Crawley Town extended their lead at the top of Blue Square Bet premier to 12 points but were made to work hard for their 2-1 win at Eastbourne Borough.

Charlie Wassmer gave Reds the lead after 25 minutes and a rout looked on the cards when Sergio Torres made it 2-0 11 minutes after the break.

But Borough refused to throw in the towel and pulled one back when George Purcell lashed home a free kick from 25 yards in the 71st minute.

The visitors deserved their victory but the gap between the two sides in the table was never evident.

In fact Borough had the best opportunity in the first half when Jamie Taylor headed wide from six yards when he should have hit the target and the striker also had a good shout for a penalty when he was shoved inside the area by Pablo Mills.

Crawley almost took the lead inside the first minute when Rikki Banks saved Matt Tubbs' free kick and Banks also got down well to save from David Hunt while Craig McAllister headed against the bar.

The opening goal was a touch of class from Wassmer as he controlled a poor clearance and then chipped Banks with a delicate finish.

Banks was at fault for the second goal as he let Torres' shot from the edge of the area slip through his hands after McAllister had headed down Glenn Wilson's long ball.

Purcell's free kick was a real peach as he arrowed a drive past the edge of the wall and inside the far post but Borough were unable to grab an equaliser.