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 Gills midfielder Chris Whelpdale kept the ball alive and crossed from the left for the unmarked Hutchinson to score his 12th goal of the campaign from close range.

The home fans were irate at the perceived injustice, so there were ironic cheers when Kai Innocent was booked for a late challenge on Darren McQueen five minutes before the break.

Eastbourne were nearly in again before the break as the Fleet were caught trying to play out from the back, but perhaps with the penalty incident in mind, the referee decided that Luke O’Neill had not pulled down Leone Gravata, much to Eastbourne’s frustration.

If the home side were not happy with referee Norton in the first half, both sides had reasons to be aggrieved in the second half. The referee somehow stopped a promising Eastbourne breakaway as they were two on two at the halfway line when he pulled play back to book McQueen for a foul.

Eastbourne were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men 10 minutes after the break when Innocent was adjudged to have fouled McQueen but, despite giving the free-kick, the official kept his cards in his pocket.

Tanner had a shot beaten away by Worgan before McQueen, moved into the frontline after Coulthirst was replaced, poked wide from Bingham’s near-post cross.

Jaden Perez hooked the ball wide after Mitch Dickenson nodded down a left-wing corner but it was a rare foray from Eastbourne who spent the second half largely on the defensive.

Ebbsfleet had a great chance to equalise with 13 minutes left when Bingham somehow failed to convert O’Neill’s cross from close range.

And they were made to pay just four minutes later when Hutchinson was sent clear on the counter and he produced an accomplished finish beyond Mark Cousins to double Eastbourne’s lead.

The referee halted play after a snowball was thrown at Worgan from the Plough End and, when it resumed, Fleet tried to set up a grandstand finish but Bingham and substitute Franklin Domi both failed to force the ball home in a goalmouth melee that summed up their evening before Sterling-James saw his late free-kick tipped over the bar.

Ebbsfleet: Cousins, O’Neill, Martin, Sterling-James, N’Guessan (Chapman 75mins), Bingham, Tanner, McQueen, Edser, Coulthirst (Domi 58mins), Hollis. Subs not used: Haigh, Jombati, Finney.

Eastbourne: Worgan, Burchell, Innocent, Dickenson, Perez, Hammond, Whelpdale, Remy (Luer 65mins), Vaughan, Gravata, Hutchinson (Adjei-Hersey 90mins). Subs not used: Holman, Pinto, Holter.

Referee: Matthew Norton.

Attendance: 604.