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How fitting Friday’s fight for first place in the Canadian Football League’s West Division was being promoted as Canadian Armed Forces appreciation night?

Because, lest the Edmonton Eskimos forget, history repeated itself in a 34-28 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in front of a season-high 34,214 in the stands at Commonwealth Stadium.

After failing to reach the end zone against the Bombers in a Week 3 loss that saw Sean Whyte post a club-record seven-for-seven between the uprights, the Eskimos kicker added seven straight more Friday on the way to losing their first home game of the season and dropping to 6-4, while Winnipeg improved to 8-2.

But Edmonton finally managed to reach the end zone against the Bombers with 68 seconds left Friday, thanks to a 75-yard reception by Tevaun Smith.

It was small consolation, however, for a team that missed out on its second opportunity of the season to grab hold of top spot in the West Division, after having fallen 24-18 to the Calgary Stampeders three weeks ago.