FAB FYLDE LEAVE THE SPITFIRES GROUNDED
A FIFTH defeat in eight matches since Christmas has Eastleigh sliding into choppy waters – in-form AFC Fylde scoring twice in five minutes either side of half-time.
Josh Kay and Nick Haughton scored to earn the Coasters a deserved fifth win in six matches – a sequence that has lifted them out of the National League drop zone.
Eastleigh were second best throughout and rarely looked like salvaging a point, even after Ben Reeves had reduced the deficit 15 minutes from time.
“We were outworked for long periods of the game,” conceded
Spitfires boss Richard Hill, who was suspended from the dugout after picking up a fifth yellow card in the 1-1 draw at Gateshead in midweek.
“I’ve got a lot of reflecting to do and so have the players. After the grit and determination we showed at Gateshead I thought we’d turned the corner, but now we seem to have gone full circle and are headed back in the wrong direction.”
After their recent fine run, Fylde oozed confidence from the start and went close on several occasions before taking the lead through Kay three minutes before half-time.
The impressive Nick Haughton pressured Nigel Atangana, as Joe Westley won possession to play an excellent pass to Kay, who struck right-footed in the box low under McDonnell and into the bottom left-corner.
Kay, a powerhouse in midfield, deserved his goal having earlier flashed a shot across McDonnell’s bows.
Eastleigh, without a win since beating Dorking Wanderers on December 23, struggled to make any impact, with Reeves the only player to show any appetite.
Kay went close again and Fylde doubled their lead early in the second period with a deliciously crafted second goal.
Danny Whitehead set it up with a teasing run on the edge of the Eastleigh box before threading a pass to Haughton to finish a fine move.
“It was a quality finish, quite fitting for a higher level of football,” praised Fylde manager Chris Beech.
The Silverlake Stadium fell flat as Fylde pushed on with their fine run – the only blemish coming out of the blue when Reeves got a goal back.
Goalkeeper Theo Richardson’s clearance from Chris Maguire’s long ball was half-volleyed in from distance by Reeves to halve the deficit.
At last Eastleigh showed some urgency, but apart from one notable save by Richardson to deny substitute Jake Taylor, they seldom threatened the save the game.
Beech was delighted to watch Fylde extend their recent fine run, but disappointed they didn’t keep a clean sheet.
“We’ve balanced things up between scoring goals – we’ve scored 47 now – and defending, but we have to be more resilient,” he added. STAR MAN: Jon Ustabasi (AFC Fylde) ATT: 1,851 ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★ REFEREE: Andrew Humphries