Arundel boss Richard Towers saw his side turn up the pressure on leaders Eastbourne United and then said: “They are still hot favourites.”

Two second-half goals from Josh Biggs and a fine Mike Huckett free-kick condemned the leaders to a damaging defeat at Mill Road.

The result kept Arundel’s hopes of lifting the title alive and did Horsham YMCA a massive favour as well in what looks increasingly like a three-horse race.

YMCA are now just four points behind United with Arundel a point further back and both teams have a game in hand on the leaders. Wick are level on points at the top but have only two games remaining.

Arundel could cut that lead to two if they beat Whitehawk tomorrow and United lose at Hassocks but Towers fears they might have left it too late.

Towers said: “It keeps us in with a chance but unfortunately I think we might have blown it already.

“All we can do is keep plugging away but we are relying on Eastbourne and Horsham dropping points. We are not going to give up but we’ve got to win all four and keep our fingers crossed.

“If we hadn’t won today it would have been all over so I was really proud of the way the boys played, especially as it was our fourth game in seven days. I got the response I wanted after losing to Ringmer on Thursday.”

United looked to be on course for their first title for 53 years nine days ago but successive defeats have left them looking nervously over their shoulders.

They certainly looked anything but prospective champions on Saturday as they were convincingly beaten by an Arundel side who showed more desire and know-how in front of goal.

United were the better team in the first half but rarely looked like cancelling out Huckett’s perfectly placed free-kick in the 11th minute.

The visitors suffered another blow on the stroke of half-time when goalkeeper Nick Maynard collided with Gary Norgate and had to be carried off with concussion.

Replacement Gavin Richards made fine saves from Biggs and Huckett after the break but was beaten when the same pair combined in the 65th minute. Biggs raced on to Huckett’s through ball to lift a shot over the advancing keeper.

That looked like being that but United were thrown a lifeline in the 73rd minute when referee Neil Wallace awarded them a dubious penalty. Jason Wimbleton was harshly adjudged to have fouled Sam Crabb in the area and Wallace compounded his error by only showing Arundel’s skipper a yellow card.

Crabb made no mistake from the spot but any hope of a comeback was snuffed out within six minutes as Biggs grabbed his second after Reece Head had blocked Howard Neighbour’s initial shot.

United boss Brian Dennis said: “Maybe the pressure is getting to our boys. It is still in our own hands if we win our last three games but we are making things hard for ourselves.

“I’ve told the players they have got to fight for everything but they were winning all the second balls. We seemed to lack ideas and we’ll have to improve a lot if we are to win the league.”

Arundel: Arnell, Sneller, Hall, Wimbleton, Walker, Grove, Biggs (Thoms, 88), Mike Huckett, Neighbour (Hamilton, 83), Norgate (Matthews, 88), Axell.

Eastbourne United: Maynard (Richards, 45), Bywater, Harris, Jules, Head, Stevens, Ciupinski, Crabb, Morris, Mann (McKenzie, 63), Morton (Billings, 63). Subs not used: Haffenden, Russell.

Referee: Neil Wallace.

Attendance: 87.

Man-of-the-match: Mike Huckett.