Bedford Town 1-1 Eastleigh

On the opening day of the Conference South season, the Spitfires went 1-0 up on the stroke of half time through Darren Wheeler only to see the newly promoted Bedford equalise through a penalty kick. Dave Town handled on the goal line, which led to a red card, and Lee Howarth beat Paul Musselwhite from 12 yards to level the game and that is how it finished.

MATCH REPORT BY RAY MURPHY:

Bedford Town 1 Eastleigh 1
Conference South

On a blustery windy afternoon, Eastleigh returned from the home of Conference South new boys Bedford Town with a deserved point. All the pre season preparations out of the way and the final team list named The Spitfires were the first opponents for last seasons Southern League play off winners, having actually finished sixth at the end of the league campaign.

Bedford fielded near enough the side that had won them promotion last season, one notable exception being the addition to the squad of thirty three year old striker John Lawford previously of Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury United and Bishops Stortford to boost their attack.

Eastleigh had seven players making their Conference South debut for the side with another two new signings on the bench. The Eastleigh side, also disrupted by the fact that looking in the Bedford stand there were a further seven Eastleigh players either injured or unavailable through suspension, leaving them with only one recognised striker in their starting line up.

With the wind to their advantage for the opening period Eastleigh had an opportunity to open the scoring in the first minute, Adam James' long throw causing confusion in the Bedford rearguard but no Eastleigh player able to take advantage. As Bedford played the ball against the wind, with six minutes played a dipping shot from Aaron Cavill saw an excellent stop from Paul Musselwhite.

Eastleigh's makeshift striker Darren Wheeler was full of running for the whole of the afternoon. Following a fifty yard run after ten minutes, the normal wingers cross was half cleared falling for Danny Smith who’s attempt was clawed away by home goalkeeper Ian Brown. Francis Benali was caught napping on twenty minutes allowing a chance for home striker Michael Lyon, but he lacked composure and shot wide of the target. A couple of minutes later a foul on Smith on the edge of the Bedford penalty area allowed Jason Dodd a free kick opportunity, but he could only curl his shot just over the bar.

The best opening opportunity came on twenty-five minutes when Bedford keeper Brown missed Dodd’s corner but the unmarked Robbie Marshall could not direct his header goalwards. As the interval approached the home side saw a Lawford header from a Mike Ford free kick go just wide and it was in the dying second of the half that Eastleigh took the lead. Wheeler again causing concern with his pace and strong running was set free down the left flank. Firing towards goal, Wheeler's effort was superbly pushed away by Brown but the following up David Hughes managed to turn the ball back across the face of the goal where Wheeler had continued his run to nonchantly prod the ball over the line for Eastleigh's opening Conference South goal of the season.

The start of the second period never saw either side really come to grips with the conditions. The wind not relenting on a bumpy hard dry playing surface. The home side were starting to show more of an attacking force as the half wore on. With sixty three minutes played a fine run by Cavill saw the midfielder's shot beat the diving Musselwhite but then the ball striking both posts before coming back into play before being cleared for a corner by an Eastleigh defender. From Ford’s right wing corner, Lawford's header appeared goal bound but struck David Town on the goal line. Referee Mr. Russell from Northampton immediately awarded a spot kick to the home side and then red-carded Town for denying a goal scoring opportunity. Home skipper Lee Howarth thundered the penalty past Musselwhite for the equaliser.

The home side showed more willingness to come forward in search of a second goal. Marshall and Steve Forbes both produced blocks to deny Lawford and Eddie Lawley attempts on target, but regular goal scoring chances were few and far between. In the dying moments of the game Musselwhite was out to save at the feet of Lawford. Whilst Forbes headed a Dodd free kick just over the bar.With three minutes remaining the busy Bedford midfielder later to be named as their sponsors man of the match, Derwayne Supple was shown a second yellow card of the afternoon for a foul on Smith, but Eastleigh did not really work the home goalkeeper during the second period, but a draw a fair result for both sides.