Eastbourne Borough have agreed a deal to keep loan midfielder Stacy Long for the rest of the season.

Long’s second month on loan at Priory Lane ends after today’s game at home to Chelmsford City.

He produced his best display in a Borough shirt in Tuesday’s 2-1 victory away to Basingstoke.

Manager Tommy Widdrington has now agreed a deal with Long and parent club Ebbsfleet to keep the former England under-20 international for the maximum 93-day period.

That will take him up to and including the Gosport Borough game on April 12, meaning he will go back prior to the match with Ebbsfleet on Good Friday.

The midweek victory means Borough have won three on the trot away from home – all 2-1 – but they have won just one of their last seven games at home and none of the last four.

Widdrington said: “Up to Christmas it was the opposite way round. We were really strong at home and weren’t winning so many on the road.

“When you are at home you have to be the aggressor, you have to be the team to take the game forward and we have found that a bit difficult at times.

“But we have played well in some of the games recently and I don’t think our home form is as bad as it seems, just not as good as it was.”

Borough have also brought Tom Derry back to the club after he was released by Gillingham.

Chris Shephard (hamstring) could again be missing today, although he is edging close to fitness, while Jack Deaman serves the second game of his three-match ban.

However, Simon Johnson and Sam Cole are both now fit again while James Stinson is in contention after several weeks out with a knee injury.