Eastleigh FC

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EASTLEIGH v HAVANT & WATERLOOVILLE SATURDAY 30th JANUARY 2010 Blue Square South Report by Jamie Montigue In this eagerly anticipated Hampshire derby between local rivals Eastleigh and Havant & Waterlooville, it was Shaun Gale's Hawks who left the Silverlake Stadium with all three points leaving Ian Baird's Spitfires empty-handed. Owing to the adverse weather, this was only Eastleigh's second game of 2010 and their first at home since that Boxing Day demolition of Basingstoke Town over five weeks ago. Ian Oliver retained his place at left back following his return from a loan spell with Gosport Borough and a strong performance in the 3-0 away over Maidenhead United last weekend on his return to Eastleigh. In fact it was an unchanged starting eleven for the hosts from the side that scored three goals in the first 18 minutes against Johnson Hippolyte’s side 7 days ago. The game began at a frantic pace with both sides looking eager to force an early goal. ...

By Wendy Gee -      EASTLEIGH boss Ian Baird has hinted that Ian Oliver will keep his place for Saturday's big south coast derby against Havant & Waterlooville at the Silverlake Stadium. With Brett Poate sitting out a one-match ban, Oliver - recently back from loan at Gosport Borough - was handed his first league start of the season in Saturday's 3-0 Blue Square South win at Maidenhead.  "I was very pleased with Ian," said Baird. "You could say he's had a slightly raw deal this season, but he's come in and taken his chance well."  Ex-Saint Poate is available for Saturday's high-stakes derby against his old club Havant, but Baird said: "Anyone who plays for me knows he's not keeping the shirt warm for anyone else.  "Everyone is judged on merit.  "Let's just say that if I were Ian Oliver and I got left out this Saturday, I'd have a problem with that."

MAIDENHEAD UNITED v EASTLEIGH SATURDAY 23rd JANUARY 2010 Blue Square South Report by Ray Murphy This really was the bare thread of Eastleigh that performed at Maidenhead on Saturday. Danny Smith and Brett Poate both serving a one match suspension, the starting line up virtually picked itself with Jamie Brown dropping to the substitutes bench to allow Richard Gillespie and Andy Forbes to start as the strike force for the side’s first game for four weeks. Peter Adeniyi celebrated his thirtieth birthday with a place in the starting line up replacing Smith whilst Ian Oliver back from his loan spell at Gosport Borough filled Poate’s usual left back role. Eastleigh started showing they were eager to make up for those lost weeks. It took them only four minutes to open the scoring. Tony Taggart’s right wing corner floated right underneath the crossbar. Maidenhead’s goalkeeper Chris Tardif once a trialist at Eastleigh only managed to palm the ball up on to the bar allowing Tom Jordan ...

Today's game versus Welling United has been called off after a 9am pitch inspection this morning.

By Wendy Gee -      EASTLEIGH’S experienced left-back Trevor Challis has called time on his playing career. A persistent knee injury means the 34-year-old former Shrewsbury, Bristol Rovers and QPR defender can take no further part in the Spitfires’ Blue Square South play-off push – although he remains at the club in an off-the-field capacity. “Trevor’s got bone on bone on the knee and he can have as many injections as he likes, but he’s just not fit enough for Conference South football and he’ll no longer have a playing role,” explained manager Ian Baird. “I want to keep him around though and he’s going to stay with us basically for nothing. He’s an influential figure and a good character and I’d like to keep him around the dressing room until the end of the season. Meanwhile hotshot Andy Forbes has been taken off the transfer list. The striker – scorer of an impressive 141 goals in 258 appearances for the Spitfires – had his name circulated in la...

"Our supporters will be interested to know that Ian Baird has asked that Andy Forbes be removed from the available for transfer list, with immediate effect. "We trust that no further comment from the Club is necessary!" Forbes had been made available for transfer back in November 2009. (Link) Meanwhile, in other news Eastleigh's away game against Lewes, originally scheduled for 6th January and then re-arranged for 13th January, has been postponed until further notice due to the snow conditions.

With no games played this weekend, for any the 68 member clubs of the Football Conference who make up the Blue Square Premier, North and South Divisions, some of them are feeling the pinch from a cashflow perspective as the weather forecast looks bleak for many of them going forward to next week, let alone looking back over already postponed league, FA Cup and FA Trophy fixtures. The Board of the Football Conference has therefore released earlier than anticpated monies from central funding which it is hoped will assist, albeit nothing compensates a clubs finances than being able to stage home matches and the income they generate. Chairman Brian Lee said "It might be a small gesture but we have to do all we can during this spell of bad weather to ease the burden. Any extra income from any source at this time can only be of benefit and while the clubs would have been getting another share from central funding shortly, it was deemed a sensible action for the Board to take by releas...

Tonight's re-scheduled match against Lewes has been postponed due to the adverse weather. The new date for this league game has been re-arranged for Wednesday 13th January, a week today. Lewes v Eastleigh - Blue Square South   

By Wendy Gee -     STRIKER Jamie White is on his way back to Saints after a three month loan with Blue Square South promotion hopefuls Eastleigh. Ex-Saint Ian Baird, manager of the non-League side, had been keen to keep the 20-year-old for the rest of the campaign. But after two injury-wrecked seasons, Harefield-based White wants to show Saints boss Alan Pardew what he is capable of before his contract runs out in July. “It’s a weird one really,” said Baird. “I said to Jamie that I would like to keep him at Eastleigh, but after three months we can’t loan him month-to-month any more and we would have to take him until the end of the season. “Jamie’s taken advice off his agent and he wants to give himself every chance of impressing the new manager (Pardew) and I don’t blame him for that. “He’s been out injured for a long time and he wants to give it a bit of a crack there.”

Blue Square Announce “Manager of the Month” Awards for December “Unbeaten Dons Land Terry the December Honours” AFC Wimbledon boss Terry Brown has won the Blue Square Premier “Manager of the Month” award for December. Brown’s side moved into the play-off positions in the table with an unbeaten month. The Dons started the period with wins away at Salisbury then at home to Gateshead. The Boxing Day match with local rivals Hayes & Yeading United produced a comprehensive 5-0 win. They also kept a clean-sheet at play-off rivals Stevenage Borough gaining a valuable point in a goalless draw. Wimbledon also progressed to the next round of the FA Trophy with a 2-1 home win over Boreham Wood. In the Blue Square South the award goes to Chelmsford City’s Head Coach Glenn Pennyfather. The Clarets negotiated a tricky set of league fixtures with four 1-0 victories. Matches over the Christmas period against fellow promotion chasers Dover Athletic and Thurrock resulted in six points that...

Today's game v Basingstoke has been postponed, following a pitch inspection by the match referee at 1.00pm, and discussion with the managers. GAME OFF