Eastleigh FC

30th December 2006 - Eastbourne Borough 0-0 Eastleigh Report by Ray Murphy In horrendous conditions with a blustery wind and torrential downpours at times, Eastleigh returned from Eastbourne with a fully deserved point, arguably unlucky not to have collected a full three point haul. Jason Dodd had to tweak his starting line up owing to suspensions for Steve West and Martin Thomas, though he kept faith with the side that had finished the game at Basingstoke with Chris Collins returning to his central defensive role for his first appearance for a month. Early indications with Eastleigh defending the wind in the first half saw the pitch basically lifeless, although the ball rolled there was no additional bounce for the ball. It was Eastleigh who opened the attacking ideas. A good move in the sixth minute involving Steve Forbes and birthday boy David Hughes set up Andy Forbes but home goalkeeper Lee Hook saved his effort. One of several downpours of rain saw the game settle into...

Andy Forbes' 24th minute goal was enough to seal a vital three points for Jason Dodd's Spitfires. In this first meeting of the double header between the two sides, Basingstoke visiting the Silverlake Stadium on New Year's Day, it made todays win all that more important giving the side a boost over this Christmas period as we look to end the year on a high and start 2007 as we mean to go on, starting in the return match on our territory. It was our first away win of the season and also sees us out of the bottom three. 26th December 2006 - Basingstoke 0-1 Eastleigh Report by Ray Murphy   It’s taken half a season to do it, but Eastleigh successfully gained their first away victory of their Nationwide South campaign to give them and their followers a Christmas cheer. Fielding the same starting eleven that had gained a point at Bishops Stortford on their last away league fixture, Eastleigh edged the three points as the two sides occupying the last two spots in the le...

EASTLEIGH V CAMBRIDGE CITY SATURDAY 16th DECEMBER 2006 Conference South Jason Dodd’s first home league game in charge this afternoon saw the visitors, Cambridge come out with a 1-0 victory despite the Spitfires playing some good football in the first forty-five. Despite all the pressure there was very little to show for it and the Lilywhite’s capitalised towards the end when substitute Craig O’Connor fired a 73rd minute winner on his debut. With both Danny Smith and Andy Harris on the sidelines, the gap in central midfield meant a warm welcome back to Steve Forbes returning to the first team for the first time since his horrific injuries back in August against Fisher Athletic. Both Karim El-Salahi, centre half on loan from Woking, and Carl Wilson-Denis, a forward signed from Havant & Waterlooville, made their home debuts after starring in the draw against Bishops Stortford a week ago. Eastleigh started the game at a high tempo with Darren Wheeler’s run and cross from th...

EASTLEIGH 0-3 GOSPORT BOROUGH - 12/12/2006 Daily Echo Report 12th December 2006 - Eastleigh 0-3 Gosport Borough RUSSELL COTES CUP - Report by Ray Murphy A repeat of last seasons Russell Cotes Cup Final, saw Eastleigh defeated in their first match in this season’s competition to the current holders. A side that saw only two players in the starting line up that had started the game at Bishops Stortford in the Nationwide Conference three days earlier, were comprehensively beaten by the Wessex Leaguers. For manager Jason Dodd it was a learning exercise with many of the Eastleigh players performing in front of him for the first time. For Gosport their reward was to claim a third Nationwide South scalp this season and a Third Round tie at home to Moneyfields. Gosport showed early intentions with striker Neil Scammell testing Eastleigh goalkeeper Wayne Shaw. It took the visitors sixteen minutes to open the scoring. Danny Thompson’s right wing cross was guided home at the near pos...

9th December 2006 - Bishops Stortford 1-1 Eastleigh Report by Ray Murphy For new manager Jason Dodd, it was a tough baptism to have to travel to third placed Bishop’s Stortford for his first Nationwide South league fixture. His first selection included midweek signings, striker Carl Wilson-Denis from Havant and Waterlooville and defender Karim El-Salahi on loan from Woking. Both players had highly encouraging debuts. It was a worrying opening quarter of an hour for the manager also. Time and time again Stortford cut through the Eastleigh defence especially on the left flank where home winger Ashley Fuller was giving Tarkan Mustafa a torrid afternoon. With only three minutes played, Fuller looking suspiciously offside raced away on to a crossfield pass from Dave Collis but with time on his side only managed to fire wide of the target. Two minutes later an identical ball was cut out by Mustafa but the ball rolled to Jack Midson who set Fuller up with another chance but again the w...

TEAM: Grant Porter, Lee O'Connell, Scott Gilham, Craig Cansdale, Nicky Cole, Liam George, Karim Hraiba, Toure Mamadouba, Steve Forbes (c), Martin Beck, Stuart Douglas. SUBS: James Screen (on for Cansdale 60), Sayem Kabir (on for Beck 45), Brett Williams (on for Douglas, 58) - unused: Lewis Hunt, Macs Sampays. MATCH REPORT BY JAMIE MONTIGUE It took Stuart Douglas just two minutes to find the back of the net on his return from injury, his first game back since April. This Suburban League Cup tie got off to a bang when new signing Liam George, who used to be a teammate of Douglas' at Luton, whipped in a perfect free kick following Martin Beck being chopped down on the very edge of the area. Douglas was unmarked at the back post and was left with the easiest of tappings thanks to a great delivery. Steve Forbes, who was captaining the side, another big name Eastleigh player who has been missing long term, is slowly but surely getting back to his usual self. For sure, the ...

Eastleigh last night made two additions to the squad in the form of Carl Wilson-Denis, a forward from Havant and Waterlooville who has signed until the end of the season along with Karim El-Salahi, a 20 year old centre back on loan from Conference National side Woking on a months loan deal. This will help the manager Jason Dodd with the current injury crisis and we wish both players well. Both Wilson-Denis and El-Salahi could feature in tomorrows trip to Bishops Stortford. Keep coming back for news as and when we get it regarding a possibility of two other loan signings.

As reported on this website at the beginning of the week, Steve Watts was thought to have completed a move to the Silverlake Stadium with what would have been Paul Doswell's last act as manager. On Tuesday the club were informed that although agreeing terms with Eastleigh he had taken a u-turn and had opted for a move to Ryman League outfit, Bromley who made a late move for the former Fisher Athletic striker. Suffice to say Watts has now put pen to paper for the Kent based team. Here is a statement from the Bromley official website regarding the transfer: "Bromley are pleased to announce that Steve Watts has agreed terms to join the Club. The prolific goalscorer left Fisher Athletic recently having netted almost 100 times in two and a half seasons with The Fish. Manager, Mark Goldberg is delighted to have captured the player, saying: "Steve is a great signing for us who has a proven track record not only at Ryman level but in the leagues above as well." Speak...

EASTLEIGH V VOSPER THORNYCROFT FC TUESDAY 5th DECEMBER 2006 Hampshire Senior Cup A new era at the Silverlake Stadium begun last night after Monday’s sensational news saw Paul Doswell step down as manager whilst still maintaining a rightful position at the club he loves so dearly, with Jason Dodd being handed the job as boss. Several ex-Eastleigh players were on show for Vosper in this Hampshire Senior Cup game, including Ryan Ashford and Tyronne Bowers along with Lee Bright, captain Kevin Gibbens and Barry Mason. A strong Eastleigh side put on a good performance for Dodd creating many chances but in the end they needed extra time to seal the win against a side several leagues below them in the Non-League ladder. The Spitfires almost went ahead inside the first minute of the game when Darren Wheeler’s dangerous ball into the box was headed away but only into the path of Steve West. The big centre half miscued his shot and it then fell for Jamie Brown who scooped the effort up...

Click a link below: Dodd vows to knacker out players Jason Dodd takes over at Eastleigh

Paul Doswell this morning handed over the reins of first team manager to Jason Dodd. The announcement also confirms that the well loved Doswell who has brought this club so far, not to mention enjoying three successive promotions, will be staying on as Director of Football. Dave Malone will now be Managing Director and it is thought that this is the best way for the club to progress. With Jason's knowledge and experience of two decades of top flight football as a player at Southampton along with Doswell's tremendous ability and expertise in Non League Football as a great manager, that this could well be a highly successful change. Assistant Managers, Mark Dennis and David Hughes remain in their current roles.

Steve Watts, 29, has joined Eastleigh on an 18 month contract following his departure from fellow Conference South side Fisher Athletic. He began his career at Fisher in 1998 before finding success at Leyton Orient where he scored 29 goals in 69 starts. Steve has had loan spells with Welling, Margate, and Lincoln before joining Shrewsbury on a free in 2003 and then shortly after signing for Dagenham and Redbridge. Watts went on to play for St. Albans and then re-signed for Fisher in 2004 which proved to be the start of a very good two good year period at the club. The 6"1 striker grabbed a terrific 37 goals last season in Fisher's promotion season, grabbing the Ryman player of the year award along the way. Paul Doswell's Eastleigh will need the kind of quality that Watts will bring with him and it could well be his goals that becomes the start of our fight against relegation.

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MATCH PICTURES BY JOZEF MONTIGUE

EASTLEIGH V BOGNOR REGIS TOWN   SATURDAY 2nd DECEMBER 2006 Conference South Following the midweek cup upset to lower league opposition, Eastleigh showed no intention of putting the record straight when it really mattered – in the league this afternoon as they fell well short of a respectable showing. Bognor fully deserved their four-goal victory as they effortlessly sailed through the game. What was most disappointing from the Spitfires’ point of view was the lack of desire and commitment despite their current league position. With Chris Collins and Rob Marshall on the sidelines following their premature end to the game against AFC Wimbledon in Tuesday nights replay, Andy Forbes and Steve West stood in as centre backs. David Hughes also missed today’s game through suspension. Darren Wheeler and Jamie Brown were thought to sit out but fought off slight knocks to play. Inside the first two minutes of the game, Bognor had a glorious chance. Right-winger Richard Hudson thread...

EASTLEIGH v AFC WIMBLEDON TUESDAY 28th NOVEMBER 2006 FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round – Replay An exciting evenings entertainment was overshadowed by a penalty defeat for Eastleigh when really they could have won the game inside normal time. David Hughes, back from the flu, gave Eastleigh the lead eleven minutes from the end but Wombles substitute Scott Fitzgerald sent the game into extra time at the death. An almost carbon copy goal from Fitzgerald in the first half of extra time gave Wimbledon the advantage but Steve West’s header forced the dreaded penalties. Had Eastleigh won it would have been the first time the club have reached the first round proper in the competition. This match of course, was as a result of Saturdays equally action packed 1-1 draw with both sides finishing with ten men. The only change for the Spitfires from the weekend was the fit again David Hughes replacing young midfielder Phil Cousins in the centre of midfield. Wimbledon had a glorious opportuni...

In the FA Trophy this afternoon, Eastleigh lost Jamie Brown a minute before the break for a straight red (although, Brown had already been shown a yellow card earlier in the game). Just a minute later and on the stroke of half time, Darren Wheeler netted the opener. AFC Wimbledon, playing in front of fantastic support with over 1,000 in attendance, forced a replay with nineteen minutes remaining - striker Roscoe D'Sane the scorer. Eastleigh will now host AFC Wimbledon this Tuesday at the Silverlake Stadium, 7:45pm kick off. 25th November 2006 - AFC Wimbledon 1 Eastleigh 1 Report by Ray Murphy This incident packed F A Challenge Trophy Third Qualifying Round replay fixture, concluded with the requirement of a replay at Eastleigh on Tuesday evening. Manager Paul Doswell must have been much happier with the performance of his team against Ryman League Premier Division AFC Wimbledon. For the home side it was already their third game in the competition this season whilst Eastl...

EASTLEIGH - Grant Porter, Jack Smith, Sam Stannard (c), Scott Gilham, Ian Oliver, Liam Winzar, Karim Hraiba, Andy Weston, James Screen, Martin Beck, Adam Roberts SUBS: Toure Mamadouba, Nicky Cole, Brett Williams, Lee O'Connell, Macs Sampays MATCH REPORT BY JAMIE MONTIGUE Suburban League Cup 2nd Round - Eastleigh raced into the next round of the cup with a stunning performance against a lacklustre Hemel Hempstead side. Adam Roberts ensured the Spitfires got off to the best possible start when he despatched an inch perfect cross from James Screen with a lovely header from close range. The home side continued to dominate their next threatening attack seeing a dangerous ball in from left back Ian Oliver turned behind by a good interception. Down the right hand side, Liam Winzar split the visitors' defence wide open with a delightful through ball for Adam Roberts. Keeper Liam Jahn, however, anticipated the danger and snatched it away from Taz. Hempstead had a golden op...

EASTLEIGH V SOUTHAMPTON TUESDAY 21st NOVEMBER 2006 FRIENDLY After a very disappointing defeat at the hands of Cambridge on Saturday, Eastleigh earnt a well-fought victory over a youthful Southampton side featuring David Prutton (who the friendly was set up for to help the midfielder comeback from injury), for the second time this season having beat the Championship side back in pre-season. The result has left people wondering why the same kind of performance and work ethic cannot be shown when it really matters, in the league fixtures, however tonight’s display demonstrated that things can and will get better if the effort is put in. Nathan Dyer and Adam Lallana threatened regularly and it was the trickery of these two talented youngsters that created David McGoldrick a golden opportunity to give the Saints the lead on six minutes. The effort was poor however, and the chance went amiss. Eastleigh’s first attempt on goal came from a corner that was won by Darren Wheeler. T...

18th November 2006 - Cambridge 2 Eastleigh 0   Report by Ray Murphy Eastleigh slipped into the bottom three of the Nationwide South with this defeat at Cambridge City. A poor match saw the Spitfires struggling to find the confidence of playing their normal game, which is now seeing the fear factor enter into performances. Still missing regulars through injuries the latest casualty being skipper Andy Harris who was missing from Saturday’s line up. There was little in the way of goalmouth action early on. The eager running and abilities of the two Cambridge front runners Neil Midgley and Lee Roache were both constant thorns in the Eastleigh defence, and justifiably so at the end of the game were given jointly the games man of the match award. Steve West headed Darren Wheeler’s left wing cross wide on fourteen minutes as both sides failed to take control of the game early on. Two minutes later and Eastleigh were behind. The usually dependable Robbie Marshall some twenty five ...

EASTLEIGH - Wayne Shaw, Liam Winzar, Ian Oliver, Nick Cole, Sam Stannard, Karim Hraiba, Adam Roberts, Macs Sampays, Zach Glasspool, Ben Bosley, Martin Beck SUBS: Andy Weston, Brett Williams, Toure Mamadouba, Scott Gilham, James Screen MATCH REPORT BY JAMIE MONTIGUE Colden Common took the lead through a 20th minute penalty. Stewart Beck, brother of Eastleigh's Martin Beck, won the kick from a positive run into the box before being brought down unfairly. Centre half, JAMES ATTERBURY stepped up to take it and slotted home to Wayne Shaw's right. Throughout the rest of the half Eastleigh didn't look their usual self and couldn't find a way through. However, BEN BOSLEY came to the rescue in the second forty-five when he levelled the game with around 15 minutes to play. The Spitfires turned the game around moments later when Frenchman KARIM HRAIBA blasted home with the shot being too hot for Common keeper Dave Nicol. 2-1. Sean Lahey was shown a straight red card ...

Having lost out on original target, former Yeovil and Aldershot full back, Chris Giles to Forest Green - Eastleigh have swooped for Thurrock's Tarkan Mustafa, 32, who can play either as right back or as a right sided midfielder. Mustafa, previously of Norwich City, is clearly seen as an ideal replacement for Jason Dodd who will now be able to concentrate on his new role as head coach.   The deal is set to go through on Monday, meaning the new boy should line up for the first time in Eastleigh colours against Southampton in the Tuesday night friendly.

EASTLEIGH: Luke Douglas, Liam Winzar, Lee O'Connell, Scott Gilham, Sam Stannard (c), Adam George, Sayem Kabir, Macs Sampays, Zach Glasspool, Ben Ngwa, Martin Beck SUBS: James Screen, Ben Bosley, Craig Barlow, Callum Maxwell Match Report by Jamie Montigue In the opening stages of the game Eastleigh had a fair few chances with Martin Beck at the heart of it. Beck, who has re-signed for the club following an injury-struck spell at Lymington, was brought down on the left having poked the ball past the full back. From the free kick Beck picked out Ben Ngwa back for the weekend from University, whose header flew wide of goal. Martin Beck also had a free kick float all the way through to the goalkeeper still inside the opening ten minutes of the game. At the other end, Waltham should have punished some lacklustre defending from a well-worked free kick of their own. A dangerous ball in from the right flew across the face of goal but no one attacked the back post and the chance w...