Eastleigh FC

STAINES TOWN 1-2 EASTLEIGH SATURDAY 27th FEBRUARY 2010 Blue Square South Report by Ray Murphy Eastleigh introduced Portsmouth F C loan signing Luke Wilkinson into the defence to partner Tom Jordan, that being the only change in personnel to the side that played at Basingstoke in midweek. Andy Forbes took up his more familiar role of striker as Lee Roache dropped to the substitute’s bench. Their hosts for the afternoon, Staines Town were on an eleven match unbeaten run having drawn two of those games but victorious in the remainder. It was a very resolute Eastleigh display though that saw them bring home three points. It was an entertaining start to the game with both sides intent on attacking. Despite the obvious intentions from both sides, neither goalkeeper was called to make a save in the opening minutes though both had seen some of the action. Eastleigh then got themselves ahead with the first shot on target in the thirteenth minute. Sam Butler’s twenty-fiv

By Wendy Gee - EX-SAINT Jo Tessem and Matt Day have become the "sacrificial lambs" of Eastleigh's embarrassing 8-2 defeat by Thurrock last Saturday. Both players went off injured during the Silverlake Stadium mauling and both were gone by the time the Spitfires redeemed themselves with a 1-0 Blue Square South victory at Basingstoke Town on Tuesday. Manager Ian Baird has already brought in one replacement, agreeing an initial one month's loan deal for 19-year-old Portsmouth centre half Luke Wilkinson. And the heartening news Spitfires fans is that popular defender Warren Goodhind looks like pulling the plug on his new life in Spain and could be back on the scene as early as next week. After just five starts and one substitute appearance, former Oxford United defender Day - signed from Hungerford Town in November as Goodhind's replacement - has reached the end of the road with the Spitfires due to fitness issues. "Matt's very good

By Wendy Gee - Eastleigh can hold their heads high again after silencing their critics with a gutsy Blue Square South victory at Basingstoke Town last night. The Spitfires put the embarrassment of Saturday’s 8-2 drubbing by Thurrock behind them to edge the Hampshire derby 1-0 at a soggy Camrose Ground thanks to Anthony Riviere’s 74th-minute decider. Anthony Riviere scored against Basingstoke to get Eastleigh back to winning ways. The Spitfires won 1-0 away from home, keeping a welcome clean sheet and picking up an invaluable 3 points as Ian Baird's side completed the double over their near neighbours. It lifts Ian Baird’s men to eighth place, just four points adrift of fifth-placed Thurrock, and has reaffirmed Eastleigh’s belief that the play-offs are still an achievable target. “We’ve all had an extremely bad three days where we haven’t wanted to face anyone or take any calls, knowing that everyone in our own little football world has been laughing at us,” said

BASINGSTOKE TOWN 0-1 EASTLEIGH TUESDAY 23rd FEBRUARY 2010 Blue Square South Report by Ray Murphy It was a somewhat subdued Eastleigh dressing room before the Tuesday evening fixture at Basingstoke only seventy-two hours after suffering their worst ever Conference South defeat 2-8 at home to Thurrock. Manager Ian Baird made changes to the side that had been defeated. Danny Smith reverted to right back, Ian Oliver recalled at left back, arguably the biggest surprise was to see striker Andy Forbes forming a central defensive partnership with Tom Jordan.  Ross Bottomley was given his first Eastleigh start in a central midfield role alongside Anthony Riviere with Peter Adeniyi and also starting for the first time Sam Butler on the left flank. Lee Roache was given his debut to play up front with Richard Gillespie. Jason Matthews kept hold of the number one spot. Aaron Cook found himself on the bench alongside Josh Webb, Freddie Toomer, youth teamer Lewis Robinson and ph

By Wendy Gee - DAVID Malone says Eastleigh won’t be conducting an inquest into Saturday’s 8-2 defeat by Thurrock because they are convinced it was a one-off. The Spitfires have themselves racked up some sizeable victories this season – notably a 6-0 Boxing Day win at home to Basingstoke Town, who they pay a return visit to tonight (7.45). And although director of football Malone readily accepts that the woeful capitulation was a “shock”, he insisted: “It’s not the end of the world. “We don’t go overboard when we’ve had an easy win and we don’t go overboard about one bad result. “You can’t legislate for the fact that on one particular day five or six players have not turned up. “But they’re honest enough lads and they know it’s not acceptable. I’d be amazed if there were anything like a repetition. “If there were, then you’d expect heads to roll – and I’m not talking about the manager there. “I don’t feel any need to defend Ian Baird. From the moment he walked through the door, we’v

EASTLEIGH v THURROCK SATURDAY 20th FEBRUARY 2010 Blue Square South Report by Jamie Montigue Twitter updates - http://twitter.com/eastleighfc Eastleigh were at their worst and hopelessly destroyed by a well-organised Thurrock side who fired on all cylinders this afternoon. Hakan Hayrettin’s play off hopefuls were streets ahead of Ian Baird’s Eastleigh on the day, as Thurrock made the most of the Spitfires’ appalling display punishing the home side with lethal finishing and all round commitment. At the start of the game, it was seen as imperative that Eastleigh picked up a win to keep their promotion hopes alive. Eight goals conceded and 90 minutes later, Eastleigh dropped to 11th in the table and now have a tall order; but importantly not impossible task on their hands, to get back within touching distance of fifth place. With a mounting injury list, Eastleigh were patched up somewhat and had no recognised wingers on the pitch due to sidelined duo Tony Taggart and Shaun McA

After a great amount of hard work, we are delighted to confirm the signing of three new players: Ross Bottomley - A player we have tracked for some time from AFC Totton. Ross can play up front/ centre half or midfield. Lee Roache - A striker that was on loan at EFC during the 2008/2009 season. Lee has subsequently played at Histon and Braintree. Sam Butler - An exciting wide player, signed from Whytleafe on the recomendation of ex-Tottenham/Southampton David Howells. The above three players will add much needed depth to our depleted squad. Thanks should go to members of the EFC Board, who have funded these signings, outside of our existing budget.

By Wendy Gee - ROSS Bottomley has scaled another rung of the non-League ladder by agreeing non-contract terms with BS South play-off chasers Eastleigh. Following a fall-out with Zamaretto South & West side AFC Totton, the tall, powerfully-built utility man has spent the last couple of months on loan at Bashley in the Zamaretto Premier. Bashley, Gosport Borough and Windsor are all believed to have been trailing the 25-year-old when his Totton contract was cancelled my mutual consent earlier this week. But Bottomley had aspirations to play higher and is delighted to have been given a chance by Eastleigh “It’s been my ambition to play at this level since I was 21. I’ve been pining to make it for the last four years and now it’s finally there for me. “I know I’ve got a lot of work to do to earn a place, but I’m looking forward to it. “I really enjoyed it at Bashley. Their manager Steve Riley is fantastic. “But I wanted to do pre-season with Eastleigh and I’m so pleased

Eastleigh's Director of Football Dave Malone provides us with an injury update. "Not good news! We currently have eight fit first team players. Four are hopefully short term, but the following players are to a greater or lesser degree very unlikely to be fit for the foreseeable future: Jamie Brown - Unlikely to play again this season (although we live in hope with the bionic man!) Staforde Palmer - Awaiting a report, but again unlikely to play again this season. Shaun McAuley - Ankle, likely to be out for minimum 3 weeks (maybe longer). Tony Taggart - Hamstring, impossible to judge at this stage, perhaps 4 weeks +. Brett Poate - Had injection last week, no real improvement - await report. "The following players have 'knocks' that we hope will respond to treatment: Matt Day, Anthony Riviere, Richard Gillespie & Andy Forbes. "All in all, the worst injury situation I have known - and with a small squad, we have no read

By Wendy Gee -     INJURIES are threatening to seriously undermine Eastleigh’s push for the Blue Square South play-offs. As if the two points dropped in Saturday's 2-2 draw at basement side Weston-super-Mare was not costly enough, the Spitfires added THREE more names to their long-term injury list. **Shaun McAuley went to hospital on Saturday night after going over on his ankle. **Tony Taggart limped off with a torn hamstring less than two minutes after replacing fellow wideman McAuley. **Staforde Palmer was caught by a block tackle in the area as he set up Andy Forbes for Eastleigh’s second goal. At best the on-loan Hayes & Yeading striker has medial ligament problems and, at worst, cruciate ligament damage. Thankfully Eastleigh have no midweek match, giving Baird and the board of directors time to contemplate how deal with the latest injury crisis ahead of Saturday’s visit of Thurrock. With Brett Poate (back) and Jamie Brown (knee) also crocked, th

WESTON-SUPER-MARE v EASTLEIGH SATURDAY 13th FEBRUARY 2010 Blue Square South Report by Ray Murphy Following their midweek home reversal against top of the table Newport County, Eastleigh travelled to bottom of the table Weston Super Mare to face a side that has been defeated in all of their last nine outings. Eastleigh were still without Brett Poate and Jamie Brown so manager Ian Baird named the same back four that had played against Newport, Danny Smith was recalled into the centre of the park, Pete Adeniyi moving out wide at the expense of Tony Taggart. Staforde Palmer and Richard Gillespie kept their front pairing in tact. Anthony Riviere had the first chance of the match in the second minute but home goalkeeper Kevin Sawyer saved his low shot. Smith, Ian Oliver and Shaun McAuley all had shots off target before on the fifteenth minute a dipping half volley from Weston’s Danny Burnell on loan from Chesham United was tipped over the bar by Jason Matthews. Three

EASTLEIGH v NEWPORT COUNTY WEDNESDAY 10th FEBRUARY 2010 Blue Square South Report by Jamie Montigue  Newport County maintained their title challenge and quest for the Blue Square Premier with a comprehensive 4-1 win over Eastleigh. Dean Holdsworth's men have now opened up an incredible 18-point gap at the top of the table, and at times his side looked a class above Eastleigh on a cold Wednesday evening at the Silverlake Stadium. Craig Reid got the Exiles up and running from the penalty spot before a Sam Foley wonder strike put the visitors 2-0 up. Ian Baird's Spitfires pulled one back through loan striker Staforde Palmer before the break. The youngster’s goal unfortunately turned out to be a mere consolation and proved to be one of very few bright points for the hosts. Charlie Henry was in inspired form for Newport playing a starring role for the visitors as he had a hand in all four County goals. The former Havant & Waterlooville winger laid

Live updates for tonights Blue Square South match between Eastleigh and Newport County can be found at the usual Twitter page: twitter.com/eastleighfc Kick off: 7:45pm. Joss Kingsley will also be covering the game with live commentary - http://www.radio-spitfire.talktalk.net/

CHELMSFORD CITY v EASTLEIGH SATURDAY 6th FEBRUARY 2010 Blue Square South Report by Ray Murphy Before travelling to fourth placed Chelmsford City, if a point had been offered then this would have been accepted, despite the fact that the home side were coming off a run of three successive home defeats. A point was gained in the fixture but having held the lead for such a long period of the game it was a feeling of maybe two points had been lost at the end of the fixture. Eastleigh were without the injured Andy Forbes being replaced by loan signing Staforde Palmer, whilst Anthony Riviere started in his normal midfield role; Eastleigh’s other new signing Jo Tessem having to be content with a place on the bench. Chelmsford had a new striker of their own on display in Simon Thomas previously with Crystal Palace, Colchester United and Billericay Town. Chelmsford who had to adjust their substitute selection pre-match owing to an injury obtained by Ricky Modeste, also ha

By Adrian Kajumba -    FORMER Saint Jo Tessem has come to the rescue to help Eastleigh after their injury problems worsened this week. The Norwegian striker has agreed a pay-as-you play deal at The Silverlake, which will run until the end of the season if it suits both the player and the club. Tessem, 37, had been training with the Blue Square South club for some time to keep himself fit. But Baird was forced to ask him if he would be willing to lend his talent and know-how to the seventh-placed Spitfires’ play-off bid after three more players joined the club’s injured list this week. Striker Jamie Brown will be out for "a minimum of eight weeks" after suffering a medial knee ligament injury just four minutes after coming on against Havant & Waterlooville last week. Joint top scorer Andy Forbes took a kick on the hip in the midweek win over Weymouth and is rated as doubtful for tomorrow's trip to fellow top six contenders Chelmsford. Mid

With squad numbers dwindling at the Silverlake Stadium, Eastleigh have moved quickly in their attempt to make additions to Ian Baird's side and bolster the team's playoff push. Director of football Dave Malone posted the following news item this afternoon to confirm the story. "In an effort to keep our supporters ahead of the game, I will break with tradition and pass on some POSSIBLE player news - some of which is done and some of which we hope to do!" (1) Trevor Chaliis - in order to increase our financial flexibility, Trevor has now been released by the Club. We would like to thank him sincerely for all he has done for us and wish him well for the future. (2) Jo Tessem - We have come to a verbal agreement with Jo for him to join us on a non-contract basis until the end of the season. (3) Staforde Palmer - we have agreed a deal in principal to bring the 21-year-old Hayes & Yeading striker on loan to the Silverlake Stadium. "We h

EASTLEIGH v WEYMOUTH TUESDAY 2nd FEBRUARY 2010 Blue Square South Report by Jamie Montigue Text commentary can be found on our twitter page , describing all the action as it unfolded. Eastleigh romped to a comfortable 4-0 win over Jerry Gill's Weymouth this Tuesday evening and climb the table to 7th place in the Blue Square South. We are now just four points behind  Woking who are second, and two points outside the playoffs with a game in hand on 5th placed Thurrock, who occupy the fourth play off spot. Ian Baird was looking for his side to react in a positive manner following Saturday's derby defeat to Havant & Waterlooville.  The hosts gave their manager the best response possible with a confident display to see off second from bottom Weymouth. Two goals inside seven blistering minutes saw Richard Gillespie fire the Spitfires into a glorious early lead. The striker's first goal of the night came with just three minutes on the clock. A hopefu

By Wendy Gee -    Eastleigh's frozen pitch may have passed a late inspection, but there is no sign of a thaw in the frosty relations between the Spitfires and their bitter south coast rivals Havant. Ever since the day Ian Baird controversially walked of Westleigh Park to become manager of Eastleigh in October 2007, there has been no love lost between the clubs. And that was all too evident at the Silverlake Stadium on Saturday when ex-Saint Baird refused to shake hands with his opposite number Shaun Gale after the Hawks had edged a tetchy derby 1-0. After a compelling first half awash with chances, the game became increasingly niggly after the break. And it was after a spate of stoppages for injuries and lectures by Chatham referee Paul Kelly, that Havant made the breakthrough on 64 minutes. Ex-Pompey reserve midfielder Steven Walker turned on the class to beat keeper Jason Matthews with an exquisite strike from the edge of the area that bounced in off t