JAMIE TAYLOR is feeling relaxed and Eastbourne Borough are reaping the rewards.
Summer signing Taylor made one and scored one as Borough chalked up their best result of the season so far.
Garry Wilson’s men showed plenty of character to put their Bank Holiday blues behind them despite going into this clash with four key players missing.
At the heart of an heroic performance was diminutive striker Taylor, whose seems to have been rejuvenated by his switch to Priory Lane.
A career which had promised a lot when he joined League Two side Dagenham and Redbridge seemed to be stuck in neutral at Grays Athletic, where he missed much of last season with a broken ankle.
A stoppage time strike which put the gloss on a memorable victory was Taylor’s third goal in his last four outings for Borough The 26-year-old said: “I like the way Garry and Nick run it here, it is quite a relaxed atmosphere. It is not really what I have been used to over the last few years but the boys love it.
“I didn’t think I had the best of games. I have played better this season but strikers are judged on goals and I got my goal in the 90th minute so I am pleased with that.
“I haven’t really set myself any targets but I would like to get double figures and go on from there. I want to keep banging them in and get as many as I can up until Christmas and then push on to the end of the season to see how many I get.”
Borough went into this game on the back of losing points by conceding late goals in each of their games over the Bank Holiday, including a 95th-minute strike as they went down to Ebbsfleet last Monday.
They were also understrength with skipper Paul Armstrong, Neil Jenkins and Matt Smart out through injury and goalkeeper Danny Knowles suspended for his red card against Ebbsfleet.
Michael Jordan took over in goal and Darren Baker returned to the starting line-up in the unusual role of left-back with Dan Brown switching to midfield.
Jordan, after a slightly nervy start, make two fine saves inside a minute during the home side’s best period of the match and that proved the launchpad for victory.
In the 24th minute he tipped Chris McPhee’s header on to the bar and moments later saved with his legs from the same player.
Kidderminster were certainly on top but, having weathered the storm, Borough went ahead against the run of play eight minutes before the break when Taylor swivelled in the penalty area before crossing low and hard from the left byline for Nathan Crabb, running in, to fire home from close range.
The goal galvanised Borough who had a lot better shape in the second half and always looked the more likely to add to the scoring.
Simon Weatherstone had a shot blocked on the line by Lee Baker and Gary Elphick’s goalbound header was tipped over the bar by Dean Coleman before Duane Courtney’s sloppy pass in the fourth minute of stoppage time was intercepted by Taylor who ran on to finish with aplomb into the corner.
Victory lifted Borough up to 12th, four places above Crawley, and Wilson believes they are making progress.
He said: “We showed a bit of character. We were devastated after Monday’s result and looked a beaten team with the luck we had but I said to them before the game just work hard and maybe that luck will just kick back in. I thought we did that.
“We are trying to judge our season from where we were last season. We came here last year and got played off the pitch by a Kidderminster side down to ten men. We lost 2-0 and were never anywhere near it. It shows we have come a bit further this year.”
Eastbourne Borough: Jordan; Austin, Pullan, Elphick, Baker; N.Crabb, Weatherstone, Brown, M.Crabb; Atkin (sub Enver-Marum 86), Taylor. Subs not used: Hurley, Smith, Johnson, Lightwood.
Booked: Enver-Marum.
Kidderminster: Coleman; Courtney, Riley, Caines, Baker; Hadley (sub Knights 72), Bennett, McPhee, Smikle; Matthews (sub Finnigan 17 (sub Farrell 50)), Barnes-Homer. Subs not used: McDermott, Sharpe.
Booked: Bennett.
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