Matt Langston is keen to prove himself at the other end of the pitch after becoming Eastbourne Borough’s goalscoring hero.

The defender was described as one of the best centre-backs in Blue Square Bet premier when he joined from Histon in the summer but by his own admission has struggled to live up to that reputation so far.

The 29-year-old has responded to a disappointing start to life at Priory Lane in impressive fashion, however, by scoring late equalisers at Newport County and Bath City in the last two games.

Langston has also contributed to improved defensive performances against York City and Bath City in recent weeks after recovering from a groin injury and is determined to build on those displays when Luton Town visit on Saturday.

The Brighton-born defender said: “It has been up and down this season, a bit of a rollercoaster. It is fair to say it has taken me a little more time than I would have liked to settle in.

“It is a big change coming to a new club after four years at Histon. The training methods, the team shape and the style of play are a lot different but at the end of the day it is still football and you have to adapt.

“I have played under different managers before and in teams with different styles and I am sure as the season goes on that I will get better defensively.

“Picking up an injury didn’t help either but sometimes it is good to step out of the firing line for a couple of games to reassess things. It is frustrating being out injured but it does make you realise what you are missing.

“When you miss a few games it brings it home how lucky you are to be playing football at this level. It highlights what a good feeling it is to come in and train and to pick up points on a Saturday and since the injury I think I have done okay.”

Langston missed four games after aggravating a groin injury in the 4-0 defeat at Barrow last month where his error handed the Bluebirds the lead just before half-time.

He returned for the visit of York and helped Borough withstand a late bombardment from the Minstermen to clinch a 2-1 win. The former Watford trainee then popped up to fire a last-gasp equaliser in the 3-3 draw at Newport before cancelling out Kaid Mohamed’s first-half strike with an 82nd-minute header at Twerton Park on Saturday.

Langston has never scored in three consecutive league games and is already halfway towards emulating his best ever league tally for Histon but says keeping clean sheets is more important than finding the net.

He added: “I had to wait a while for my first goals for Eastbourne so it was pleasing to get off the mark and for them to earn us a couple of draws. I am always looking to contribute goals and offer a threat from set-pieces but first and foremost my job is to defend.

“We haven’t done too well on that front so far this season and there is definitely room for improvement both individually and as a unit.

“It’s been a while since we kept a clean sheet (seven games) so that is something we need to work on but the most important thing is we are picking up points and are in a healthy position in the table.”