Easter Monday football sees Dartford return to Princes Park to host Eastbourne Borough, after two winless away trips. With both teams still vying for survival, it is a game marked firmly as a ‘relegation six-pointer’.

The two sides are, at present, separated by just two points in the National League South, with the Darts sitting narrowly outside the relegation zone on goal difference. This is mainly due to Taunton’s game in hand tally still standing at four, and any positive results would likely see the Peacocks leapfrog Ady Pennock’s side.

Despite the marginal progression up the league table, Dartford are still yet to have claimed three points since beating now-relegated Dover in February. They were condemned to a 4-1 defeat in Essex on Good Friday to Chelmsford, with former loanee George Alexander scoring a brace and taking the game out of Dartford’s sight late in the second half. This followed a 0-0 stalemate with fellow relegation battlers Truro, who emerged as late victors on Friday against Slough to move themselves closer to safety.

Similarly to the Darts, Eastbourne were also subject to a Friday thrashing, as they lost 5-1 to Maidstone. The Sports saw two of their players dismissed, with Sam Beard being shown two yellows for challenges on Mo Faal and Jephte Tanga, and Pierce Bird for a high challenge on Tanga after scoring a potential goal of the season contender. Ill-discipline has been a recurring issue for Eastbourne recently, with six red cards accumulated in their last nine games.

One factor that has certainly gone against Eastbourne is the loss of Leone Gravata. Gravata had been a pivotal player for the Sports in recent seasons and departed for York City in March. Dartford will certainly be glad to see the back of the winger, who has scored in this fixture on multiple occasions. They will, however, see the returning faces of goalkeeper Ben Dudzinski and Moussa Diarra, who both spent time at the club under former manager Alan Dowson.

In terms of form, Eastbourne travel to DA1 in a relatively richer vein compared to the home side. Since Dartford’s last win, the Sports have picked up three victories, and have a game in hand over the Darts as a result of a postponement to their game with Truro. The two were inseparable at Priory Lane earlier in the season, with Fletcher Holman’s opener cancelled out by a Brandon Barzey goal.

Kick-off is at 15:00 on Monday, with tickets priced at £10 for adults and £5 for concessions. Admission for under 18s is free.