Scramble or Slide? It’s the Eastbourne Borough Survival Challenge...

The final six weeks will decide whether the Sports will scramble to National South safety, or slide down the relegation chute to the Isthmian League. We will be at every remaining game. Let’s play…

The background: in a nutshell, huge summer upheaval after a change of ownership, lots of profile-raising, a spruced-up stadium, and new players and management on and off the field. Mediocre autumn results, but signs of green shoots under a new manager.

The challenge: 11 games to go, ahead of Saturday’s home encounter with Hemel Hempstead Town. Then, four successive showdown fixtures against other struggling clubs. Manager Adam Murray – a breath of fresh air – knows how many points he needs, but he ain’t saying. But this little run of games will surely make or break the season.

Reasons to be cheerful: Firstly, the remaining fixtures could be a lot tougher. They include only two promotion-chasers, Maidstone United and Braintree Town, or three if you include hopefuls Slough Town. Secondly, some other relegation contenders are in a mess: Taunton Town are dicing with winding-up orders, Dartford have been falling steadily, Truro City are ground-less and are playing their home games (including against Borough) two hundred miles away at Gloucester City.

Thirdly, Murray has now settled his squad, who are almost all fit and who give plenty of options. And fourthly, Priory Lane is showing an obstinate optimism which runs through management, players and even the long-suffering supporters – who travelled in astonishing numbers to the last two away games. Overall Scramble potential: 60%.

Reasons to be fearful: Firstly, the Sports are still not scoring enough goals – they play bright, creative football with high energy, but it’s an old football maxim that you need to score when you’re on top. Secondly, Borough have been picking up cautions by the handful, and Murray cannot afford to lose personnel to late-season suspensions.

Thirdly, some of those six-pointer fixtures are just as crucial to their opponents, who will certainly not be rolling over. From Weston to Welling, every National South club will be just as committed and focused as Eastbourne. Fourthly – and your very proper Herald reporter hates to say this – but Borough need reliable and consistent refereeing. I can think of four, possibly five matches this season when Eastbourne’s best efforts were undermined by game-changing and controversial decisions on the whistle. Catch me off-record and I will list them for you! Overall Slide potential: 40%

Boring it isn’t. Mid-table mediocrity is not an option. Adam Murray, quite rightly, isn’t telling us his exact points target, nor where those points will come from. The Herald, from its comfy press seat at the back of the stand, can gladly offer you a points haul of at least 19 points from the eleven matches – quite possibly more - which gives a minimum final points tally of 49 points. A close call? Last season, Dulwich Hamlet were relegated, fourth from bottom, with 48 !

Watch our columns for match reports on all the remaining games. Six at home, five away. Or better still, pop over to Priory Lane for those half-dozen home fixtures, and play Scramble or Slide with all of the other Borough faithful. It’s non-league, it’s highly contagious, and there is no known cure.

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled. With owner Simon Leslie always up for a new innovative project, this might just become the new family-friendly football board game… Who needs Cluedo when you can play Scramble or Slide?