Eastbourne B. 3, Fisher Ath 3: Skipper Daren Pearce scored a crucial equaliser five minutes from time to cap a marvellous comeback for Eastbourne Borough.

Trailing 3-0 at half-time, the prospects for Garry Wilson's side looked as grim as any turkey's does at this time of year, but goals from Dave Adams, Ben Austin and Pearce salvaged a point.

And with the players' bash afterwards, Pearce had plenty of reasons to celebrate his excellent strike.

The 29-year-old said: "A few of the lads were in the doldrums at half-time but the management gave us a roasting which we deserved and that got us going.

"In the second half we turned it around, and to take a point against one of the top teams in the division isn't bad."

The midfielder also aired his thoughts for the New Year and made a Christmas wish.

"Fisher will be pushing for promotion at the end of the season and hopefully we will be there too."

Pearce has been captain at Priory Lane for two years and the tough-tackling player clearly thrives on the role.

He added: "I enjoy it. I like the extra bit of responsibility. We have a few youngsters here and they are great to work with.

"We have no superstars, everyone pulls together and we showed that in the second half."

Earlier a shell-shocked Borough looked to have been played out of the game by the clinical finishing of the visitors.

Midfielder Matt Smart limped off inside the opening quarter with ligament damage and the subsequent volley of goals stunned the home team.

First Steve Portway, who is blind in one eye, beat Borough's stand-in keeper Paul Stark with a low shot from the right hand edge of the area in the 19th minute after the keeper tangled with his own defender Stuart Tuck.

Two minutes later the Docklands-based side doubled their advantage when Leroy Huggins turned in Colin Luckett's cross for his 16th goal of the campaign.

And the home team's hopes for getting anything from the game appeared to have disappeared altogether when Ray Powell thumped in a left-foot shot from outside the area.

But Adams handed Wilson's charges a lifeline with 30 minutes left.

He scored from long range with an effort which flew into Maurice Munden's top right- hand corner.

Then fullback Austin capped an impressive display when he netted his first goal for the club with a left foot shot from 30 yards in the 74th minute.

And Pearce ensured a point for Borough's second half endeavours with a right-foot volley from an acute angle after Andrew Ducille flicked on Matt Crabb's corner.

The goal sparked delirious celebrations among the home players and supporters, and left Wilson purring about his skipper.

Borough's Scottish boss, who has been in management for ten years, said: "He is the best captain I have ever had. He is the most caring and he sets great standards. /Daren loves the game and it is nice to see him pop up with a goal like that.

"That's probably one of the best comebacks I have seen since I have been involved at the club, especially against one of the top clubs.

"It is always hard to come back against a good team. If we were 3-0 up teams would find it difficult to get anything from the game, but we deserved it.

"I said to the players at half-time to show some pride. We never showed anything near what we are capable of in the first half and it was embarrassing for the supporters.

"If they tackled in the first half like they did in the second then we could have won the game."

What happened at the players' karaoke party is open to conjecture.

But with Crabb celebrating his 20th birthday and Pearce vowing to sing Robbie Williams, Borough's players clearly don't just sing when they're winning.

Or should that be swing?

St Leonards slipped up 3-1 at eastern Division pacesetters Grantham who took advantage of Hastings's inactivity to extend their lead to six points.

The visitors' ninth consecutive defeat may have been predictable but they produced a battling performance which suggested that it will not be long before they return to winning ways.

Saints fell behind after 26 minutes when a Dave Gilbert cross was headed just inside the far post by Stuart Wilson.

Des Boateng, Danny Fletcher and Simon Fox all caused problems and could have been on the scoresheet , but Saints conceded a second goal two minutes before the break when Adrian Speed scored with a powerful header from Gilbert's flag kick.

Grantham started the second period lazily and they conceded only their sixth home league goal on 72 minutes when Boateng out-jumped the home defence to head in Gavin Ramsden's corner.

The hosts scored a flattering third three minutes from time when trialist Reece Head's pass went straight to Dave Taylor.

Hastings' home match with Spalding was postponed because of a frozen pitch.