Happy New Year! Spitfires begin 2011 with all three points
FARNBOROUGH v EASTLEIGH
SATURDAY 1st JANUARY 2011
Blue Square Bet South
Report by Ray Murphy
Eastleigh produced arguably their best result so far this season with a hard earned victory away at the side that was placed second in the table at the start of the days fixtures. The result gives even more high impression when you see that the defeat for the home side was their first in a competitive game for eleven outings at home this season.
Ian Baird kept faith with the same starting eleven that had notched a victory at Weston Super Mare the previous Tuesday, whilst the opposition manager Steve King, trying to freshen things up from their previous disappointing 1-1 draw with Basingstoke Town; showed five changes to his side from that fixture. With limitations to a limited squad owing to a current transfer embargo, Farnborough only had four substitutes available. Jamie Slabber returned to the Eastleigh substitutes bench following his bout of flu, replacing the injured Brett Poate.
Little had happened in the game until the sixth minute when the home side took the lead. Farnborough had a little bit of luck in the assist when Danny Smith’s challenge saw the ball fall kindly for Michael Malcolm making his full home debut since joining from Blue Square Bet Premier League side Crawley Town. Malcolm slipped the ball through for Bradley Bubb and with the Eastleigh rearguard looking for an offside flag against the striker, Bubb steadied himself before drilling a low shot through the legs of Gareth Barfoot, though Barfoot managed to get a foot to the ball but not a strong enough connection to stop the ball going into the net.
Both sides showed promise into trying to open up the opposition, though chances were limited early on. Eastleigh scored their equaliser on sixteen minutes from a corner. Tony Taggart's corner from the right was met with a powered header from skipper Tom Jordan and the Spitfires were level.
The rest of the half was pretty even with Taggart enjoying an excellent match on a return to one of his former clubs. For Farnborough it was midfield playmaker Daryl McMahon who was teasing the Eastleigh defence with his astute passing, whilst the pacy Bubb kept Eastleigh on their toes. Brett Williams was playing the front runners role knowing he was playing for the position to be kept as his own.
Taggart saw a long range twenty-five yard strike just off target midway through the half whilst twelve minutes later McMahon produced a similar effort but the drive was always rising and just cleared the bar. On thirty-seven minutes Pete Adeniyi produced some neat footwork to get himself out of a tight situation before sending the ball into the six yard area where Richard Graham managed to get his head to the ball but home goalkeeper Michael Jordan saved the effort.
Graham on forty-one minutes showed an example of his ability on the edge of the area but could not keep his shot below the bar. In first half stoppage time with Farnborough failing to clear another Eastleigh corner, Taggart sent in another shot which brought another save from Jordan.
Five minutes into the second period, the persistence from Taggart saw him arrive in the penalty area this time his low drive being saved at the foot of the post by Jordan. On fifty-eight minutes Anthony Riviere who covered every inch of the Farnborough surface set up Williams but the striker fired his shot wide from twelve yards. Riviere himself dragged a shot wide six minutes later.
On seventy-two minutes Williams burst through into the penalty area but as preparing to shoot fell to the floor under a challenge from James Smith, referee Ben Knight waving away all appeals for a penalty from the Eastleigh side.
Seventy-seven minutes and Eastleigh found themselves in the lead. An excellent piece of play by Eastleigh involving Adeniyi, Williams and Riviere ended with Taggart firing home past Jordan to fully mark his return to Farnborough.
The lead and the result was almost confirmed two minutes later when Bubb held his head in despair as his rising half volley from thirty-five yards brought a tremendous acrobatic save from Barfoot to tip the ball over the bar.
Ian Baird kept faith with the same starting eleven that had notched a victory at Weston Super Mare the previous Tuesday, whilst the opposition manager Steve King, trying to freshen things up from their previous disappointing 1-1 draw with Basingstoke Town; showed five changes to his side from that fixture. With limitations to a limited squad owing to a current transfer embargo, Farnborough only had four substitutes available. Jamie Slabber returned to the Eastleigh substitutes bench following his bout of flu, replacing the injured Brett Poate.
Little had happened in the game until the sixth minute when the home side took the lead. Farnborough had a little bit of luck in the assist when Danny Smith’s challenge saw the ball fall kindly for Michael Malcolm making his full home debut since joining from Blue Square Bet Premier League side Crawley Town. Malcolm slipped the ball through for Bradley Bubb and with the Eastleigh rearguard looking for an offside flag against the striker, Bubb steadied himself before drilling a low shot through the legs of Gareth Barfoot, though Barfoot managed to get a foot to the ball but not a strong enough connection to stop the ball going into the net.
Both sides showed promise into trying to open up the opposition, though chances were limited early on. Eastleigh scored their equaliser on sixteen minutes from a corner. Tony Taggart's corner from the right was met with a powered header from skipper Tom Jordan and the Spitfires were level.
The rest of the half was pretty even with Taggart enjoying an excellent match on a return to one of his former clubs. For Farnborough it was midfield playmaker Daryl McMahon who was teasing the Eastleigh defence with his astute passing, whilst the pacy Bubb kept Eastleigh on their toes. Brett Williams was playing the front runners role knowing he was playing for the position to be kept as his own.
Taggart saw a long range twenty-five yard strike just off target midway through the half whilst twelve minutes later McMahon produced a similar effort but the drive was always rising and just cleared the bar. On thirty-seven minutes Pete Adeniyi produced some neat footwork to get himself out of a tight situation before sending the ball into the six yard area where Richard Graham managed to get his head to the ball but home goalkeeper Michael Jordan saved the effort.
Graham on forty-one minutes showed an example of his ability on the edge of the area but could not keep his shot below the bar. In first half stoppage time with Farnborough failing to clear another Eastleigh corner, Taggart sent in another shot which brought another save from Jordan.
Five minutes into the second period, the persistence from Taggart saw him arrive in the penalty area this time his low drive being saved at the foot of the post by Jordan. On fifty-eight minutes Anthony Riviere who covered every inch of the Farnborough surface set up Williams but the striker fired his shot wide from twelve yards. Riviere himself dragged a shot wide six minutes later.
On seventy-two minutes Williams burst through into the penalty area but as preparing to shoot fell to the floor under a challenge from James Smith, referee Ben Knight waving away all appeals for a penalty from the Eastleigh side.
Seventy-seven minutes and Eastleigh found themselves in the lead. An excellent piece of play by Eastleigh involving Adeniyi, Williams and Riviere ended with Taggart firing home past Jordan to fully mark his return to Farnborough.
The lead and the result was almost confirmed two minutes later when Bubb held his head in despair as his rising half volley from thirty-five yards brought a tremendous acrobatic save from Barfoot to tip the ball over the bar.
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