Three more Eastleigh points make for a Good Friday!
EASTLEIGH v BROMLEY
FRIDAY 10th APRIL 2009
Blue Square South
FRIDAY 10th APRIL 2009
Blue Square South
Report by Jamie Montigue
Having already secured a playoff place in what has proved to be Eastleigh’s best season at this level of football, Ian Baird’s side still have all to play for to keep the pressure on both Hampton & Richmond and AFC Wimbledon at the head of the Blue Square South.
On this Bank Holiday Good Friday, Eastleigh welcomed the visit of Bromley and looked to avenge their early season 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Lilywhites.
Naming an unchanged starting eleven from last weekend’s fantastic 4-3 win at Bishops Stortford, the Spitfires first at Woodside Park, the Spitfires came into this fixture on the back of five successive league wins and looked to extend that run to six.
For the hosts it was extremely pleasing to see box-to-box midfielder Anthony Riviere back in the squad after a troublesome groin injury that has kept the fans favourite out of action for over a month. Even though he was an unused substitute today, Riviere could prove to play a key role in the remaining games.
The first chance of the game came from a near side throw in that was flicked on by Jamie Brown into the path of Peter Adeniyi who stroked a shot marginally wide of goal in the third minute.
A couple of minutes later, neat interplay from Eastleigh saw Jonny Dixon work the ball to Brown who in turn found Ashley Carew to his right. The former Barnet winger’s effort was kept out at the near post by Gareth Williams.
Eastleigh continued to exert the early pressure forcing two corners in quick succession. From their second set piece within a matter of seconds, Carew’s delivery to the far post was helped on by Aaron Martin at the far post. It looked inevitable that Dixon would punish Bromley as he reacted quickest to the loose ball inside the six yard box, but couldn’t quite connect with his close range shot.
Looking dangerous on the counter attack, Bromley broke quickly down the left with the ball at the feet of Ashley-Paul Robinson who whipped the ball into the box and only just beyond Adrian Stone.
What proved to be the defining moment in the game arrived with just ten minutes on the clock. Jamie Brown hassled and hurried in front of goal to bundle his way through into a goal scoring opportunity, at which point Aaron Fray took his legs away from behind just as the action man was about to pull the trigger. Referee Tim Robinson pointed to the spot and brandished a straight red card as he applied the letter of the law correctly to the culprit, who was the last man and had to take an early bath.
Taking full advantage of the situation was Eastleigh’s top goal scorer TONY TAGGART who confidently despatched the spot kick, smashing the ball to the keeper’s left for his fifth league goal from the last six games.
Ryan Hill caught the ball clean on the volley in the 23rd minute only to see Brown back to keep the stinging effort away from goal with a brave sliding challenge.
Despite playing with one less man, Bromley had come right back into the fray after Eastleigh’s extremely bright start.
Ten minutes before the break Ashley Carew broke away up the field at pace as he ran half the length of the pitch, beat his man and curled a side-foot effort straight at Williams.
In the next minute, Brown played Carew in on goal with a neat, threaded pass but this time Bromley were saved by their skipper Rob Gillman who came to his side’s rescue with an outstanding sliding challenge in the nick of time to prevent Eastleigh from doubling their advantage before the break.
Eastleigh began to settle a little more and finished the half on the front foot. Carew left his marker for dead, tormenting Mark Corneille by beating him not once or twice but an incredible three times leaving his marker on his backside before passing to Brown. Brown then chipped the ball out to the right to switch the play by finding Gavin Heeroo on the edge of the penalty area, though from a decent position the hard-working midfielder miscued a volley.
On the stroke of half time, Brown forced his way through into the area by muscling two defenders off the ball before firing in a shot that clattered off the keeper and out for a corner as Eastleigh held a slender lead at the break.
An impressive 937 was the official attendance to be announced shortly after the restart in the far from perfect conditions of cold and rain.
The next goal at this stage would be very important and, should one come, it could have a huge bearing on how the rest of the game pans out.
As it was, the football was far from pretty and you couldn’t quite see where it would come from as neither keeper had been tested for so long. Far too many passes were going astray from either side and the encounter had withered away into a gritty midfield battle with very limited goalmouth action.
Three minutes shy of the hour; Jonny Dixon burst through the middle and fed the ball through for Jamie Brown. Williams came out to meet the centre forward and went down like he had been shot when in reality Brown made little or no contact with the goalkeeper. As a result of this little episode, the referee punished Brown with a harsh yellow card.
Bromley came closest to troubling the scorers in the 66th minute when the unusual and unfamiliar sight of indecision as well as poor communication inside the Eastleigh penalty area, allowed the visitors a free shot at goal. The ball dropped dangerously to the edge of the area as two white shirts went for the same ball and failed to clear their lines sufficiently when Ryan Hall picked it up well lashing in a half volley with good technique – an effort that whistled past the post with Jason Matthews rooted to the spot. This rare occurrence from the Eastleigh back line could have proved costly but they survived despite looking shaky and went on to record their fourteenth league clean sheet of the season.
Ashley-Paul Robinson sized up a free kick on 68 minutes but failed to trouble Matthews, before Dixon played a short pass to Carew at the opposite end with the end product from a tight angle covered well by the goalkeeper.
Fifteen minutes from time, Brown and Adeniyi combined to good effect for the Spitfires as Williams, alert to the threat, rushed off his line to smother the ball and keep the hosts out once more.
Adeniyi ran through but blazed high over the cross bar as he latched on to a further through ball from Brown in the 80th minute, whilst a testing 20-yard shot from Aaron Dalhouse brought a save out of Matthews.
Substitute Brett Williams so nearly concluded the win four minutes later after a sublime, inch-perfect pass behind the defence from Gavin Heeroo saw the fresh legs of Williams nip in and drag a shot agonisingly wide but just an inch or too.
Former Spitfire Warren McBean failed to capitalise on a missed interception from Luke Byles as he squandered a glorious opportunity to level by snatching at his shot and lofting the ball harmlessly behind.
Eastleigh’s second substitute Matt Groves was impressively lively in his cameo performance in the closing stages of the game and the experienced striker had one shot deflected behind for a corner, before coming even closer when receiving the ball from Adeniyi a second time. Picking the ball up to the right of goal, Groves hit the ball sweetly with an early, clean driven strike that swerved away to the keeper’s right and had to be pushed around the post by Williams to prevent a second Eastleigh goal.
Jamie Brown nodded wide from a 90th minute Ashley Carew corner, before Brett Williams did all the hard work on the far side to beat a couple of defenders and make room for the shot only to make a weak connection.
Four additional minutes of time were added on and again it was Eastleigh and Matt Groves who came closest during the last of the action, as the former Dorchester and Lewes striker picked up on a short back pass and forced one last save out of Williams.
Eastleigh’s sixth consecutive league win meant that the Spitfires occupied second place at the close of play, with Hampton & Richmond not playing until tomorrow.
Having already secured a playoff place in what has proved to be Eastleigh’s best season at this level of football, Ian Baird’s side still have all to play for to keep the pressure on both Hampton & Richmond and AFC Wimbledon at the head of the Blue Square South.
On this Bank Holiday Good Friday, Eastleigh welcomed the visit of Bromley and looked to avenge their early season 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Lilywhites.
Naming an unchanged starting eleven from last weekend’s fantastic 4-3 win at Bishops Stortford, the Spitfires first at Woodside Park, the Spitfires came into this fixture on the back of five successive league wins and looked to extend that run to six.
For the hosts it was extremely pleasing to see box-to-box midfielder Anthony Riviere back in the squad after a troublesome groin injury that has kept the fans favourite out of action for over a month. Even though he was an unused substitute today, Riviere could prove to play a key role in the remaining games.
The first chance of the game came from a near side throw in that was flicked on by Jamie Brown into the path of Peter Adeniyi who stroked a shot marginally wide of goal in the third minute.
A couple of minutes later, neat interplay from Eastleigh saw Jonny Dixon work the ball to Brown who in turn found Ashley Carew to his right. The former Barnet winger’s effort was kept out at the near post by Gareth Williams.
Eastleigh continued to exert the early pressure forcing two corners in quick succession. From their second set piece within a matter of seconds, Carew’s delivery to the far post was helped on by Aaron Martin at the far post. It looked inevitable that Dixon would punish Bromley as he reacted quickest to the loose ball inside the six yard box, but couldn’t quite connect with his close range shot.
Looking dangerous on the counter attack, Bromley broke quickly down the left with the ball at the feet of Ashley-Paul Robinson who whipped the ball into the box and only just beyond Adrian Stone.
What proved to be the defining moment in the game arrived with just ten minutes on the clock. Jamie Brown hassled and hurried in front of goal to bundle his way through into a goal scoring opportunity, at which point Aaron Fray took his legs away from behind just as the action man was about to pull the trigger. Referee Tim Robinson pointed to the spot and brandished a straight red card as he applied the letter of the law correctly to the culprit, who was the last man and had to take an early bath.
Taking full advantage of the situation was Eastleigh’s top goal scorer TONY TAGGART who confidently despatched the spot kick, smashing the ball to the keeper’s left for his fifth league goal from the last six games.
Ryan Hill caught the ball clean on the volley in the 23rd minute only to see Brown back to keep the stinging effort away from goal with a brave sliding challenge.
Despite playing with one less man, Bromley had come right back into the fray after Eastleigh’s extremely bright start.
Ten minutes before the break Ashley Carew broke away up the field at pace as he ran half the length of the pitch, beat his man and curled a side-foot effort straight at Williams.
In the next minute, Brown played Carew in on goal with a neat, threaded pass but this time Bromley were saved by their skipper Rob Gillman who came to his side’s rescue with an outstanding sliding challenge in the nick of time to prevent Eastleigh from doubling their advantage before the break.
Eastleigh began to settle a little more and finished the half on the front foot. Carew left his marker for dead, tormenting Mark Corneille by beating him not once or twice but an incredible three times leaving his marker on his backside before passing to Brown. Brown then chipped the ball out to the right to switch the play by finding Gavin Heeroo on the edge of the penalty area, though from a decent position the hard-working midfielder miscued a volley.
On the stroke of half time, Brown forced his way through into the area by muscling two defenders off the ball before firing in a shot that clattered off the keeper and out for a corner as Eastleigh held a slender lead at the break.
HALF TIME: Eastleigh 1-0 Bromley
An impressive 937 was the official attendance to be announced shortly after the restart in the far from perfect conditions of cold and rain.
The next goal at this stage would be very important and, should one come, it could have a huge bearing on how the rest of the game pans out.
As it was, the football was far from pretty and you couldn’t quite see where it would come from as neither keeper had been tested for so long. Far too many passes were going astray from either side and the encounter had withered away into a gritty midfield battle with very limited goalmouth action.
Three minutes shy of the hour; Jonny Dixon burst through the middle and fed the ball through for Jamie Brown. Williams came out to meet the centre forward and went down like he had been shot when in reality Brown made little or no contact with the goalkeeper. As a result of this little episode, the referee punished Brown with a harsh yellow card.
Bromley came closest to troubling the scorers in the 66th minute when the unusual and unfamiliar sight of indecision as well as poor communication inside the Eastleigh penalty area, allowed the visitors a free shot at goal. The ball dropped dangerously to the edge of the area as two white shirts went for the same ball and failed to clear their lines sufficiently when Ryan Hall picked it up well lashing in a half volley with good technique – an effort that whistled past the post with Jason Matthews rooted to the spot. This rare occurrence from the Eastleigh back line could have proved costly but they survived despite looking shaky and went on to record their fourteenth league clean sheet of the season.
Ashley-Paul Robinson sized up a free kick on 68 minutes but failed to trouble Matthews, before Dixon played a short pass to Carew at the opposite end with the end product from a tight angle covered well by the goalkeeper.
Fifteen minutes from time, Brown and Adeniyi combined to good effect for the Spitfires as Williams, alert to the threat, rushed off his line to smother the ball and keep the hosts out once more.
Adeniyi ran through but blazed high over the cross bar as he latched on to a further through ball from Brown in the 80th minute, whilst a testing 20-yard shot from Aaron Dalhouse brought a save out of Matthews.
Substitute Brett Williams so nearly concluded the win four minutes later after a sublime, inch-perfect pass behind the defence from Gavin Heeroo saw the fresh legs of Williams nip in and drag a shot agonisingly wide but just an inch or too.
Former Spitfire Warren McBean failed to capitalise on a missed interception from Luke Byles as he squandered a glorious opportunity to level by snatching at his shot and lofting the ball harmlessly behind.
Eastleigh’s second substitute Matt Groves was impressively lively in his cameo performance in the closing stages of the game and the experienced striker had one shot deflected behind for a corner, before coming even closer when receiving the ball from Adeniyi a second time. Picking the ball up to the right of goal, Groves hit the ball sweetly with an early, clean driven strike that swerved away to the keeper’s right and had to be pushed around the post by Williams to prevent a second Eastleigh goal.
Jamie Brown nodded wide from a 90th minute Ashley Carew corner, before Brett Williams did all the hard work on the far side to beat a couple of defenders and make room for the shot only to make a weak connection.
Four additional minutes of time were added on and again it was Eastleigh and Matt Groves who came closest during the last of the action, as the former Dorchester and Lewes striker picked up on a short back pass and forced one last save out of Williams.
Eastleigh’s sixth consecutive league win meant that the Spitfires occupied second place at the close of play, with Hampton & Richmond not playing until tomorrow.
FULL TIME: Eastleigh 1–0 Bromley
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