Setanta Shield KO for Spitfires

Dorchester Town 3-2 Eastleigh

Report by Ray Murphy

A truly unbelievable game, all five goals scored in sixteen first half minutes and Eastleigh surrendering a two goal lead to become the victims of defeat in their first ever Setanta Shield fixture.

Chris Tardif just signed from Oxford United was given his debut in goal allowing Jamie Pullen to rest having been an ever present so far this season. Anthony Riviere, Andy Forbes and Damian Scannell were all recalled to the starting line up following Saturday’s match at Bishops Stortford.
Eastleigh started brightly, Forbes headed a Scannell cross just wide after only four minutes and they were in front with their next attack on eight minutes. It was the same combination with Riviere setting up Scannell to provide a cross from which Forbes slotted home.

A minute later and The Spitfires were two goals ahead. Scannell again the provider, this time laying the ball into the path of Riviere to roll a shot past the advancing keeper Darren Behcet. Eastleigh were creating chances at will, both Jamie Brown and Scannell on more than one occasion had shots on target that were dealt with by Behcet.

Jamie Gleeson for the home side produced Dorchester’s best effort with a long range off target shot before they brought themselves back in the game on eighteen minutes. Jones Awuah had blasted the ball into the back of the net before having been brought back for a free kick in the home sides favour just on the edge of the box. Charlie Henry’s sweetly struck free kick rose into the top corner of the net wiping away Awuah’s previous goalscoring dejections.

On twenty-nine minutes, home skipper Alex Brown lost his footing on the edge of the area giving Paul Sales a chance but his placed shot was clawed back by Behcet. The miss proved costly, as within a minute the home side were level. In an identical position on the edge of the box to the first goal, Henry netted an equaliser. It was Henry’s second attempt at the same free kick in this instance, he earned himself a caution for not waiting for the referee’s whistle before his first effort was blocked, but on his retake he angled the ball into the same corner of the net to pull the sides level.

Worse was to follow for Eastleigh as two minutes later Awuah prodded home the third Dorchester goal in six minutes after Tardif had blocked an original shot from the striker.

The game could not maintain its high excitement level for the remainder of the match. Awuah headed wide on the half hour when he really should have done better whilst strike partner Ivan Forbes had an effort saved by Tardif.

Eastleigh stuttered around for most of the second period but created very few clear-cut chances despite the lion’s share of possession. The best chances of the second period fell first to the Forbes of Dorchester who raced clear of a static Eastleigh defence but a mixture of Tardif and the retreating Luke Byles wiped away the danger whilst for Eastleigh, their best effort was a scuffed shot from Scannell that was saved by Behcet.