Defeat can leave Eastleigh play-off dream at low Ebb

By Wendy Gee -

SKIPPER Tom Jordan admits there was a real sense of "missed opportunity" among Eastleigh's crestfallen players following Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at Maidenhead United.

But the towering central defender insists the belief is still there in the Spitfires camp that they can reach the Blue Square Bet South play-offs - starting with victory over third-placed Ebbsfleet United at the Silverlake Stadium tomorrow.

A win at lowly Maidenhead would have lifted Eastleigh into the coveted fourth play-off spot.

But they fluffed their lines at York Road, sunk by a 48th-minute winner from one of their former players Will Hendry.

It continued a rollercoaster run of results for the inconsistent Spitfires whose last seven outings have followed a baffling 'lose one, win one' sequence.

"It's hard to put a finger on why we've been so up and down and it's difficult to accept at the moment," admitted Jordan.

"The Maidenhead game was earmarked as one we needed to take points out of and get ourselves into the top five, but Maidenhead are in a battle themselves at the moment (to stay up).

"On the night I thought we were a touch unlucky to get beaten. A draw would have been a fairer result given the chances we created.

"There was a real sense of disappointment and missed opportunity in the dressing room afterwards.

"But to be honest, I've seen the manager (Ian Baird) more disappointed in the past.

"I still think he's got a genuine belief that we can finish in the play-off places and there's real belief among the players too.

"The good results we've had against Woking (4-1) and Staines (5-0) have given us all belief but we need our match-winners like Jamie Slabber, Tony Taggart and Richard Graham to make an impression.

"Our attacking players have got to step it up and be the difference."

Eastleigh remain seventh, two points outside the play-off spots, having used up their game in hand.

They have 12 points left to play for with tomorrow's visit of Ebbsfleet followed by Boreham Wood away on Good Friday (1pm), Hampton & Richmond at home on Easter Monday (1pm) and Bromley away on April 30.

"If we perform to the best of our ability for the rest of the season, it does make me think that it will go down to the final day and there will be a few people waiting for final scores," said Jordan.

"But if we lose tomorrow there will only be three games left and, in all realism, we'll be running out of points.

"Tomorrow is our biggest match of the season and it's a must win game."

Ebbsfleet are in a strong position to claim a play-off place after crushing doomed St. Albans 4-0 last Saturday, but manager Liam Daish has ordered his team not to ease off.

"We want to reach the play-offs in form and not just crawling over the line," he said. "We want to go in there full of confidence."

Wide midfielder Tony Taggart is described as a "big doubt" by Baird after going off with calf trouble at Maidenhead.

Eastleigh right-back Warren Goodhind - a former Ebbsfleet player - serves the second of his two-match ban tomorrow.