Nine-man Spitfires crash to third loss

By Simon Walter -

Tom's Tweet Misery

EASTLEIGH had two players sent off as they crashed to a 4-0 defeat at Tonbridge Angels that leaves them bottom of the Blue Square South.

"This season's going to be the most difficult in recent years!" tweeted Eastleigh captain Tom Jordan after a third successive defeat for the Spitfires.

Tonbridge led 1-0 through Frannie Collins' 17th minute penalty when Jamie Brown was given his marching orders for retaliation.

The home side doubled their lead in the 55th minute through Jake Beecroft and Lee Browning extended it half an hour later.

Eastleigh failed to get a shot on target. And their afternoon got worse when teenager Frankie Raymond was sent off for an off-the-ball incident shortly before Collin ghosted through to bag his and Tonbridge's fourth two minutes from time.

Director of football David Malone explained: "We competed for the first 15 minutes but then conceded a penalty that the ref couldn't explain away.

"It was an incomprehensible decision. There was no appeal from their players, everyone was dumbstruck by it.

"That's the second bad penalty decision we've had go against us in a week and they've cost us dearly."

Malone was also unhappy with the decision to send Brown off.

"Someone pushed him from behind and he swung round and caught the guy with a flailing arm, but he hasn't got eyes in the back of his head.

"We still looked in reasonable shape before we conceded a sloppy third and Frankie was deservedly sent off.

"It wasn't quite a headbutt but he made contact with one of their player's heads and he had to go."

Eastleigh's start does not get any easier as they are at home to big-spending Woking tomorrow night.

"Anything we get against Woking will be a plus, but we've got three big games in the next seven days and there's more pressure to get results from our two games next weekend, at Dorchester and at home to Weston-Super-Mare," continued Malone.

"We're not overly concerned. I wouldn't be getting over excited if we had won our first tree games and I'm not getting despondent because we've lost our first three.

"We haven't had one stroke of good fortune so far and that's not an excuse.