a dangerous position, three points will be a huge confidence boost for the Beavers ahead of a visit from eighth-placed AFC Totton.
Tune into our X for live match updates on Saturday to catch all the action from East Sussex.
Be sure to support the lads on Tuesday December 2nd when the Stags come to TW12. Secure your tickets HERE!
And as always,
Up the Beavers!
By Nkele Martin