Baird so proud as Eastleigh put Sutton to the sword

By Wendy Gee -

PROUD Eastleigh boss Ian Baird praised the “professionalism” of his side after an emphatic 4-0 FA Trophy first round replay win at Sutton United last night.

Sutton, managed by former Spitfires Paul Doswell, had come within a couple of minutes of victory at the Silverlake on Saturday before Tony Taggart threw Eastleigh a late lifeline.

But the Ryman Premier Division leaders were firmly put in their place last night as goals by Chris Holland, Jamie Slabber, Anthony Riviere and Taggart earned the Spitfires £5,000 in prize money – plus a distinctly winnable home tie against Worcester City in the last 32 on January 15.

“I was surprised by the score but it was a thoroughly professional performance. We did very, very well,” said Baird.

“We created seven chances and scored four goals and you’ve got to be pleased with that.

“We worked extremely hard, which was all the more pleasing considering we had one or two players carrying knocks or a bit of illness.”

“There was a lot of edge to the game. Dos (Doswell) was desperate to win and so was I.

“Dos was very gracious afterwards but we restricted Sutton to very few chances – in fact I think Gareth Barfoot only had one save to make.

“I’d say it was our best away display of the season. We’ve had good games at Woking, Dover and even Hampton & Richmond but tonight everything we hit went in.

“Anyone who watched would say we were thoroughly professional and that’s so pleasing.”