Basingstoke Towns poor home form at The Camrose in 2006/7 ended with another defeat - their 11th in all at home this term - one-nil to Eastbourne, with skipper James Taylor red carded.
This means Basingstoke now need to win at Salisbury next Saturday to be sure of avoiding relegation.
Manager Francis Vines named an unchanged starting 11 from the one which had won at Welling in the week, but Basingstoke were a shadow of the side that won at Dartford.
There seemed to be an air of complacency about Basingstoke in the first half, but they nevertheless almost led in the sixth minute when Taylor, awarded Player of The Season before the match, turned well in the six-yard box, but put the ball over the bar from a tricky angle.
The rest of the first half was deadly dull, though Eastbourne were unlucky not to score after 30 minutes when striker Allan Tait saw a shot from just outside the area hit the bar and bounce down in front of the line.
The second half began much the same way. Both sides struggled to find any fluency to their game.
Basingstoke had their chances, though, and Lee Hook, the Eastbourne goalkeeper, had to be on his toes to deny David Ray when he flicked on a Matt Warner cross at the near post.
And Warner himself also brought the keeper into action, cutting in from the left and hitting a shot from just outside the box that was pushed wide.
Vines left it until the 76th minute to introduce his first substitute, striker Scott Fitzgerald (who again proved ineffective) for forward Carl Gibbs.
And the game only came to life in the last five minutes of normal time, starting with Taylors dismissal.
Taylor had only just been booked for putting his arm in the face a defender when challenging for a high ball when he clashed with substitute left back (the original left back went off with a cracked shoulder, causing a five-minute delay to the game) Dominic Douglas.
Both players seemed to take a knock in the face, but referee Ian Crouch, who did not have the best of games, gave Taylor an automatic red card and left Douglas unpunished.
Down to ten men, Basingstoke seemed to lose their concentration and were caught out soon afterwards.
In the 88th minute, possibly trying to play offside, the ball bounced over Robbie Watkins, who misjudged it, allowing Tait in behind him.
Tait then had time to steady himself before shooting low underneath the advancing Stuart Searle in the Basingstoke goal.
Vines then belatedly threw caution to the winds, bringing on Cristian Levis for the ineffective Dean Lodge, then striker Ben Wright for Watkins in the last minute of normal time.
But it was to no avail, and a clearly frustrated Vines could be seen remonstrating with the referee, the Eastbourne manager and Douglas both on the pitch and in the tunnel at the end. |
