Ebbsfleet United 0 Eastbourne Borough 2 match report: Jake Hutchinson scores twice in National League South

Leaders Ebbsfleet beat the cold weather but not Eastbourne on a chilly night at Stonebridge Road on Tuesday.

It was a frustrating night for the Fleet, who felt they were on the wrong end of a series of refereeing decisions.

Eastbourne have already won at Ebbsfleet this season in the FA Trophy and they repeated the trick thanks to a goal in either half by striker Jake Hutchinson.

Fleet were without leading scorer Dominic Poleon due to illness so Shaq Coulthirst started up top alongside skipper Rakish Bingham, who took the armband with Chris Solly still absent due to injury.

The game was only on thanks to volunteers and club officials who cleared the snow from the playing surface during the day. But neither side really got into their stride in the early stages that failed to warm a small crowd who had braved the cold temperatures at Stonebridge Road.

A smart Eastbourne free-kick nearly caught Fleet napping but James Vaughan’s volleyed cross could only find the side netting.

Craig Tanner curled a shot wide and Omari Sterling-James warmed the palms of keeper Lee Worgan before Bingham worked himself space on the edge of the area but found the side netting.

The game sparked to life nine minutes before half-time. Bingham collected a stunning crossfield pass and set up Sterling-James, who opted against shooting and tried to take his man on inside the box. Sterling-James went to ground but instead of awarding a spot-kick, referee Matthew Norton gave a free-kick for diving and showed a yellow card – much to the frustration of Fleet boss Dennis Kutrieb who was then spoken to by the official before play restarted.

Whether that led to a lack of concentration in home ranks or not, within 60 seconds the visitors were ahead. Former