Founded: 1964
Nickname: The Sports
Stadium: Priory Lane
Stadium Capacity: 4151
Manager: Adam Murray
Last Meeting: Eastbourne Borough travelled north to The Focus Community Arena in late November, where a second half goal from Tarrelle Whittaker made the difference between the two sides.
Alan Dowson manages The Tudors for the first time on Saturday as they travel to the seaside town of Eastbourne, read about our opponents here:
The Sports were formerly known as Langney FC and when formed they joined the Eastbourne & District Football League where they remained until the 1973/74 season, in which they gained promotion to the Eastbourne & Hastings League. At the start of the 1968/69 season they changed where they played, to The Oval, next to Eastbourne United.
In 1983 Langney FC were seen to be one of the founding members of the Sussex County League Division 3 but were not taken seriously and were called a "Park Team" by the FA so they relocated to their current Stadium, Priory Lane. The Sports managed back to back promotions in the 1986/87 and the 1987/88 seasons. With a change of managers in the following years it was Garry Wilson who won the league to take them to the Eastern Division of the Southern League.
After their first season in this league they finished 9th but this was a crucial year for the club as Len Smith announced that the club would be renamed to Eastbourne Borough FC. In their third season they finished second which gained them promotion to the Premier Division. Then in their first season of the Premier Division fans seemed to be pleased with their mid table finish of 11th but they found themselves even happier due to the club gaining a promotion as they were a founder of the Conference South.
After Eastbourne Borough's first season in the Conference South, they managed to finish in a possible promotion place, finishing 5th but after defeating Cambridge City 3-0 in the Semi-Final they went onto to lose to Altrincham 2-1 in the Final. They finally managed to reach the Conference National in 2008 after a 2nd place finish, winning the play-offs after beating Hampton & Richmond Borough in the Final.
They spent just over a decade between the Conference Leagues and then in 2023 they were taken over by Simon Leslie, owner of the company, Ink. This was exciting news for The Sports and their fans, but in the first season under the new owner, they find themselves in 22nd place having played 35 games and getting 30 points.
Saturday's fixture showcases two sides who are in poor form as Eastbourne Borough FC go into this game winning only one in their last five games, while The Tudors have only one win in their last 7 games as we look to bounce back this weekend, following the appointment of Alan Dowson on Thursday.
Last 5 Meetings:
25.11.2023 Hemel Hempstead Town FC 1-0 Eastbourne Borough FC
14.04.2023 Eastbourne Borough FC 3-0 Hemel Hempstead Town FC
22.11.2022 Hemel Hempstead Town FC 1-2 Eastbourne Borough FC
29.01.2022 Eastbourne Borough FC 1-0 Hemel Hempstead Town FC
11.09.2021 Hemel Hempstead Town FC 2-2 Eastbourne Borough FC
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