Spitfires Take Aim

By Wendy Gee -

IAN Baird is convinced Eastleigh can turn a negative into a massive positive by reaching this season's Blue Square Bet South play-offs.

In fact the ex-Saint is so upbeat about the Spitfires' promotion prospects that he even believes they have a chance of landing the title.

Unlike in previous years when the likes of Grays Athletic, Weymouth and Newport County have dwarfed their rivals with their vast playing and financial resources, Baird reckons there is no stand-out title favourite this term.

Baird predicts it will remain a closely-fought battle and that no one will be running away with the title as Dean Holdsworth's Newport did last year when they romped home by 28 points from runners-up Dover.

"The league has never been as open as it is this year," said Baird. "There's not a Newport County who are going to run away with it, there's not a Grays to romp it and there's not a Weymouth or a Wimbledon to win with a massive budget.

"I'd imagine that this season Dover and Chelmsford have got more money than most but, generally speaking, I would say everyone's in the same sort of area financially.

"It's a very even league and there's a real opportunity for any club to win it."

If Baird had to narrow the field down, he would put six clubs in the frame for the championship- Dover,  Ebbsfleet, Havant, Chelmsford, Braintree and Eastleigh.

"Bromley are up there at the moment, but the reason I've discounted them is that, historically, they tend to have a good start but, come November/December time, they fall away," he reasoned.

"Maybe this year, they won't do that, we'll have to wait and see.

"At the moment I'd say there are six teams - including ourselves - who could win it and the ones who will succeed are those who have the inner strength and belief in themselves.

"We've got a good group of players at Eastleigh and I've said to our lads that provided they have the desire, the belief and the mental strength to succeed, then the opportunity is there for them."

After crashing out of the FA Cup so disappointingly at Woking two Saturday's ago, Eastleigh had a major point to prove when they returned to league action at home to struggling BSB South newcomers Boreham Wood last weekend.

They passed the test with flying colours, racing 2-0 up inside 16 minutes through Tony Taggart and Richard Gillespie and then setting the seal on victory with a second-half Chris Holland header.

"That defeat at Woking has certainly heightened my resolve to do well this season and the players have got to use it as a platform to at least get into the play-offs - and that's what we'll do," pledged Baird.

"Like a boxer, we've been knocked down, but we'll get up again and we'll win the fight in the end.

"Last Saturday was a good reaction.

"The lads were as disappointed with the Woking result as everyone else at the club.

"But they trained well during the week and I'm really pleased with their response.

"We were totally and utterly dominant and, if we'd scored seven, it would have been a fair reflection on the game.

"If I had to be critical, the only disappointment was that we missed a hatful of chances."

Eastleigh were without a game on Saturday, but they return to action at Hampton & Richmond Borough on Tuesday before welcoming Staines Town to the Silverlake this Saturday.