Ebbsfleet 1 Eastbourne 1

Michael Gash's strike ensured Ebbsfleet took a share of the points against newly-promoted Eastbourne Borough in the Blue Square Premier at Stonebridge Road on Tuesday night.

Borough had deservedly taken the lead through Andy Atkin but a second-half fightback by the Fleet resulted in Gash firing home the equaliser in the 65th minute.

Manager Liam Daish said: “I’ve got to give credit to Eastbourne. They worked hard, defended well and put their bodies on the line. It was a better point for them than us.”

Striker Kwesi Appiah was handed his first start while Luke Moore returned to the side in place of Ricky Shakes.

Eastbourne took the lead on 22 minutes when Atkin found himself in space on the left, before cutting inside and slotting the ball past Cronin.

In the second half, Fleet pulled level on 65 minutes when a Mark Ricketts free-kick ended up at the feet of Gash, who controlled the ball before firing into the bottom left corner.