Brown injury scare
By Wendy Gee - 
Eastleigh face an anxious wait to discover if they are going to lose frontline power house Jamie Brown to another costly injury.
The hard-as-nails targetman lasted less than 20 minutes of Saturday’s Blue Square South match at Thurrock before limping off with an ankle problem.
His premature exit cost the Spitfires dear in a 3-2 defeat that leaves them labouring in 13th place with just six points from a possible 15.
Eastleigh were one up through Anthony Riviere when Brown limped off. And although they led again through Tom Jordan after David Bryant had pulled Thurrock back on terms, two more Bryant goals unhinged them after the break.
“We were retaining the ball up front, but then Jamie went off and all of a sudden we weren’t,” said manager Ian Baird.
“I said to coach Matt Gray that if we didn’t look after the ball better we were going to concede because it couldn’t keep coming back all the time, and that’s exactly what happened.
“Brett Williams came on for Browner but, at this moment, he’s not having the same effect as he was last season. Young players like Brett and Aaron Martin historically come in and do well but, at some stage, they’re going to have a dip.”
Baird will know more about Brown’s injury once the swelling goes down, but he fears the worst.
The former Dorchester player is renowned for fighting through the pain barrier – hence he returned ahead of schedule against Bromley last Tuesday following a summer hip operation.
“For Browner to come off, it must be serious,” said Baird. “He wasn’t tackled, he just went over on the ankle, but it’s a huge problem for us if he’s out. He was so much a part of our success last season.”
The highs of finishing third and making the play-off semi-finals are but a distant memory for an Eastleigh side who have lost all three of their Saturday games to date.
Baird said: “No disrespect to Thurrock, but if we’re going to do anything this season we should be beating sides like that.
“No one’s outplayed us this season.
We’ve caused our own problems and the main problem is that we struggle if we haven’t got a strong, physical striker.
“Our budget dictates that we can’t go out and get another one, but there is perhaps the option of playing around with the budget and getting one or two out to bring another player in if needs be.”
Riviere’s sweet turn and shot put Eastleigh in the early ascendancy at Thurrock and, after Bryant had replied, Jordan prodded home their second in the 37th minute.
The second half was a tight affair, but it was Thurrock who made the break through on 66 minutes when Bryant headed home Fola Orinolishe’s cross.
Painfully for Eastleigh, it was one of their old boys, Matt Bodkin, who set Bryant up for his hat-trick with seven minutes to go. With wingers Shaun McAuley (stomach bug) and Tony Taggart (suspended) both out on Saturday, Eastleigh introduced Mike Gosney as a 72nd-minute substitute.
The left-sided wideman has signed on a month’s loan from AFC Totton.
Eastleigh face an anxious wait to discover if they are going to lose frontline power house Jamie Brown to another costly injury.
The hard-as-nails targetman lasted less than 20 minutes of Saturday’s Blue Square South match at Thurrock before limping off with an ankle problem.
His premature exit cost the Spitfires dear in a 3-2 defeat that leaves them labouring in 13th place with just six points from a possible 15.
Eastleigh were one up through Anthony Riviere when Brown limped off. And although they led again through Tom Jordan after David Bryant had pulled Thurrock back on terms, two more Bryant goals unhinged them after the break.
“We were retaining the ball up front, but then Jamie went off and all of a sudden we weren’t,” said manager Ian Baird.
“I said to coach Matt Gray that if we didn’t look after the ball better we were going to concede because it couldn’t keep coming back all the time, and that’s exactly what happened.
“Brett Williams came on for Browner but, at this moment, he’s not having the same effect as he was last season. Young players like Brett and Aaron Martin historically come in and do well but, at some stage, they’re going to have a dip.”
Baird will know more about Brown’s injury once the swelling goes down, but he fears the worst.
The former Dorchester player is renowned for fighting through the pain barrier – hence he returned ahead of schedule against Bromley last Tuesday following a summer hip operation.
“For Browner to come off, it must be serious,” said Baird. “He wasn’t tackled, he just went over on the ankle, but it’s a huge problem for us if he’s out. He was so much a part of our success last season.”
The highs of finishing third and making the play-off semi-finals are but a distant memory for an Eastleigh side who have lost all three of their Saturday games to date.
Baird said: “No disrespect to Thurrock, but if we’re going to do anything this season we should be beating sides like that.
“No one’s outplayed us this season.
We’ve caused our own problems and the main problem is that we struggle if we haven’t got a strong, physical striker.
“Our budget dictates that we can’t go out and get another one, but there is perhaps the option of playing around with the budget and getting one or two out to bring another player in if needs be.”
Riviere’s sweet turn and shot put Eastleigh in the early ascendancy at Thurrock and, after Bryant had replied, Jordan prodded home their second in the 37th minute.
The second half was a tight affair, but it was Thurrock who made the break through on 66 minutes when Bryant headed home Fola Orinolishe’s cross.
Painfully for Eastleigh, it was one of their old boys, Matt Bodkin, who set Bryant up for his hat-trick with seven minutes to go. With wingers Shaun McAuley (stomach bug) and Tony Taggart (suspended) both out on Saturday, Eastleigh introduced Mike Gosney as a 72nd-minute substitute.
The left-sided wideman has signed on a month’s loan from AFC Totton.
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