Eastleigh kicked off their 2025/26 pre-season campaign with a spirited performance, falling narrowly to Championship side Southampton in a 2-1 defeat at the Silverlake Stadium.

The Spitfires started brightly and took a deserved early lead, but a last-gasp penalty before the break brought the visitors level. A much-changed Saints side then edged the second half, sealing the win through Cameron Archer’s composed finish in the 75th minute.

Head Coach Kelvin Davis handed starts to four of his summer signings, and two made an immediate impact. Just two minutes in, Paul McCallum released Aaron Blair down the right, and his pinpoint cross was met by Kieron Evans, who tapped home from close range to give Eastleigh a dream start.

Southampton looked to respond quickly, with Ben Brereton Díaz cutting inside to unleash a shot that tested debutant goalkeeper Nick Townsend. The new stopper was called into action again soon after, producing a superb double save to deny the Saints an equaliser.

Blair continued to torment the visiting defence, linking up again with Evans to win a corner, although it came to nothing. At the other end, James Bree fired over from distance as the Saints struggled to break down a resolute Eastleigh backline.

The Spitfires’ defence was heroic throughout the half. Just after the half-hour mark, Adam Armstrong appeared destined to score, only for Temi Eweka to throw himself in front of the goal-bound effort and preserve Eastleigh’s lead.

However, Southampton’s pressure eventually paid off. Five minutes before the break, they were awarded a penalty following a push in the box. Armstrong stepped up and calmly dispatched it, sending the sides into the interval level at 1-1.

Both managers rang the changes at half-time, with Southampton fielding an entirely new XI and Eastleigh making three substitutions. The visitors quickly settled into their rhythm and came close to taking the lead on multiple occasions.

Samuel Edozie’s cutback found Yukinari Sugawara ten minutes into the half, but the Japan international rattled the post from close range. Moments later, Jay Robinson weaved past his marker and laid it on a plate for Edozie, who misfired from inside the box.

The breakthrough finally came with a quarter of an hour remaining. Robinson slipped a neat through-ball to Cameron Archer, who made no mistake in a one-on-one situation, coolly sliding the ball past Eastleigh’s Trialist B in goal.

Eastleigh pushed for an equaliser late on, with Freddie Ingram firing wide from a tight angle, but Southampton’s experience saw them through as the match ended 2-1 in their favour.

Despite the defeat, Davis and his coaching staff will take plenty of positives from a hard-working and encouraging display against strong opposition.

It was a positive first outing for the Spitfires, who showed energy, organisation, and flashes of quality against tough opposition.

Eastleigh: Townsend (GK) (Trialist B, 45′), Brindley (Vincent 79′), Vokins (Haris, 58′), Fernandez, Eweka (Trialist C, 70′), Underhill (Jones 70′)(Killick 70′), Evans (Trialist C, 45′), Trialist A (Ceesay 79′), Waruih (Taylor 70′), Blair (Shade 45′) McCallum (C) (Ingram 70′)

Goals: Evans (2′)

 Southampton: McCarthy (Bazanu 45′)  Bree (Sugwara 45′), Taylor (Wellington 45′), Kay-Sanda (Wood 45′), Stephens (Quarshire 45′) , Charles Downes (45′), Brenton Diaz (Matsuki 45′), Smallbone (Dibling 45′,) Armstrong (Edozie 45′), Fraser (Robinson 45′), Stewart (Archer 45′)

Goals: Armstrong (45′) Archer (75′)

Yellow cards: Will Smallbone,

Referee: Matthew Russell

Attendance: 4,929