Eastbourne Borough players in action | Image Credits: IMAGO/PPAUK
As if losing 7-0 was not bad enough, players of English sixth-tier club Eastbourne Borough were left counting the cost of their collapse after refunding the fans' tickets.
Forty-five intrepid Eastbourne supporters made the long journey across the south coast to Torquay United on Saturday but probably wish they had stayed at home as their team shipped four goals before halftime.
The pain continued after the break as Eastbourne's dire form continued to leave them second-bottom in the standings with only two wins from their 18 games.
At least the fans got some compensation for their efforts though as they were reimbursed for their match tickets.
"Following today's unacceptable result, Eastbourne Borough's players will be reimbursing the cost of match tickets for all travelling supporters," the club said in a statement.
Sadly, the gesture appeared to have fallen on deaf ears with the club issuing another statement a day later condemning "vile and personal" abuse towards the team online.
"In the last 12 hours, some of the comments aimed at our players, staff, and our club have moved from frustration into personal hate and I'm not going to let that go unanswered," club owner and chairman Simon Leslie said.
"There is a clear line between criticism and abuse and some people have crossed it."
