County 1 Eastbourne 1

THIS certainly wasn't the result County wanted, but after a remarkable day in the Blue Square South, it looks as if four points from their last two games should be enough to clinch a play-off place.

Manager Peter Beadle was far from happy at the final whistle yesterday, but with Bath City, Havant & Waterlooville, Bishop's Stortford and Eastleigh all losing and Braintree held at Thurrock, this was definitely a case of a point won rather than two lost.

Beat Thurrock tomorrow night and the Exiles will simply require a draw against Fisher Athletic on Saturday to book their place.

Of course, County fans will no doubt cast their minds back 12 months to the agony of defeat on the final day to Cambridge City and realise that chickens can't be counted just yet, and they'll have to improve from Saturday's showing to get to the promised land of the Conference.

Beadle's men failed to build on Andy Gurney's 26th- minute opener and retreated into their shells on a wet and blustery day at Spytty Park.

Only when substitute Matt Crabb equalised with 25 minutes remaining did the home side wake up, and frustration grew among the 1,200-strong crowd as Charlie Griffin and Jermaine Clarke were guilty of missing gilt-edged chances to snatch a win.

Beadle made one enforced change from the side that won so impressively at Cambridge in midweek, with Lee Fowler returning ahead of schedule to replace Nathan Davies, whose girlfriend went into labour at 3.30am on Saturday, and gave birth to a baby girl seven hours later.

Fowler wasn't expected to be back until next week at the earliest but he looked bright in the early stages, which were strangely flat and devoid of incident.

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has seen County play in the last three weeks that the man to lift the team was midfield supremo Gurney.

The goal owed much to a lucky deflection off Richard Evans into the path of Craig Hughes, but there was nothing lucky about Gurney's strike.

Hit hard and true from the edge of the area, the right-footed drive arrowed past Eastbourne 'keeper Lee Hook and in off his left-hand post.

Ian Hillier could have added a second just four minutes later but his powerful header hit the underside of the bar and that near-miss seemed to signal the end of the Exiles' attacking intent, at least for the next half- hour.

The visitors were almost level seven minutes before the break when Pat Harding's goal-bound effort was cleared off the line by Damon Searle, though how much he knew about the block was open to debate.

It seemed to simply hit the left-back on the knee as he fell into the net and it was a sign of Eastbourne's growing threat.

Glyn Thompson did very well to hold another sharp effort from Harding a minute before the break but he could do nothing to prevent Crabb's leveller on 64 minutes.

Andy Ballard put over a pin-point cross from the left and the substitute guided his header beautifully from the penalty spot to the right-hand corner of Thompson's goal.

In truth it was no more than the south coast outfit deserved and it sparked an entertaining final 25 minutes with both sides creating chances to win the game.

Griffin had the ball in the net with a close-range header on 68 minutes before Harding once again brought a good save out of Thompson with a well-struck half-volley.

Hughes then went close with an inventive lobbed effort from 30 yards which had Hook scrambling back to goal a worried man.

Inspired by man-of-the-match Gurney, County stepped up their search for a winner and Julian Alsop, on for the injured Jason Bowen, forced a spectacular one-handed save from Hook from a Hillier long throw.

Clarke, who replaced Hughes with 20 minutes to go, should have done better with a free header from 10 yards which sailed wide.

But it was Griffin who had the best chance of all to win it with six minutes left.

Alsop, who made a real difference after coming on, got his head to an Evans free-kick and flicked on to his fellow striker's feet.

With his back to goal Griffin turned his man brilliantly, swivelling into a great position just eight yards out but, leaning back, County's top goal-scorer fired the ball high over the bar and with it went the last chance of victory.

County: Thompson, Jenkins, Searle, Gurney, Jarman, Hillier, Bowen (Alsop, 75), Fowler (Simpson, 70), Griffin, Hughes (Clarke, 70), Evans.

Subs not used: Dodds: James.

Eastbourne: Hook, Baker, Jenkins (Archibald, 59), Budd, Ballard, Douglas, Harding, Armstrong, Treleaven (Matt Crabb, 59), Nathan Crabb (Sam Crabb, 75), Lovett.

Subs not used: Wilde, Lightwood.

Referee: David Woolford.

Attendance: 1,206.