Eastleigh FC

Saturday 28th April - Yeading 1 Eastleigh 4 Report by Ray Murphy On a lovely summery afternoon in a carnival type atmosphere thanks to the travelling Eastleigh supporters, the Spitfires gave the followers something to remember for the next twelve weeks until the ball starts rolling again for a new season, leaving Yeading with their seventh consecutive defeat. Oxford United trialist Craig Richards came into the side at right back thus allowing Tarkan Mustafa to move into a midfield role, Steve West returned for the injured Robbie Marshall, Carl Wilson-Denis for the not fully fit Steve Watts and also a recall to the starting line up for Darren Wheeler. The afternoon did not start that well for Eastleigh. Having been met by a crescendo of noise balloons and trailing toilet rolls that saw the referee and the Yeading stewards clearing the pitch, the home side struck inside the opening ten minutes. In the seventh minute Yeading's leading scorer Marvin Morgan picked the ball up jus...

EASTLEIGH V BISHOPS STORTFORD TUESDAY 24th APRIL 2007 Conference South Eastleigh tonight ensured Conference South survival with a point being enough against playoff chasing Bishops Stortford. The match did not begin well though for the Spitfires, as a case of deja-vu was displayed with an early goal conceded, just like Weston Super-Mare had done just days earlier. Again it was a cross from the right and a headed goal, Roy Essandoh the scorer, to sink the hearts of the Eastleigh faithful. Thankfully, Jason Dodd's men perked up in the second forty-five and were a lot more like their oldselves. Andy Forbes thumped home the equaliser as Darren Wheeler's introduction to the game, brought with it fruitful results. A point was more than enough for Eastleigh who can now travel to Yeading on Saturday with no need to fear! With so much at stake, the game was always going to bring excitement somewhere along the line and the old cliché, ‘a game of two halves’ was apparent w...

EASTLEIGH V WESTON SUPER-MARE SATURDAY 21st APRIL 2007 Conference South The celebrations were put on hold for Eastleigh this afternoon as the Spitfires only managed a point and the way other results went, means Jason Dodd’s side will have to wait a little longer to ensure safety mathematically.   With two games left to play though, there is time enough to put this right, though this result has to go down as two points dropped due to the great opportunity against an out of form side. Weston are now relegated, but with Bishops Stortford still in with a shout of a playoff spot, they will be coming to the Silverlake Stadium on Tuesday night with every intention of getting the points. Similarly, going away from home to Yeading on the final day of the season, will not be an easy game either, and so we see the fight is still on for Eastleigh as they seek out Conference South survival. Stuart Douglas, who had scored three goals in four games for the visitors in previous weeks, w...

TEAM: Luke Douglas, Ross Walliss, Liam Winzar, Scott Gilham (c), Aaron Martin, Chris Hall, Lewis Gundry, Lewis Hunt, Zach Glasspool, Obi Nene, Nathan Lynch SUBS: Andy Jacob (on for Hall 64), Ben Bosley (on for Lynch 77), Joe Prince-Wright (on for Nene 82) MATCH REPORT BY JAMIE MONTIGUE Eastleigh's third straight victory came at the expense of Beaconsfield this evening as the second string continued their storm up the table, this latest result coming days after the 2-0 win over Metropolitan Police where Zach Glasspool had a field day picking up both goals. The first chance came in the fifth minute when Zach Glasspool nodded over from Liam Winzar's left flank corner, one which the young striker - operating as a left winger, won himself in the first place. A quarter of an hour had been played when the Beaconsfield goalkeeper Jamie Hill was called into action not once but twice in a matter of seconds. Nathan Lynch was floored on the very edge of the area, but Glasspool ...

EASTLEIGH V BRAINTREE TUESDAY 17th APRIL 2007 Conference South A highly disappointing result for Jason Dodd and his men against a side gunning for promotion in their first season in the Conference South. All three goals came from set pieces to highlight the Spitfires weakness and to rub salt into their wounds, former Eastleigh forward, Bertie Brayley came back to haunt his old club with a goal. Eastleigh were forced to make three changes to the side that drew with Dorchester at the weekend with Karim El-Salahi and David Hughes out with injury along with Steve Watts who was rested. In came Chris Collins and Rob Marshall who made up a back three with Steve West. Liam Green was given a start to replace Hughes. The formation changed slightly with 3-5-2 when going forward, Tarkan Mustafa and Ian Oliver the wingbacks, and 5-3-2 when defending. Andy Forbes started the match operating in his favoured position as a centre forward alongside Jamie Brown. Inside the first minute of...

EASTLEIGH V DORCHESTER SATURDAY 14th APRIL 2007 Conference South Eastleigh, this afternoon edged a point closer to safety with a draw to complete an unbeaten run throughout the jam-packed period of four games in eight days. The Magpies edged the first half, though chances were few and far between for either side. Andy Forbes made a blistering start to the second though and the game certainly livened up and became more open from there, with the highly impressive Gavin McCallum grabbing an equaliser towards the end. It was David Hughes’ 202nd appearance for the Spitfires, the midfield maestro a great servant to the club. There were numerous changes from the side that drew with Eastbourne on Wednesday. Karim El-Salahi and Steve West replaced Chris Collins and Rob Marshall in the centre of defence. Liam Green and Darren Wheeler dropped to the subs bench with Hughes and Andy Harris filling their places. The final change was Tarkan Mustafa coming in for Craig Richards. A stron...

TEAM: Luke Douglas, Jon Horner, Lee O'Connell, Tom Roberts, Aaron Martin, Andy Jacob, Nick Watt, Lewis Hunt, Lewis Grundry, Scott Waters, Brett Williams SUBS: Nathan Lynch (on for Williams 77), Joe Prince-Wright (on for Horner 81), Scott Gilham (on for Martin 83) MATCH REPORT BY JAMIE MONTIGUE Knocked out of the cup on Easter Monday, losing out to Sutton United by two goals to one in the semi finals, Eastleigh bounced back with a solid performance to get back to winning ways. Young midfielder, performing for the reserves for the first time, Nick Watt, netted the opener with 30 minutes on the clock. Andy Jacob played a cross field pass to the left to pick out Watt who teased the Casuals full back before getting on to his right foot and unleashing a finish of the highest quality that sailed into the top right hand corner to give Eastleigh the advantage. The closest the visitors came after the Spitfires had taken the lead, was a fantastic attempt that rattled Luke Douglas...

EASTLEIGH V EASTBOURNE BOROUGH WEDNESDAY 11th APRIL 2007 Conference South Eastleigh continued their unbeaten run at the Silverlake Stadium this evening with a 1-1 draw with playoff hopefuls Eastbourne Borough. The visitors have not lost a game for an incredible fourteen matches now, as they put up a good fight and took the lead in a somewhat lacklustre first half before the skipper Danny Smith netted an equaliser with a fine header twenty minutes from time. The Spitfires welcomed back the famous centre half pairing of Rob Marshall and Chris Collins at the heart of defence for the first time since November, whilst Craig Richards was given his full debut at right back. Steve West, David Hughes and Carl Wilson-Denis dropped to the bench and the other changes from the side that picked up a point against Havant on Easter Monday included starting places for Danny Smith and Darren Wheeler. Tarkan Mustafa and Andy Harris missed out completely whilst other first teamers, Karim El-Sa...

Monday 9th April - Havant & Waterlooville 1 Eastleigh 1 Report by Ray Murphy Ian Oliver’s first goal of the season with a tremendous thirty yard left foot drive earned Eastleigh a point which they thoroughly deserved at promotion play off chasing Havant & Waterlooville. With other clubs in the lower section of the Division also gaining points it was a much needed point also. With their second game in forty-eight hours, The Spitfires were forced to change their line up from the side that had beaten Fisher 4-0. Both Steve Watts and Karim El Salahi were not fit to start the match whilst Darren Wheeler surprisingly was fit enough to take a place on the substitutes bench. In a match that never really lived up to the recent local rivalry of the two sides Eastleigh had the better of the opening half. Liam Green’s free kick on eleven minutes was pushed away by home goalkeeper Shane Gore. Three minutes later Andy Forbes cut in from the right flank but his final shot was just w...

Having won so many on the spin, the run had to end somewhere coming to an end away to Burnham Reserves. The 2-1 defeat for the reserves coming on their travels in midweek with Zach Glasspool grabbing Eastleigh's goal. Whilst the first team were beating Fisher Athletic on Saturday, the reserves also had a home game, which had to be played at BAT. Carshalton were the visitors as the Spitfires were held to a 1-1 draw. Next up, is a trip to Sutton United on Monday 9th April, for the Semi Final of the league cup, before coming back to the Silverlake Stadium on Thursday when they will entertain Corinthian Casuals Reserves. This is just the beginning as the season comes to a close with another 6 games to follow on from this hectic period. Eastleigh Res. v Carshalton Athletic Res. - 7th April 2007 Drew 1-1, Goalscorer: Chris Hall Burnham Res. v Eastleigh Res. - 3rd April 2007 Lost 2-1, Goalscorer: Zach Glasspool

EASTLEIGH V FISHER ATHLETIC SATURDAY 7th APRIL 2007 Conference South A memorable afternoon at the Silverlake Stadium watched by a good crowd, saw the Spitfires storm past Fisher Athletic with an extremely satisfying result and performance. Things could not have gone any better for Jason Dodd’s side in a healthy win with not only four goals scored, but another clean sheet for the excellent James Pullen and his defence. On this Easter Saturday, Eastleigh truly shone and continued where they left off with their fine home form that has seen them pick up four straight league wins on home turf. Both Danny Smith and Jamie Brown served the final game of their suspensions, whilst Francis Benali was out of the squad due to a suspected broken arm. Darren Wheeler being the only change from last weekend’s starting eleven, coming in for the injured Benali. Eastleigh made a bright start to the game with Steve Watts finding the back of the net with just two minutes on the clock. The fl...