Rob Longhurst scored his first senior goal for Eastbourne Borough as they beat Newport IOW 1-0 away in the Dr Martens eastern division.
But it was a far cry from three weeks ago when Borough put seven past the islanders at Priory Lane.
Scott Ramsay should have given Borough the lead in the second minute but he totally miscued from five yards out.
The turning point came on 36 minutes when Newport's Peter Tagg was sent off for a second bookable offence after a late tackle on Longhurst.
Two minutes later, Borough scored the all-important goal when Longhurst finished well from 12 yards out after a sweeping move.
Newport looked determined in the second half against a complacent-looking Borough and in the 60th minute, Daren Pearce was forced to head off the line after Danny Hatchers' overhead effort beat Dean Lightwood.
Nine minutes later, Simon Pilcher should have levelled but he blasted over from 12 yards with the goal at his mercy.
A late surge could not prevent St Leonards slumping to their 12th defeat in 13 league games as they lost 3-1 at Fisher.
Jimmy Elford's 89th-minute tap-in from a Kym Monroe cross was no more than a consolation, although Liam Baker came close on two occasions either side of Elford's strike which could have secured a miracle escape.
Saints were the architects of their own downfall, gifting the hosts a couple of "soft goals" according to boss Gary Bowyer.
Fisher captain Steve Aris slid in a fifth-minute opener before Ryan Pacey's 29th-minute cross evaded everyone and nestled in the far corner of the net. Leroy Huggins pounced on an uncharacteristic slip by the excellent Chris Currie to convert the third ten minutes into the second half.
Bowyer said: "In the last 20 minutes we absolutely ripped them and were knocking play around nicely. Suddenly, we realised they were not as great as we thought. We had better chances than them in the game.
"There's no belief. Somehow I've got to instill that into them. We have got to get to half time still in the game."
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