Eastbourne Borough 4 Fisher 0.

GARRY Wilson praised his Eastbourne Borough players for keeping their discipline as they moved to within two points of leaders Lewes at the top of Blue Square south.

While Borough kept their heads, play-off hopefuls Fisher lost theirs and paid the price at Priory Lane on Saturday.

With two men sent off by the 39th minute and Borough already leading, there was only going to be one winner.

After back-to-back defeats this was the perfect tonic for Borough.

They may not play the sparkling football which Lewes are capable of but a number of factors which will decide this title race.

Among them are discipline, patience and professionalism - all qualities which Borough needed to show on Saturday as the crowd became agitated with the score at 1-0 against nine men Wilson's men will need to show those same qualities in the remaining ten games of the season and if they can do it there is no reason why they cannot be crowned champions.

The title battle between Borough and Lewes has swung back and forth since Christmas. After Lewes won at Priory Lane on New Year's Day the title looked theirs, then Borough went on a fantastic run while Lewes faltered and the men from Priory Lane became favourites.

Wilson's team then suffered successive defeats while the Rooks returned to winning ways and suddenly the red and black ribbons of Lewes were back on the trophy.

Now it is anyone's guess. Borough are two points behind while Lewes have a tough game at Braintree tomorrow.

What Borough must not do is show naivity and a lack of discipline like the visitors did on Saturday. Fisher were in-form and in fifth place going into the game but a pair of yellow cards each for Kieran Murtagh and Andre McCollin in the space of ten minutes towards the end of the first half cost them dearly.

They should have had a third player sent off early in the second half as striker Jeff Goulding escaped with a yellow card after pushing a hand in the face of Andy Ballard.

Wilson said: "We kept our discipline which was the main thing. I am always worried that we can get caught up in that type of game. Your whole game plan goes and your players end up getting booked but that didn't happen.

"We kept to our game plan, we kept the discipline going and our game came right in the end."

Borough's players also had to deal with a frustrated crowd but the goals eventually came to Wilson's delight.

Andy Atkin scored the opener when he headed home a missile of a throw from Ballard on seven minutes.

Atkin could have had a second or even a penalty on 33 minutes when he outjumped goalkeeper Simon Overland to head against the angle of the woodwork and was flattened by the keeper in the process.

Within six minutes Fisher were down to nine men and it was only a matter of time before Borough ran away with it.

Frustrated fans had to wait until the 66th minute for substitute Nathan Crabb to hook home Scott Ramsay's knockdown for 2-0, Pat Harding capped a decent display by scoring the third on 75 minutes and Ballard wrapped up victory with an injury-time header from Matt Crabb's corner.

Wilson said: "You could sense the frustration within the ground because we weren't scoring the goals but I told the players at half-time that could happen and to be prepared for that. I said don't let it get to you and they didn't. That helps us with the goal difference, it gives us a lift and it lets the supporters go away happy.

"We can only do what we can do. If Lewes win all their remaining games then they will win the championship but there are a lot of games to go.

"We will just go week to week. Last week it was all looking bad, this week it is all looking good."

While Lewes are losing players through injury, Borough are getting theirs back. Allan Tait and Matt Smart both had second-half run-outs following injury while Darren Budd is also back in contention after representing England at Futsal.

Lewes may still have a slight edge but it would take a bold man to rule out Borough at this stage.

Eastbourne Borough: Hook, Ballard, Jenkins, Kember, Lovett, Pullan (sub Smart 78), Harding, Armstrong, Atkin (sub N.Crabb 62), Ramsay (sub Tait 78), M.Crabb. Subs not used: Budd, Lightwood.

Fisher Athletic: Overland, Jackson, Wright (sub Hickie 67), Murtagh, Dayes, Gooding, Batt, Heeroo (sub Green 67), Goulding (sub Plumain 75), McCollin, Thomas. Subs not used: Tozer, Linsey.

Referee: Mr L. Collins.

Attendance: 718.

How do see the Conference south title race now?