Eastleigh ambition comes at a price
By Wendy Gee
EASTLEIGH’S determination to plough on towards full-time football has cost them the services of popular wideman Dale Binns.
The 31-year-old was offered a new deal by the beaten Blue Square Bet South play-off semi-finalists, but only on the proviso that he could do the twice-weekly daytime training introduced by manager Richard Hill midway through last season.
But Binns holds down a full-time job in Islington, London, and could not afford to give it up for the money Eastleigh were offering.
Binns has had a glittering Conference South career and joined the Spitfires last summer fresh from winning the league with Woking.
He went on to establish himself as a Silverlake crowd favourite and Eastleigh would love to have kept him. But Hill is intent on steering the club towards full-time football and warned earlier this year that the price of daytime training would be that they would miss out on certain players with careers outside the game.
“I said a while back that we would lose players who can’t train daytimes and, unfortunately, Dale falls into that category,” said Hill.
“We made him an offer and I’d love to have re-signed Dale. It’s no coincidence that he’s been in sides that have won the league and the play-offs.
“I like to sign what I believe are good players and Dale falls into that category and the fact that he’s left-sided helps.
“But he’s got a very good full-time job and we couldn’t afford the money we would have to have paid him to train during the day. I’ve nothing but good things to say about Dale and I fully understand his situation.”
With Andy Forbes also leaving, Hill now has a group of players who can all do daytime training and will ensure that any summer signings fit in with that criteria.
“I’ve enquired about one very good Conference player, but he’s got a good job and couldn’t commit to daytime training,” the boss revealed. “He’d have been interested in coming to us if we trained at night so, potentially, we’ve missed out on a very good squad addition.
“
But it’s like I said, we will lose out on players because of daytime training – but what’s the alternative?
“
If we were to go back to training two evenings a week, that would be a backward step in my opinion.”
Eastleigh have nine players under contract for next season – skipper Glen Southam, goalkeepers Ross Flitney and Jack Dovey, defenders Chris Todd and Dean Beckwith and attacking quartet Damian Scannell, Jai Reason, Craig McAllister and Corey King. Two more, Michael Green and Dan Spence, have been offered new deals along with Binns and Mitchell Nelson, who have both turned them down.
Loan duo Alex Lacey and Adam Watkins have returned to parent club Luton while Forbes, Mark Hughes, Lee Peacock and Chris Flood have been released.
Hill is still talking to former Bristol Rovers striker Chris Zebroski, who joined the club on non-contract terms in February, but says he would understand if the 26-year-old moved on.
“Chris is not being disrespectful to Eastleigh, but he’d like to see what his prospects are higher up,” said the Spitfires boss. “The deal was for him to come to us until the end of the season and get us into the play-offs and you could see from the game at Dover that he needs to play higher. He was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch.”
EASTLEIGH’S determination to plough on towards full-time football has cost them the services of popular wideman Dale Binns.
The 31-year-old was offered a new deal by the beaten Blue Square Bet South play-off semi-finalists, but only on the proviso that he could do the twice-weekly daytime training introduced by manager Richard Hill midway through last season.
But Binns holds down a full-time job in Islington, London, and could not afford to give it up for the money Eastleigh were offering.
Binns has had a glittering Conference South career and joined the Spitfires last summer fresh from winning the league with Woking.
He went on to establish himself as a Silverlake crowd favourite and Eastleigh would love to have kept him. But Hill is intent on steering the club towards full-time football and warned earlier this year that the price of daytime training would be that they would miss out on certain players with careers outside the game.
“I said a while back that we would lose players who can’t train daytimes and, unfortunately, Dale falls into that category,” said Hill.
“We made him an offer and I’d love to have re-signed Dale. It’s no coincidence that he’s been in sides that have won the league and the play-offs.
“I like to sign what I believe are good players and Dale falls into that category and the fact that he’s left-sided helps.
“But he’s got a very good full-time job and we couldn’t afford the money we would have to have paid him to train during the day. I’ve nothing but good things to say about Dale and I fully understand his situation.”
With Andy Forbes also leaving, Hill now has a group of players who can all do daytime training and will ensure that any summer signings fit in with that criteria.
“I’ve enquired about one very good Conference player, but he’s got a good job and couldn’t commit to daytime training,” the boss revealed. “He’d have been interested in coming to us if we trained at night so, potentially, we’ve missed out on a very good squad addition.
“
But it’s like I said, we will lose out on players because of daytime training – but what’s the alternative?
“
If we were to go back to training two evenings a week, that would be a backward step in my opinion.”
Eastleigh have nine players under contract for next season – skipper Glen Southam, goalkeepers Ross Flitney and Jack Dovey, defenders Chris Todd and Dean Beckwith and attacking quartet Damian Scannell, Jai Reason, Craig McAllister and Corey King. Two more, Michael Green and Dan Spence, have been offered new deals along with Binns and Mitchell Nelson, who have both turned them down.
Loan duo Alex Lacey and Adam Watkins have returned to parent club Luton while Forbes, Mark Hughes, Lee Peacock and Chris Flood have been released.
Hill is still talking to former Bristol Rovers striker Chris Zebroski, who joined the club on non-contract terms in February, but says he would understand if the 26-year-old moved on.
“Chris is not being disrespectful to Eastleigh, but he’d like to see what his prospects are higher up,” said the Spitfires boss. “The deal was for him to come to us until the end of the season and get us into the play-offs and you could see from the game at Dover that he needs to play higher. He was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch.”
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