A gutsy defensive display helped Eastleigh earn their second away win of the season against Truro City following goals from Temi Eweka and Aaron Blair. The victory also sees Scott Bartlett pick up his first victory as Spitfires manager. 

Manager Scott Bartlett was forced into several changes from Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Wealdstone. Aaron Pierre missed out through suspension while Paul McCallum was unavailable through injury. Jake Vokins came into the side for his first start of the season whilst Temi Eweka returned from suspension. After two successive starts Josh Lundstram made way for Lloyd Humphries in the starting XI.

Both sides started the game strongly with chances coming in the opening exchanges. The Spitfires had the better opportunity with Jake Vokins picking up the ball on the left flank and drove inside before playing a delightful ball in behind for Harvey Saunders to chase. Saunders controlled the ball and tried to round Aidan Stone in the Truro goal before smashing his shot into the side netting.

The Tinners responded excellently with Luke Jephcott collecting the ball on the edge of the box and unleashing a venomous strike which forced Nick Townsend into an early save to keep the game level. From the resulting corner, the home side came inches away from taking the lead through a header at the back post with woodwork coming to the Spitfires’ rescue before the ball was cleared downfield through the boot of Luis Fernandez.

The home side were definitely in the ascendancy with chances coming thick and fast but another strong save from Nick Townsend to deny Dom Johnson-Fisher kept the scores level before a succession of blocks from the Eastleigh defenders saved the Spitfires’ blushes.

The Spitfires finally had a sustained spell of possession but couldn’t manage to create an opportunity for the breakthrough before losing the ball carelessly and were nearly punished. The Cornish side had a gilt-edged opportunity to take the lead but striker Johnson-Fisher couldn’t get the ball out of his feet after being played in following an incisive ball through the heart of the Eastleigh defence. Nick Townsend was there to come Eastleigh’s rescue once again.

Following a period of pressure, the Spitfires found themselves with a free-kick in the centre of the pitch with Jake Taylor receiving the ball on the right before delivering a delightful ball into the six-yard box. Defender Luis Fernandez used his strength to make a nuisance of himself in the six-yard box before meeting the ball with a looping header, for it only to be cleared off the line. The ball then fell to Temi Eweka who side footed it into the roof of the net to give the Spitfires the lead.

Having opened the scoring, Scott Bartlett’s men were looking the superior side as the game headed towards half-time and were looking to increase their lead. With the last chance to note of the first half, Lloyd Humphries picked the ball up in the middle of the park before releasing the flying Jake Vokins down the left. The left-back drove forward with the ball before playing a pinpoint cross along the grass to the back post for a sliding Aaron Blair to pass the ball into an open net to give the Spitfires a 2-0 lead heading into half-time.

The second-half started a lot less eventfully than the first with neither side creating many opportunities in the opening exchanges following the home sides double substitution at half-time which saw Sam Sanders and Shaun Donnellan making way for Harry Kite and Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain respectively.

The first opportunity of the second-half fell to the Spitfires following a long throw-in from Archie Harris on the left before the ball dropped to Lloyd Humphries who’s sliced effort went high and wide of the Truro goal from 25-yards out.

Following this let off for the home side, they asserted some pressure themselves which resulted in talisman Johnson-Fisher cutting inside from the edge of the box and lifting the ball towards the back post. The cross was intercepted by Lloyd Humphries who appeared to have handled the ball in the process but the shouts of the Truro players and supporters were immediately ignored by the referee to the surprise of everyone inside the Truro City Stadium.

The pressure from the home side continued but the Eastleigh defence stood strong to deny the Cornish side from getting a goal back and eating into their lead. As the game headed for the final ten minutes, the Tinners kept fighting as they looked for a way back into the game but nothing came of it.

Having dealt with the immense pressure from the home side, the Spitfires had an opportunity of their own as flying full-back Jake Vokins sprinted down the left and delivered the ball into the box for a leaping Harvey Saunders. The forward, however, couldn’t quite divert his header towards goal and it skewed off wide of the post to keep the score at 2-0 to the Spitfires as the game headed towards its conclusion.

This opportunity for the Spitfires proved to be the last real chance of the game and the game finished 2-0 to the Spitfires. The gutsy defensive performance gave Scott Bartlett his first win as Eastleigh manager and another clean sheet to go with it.

Truro City: Stone (GK), Bell, Riley-Lowe, Dean, Sanders (Kite 46′), Rooney, Johnson-Fisher (Marsh 67′), Hasani, Jephcott, Law, Donnellan (Oxlade-Chamberlain 46′)

Unused Substitutes: Lavercombe, Sanogo, Kinsey, Adelsbury

Yellow Cards: Donnellan 10′, Sanders 39′

Eastleigh: Townsend (GK), Davis, Fernandez, Eweka, Harris, Humphries (Evans 74′), Taylor, Waruih, Blair, Saunders

Unused Substitutes: McNamara, Massiah-Edwards, Lundstram, Holzman, Underhill, Ingram

Goals: Eweka 40′, Blair 45+1′

Yellow Cards: Fernandez 28′, Eweka 77′, Vokins 84′

Attendance: 1,993 (34 away)