Gillespie out for six weeks
By Wendy Gee - 
EASTLEIGH'S relief at salvaging a 1-1 draw against Sutton United in the FA Trophy first round has been tempered by news that striker Richard Gillespie faces six weeks sidelined with a broken hand.
After 65 tireless minutes spearheading Eastleigh’s 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation, Gillespie made way for Jamie Slabber as manager Ian Baird shuffled his pack in an attempt to wipe out Craig Dundas’s early opener for the Us.
Baird knew Gillespie had hurt his hand earlier in the half, but his decision to withdraw the former Bashley striker was more tactical than injury-related.
Indeed it wasn’t until later that evening, after Gillespie had been sent to hospital, that the shattering news came through that he had broken the fourth metacarpal.
“It was a bit of an innocuous challenge. I think Gilly just caught his hand on someone’s chest,” said Baird.
“I knew he’d hurt his hand and when I took him off I asked him if everything was okay and he said ‘no problem.’ But we sent him to hospital to get it X-rayed and the news came back that the hand was broken and he’d be out for six weeks.”
Despite the injury, Ian Baird acknowledged that he'd made a mistake with one his substitutions, the Eastleigh boss admitted: "I shouldn't have taken Gilly off. No disrespect to Shaun McAuley, but I should have gone with Gilly and Slabber up top.
"When Gilly's not there you miss his pace, his knack of scoring goals, everything about him really. It's a lesson to be learned and I apologised to him in the dressing room afterwards in front of everyone."
Eastleigh are going to have to cope without Gillespie well beyond tomorrow's (7.45pm) replay at Gander Green Lane.
After 65 tireless minutes spearheading Eastleigh’s 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation, Gillespie made way for Jamie Slabber as manager Ian Baird shuffled his pack in an attempt to wipe out Craig Dundas’s early opener for the Us.
Baird knew Gillespie had hurt his hand earlier in the half, but his decision to withdraw the former Bashley striker was more tactical than injury-related.
Indeed it wasn’t until later that evening, after Gillespie had been sent to hospital, that the shattering news came through that he had broken the fourth metacarpal.
“It was a bit of an innocuous challenge. I think Gilly just caught his hand on someone’s chest,” said Baird.
“I knew he’d hurt his hand and when I took him off I asked him if everything was okay and he said ‘no problem.’ But we sent him to hospital to get it X-rayed and the news came back that the hand was broken and he’d be out for six weeks.”
Despite the injury, Ian Baird acknowledged that he'd made a mistake with one his substitutions, the Eastleigh boss admitted: "I shouldn't have taken Gilly off. No disrespect to Shaun McAuley, but I should have gone with Gilly and Slabber up top.
"When Gilly's not there you miss his pace, his knack of scoring goals, everything about him really. It's a lesson to be learned and I apologised to him in the dressing room afterwards in front of everyone."
Eastleigh are going to have to cope without Gillespie well beyond tomorrow's (7.45pm) replay at Gander Green Lane.
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