Eastbourne Borough 1-4 Kingstonian
MEAD SHOWS HIS MEAN SIDE

The last one before the real thing starts. The first away trip of the season - and quite possibly the longest trip of the season. The seaside. Kind of. And it wasn't a bad day at all really. An early start meant that some people missed most of the goals - but this team showed that there will be many more to come.

The four K's goals came from expected sources, with David Sadler scoring early on following a good run by Danny Bolt on the left. He cut the ball back, Billy "forgetful" Mead saw his shot blocked and Sadler finished off the rebound with the minimum of required effort with his left foot.

Colin Luckett limped off with only some twenty minutes gone, but this did little to alter the match. Bolt got his first goal for the club when Sadler played in Winston on the right, he rounded the defender and crossed into the middle. Bolt tussled with the number 4 and the ball flew in. He will surely claim the goal - despite the fact that he didn't touch it!

Two became three just before the break when a terrible kick out from the goalkeeper was collected by Mead who played forward to Sadler. The goalkeeper redeemed himself by saving well with his feet, but the ball bounced out for two yellow shirts to race for. Mead persuaded Sadler to leave the ball to him and rolled the ball into the empty net from eight yards out.

The second half saw multiple substitutions from both sides, and multiple backheels from Sammy Winston. Although he didn't get on the scoresheet it was pleasing to see him involved in some good attacking play, and he even had a hand in the fourth goal. A quick pass found Liam Collins (no - nobody seemed to know who he was) on the right, his cross found Bolt at the far past, and after skipping past one defender he scored his second from the tightest of angles. And he definitely touched that one.

There was time for one goal to be pulled back by the - up until now unbeaten - home side when Eddie Saunders hauled somebody back in the area allowing skipper Darren Pearce to ruin Lance Key's clean sheet from the spot. And so the result was four-one. It may well have been an expected result for the K's management team - but it was still good to see a convincing performance from all those new players. And with just seven days until the season begins things are definitely looking bright.