Spitfires are indebted to Gareth for victory

By Wendy Gee -

IAN BAIRD felt goalkeeping hero Gareth Barfoot played a vital part in seeing Eastleigh safely through to the FA Cup third qualifying round.

Ultimately the Spitfires had a reasonably comfortable passage, beating Evo-Stik Division One South & West outfit Cinderford Town 3-1 at the Silverlake Stadium.

But it might have been a whole lot harder had Barfoot not produced a vital double penalty save with the score at 2-0.

Skipper Tom Jordan, scorer of the Spitfires' opener, was pulled up for a foul on 35 minutes.

But Barfoot expertly saved Mike Whittington's initial spot kick and then kept out the follow-up.

"It was another poor penalty to concede, but Gareth's saved it at an important time," said Eastleigh boss Baird."Had it gone in, it could have given them a real lift and changed the game."

Reflecting on the game Baird commented: "It was a good first-half performance by us, but we weren't the best in the second half.

"But as all managers will tell you, I'm just happy we're in the hat for the next round.

"Cinderford are a strong, athletic side who are full of confidence.

"Given the very hot conditions, we played at a good tempo and our fitness levels were good."

After impressing on a week's assessment at Fulham, 16-year-old Eastleigh striker Sam Wilson - an unused sub on Saturday - has been invited back for a trial game by the Premier League outfit.