By Michael Stokoe Eastbourne Borough 2 v 3 Hemel Hempstead Match Report Eastbourne Borough threw away a point as Hemel Hempstead kept alive their play-off chances with a last minute goal from Ben Herd.

And to compound matters, Tommy Widdrington saw Gavin McCallum sent-off for two bookable offences in what was a rather frustrating afternoon for Borough.

It’s been a feature of Borough’s game this season; they have simply thrown away too many games. And if you tot up the points at the end of the year, it might have cost the Sports a play-off place.

It was a tight opening first 15 minutes, but Borough had the first chance through a free-kick after Kane Haysman was up-ended by Kyle Connolly. The midfielder stepped up and took the resulting free-kick, but the ball floated narrowly wide of Jamie Butler’s post.

And then shortly after Haysman’s free-kick, Gavin McCallum teed up Craig Stone from range, and Butler in Hempstead’s goal had to tip his vicious shot round the post.

Hempstead were struggling to create clear cut chances; but Morgan Ferrier had their first effort just after the half hour mark as his volley from a tight angle just clipped the bar and flew behind.

Borough took the lead just before half-time after good pressing in the Hempstead box by Gavin McCallum.

McCallum who was playing in the unusual role of centre-midfield squared the ball and Darren Lok tapped-in at the far post, to give Widdrington’s side a deserved lead.

Hempstead who are in the play-off picture in the National League South started the second-half well and were rewarded with a goal as Ferrier clinically dispatched a Graeme Montgomery lay-off.

Dean Brennan side turned the game on its head, quickly after they equalised as Ibra Sekajja capitalised on a poor Ian Simpemba clearance. The former Crystal Palace forward directed a neat volley into the bottom corner beyond Lewis Carey.

Widdrington sent on the club’s top-scorer Nat Pinney, and with that came a reshuffle in personnel. Max Worthington moved into midfield and shortly after the change he should have drew the Sports level but he clipped his effort high over the bar.

Lok engineered himself some space on the edge of the box, but his effort was wild and high. But Borough did draw themselves level shortly afterwards through the substitute Nathan Collier as the game entered the final ten minutes.

But Hempstead kept their play-off aspirations alive as Herd scored from a free-kick which McCallum gave away and as a result got sent-off for a second yellow card.

The ball was floated in and the Borough defence failed to stick to their markers and in particular Herd as he nodded in the ball despite Carey getting a hand to it.

Eastbourne Borough: L. Carey, M. Worthington, S. Beale (N. Pinney, 70), C. Stone, I. Simpemba (c), C. Buckley, K. Khinda-John, K. Haysman (N Collier, 65), D. Lok, E. Romain, G. McCallum Substitutes: B. Bosma, R. Worrall, J. Botting.

Hemel Hempstead: J. Butler, B. Herd, J. Kelly, M. Mitchel-King, K. Connolly (c), M. Spring, R. Wellard, O. Thorne (H. Hickford, 83), I. Sekajja, M. Ferrier, G. Montgomery Substitutes: M. Richens, C. Parrott, J. Findlay-Bada, C. Brooks