Eastleigh FC

Eastleigh fans will be delighted to learn Ian Baird has bolstered his attacking options with the signature of highly regarded Scottish striker Craig McAllister from Conference National side Newport County. The imposing 31-year-old joins on a two-year deal which sees the forward become a Spitfire for the third time, having had spells at the Silverlake in 2001 and 2004. He is also well known to EFC Director and lifelong Oxford United season ticket holder Stewart Donald as he had a spell at The Kassam in 2008. "He has a very good physical presence and is exceptional in the air. Combine that with his excellent work ethic, Craig will add another dimension to our attacking options next season," said Spitfires manager Ian Baird. "Last season he was plying his trade for Luton who got to the Conference National play-off final, the season before he was an integral part of Crawley's Conference National winning team - he has proven quality and that record is hard to igno...

Eastleigh Football Club are delighted to unveil Lawshield as sponsors for the South Stand (opposite the clubhouse end) at the Silverlake Stadium for the 2012-2013 season. Lawshield have signed a deal with the club which sees the stand rebranded the Lawshield Stand and we hope the fans will embrace the newly named ‘Lawshield End'. Lawshield Managing Director Ken Specter commented:"It gives us great pleasure to continue our association with Eastleigh Football Club - we wish the whole team, both on the pitch and behind the scenes at the club all the best for the forthcoming season". Lawshield specialise in providing quality insurance products which are underwritten by leading insurers. Their products and services offer comprehensive cover and a seamless integrated service solution to Insurers, Brokers, Fleet Managers and Affinities. They provide a one stop shop offering outsourced claims assistance solutions for household insurance and personal/commercial motor insura...

Spitfires boss Ian Baird has accepted an invitation for his Eastleigh side to travel to Sutton United as he concludes a busy pre-season schedule ahead of the 2012-13 season. The fixture is scheduled for Saturday 21st July at Gander Green Lane against a U's side managed by former Eastleigh boss Paul Doswell. ''It's been very difficult to find Football League opposition this summer,'' said Doswell on the Sutton United website, "We've got good relations with Eastleigh and I think it's an exciting pre-season game - it won't have any bearing on the league season but will be a good test for us". The Londoners who finished 4th in the Blue Square South table last season and include former Luton, Coventry and Southampton right back Paul Telfer within it's management team will give Ian Baird a further chance to test his squad. Discussing pre-season generally Ian said: "I want to be able to see everyone get some decent pitch time so that the...

Eastleigh Football Club is delighted to announce strengthening our on-going relationship with high-quality vehicle sales supplier Snows Group for the 2012-2013 campaign. Snows celebrated 50 years in business this year and with the ink barely dry on the deal, Snows Group Chairman Stephen Snow commented: “We are delighted to support Eastleigh Football Club and strengthening our partnership reaffirms our commitment to local football. “As a business we continue to expand despite the challenging economic times and are pleased to play our part assisting Eastleigh with what looks to be a promotion pushing season next year”. Snows Group is a privately-owned, family company that has been providing motorists in southern England with a range of high-quality vehicles for over half a century. Representing BMW, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Peugeot, SEAT, Toyota and Volvo, they have established a reputation for being one of the UK’s leading motor groups with 19 franchises. EFC Commercial Manager Mark Jewe...

Eastleigh FC sponsor, 911uk.com has kindly agreed to extend and increase their exposure with the Spitfires for the 2012-2013 campaign. Having initially been introduced to the club in January 2012 the deal with the Porsche enthusiast website will see 911uk.com advertise around the Silverlake stadium and within the matchday programme. "We are honoured to welcome 911uk.com to the club for a second season and thank them for their continued support," said EFC Spokesman Darren Nangle. "The generous commitment of sponsors such as 911uk is the life blood for semi-professional clubs like Eastleigh and allows the club to perform on the highest platform possible for the enjoyment of the whole community." 911uk.com is an online website designed specifically for the Porsche enthusiasts. Registrations is fast, simple and absolutely free, so join up today for full access to the site and benefit from latest member offers. If you are interested in sponsoring Eastleigh or know some...

We are thrilled to announce a revised fixture on the 24th July 2012 as Eastleigh FC will now be playing host to a full strength Crewe Alexandra side in a pre-season friendly as part of their preparation for the new season. The scrumptious fixture against the Railwaymen's first team is a 7.45 kick off at the Silverlake on Tuesday 24th July. With Crewe's young, gifted side playing their brand of attractive, technical passing football this is a fixture not to be missed. Spitfires manager Ian Baird could not resist another opportunity to pit his wits against strong league opposition who only recently secured promotion into League One via the Play-off final at Wembley. Eastleigh FC Spokesman Darren Nangle said "Ian is working very hard to make sure we hit the ground running come the start of the season and a team of Crewe's technical ability and calibre will obviously provide a stiff test for him and his team". "Everything at the club is focused on what loo...

Popular ex-Saints winger Jordace Holder-Spooner has called time on his short career at Eastleigh FC by agreeing to join Blue Square South rivals Basingstoke Town, having rejected our contract offer. Manager Ian Baird was the first to wish him every success commenting: "I'm disappointed to lose him as he has tremendous ability but his injury and his exciting upcoming personal issues (his partner is pregnant) were obvious distractions, but nothing unusual. "He needs to give his footballing career every opportunity - I truly wish the lad every luck". The pacey 19 year-old arrived at the Silverlake at the beginning of last season having being released by Southampton. Jordace made 31 appearances in an Eastleigh shirt, netting 3 times but suffered an injury in the Quarter Finals of the Hampshire Cup against Romsey that kept him away from first team action towards the end of the season. Previous to Eastleigh, the powerful Reading based athlete was part of the Sout...

Eastleigh Football Club's pre-season schedule is completed as the club is pleased to confirm the latest addition to the friendly fixtures with the Spitfires set to travel to AFC Totton's Testwood Stadium. The fixture on Tuesday 24th July 2012 should provide a good test for Ian Baird's squad as the Evo-Stik Southern League side narrowly missed out on promotion last season. Manager Ian Baird said: "I suspect Steve Riley's Totton will be much changed from last term as they have seen plenty of comings and going over the last few months. It is always a tough test against a side that has shown its quality in the Southern League over the last twelve months and I'm sure it will be no different this year and prove a very beneficial fixture for both clubs". Talking about the pre-season generally Ian said: "I want to be able to see everyone get some decent pitch time so that they are all able to put forward a good case to be included in the matchday squad for t...

The article that appeared in the Echo recently regarding Sam WIlson needs some clarification to ensure a fair and balanced view on the statements made by the club on Ian Baird's behalf. At no stage in any conversations we had with Ben Wilson or Matty Gray was Barry Wilson involved in any negotiations with either of the players or the club. He did not advise them nor did he try to get involved in their decisions not to take the contracts which we offered the players. In the article it stated Stewart Donald quoted, "From Ian's perspective one of the stumbling blocks was that he was unwilling to pay an agents fee to Barry for Jack's signature". We would also like to state that in a conversation between Stewart and Barry Wilson, the following was said by Barry, " If I am the reason Ian won't sign Jack, then I will advise Jack to complete the deal without me for the benefit of the player and the club." The club will make no further comment on theses matt...

By Wendy Gee - EX-SAINTS youngster Jordace Holder-Spooner has left Eastleigh to sign for Blue Square Bet South rivals Basingstoke Town. The 19-year-old Reading-based winger was released from St Mary’s last summer having joined Southampton at the age of 14. He was part of Saints’ academy intake of 2009 which included England starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He played his first game for Eastleigh in a 4-1 pre-season friendly win over a Saints XI last summer and made his competitive debut as a substitute against Basingstoke on the opening day of the campaign. The pacy, powerful wideman went on to start 12 games for the Spitfires, scoring three goals, but his season was interrupted by a bad ankle injury sustained against Romsey in the Hampshire FA Senior Cup which sidelined him for nine weeks. His Eastleigh contract expired at the end of May and, although Baird had talks with his agent about the possibility of keeping him, Holder-Spooner chose to play closer to home with Bas...

Saturday 14th July is fast approaching, and we thought you might like an exclusive view of the poster for the event, to help get those taste buds flowing! Please download the poster at the bottom of the screen and put up at your place of work, social club and wherever you can. We want to see posters all over Eastleigh for what promises to be lots of fun and a memorable day. DOWNLOAD OUR OPEN DAY FLYER HERE

Eastleigh Football Club is thrilled to report that following the launch of the ‘early bird' season ticket offering, sales have soared, smashing the number of tickets sold during the equivalent period last year. A significant number of Spitfire fans have already renewed their Season Ticket plus there have been an encouraging number of new supporters choosing to buy their tickets for the first time - enjoying the heavily discounted prices. "We are really pleased with the figure and are very appreciative to all of the supporters who have opted to buy their tickets early," said EFC spokesman Darren Nangle who believes the club's decision to change the season ticket structure combined with manager Ian Baird's recent headline signings have all played there part. The ‘early bird package' are great value for money, making games much more affordable and representing excellent value for money - an adults season ticket works out at just £4.30 a game! This combined...