Jack Young opened play at Meadowbank against Eastbourne Borough, who stood out in their fluorescent yellow kits.

We created an early opportunity when captain Charlie Carter laid the ball off to Josh Brooking. With a deft touch, Brooking glided past his defender into the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot. However, Eastbourne’s goalkeeper, Max Metcalfe,  was able to deflect the effort over the bar.

Borough then had a spell of corners and crosses which were were dealt with a combination of Carter and Harrison Foulkes. This ended as Harrison came out to collect a powerful cross, catching it and relieving his team-mates of pressure. 

A long ball over the top set the stage for us to break the deadlock. Alfie Rutherford found space and expertly cushioned the ball down before laying it off to Charlie Carter. With composure, Carter took a touch into the box and calmly slotted the ball past Metcalfe into the bottom corner. 1-0

Eastbourne came close midway through the half when Alexander whipped a dangerous ball across the box. It found their striker on the edge of the six-yard area, but his shot was deflected wide for a corner.

The game remained evenly contested as halftime approached, with neither side creating significant chances. That changed when Borough’s Brayden Johnson unleashed a thunderous strike from the edge of our area. His effort rattled the crossbar and bounced back out, but we quickly cleared the danger and headed into the break with our lead intact. 

Half Time: Dorking Wanderers 1-0 Eastbourne Borough 

Our first change was made at halftime, with Matt Briggs coming on to replace Jimmy Muitt on the right wing. The second half began sluggishly, with the first opportunity falling to Eastbourne. Their left-back, Sesay, broke down the flank, cut inside, and unleashed a shot from the edge of the area that narrowly missed Foulkes’ upright.

Shortly after, Jack Young delivered a dangerous cross from the right that skidded through the penalty area untouched by either a defender or an attacker.

Eastbourne then responded with a threatening in-swinging cross that found their captain, Odusanya. His powerful header forced Foulkes into an excellent save, diving low to his left to palm the ball away for a corner.

During the next phase of play, Wanderers’ manager Marc White made three additional changes, bringing on Jason Prior, Will Randall, and Dan Gallagher in place of Jack Young, Jordan Norville-Williams, and George Francomb.

Following the changes, Eastbourne’s Jayden Davis had a shot blocked, and the resulting corner was comfortably cleared. At the other end, Josh Brooking was barged over in the box, prompting loud penalty appeals, but referee Matthew Norton waved them away. Shortly after, our final substitution saw Charlie Carter make way for Theo Alexandrou.

Eastbourne soon regained momentum, pressing forward with intent. A corner from the left was delivered perfectly onto the head of Diarra, who directed it into the back of the net, securing a late equalizer in the dying moments of the game. 1-1

Our final chance of the game came when Will Randall cut in from the right and threaded a clever pass through a gap. However, Theo’s shot flew over the bar and out of the stadium.

The full-time whistle followed shortly after, with the score level, meaning the game would be decided by penalties.

Eastbourne converted their first spot-kick, while Jason Prior’s attempted Panenka was saved by Metcalfe. We responded with successful penalties from Randall and Tony Craig, but Eastbourne kept pace, scoring their next three to maintain their advantage.

When Josh Brooking stepped up, the pressure was on—only a goal would keep us in the competition. Unfortunately, Metcalfe was equal to his effort, making the decisive save and securing Eastbourne’s place in the next round of the FA Trophy.

We aim to put this game behind us as we return to Meadowbank next Saturday to take on bottom-of-the-league Enfield Town.

Full Time: Dorking Wanderers 1-1 Eastbourne Borough (2-4 on penalties)