A JAMIE Taylor goal settled a drab encounter at the R Costings Abbey Stadium and left United ruing missed chances as they slipped to a fourth successive defeat.
Taylor was left unmarked to head in a Neil Jenkins corner in the 55th minute, scoring from what was the visitors only meaningful effort on target in the entire game.
In fairness Danny Knowles in the Eastbourne goal was rarely troubled either, with United failing to hit the target on a number of occasions.
The first half lacked incident in the main, with both teams restricted to shots from distance. Andy Parkinson and Danny Crow aimed tame efforts straight at Knowles, while Benjamin and Jenkins did the same for Sports.
And United should have taken the lead on the stroke of half time, when Ives and McAuley both had shots cleared off the line by the massed ranks of the visiting defence.
Martin Ling's charges started the second half brightly, but after Parkinson and Holroyd had spurned presentable chances, Taylor swooped to give Eastbourne a lead to cling on to.
And cling on to it they did, with some excellent defending thwarting United's increasingly desperate attacks.
Chris Holroyd headed over from an Aiden Palmer cross, then shot over after being set up by subs Courtney Pitt and Mark Beesley. But despite the pressure Knowles was never overly extended, and the final whistle was accompanied by a chorus of boos from the frustrated home supporters.
Man of the Match: Blaine Hudson - An impressive debut from 17-year old, who looked solid and composed throughout.
Cambridge United: Danny Potter, Rory McAuley, Aiden Palmer, Blaine Hudson, Josh Coulson, Andy Parkinson (Pitt 65), Paul Carden, Sam Ives (Reason 76), Robbie Willmott, Chris Holroyd, Danny Crow (Beesley 76) . Subs not used: Laurie Walker, Daryl Coakley.
Bookings: Palmer (foul), Hudson (foul).
Eastbourne Borough: Danny Knowles, Paul Armstrong, Ben Austin, Joe Benjamin (Brown 45), Gary Elphick, Matt Crabb, Liam Enver-Marum (Atkin 90), Neil Jenkins, Simon Johnson, Jamie Taylor (Crabb 89), Marc Pullan. Subs not used: Matt Smart, Simon Weatherstone.
Bookings: Taylor (foul).
Referee: Russell Fletcher.
Attendance: 2969 (14 away)
Matthew Gooding
FULL TIME: Cambridge United 0 - 1 Eastbourne Borough
16.51: Boos accompany the final whistle as Mr Fletcher puts United out of their misery. Not a match or a performance that will live long in the memory.
16.48: A final change for Sports, with Enver-Marum departing at the speed of a comatose sloth. Andy Atkin his replacement.
16.46: Four minutes to be added, time for a last attack perhaps.
16.44: Pitt's cross blocked away for a corner, but Willmott's cross is again headed away by the towering Pullan. Taylor jogs off as Eastbourne look to eat up the clock, with Crabb his replacement.
16.42: United's passes into the box are getting more and more desparate as the seconds tick away.
16.40: Eastbourne player down injured, this may be a recurring theme in the next five minutes.
16.38: Holroyd again fires over after nice passes from Pitt and Beesley put him in on the edge of the box.
16.37: United looking at four straight defeats unless they can find an equaliser from somewhere. Must be a while since that has happened.
16.34: A quick free kick releases Holroyd on the right, but his cross is woefully overhit with Beesley waiting in the six-yard box. United's top scorer hasn't had the best of days.
16.32: Double change for United, with Reason and Beesley replacing Ives and Crow. Bit harsh on Crow, who has played pretty well throughout. 2969 people are in attendance today, with 14 away fans who at present look set for a happy journey home.
16.30: Fair play to Eastbourne, who are defending in numbers and look dangerous on the break through Taylor and Enver-Marum, but United really should've put at least one of these chances away.
16.29: Another golden chance goes begging, with Palmer again overlapping to good effect and putting over a cross which the stretching Holroyd heads over with Willmott better placed behind him.
16.27: Willmott finds Pitt, whose curling effort zips past the post.
16.25: Yellow card: Hudson booked for a late tackle on Johnson. The young centre back is in the thick of the action from the resulting free kick, heading the ball behind for a corner which is cleared.
16.24: Panic stations in the Eastbourne box as a Willmott cross hits Crow and appears to bounce up off the arm of a defender. Again nothing doing from the ref, and on the break it takes a good stretch from McAuley to clear the ball in front of Taylor.
16.20: United make their first change, with Courtney Pitt replacing Andy Parkinson.
16.17: The pressure continues to build as McAuley barges into the area and sees his shot deflected behind for a corner. Willmott's first corner is headed behind again, and his second delivery is better, finding Coulson, whose knock down appears to strike an arm before being cleared. No penalty says Mr Fletcher.
16.15: Palmer puts in another good cross after being found by Willmott. It's cleared to Carden on the edge of the area, who half volleys over. Is it going to be another one of those days?
16.14: The goal is a kick in the teeth for United, who have started part two well. They resume their assault on the Eastbourne goal, and Palmer's cross is flapped behind by Knowles for a corner which is easily cleared.
16.12: GOAL. U's 0 - 1 Eastbourne. Disaster for United as from the corner the ball is flicked on and the diminutive Jamie Taylor is left all alone to nod the ball past the helpless Potter from eight yards. He was totally unmarked, poor defending.
16.11: Talking of comedy own goals, Coulson almost beats Potter when a cross bounces off his head and over the bar for a corner.
16.09: Almost a comedy own goal there, with Willmott's wicked cross flicking off a defender and just over the bar. The resulting corner is easily cleared, surprise surprise. Our set pieces today have been dire.
16.07: Quick throw from Crow puts Holroyd in the clear, but from a narrow angle he blasts a shot into the side netting with Willmott racing into the centre in support.
16.06: Having said that Benjamin must have picked up a knock, can't believe that was a tactical substitution.
16.04: Cool play from Danny Brown sees him chest the ball back to the keeper under pressure from Ives. What a hero Brown is/was, shame about his injury record while at United.
16.02: Almost an early goal for the U's. Knowles races off his line to foil Willmott, but with the goal gaping Parkinson can't control the ball and it's cleared with the Eastbourne keeper still stranded outside his area.
16.01: We're underway again. Substitution for Eastbourne, with Danny Brown joining the action in place of Benjamin.
Half time: Cambridge United 0 - 0 Eastbourne Borough
15.47: Mr Fletcher draws the half to a close at just the wrong time from a United prospective, we'd just started to get a bit of momentum. Hopefully we'll be able to take it into part two.
15.45: Yellow Card. Taylor goes into the book for a foul on Carden on half way. This match is finally starting to get interesting.
15.44: United somehow fail to take the lead on the stroke of half time. Willmott and Holroyd find space on the left, and the formers cross is cleared to Parkinson, who loops the ball over to the unmarked Crow at the back post. The United striker heads back across goal, Knowles gets a hand to it, and the ball runs loose to Ives, whose goalbound shot is blocked on the line and put behind for a corner.
From the flag kick, the ball skips across to McAuley at the back post, and his half volley beats the keeper but is again cleared off the line by a defender. A let off for the visitors there.
15.42: Enver-Marum, who doesn't seem to have improved since gaining an extra name, is doing his best to talk himself into the book with a continued verbal assault on the ref. Holroyd almost connects with a long pass from McAuley, but Eastbourne clear.
15.39: United come close with Holroyd releasing Crow, who can't quite control the ball in the box. The clearance comes to Ives who stabs a shot wide from the edge of the area. Neither keeper really tested yet.
15.37: Benjamin has been Eastbourne's most dangerous attacking player, taking up a wide left position in the visitors 4-5-1 cum 4-3-3 formation. His muscular frame and ungamely style evokes memories of his namesake Trevor during his days at the Abbey.
15.34: Crow again involved, bundled off the ball by Pullan who somehow escapes a booking. Willmott's free kick leads to a spell of head tennis, but Eastbourne clear their lines and it takes a strong challenge from Paul Carden to thwart a break led by Armstrong.
15.33: Crow is playing well forUnited, and another intelligent pass from the striker feeds Palmer, whose cross is plucked out of the air by Knowles.
15.29: Crabb feeds Benjamin who thwacks the ball into the Newmarket Road end. This game has as much quality about it as a Jedward record.
15.28: That's more like it - Crow shows his team mate how it should be done with a teasing centre which Knowles grabs off the toes of Parky.
15.27: A nice pass from Crow puts Palmer in on the left, but Knowles is off his line quickly to smuggle the ball behind for a corner. Willmott's corner is short to Crow, but when the wingers recieves a return pass he drills his cross straight into the first man, another chance wasted.
15.25: Another shot on target for United, but Parkinson's lofted effort is straight at Knowles.
15.24: A mistake by Josh Coulson almost lets Benjamin in, but the young centre half recovers well to clear the danger. Holroyd is denied a free kick on the left after being brought down by Jenkins.
15.22: Mr Fletcher seems to have graduated from the same pedantic school of refereeing which spawned our friend from boxing day, Mr Cooper. He awards United a free kick on half way which eventually finds its way to Danny Crow, whose volley on the turn is easily collected by Knowles in the Eastbourne goal.
15.19: Good third man running from Ives sees him surge into the area to meet a Carden pass and win a corner. However, Willmott's delivery isn't the best, and is headed away at the near post.
15.18: Jenkins becomes the latest player to try his luck from distance, but fires over after finding space on the United right.
15.15: This is turning into quite an open game, with both teams looking succeptible to the ball over the top. Crabb's shot is blocked as Eastbourne look to make the breakthrough.
15.12: United counter but Robbie Willmott blazes a shot over from 25 yards after good work from Holroyd and Carden to fashion the chance.
15.11: Five more Eastbourne fans have turned up to swell their numbers to a healthy 14. Their side win their first corner when a free kick skims off the head of Coulson and behind. The delivery loops over to the back post, and Johnson connects with a knock down from Pullan but sees his shot blocked by a crowd of bodies.
15.08: Nice move from United, with Parkinson carrying the ball forward and feeding McAuley, who is fouled near the corner of the box. Willmott's free kick finds Coulson at the back post, but his header is blocked and Eastbourne eventually clear the danger.
15.05: Pressurising from Holroyd forces Elphick to conceed a throw near the corner flag. However, the same player heads clear from Palmer's long throw.
15.03: Yellow Card: Aiden Palmer's first contribution as a United player is a crunching tackle on Crabb in the centre circle which earns him a slightly harsh booking. Eastbourne waste the free kick, with Benjamin over hitting a cross from the left.
15.02: The United back four may lack experience, but Coulson and Hudson are certainly an imposing pair at the back. Hudson wins a confidence boosting early header against Marum.
14.58: Teams are out, United will be attacking the South Stand which is today filled with hundreds of youth footballers from across the region. Nine hardy souls appear to have made the trip up from East Sussex to support the Sports, meaning there is plenty of space in the South Habbin today.
14.55: Chris Holroyd was the other scorer for United last time Eastbourne visited the Abbey, with Paul Armstrong on target for the visitors. Our last meeting was a 2-2 draw at Priory Lane in December, with United's goals coming courtesy of a Ben Austin O.G and Brian Saah.
14.48: Ian Darler and co have done a great job on the pitch, you wouldn't know it had been subjected to ice, snow, and heavy rain in recent weeks. Lee Phillips, who scored against Eastbourne in United's 2-1 win here last season, is warming up with the subs, suggesting he is not far off a return to first team action.
14.42: Team News:
14.35: Ex-United skipper Danny Brown is on the bench for Eastbourne, who include another ex-U, top scorer Liam Enver-Marum.
14.30pm: Hello everyone and welcome to a cold, soggy, R Costings Abbey Stadium for this afternoon's match against Eastbourne Borough. The team sheets are in, and Martin Ling makes four changes to the starting line up, with Paul Carden and Andy Parkinson returning at the expense of Jai Reason and Courtney Pitt, and Aiden Palmer and Blaine Hudson coming in for debuts in place of the suspended Brian Saah and the departed Anthony Tonkin.
