HOWE’S THE SAVIOUR AS CARDS’ TEN ARE DENIED
EASTLEIGH’S long search for a home win continued as they failed to beat a Woking side who played most of the second half with ten men.
And they only avoided defeat against a Cards side who had lost five of their last six games thanks to Callum Howe’s last-minute equaliser.
It’s now seven home matches without a win for the Spitfires, who failed to take advantage of Chez Isaac’s sending off on 53 minutes for a rash challenge of Cav Miley.
“It was another frustrating day,” rued Eastleigh boss Andy Hessenthaler.
“We will have to start working in training on how to play against 10 men, because today showed we can’t do it.”
Cards boss Anthony Limbrick, however, was critical of referee Chris O’Donnell’s decision to send Isaac off – although he did admit the challenge had been “a bit high”.
“Chez is an honest player and he would not hurt anyone on purpose,” Limbrick told. “I didn’t think it was a sending off. One of the Eastleigh players had made a similar challenge in the first half and was only booked.”
Isaac’s sending off lit the touchpaper for a entertaining second half which sprung to life ten minutes later when the lively Chris Zebroski fired a low angled shot from the edge of the penalty area past a diving Nathan Baxter and into the far corner – only his third goal of the season.
Two minutes later, Zebroski almost struck again, flicking a Mark Yeates cross inches wide. Limbrick’s response was to bring on powerful forward Inih Effiong, surprisingly demoted to the bench after scoring five times in his last eight games. He was soon followed by Charlie Carter and the two subs combined to bring the visitors back into the contest on 69 minutes – Effiong using his strength to hold off a couple of challenges before teeing up Carter to score with a shot that took a slight deflection past sub keeper Ross Flitney, who had been brought on at half-time due to Graham Stack’s groin injury. Effiong then had a close range effort disallowed for a foul on Flitney from a corner, but the striker fired Woking ahead seven minutes from time after Danny Hollands had needlessly given away a penalty by fouling Carter. Howe ensured honours ended even but it still didn’t cheer Hessenthaler up afterwards. “I could have ranted and raved in the dressing room afterwards – I certainly felt like doing that – but I don't know if it would have been the right thing to do,” he added. “What I do know is that we have to start defending properly if we want to win football matches. We have enough experience in our dressing room to make sure these things shouldn’t happen.