St. Mary's final date May be problem for Eastleigh

By Wendy Gee - 

MUCH as Eastleigh boss Ian Baird is looking forward to doing battle with AFC Totton at St. Mary's in May, he has grave reservations about the date of the Hampshire FA Senior Cup Final.

An 85th-minute Jamie Slabber penalty secured the Spitfires a 1-0 win at Winchester City on Wednesday night to secure them a place in the county's showpiece season finale.

But what bothers Baird is that the May 16th showdown against Stuart Ritchie's Southern Premier promotion seekers comes two-and-a-half weeks after the end of the Blue Square Bet South campaign.

And, with Eastleigh's play-off hopes almost certainly over, he thinks it highly unlikely that some of his players will still be around by that time.

"The issue I have is that the players' contracts run out on the last day of the season.

"Contrary to what some misinformed numpties have said, none of the players gets paid during the summer and we will therefore have to pay them an extra two-and-a-half weeks wages for them to play in the Hampshire Cup final.

"But hypothetically, if certain players know by then that they're not going to be at the club next season, they are not going to hang around for those extra two-and-a-half weeks."

Baird, who was speaking the morning after the semi-final win, added: "I've not yet sat down and discussed it with (joint club owner) Stewart Donald because we had to win the game first, but the situation needs addressing.

"Why the game has been put in the middle of May when our season finishes on April 28 is beyond me.

"Surely they could have fitted it in between now and the end of the season, even if it meant playing on a Sunday?"

It could have been worse for Eastleigh, however.

Until recently they were due to be taking a senior side to the Far East for the annual Hong Kong FC International Soccer Sevens in the week of HSC final.

But new club owners Bridle Insurance have cancelled the trip due to cost.

Date aside, Baird looks forward to pitting his wits against Totton, who have every chance of joining Eastleigh in the BSB South next term. "We're delighted to be in the final at St. Mary's.

"It's good for the supporters and it's an opportunity for us to play on a great pitch," he said.

"Hopefully Totton will have been promoted by then. We want them in our league next season.

"Apart from a friendly a couple of years ago, we've not played them in my time at the club."