YouTube woe for unlucky Spitifres

By Wendy Gee - 

EASTLEIGH boss Ian Baird is convinced the goal that condemned his side to an unlucky defeat at leaders Woking should never have been given.

 

The feeling that among the Spitifres players was that former Wimbledon and Orient striker Wayne Gray was offside when he netted the 47th-minute strike that eased the Cards six points clear at the top of the Blue Square Bet South.

And having watched Internet footage of the game, Baird agrees.

"We conceded a goal that everyone in the ground - including myself - thought was offside," he said.

"I've watched it back on YouTube and it confirms what I thought.

"The first half was even. We had no glaring opportunities and neither did they.

"But then we conceded as soon as we came back out and I'm convinced it should have been given offside.

"I gauge those sort of things by the reaction of the players and we had five or six of them making their feelings known to the referee.

"One of those was Danny Smith who never moans or complains about any decision, but he was very loud in letting the referee know how disappointed he was."

By the Cards' own admission, Eastleigh were the superior force for the first and, particularly, the last 20 minutes and had Garry Hill's leaders clinging on desperately.

But the turning point came when Woking's on loan Crawley midfielder Ben Smith - a player Baird had enquired about - sent in a fierce, low cross which Gray turned in at the near post.

Eastleigh - booted by new midfield signings Ali Fuseini and Scott Rogers - fought back strongly with Andy Forbes, Jamie Slabber and sub Richard Gillespie all going desperately close before skipper Tom Jordan had an effort cleared off the line by Mark Ricketts.

"After the goal, we totally and utterly dominated the second half," said Baird.

"But, for the third time in a week, I was left saying that we'd done really well and I couldn't criticise our effort and work-rate, but that we lacked a cutting edge.

"The two new lads did well in midfield, but we're not putting our chances away. Jamie Brown's put one over, Forbesy's gone close with a great header and, on another day, Andrew White would have scored when we put a great ball across the face of goal."

Eastleigh confirmed late last week that Bridle Insurance had reaffirmed their intention to acquire a majority shareholding of the club.

In the interim, Bridle have agreed a substantial sponsorship package which has already  funded the signings of Fuseini from Lincoln City and Scott Rogers from Newport County and could shortly see new faces arrive.

A striker and/or wide man would seem the obvious target with Baird admitting: "It's been very evident over the last three games that we lack a cutting edge."