Fans view: An interview with season ticket holder Lee Stevens
An interview with Eastleigh FC season ticket holder Lee Stevens. Questions by Jamie Montigue.
Lee shares with me how he came to support Eastleigh and why he enjoys non-league football so much as well as sharing some memories and stories from following the Spitfires on the road.
"My first ever Eastleigh game was a pre-season friendly against Southampton in 2005. I think Southampton won the game 2-0 and Saints had ex-Chelsea and England player Dennis Wise in the line-up. A crowd of just over 2,500 packed in at the Silverlake.
"I have always followed non-league football and due to my dad being in the army and moving all over the world, I never really had a team to support. I just looked out for the non-league teams. I always looked out for Eastleigh results as far back as 2003 when they won the Wessex league.
"I myself played Saturday football since the age of 15 in the local Wessex and Southampton leagues so I couldn't watch Eastleigh as much. I hung my boots up from football four seasons ago and decided to get a season ticket at Eastleigh because they were going places. So I have probably supported them since 2005 and I've always looked for their results.
"Due to my dad being in the army and moving every 2 years all over the world, wherever I lived we always had a local non-league side. My mum or dad would take me to watch the local non-league side. We lived in Germany, Cyprus and Belgium when I was a child. My dad's last posting was in Marchwood, Southampton. I then represented Southampton schoolboys and Hampshire youth when I was younger and we always played at some decent non-league grounds. I also played local non-league football up to the age of 32. So I have always been involved in non-league."
Lee believes that non-league football has much more to offer than the Premier League for local fans and the community.
"The Premier League in my eyes is very expensive and overrated. The non-league scene brings the local community together. Non-league has such a friendly atmosphere and it feels like a big family, especially at away games in non-league - other teams make you feel very welcome. In the non-league scene, especially at Eastleigh, the players have a lot of time for the fans and make you feel very welcome and comfortable."
Travelling near and far, following the Spitfires home and away, Lee has clocked up a lot of miles and been to many new places to follow his beloved Eastleigh around the country. Lee also shares with me some of his favourite memories - good and bad - in his time following the Spitfires on the road:
"I would say I'm a very dedicated Eastleigh fan. I watch them home and away. I love visiting new grounds, towns and cities watching Eastleigh FC. Since we got into the highest level of non-league football we have had some good memories so far.
"A very good memory I have is going all the way up to Birkenhead to play Tranmere. It's possibly the best stadium Eastleigh have played in whilst playing a league game. It was a massive football league stadium and we went on to win the game 2-1!
"Another memory is playing Grimsby Town away in the play-offs. We lost the game 3-0 but we were very loud and proud and we were singing all game and didn't stop!
"Grimsby Town fans praised us Eastleigh fans. But beating Crewe away in the FA Cup is the best memory away. They were two leagues above and we won 1-0. We all ran on the pitch after the game!
"Another memory is getting on a minibus to travel all the way up to Gateshead on a cold Tuesday evening game. We lost 2-1 and it was the coldest football match I have been to. A very cold February in the North East of England. We travelled up and it took us 8 hours both ways to see Eastleigh lose 2-1! I got back to the Silverlake Stadium at 5.50am and had to then rush to work for 6am!"
Lee sees mostly positives from the season so far for Eastleigh, noting the experienced players that have been signed such as Reda Johnson and Ryan Cresswell. Here is his view on the positives and negatives of the campaign up to now:
"Some positives and negatives so far this season. We have a new manager who came in early in the season as previous manager Chris Todd got sacked. Todd got sacked very early on in the season and we brought in the experienced Ronnie Moore. He has managed in the football league for years and has got teams promoted.
"There are only a few negatives in my view – I think some of the players who start on the bench I would have in my starting 11 at Eastleigh. Also our pitch isn't the best and I feel this will be a negative in the months when we get a lot of rain as our pitch doesn't hold up well.
"Most of the Eastleigh players have done well this season. A new manager has come in and brought some players in. Reda Johnston and Ryan Cresswell have been very solid at the back for Eastleigh. They are both very experienced former football league players. Fans favourite Michael Green in my eyes has had his best season at Eastleigh playing left-back. His fitness levels have jumped up this year."
Speaking of the FA Cup, Lee is very much looking forward to the replay at Swindon on Tuesday night. He also believes if Eastleigh can get past that round there is no reason why Ronnie Moore's can't match the heroics of last season's FA Cup run, which saw Eastleigh as the last non-league side standing before losing to Bolton Wanderers, then a Championship side, in a third round replay. Here he looks back on that famous cup run and also dreams of going one step further this time round.
"We have a very big FA Cup replay away at Swindon Town coming up. We drew 1-1 in the first game at our place live on the BBC. They are two leagues above us and it will be a tough task. We will be taking a massive away following on a Tuesday night to their place. Over 700 Eastleigh fans. I believe we can get a win with our fans behind us.
"The FA cup last year I believe put Eastleigh on the map. It's the furthest stage that Eastleigh have ever got to. Getting to the third round of the FA cup and we were the last non-league side in the competition.
"We started out beating Bromley in the 4th qualifying round. We beat League 1 side Crewe 1-0 in the first round, lower league Stourbridge in the 2nd round and drew 1-1 against Championship side Bolton at home.
"In the replay on a Tuesday evening, we lost 3-2 to them. We made ourselves and non-league football proud. We took 686 Eastleigh fans to Bolton which is our biggest away following to date.
"Our FA Cup run, I believe put Eastleigh FC more on the map. Bolton Wanderers’ stadium was amazing to watch our team play there. The facilities were the best I’ve seen as a fan. I can only dream of getting further than the third round again. We could go one further."
"In the replay on a Tuesday evening, we lost 3-2 to them. We made ourselves and non-league football proud. We took 686 Eastleigh fans to Bolton which is our biggest away following to date.
"Our FA Cup run, I believe put Eastleigh FC more on the map. Bolton Wanderers’ stadium was amazing to watch our team play there. The facilities were the best I’ve seen as a fan. I can only dream of getting further than the third round again. We could go one further."
Speaking about what he feels Eastleigh can go on to achieve this season, Lee feels that the club will go on to secure a play-off spot come the end of the season.
"I believe Eastleigh FC will get a play-off spot this season. In pre-season I said we could win the league. As the season has gone on we are currently sitting in 8th place. This year the league is a lot stronger with a lot of teams bringing in stronger and better players. Anyone in the top eight could win the league. I believe we can get into the play-offs."
Lee has seen a lot of growth at Eastleigh in his time supporting the club and notes the considerable amount of progress on and off the pitch that Eastleigh have taken under the leadership of ambitious chairman Stewart Donald.
"Our chairman is very ambitious and when he came on board he wanted League football within five years. The crowds at Eastleigh have increased on match days, the fan base has also grown. The facilities have got better with the new stands built and now we are building a new clubhouse and executive suite.
"He (Stewart Donald) has made adult season tickets the cheapest in the country. He tries to make it affordable for the community of Eastleigh. I watched a game when we were in the Conference South against Maidenhead and we had a home crowd of just over 300. On Saturday (November 12th) against York City we had a home crowd of 2,300 which is a massive achievement.
"Four seasons ago we had just 36 season ticket holders, we now have 1200. So the fan base has definitely grown. Facilities have got better and the players brought in have been excellent with league experience."
Looking to the future, Lee feels that the club will go on to play in the Football League and maybe, just maybe as high up as the Championship.
"I also believe we will get League football either this season or next season. I also believe we could potentially go as far as the Championship. For Eastleigh to get into League 2 would be an amazing achievement. 14 years ago they were playing in the Wessex League. I actually played against them when they won the Wessex league for a team called BAT. For me playing at the Silverlake against Eastleigh reserves and youth teams those years ago, I have seen a hell of a transformation in the stadium and facilities."
My thanks again to Lee Stevens for taking the time to do this interview with me - you can follow him on twitter here.
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