Baird: "Two points dropped"

Eastleigh manager Ian Baird spoke to Radio Spitfire before and after today's 'six-pointer' against bottom of the table Hampton & Richmond Borough.

Ian Baird interview with Radio Spitfire v Hampton & Richmond. Pre-match >>http://t.co/5Jk0YDJQ and Post-match >> http://t.co/YUT292TB

Speaking before kick off Baird spoke of the importance of today's game: “No game is easy and at this stage of the season some could say it’s a relegation battle.

"It’s an extremely important game because we’ve come off the back of two losses. I'm not too disappointed with the performances just disappointed with silly mistakes, we need to get back on track."

On the subject of player news, Baird confirmed the signings of Graeme Montgomery and Shaun Wilkinson. "Frank (Frankie Raymond) has gone back to Reading but we've bolstered the squad by bringing Graeme Montgomery in from Aldershot.

"We've also brought Wilky (Shaun Wilkinson) in, he’s 30 years of age and by his own admission he's not fit. He's been out for 18 months but it just gives us a little bit of experience if I need to bring someone on with 15 minutes to go. I must stress it is only short term.

"Ian Herring, who is not contracted to us was part of the squad as everyone knows last year, but he's come in and getting treatment and hopefully getting fit with us."

Reflecting on the 1-1 draw with Hampton & Richmond, where Jamie Slabber's 36th minute header saw Eastleigh's 1-0 half time lead cancelled out after the break by Nathan Collier, Baird admitted it was "two points dropped."

Baird said: “I can’t criticise or fault the players’ effort, I thought they gave as much as they possibly could and on a different day the chances would have gone in."

Baird was pleased with goal scorer Jamie Slabber's performance, he said: “It was a decent delivery in from Montgomery and Slabbs (Jamie Slabber) has gone and stuck it in.

"It was good to get Slabbs back up top and I thought his performance today was excellent."

Describing the Beavers' equaliser, a fine run and finish from Nathan Collier, the Eastleigh manager commented: “He’s cut inside and he’s stuck it in the top corner, which is difficult to defend against, but we’re disappointed by how the goal has come about.

"These things happen in football when you’re trying to bring on young players but we are bitterly disappointed to throw away two points."

“We stuck at it, we didn’t let our heads down. You could see that their game plan was to try and sit in and hit us on the break and that’s what they did.

"We kept going and made one or two changes and stuff’s gone across the face of the goal again and cleared off the line, so all in all I'm disappointed but not too disappointed.

"Hampton had a game plan, they sit in, defend pretty much the final third and as I said to the players at half time, there’s all sorts of bravery in football and the bravery today was getting on the football. I was pleased with that aspect.

“Montgomery was excellent in the first half, I think he tired in the second where you could tell that he hadn’t played regular football, but he stuck to his task.

“I was pleased with Shaun Wilkinson when he came on, he gave us something that we have been missing and that’s a voice."

Next up for Eastleigh is a trip to former manager Paul Doswell's Sutton United. "Sutton next, lets make sure we recover right from today and re-group and go again," said Baird.