Eastbourne Borough boss Bloor taking each challenge as it comes

Bloor and his battling squad will scarcely have drawn breath after Wednesday’s heart-stopping Senior Cup victory over Peacehaven, but if the performance was imperfect, the result was what mattered.

Bloor said: “In the first half our performance was good. Miss chances, and you have a problem at any level of football. The longer it goes, the more it may favour the underdog.

“Credit to Peacehaven but we came through. You have to keep calm, you have to believe in your players.

“We can put that nicely to one side now, and back to National South.

“I went to watch Billericay on Tuesday night at Oxford City and we know their strengths.

“Their ownership issues are well documented, but that doesn’t make them a poor side.

“They have a very talented squad, and frankly they will be happy to being playing away, given their pitch problems at home.”

The Essex club have suffered a string of postponements on their glue-pot playing surface.

It is one problem that the Sports never suffer, of course, although the relentlessly stormy weather has not helped the cause, and Saturday looks only a little better.

Either way, Bloor knows it is time, not simply for sterling performances, but for some three-point results.

From 14th downwards, any two clubs could suffer the dreaded drop.

Indeed, eight of the nine endangered sides are covered by a mere three points – and even tail-enders Hungerford, seven points adrift, have registered a couple of wins in the last fortnight.

Of Borough’s remaining 11 fixtures, only two are against clubs in the play-off positions, while five of those games see them head-to-head with sides below them in the table.

Tonbridge and Chippenham away. Hungerford, Braintree and Billericay at home.

Win all five – and possibly grab a victory against a Maidstone or a Dulwich – and the Sports will be strolling the broad sunlit uplands, or at least the comfortable mid-table.

But with such a tight clutch, we may see very little decided before Easter.

Bloor added: “You spend all the time you like looking at other people’s results and predicting this or that.

“People can wear themselves down with worrying. All that we can affect is the next game.

“I will focus on Billericay, and then Tonbridge, and then our next opponents Maidstone. I’ll let others do the worrying!”

Bloor’s players looked understandably drained at the end of Wednesday evening, but he is sure they will bounce back.

He said: “It was simple tiredness and we have no major injuries. Charlie Walker is likely to start on Saturday – he might well have been fit for Peacehaven but I held him back.

"He is a huge influence, on the field, in the dressing room, around the club – a terrific personality.

“And I’m delighted to confirm that we are extending the loans of Jack Skinner and Franklin Domi, with thanks to both parent clubs Woking and QPR.

"Both lads have been brilliant for us. Like the rest of the squad, they just live for the next game, and we can’t wait for 3pm on Saturday!”