We only need ten men

We got back on course for the play-offs with this top quality win over Eastbourne even though we had to play for the majority of the game with only ten men.  The game was only fifteen minutes old when Craig Armstrong went for a fifty-fifty ball on the touchline but with only the slightest of touches the Borough winger, Dan Smith, went down as if he'd been hit by a herd of Rhino.  The ref ran over as fast as he could while taking a red card from his back pocket and brandished it straight at Armstrong who walked slowly and despondently to the changing rooms.

This event seemed to galvanise the Harriers who, up until then, had been struggling to make headway against the Southerners.  Ironically the dismissal came on the back of the best move so far in the game after a combination of Darryl Knights, Dave McDermott and Matt Barnes-Homer saw the latter's shot get cleared away for the incident to take place.

We had started the game with our most recent signing, Chris McPhee, replacing Andy Ferrell after he had gone to the bench alongside Russ Penn who was now coming back from injury.  Justin Richards and Stefan Moore were both out of the side after picking up injuries in training - Justin with a hamstring injury and Stefan twisting his ankle.

Within five minutes of Armstrong walking we had taken the lead.  McDermott played the ball into Matt Barnes-Homer but it took a deflection off Smith on the way and with the Eastbourne defence now left flat footed MBH swooped to drive the ball into the net with a low shot that went in under the keeper.

Just four minutes passed and we had now doubled the lead.  Again it was a decisive pass from McDermott, after he had collected Darryl Knights flick on, that supplied MBH with the ball to again bury in the net for his brace.

We could have had a third goal soon after when Martin Brittain sent a free kick goalwards only to see it strike the bar and over.

Eastbourne hadn't given up yet though and could have pulled a goal back through Atkin when a right mix up between our defenders ended with him shooting wide of an empty goal.  A close let off for the Harriers.

On forty minutes Knights was forced to leave the field after he had suddenly dropped to the ground with no one near him.  He had earlier taken the ball full in the face and he was now starting to suffer from concussion.  For his own safety he was immediately replaced by Russ Penn for his first proper appearance since injuring his knee at Barrow in January.

We had one last chance of a goal in the dying minutes of the half when McDermott raced onto Chris McPhee's pass only to see his shot blocked by the keeper.  The shot ricocheted off him but as it rolled towards the goal Marc Pullan managed to reach it and hook it away.