Eastleigh battled hard to earn a valuable point in a goalless draw at Grosvenor Vale. Despite being reduced to ten men when Aaron Pierre was sent off in the 52nd minute, the Spitfires delivered a resilient and spirited performance.
The game marked Scott Bartlett’s first in charge since his appointment as Eastleigh manager. He made just one change to the side that beat Southend 2–1 in midweek, with Richard Brindley dropping to the bench for the first time this season and Sonnie Davis stepping in. Josh Lundstram, meanwhile, made his second consecutive start after returning from the injury he sustained against Forest Green Rovers.
Eastleigh started brightly, with the first chance coming inside the opening minute. Captain Jake Taylor spread play with a sweeping pass to Aaron Blair on the right flank. Blair surged into space and whipped a low cross into the box, though it came to nothing.
The visitors continued to push forward, and Blair went close again soon after. Latching onto a quick throw from Paul McCallum, he worked room for a shot but could only fire into the side netting.
The Spitfires came closest to breaking the deadlock in the ninth minute. Davis picked out Harvey Saunders with an excellent cross-field ball. Saunders’ deft touch set up McCallum, whose close-range strike was struck well but just off target.
After withstanding Eastleigh’s early pressure, the hosts created their first real opening. A slip from Sonnie Davis gifted Michael Obiero possession inside the Spitfires’ box. With Pierre closing in, Obiero chose to shoot early rather than square the ball, but his effort was blocked by the Eastleigh captain, who diverted it behind for a corner.
Eastleigh responded with a spell of possession down the right that earned them a corner on the half-hour mark. Taylor’s first delivery was cleared, but the Spitfires quickly won another. His second cross was whipped dangerously into the six-yard box, where both McCallum and Pierre attacked the ball. Their collision, however, saw the chance go begging as the ball ran harmlessly out for a goal kick to Dante Baptiste. That proved to be the final action of note before half-time, with the sides going in level at 0–0.
The second half began with promise for Eastleigh. Within three minutes, Blair’s trickery earned a free kick in a dangerous position. Archie Harris rolled the ball cleverly to the edge of the area for Taylor, but the midfielder couldn’t keep his strike down.
Moments later, the game turned. Pierre was adjudged to have hauled down Olufela Olomola as the last man and was shown a straight red card, leaving Eastleigh to play nearly 40 minutes with ten men.
Wealdstone sought to make their advantage count, and former Spitfire Nathan Tshikuna went close with a curling effort from distance. His strike was bound for the top corner until Nick Townsend sprang across his goal to tip it away smartly.
With just over a quarter of an hour remaining, the referee faced another big call. Substitute Max Kretzschmar burst into the box from the right and went to ground under pressure, but his appeals for a penalty were waved away.
As the game moved into stoppage time, Eastleigh nearly snatched all three points. In the 90th minute, Taylor’s free kick dropped kindly to Humphries on the edge of the box. He struck a clean half-volley that seemed destined for the top corner, only for Baptiste to pull off a superb save to preserve the deadlock.
That proved to be the final twist in a hard-fought contest, as the match finished goalless. For Scott Bartlett, it was a valuable point on the road in his first game in charge, with his side showing character and togetherness throughout.
© Image by Graham Scambler PhotographyWealdstone: Baptiste, Georgiou, Woodman, Boldewijn, Kadji (Mussa 71′), Olomola ( Kretzschmar 56′), Obiero, Chinedu, Hutchinson (Hassan 71′), Tshikuna (Adarkwa 83′), Tiensia
Unused Substitutes: Diarra, Mcavoy, Covolan
Yellow Cards: Harris 43′ Fernandez 81′
Red Cards: Pierre 52′
Eastleigh: Townsend, Harris, Eweka, Pierre, Davis, Taylor, Lundstram (Fernandez 55′), Wariuh (Humphries 76′), Blair, Saunders, McCallum
Unused Substitutes: McNamara, Vokins, Massiah-Edwards, Underhill
Yellow Cards: Woodman 63′ Georgiou 64′ Kadji 68′
Attendance: TBD
