Martin blazes a trail...

... Malone expects more Eastleigh youngsters to follow defender's lead

AS Eastleigh prepare to welcome youth graduate Aaron Martin back to the Silverlake Stadium with Southampton tonight, director of football Dave Malone is hoping there will soon be more talent rolling off the Spitfires production line.

The Blue Square Bet South club took two under-16 teams to the recent Gothia World Youth Championship in Sweden and Malone was highly impressed with what he saw, writes WENDY GEE.

Both sides came through their groups to progress to the knockout stages.

And, in the case of the Eastleigh first team, they made it through to the last eight of the competition - further than any English team in recent years.

They eventually bowed out 1-0 in the quarter-finals to Norwegian side Oppsal IF, but Eastleigh left Scandinavia with their heads held high knowing they had been great ambassadors for the club.

"The first team were magnificent and were desperately unlucky to lose to a very strong Norwegian side," said Malone.

"The second team were even more devastated to lose. They won three and drew one of their games without conceding a goal and were eliminated on penalties. What can you say?

"Among the group of players there are four or five outstanding prospects, much better that anything we've had here at their age in the past.

"We all know it's make or break for players between the ages of 16 and 18, but we're hoping many of them will play under-18 and reserve football for the club and try and follow Aaron Martin's lead.

"Every one of the 30 players who went to Sweden were an absolute credit to the club and the staff party of Paul and Carol Wiltshire, Sam Malone, Ben Eagan, Gordon Chittenden, Darren Waterman and Mark Barrett were all amazing with the lads."

Dominic Cunliffe can be a key figure in helping to develop the next Aaron Martin having been appointed new manager of Eastleigh's reserves this summer.

Cunliffe previously did the same job for Blue Square Bet South rivals Basingstoke Town , but it was announced that Basingstoke were disbanding their reserves at the end of last season.

"Dominic's a lecturer at Southampton Solent University and I knew him from when he came down here with Basingstoke reserves," Malone explained.

"We've got a stronger recruitment process in place now and we've brought four or five lads in who have been with pro clubs."