Eastbourne Borough boss Garry Wilson praised his side's never-say-die spirit as their play-off challenge gained momentum with a gutsy 2-1 victory against Cambridge City.

Four players dragged themselves off their sick beds and another two played through the pain barrier to ensure Borough recorded back-to-back league victories for the first time since August.

Skipper Paul Armstrong gave Borough the lead just 24 seconds into the second half and Pat Harding wrapped up the points with 14 minutes to go after Michael Gash had equalised for the visitors.

The result extended Borough's unbeaten run to 13 games and, with results elsewhere going their way, Wilson's men are now just five points outside the top five with two games in hand.

They travel to Eastleigh tomorrow for their fourth game in eight days hoping that Adam Wilde, Duncan McArthur, Dominic Douglas and Darren Baker are over the affects of a stomach bug which swept through the squad before kick-off.

Wilson said: "A lot of the players were feeling really weak due to this bug. Adam was very ill, Dominic was being sick all morning and we had to keep Darren isolated from the other players he was so bad.

"Lee Hook also showed a lot of character because we thought he had no chance of playing with his shoulder injury and Marc Pullan was outstanding considering he suffered a nasty gash on his leg on Saturday which had to be glued together.

"At 1.15pm we still didn't know what the team was going to be so it just goes to show the spirit these boys have got. They are used to not being beaten at the moment and are doing everything to keep that run going."

Despite their problems Borough started like a train and would have been 2-0 ahead inside 15 minutes but for poor finishing from Neil Jenkins and Andy Atkin.

The home side lost their way though when Jenkins limped off with a pulled hamstring in the 20th minute which is likely to rule him out for the next two weeks.

Borough came out of the blocks fast again after the break and were rewarded with the opening goal inside a minute. Harding broke clear down the right and his low cross was turned in by Armstrong at the near post.

Instead of going on to dominate Borough allowed the visitors back into the game. Lee Roach was denied by a fine save by Hook when clean through but Borough did not heed the warning as Gash got behind the defence to lob Hook for the equaliser in the 57th minute.

That could have knocked the stuffing out of a Borough side facing ten games in 25 days during April but they picked themselves up admirably to grab a winner. Allan Tait unselfishly cut the ball back to Harding who coolly turned his marker before firing a low shot under Danny Naisbitt.

Assistant manager Nick Greenwood added: "We won ugly but with only three weeks to go it is about results not performances. You could see how tired the players were in the second half but they dug in there."

Borough: Hook, Lovett, Jenkins (Douglas, 20), McArthur, Austin, Pullan, Harding, Armstrong, Atkin (Ramsay, 72), Tait, Wilde. Subs not used: Baker, Murray, Lightwood.

Cambridge: Naisbitt, Pope, Wall (Midgely, 75), Chaffey, Fuff, Baillie (Sinclair, 84), Radcliffe, Lincoln, Roach (E'Beyer, 75), Gash, Henry. Subs not used: Mercade.

Referee: Mr P. Toyer (Luton).

Attendance: 863.

Man-of-the-match: Marc Pullan.