Eastleigh kept a clean sheet but spurned a handful of chances at the EBB Stadium as they played out a 0-0 draw against Hampshire rivals Aldershot Town.
The best chance of the game fell to attacking midfielder Charlie Carter but, after some great work down the right-hand side, his effort cannoned back off the crossbar.
Danny Whitehall also went close when presented with time and space on the left-hand side of the penalty box but his effort, which was driven hard and low smacked into the legs of Aldershot ‘keeper Luca Ashby-Hammond.
Whitehall nearly won it with just under 10 minutes to play, but his delightful chip agonisingly dropped just inches wide of the post.
It was a cagey start to the game, and Aldershot midfielder Frank Vincent had a couple of early chances to give Aldershot the lead but was denied by two great saves from Joe McDonnell in the Eastleigh goal.
He went close late on, but was once again denied by the Spitfires keeper, who at full stretch palmed the 23-year old’s effort away, clear from any danger.
As the first half ticked along, the Spitfires grew into the game but failed to ever really click into gear.
The Spitfires were overseen by Assistant Manager Brian Stock in the absence of manager Lee Bradbury, who was suffering from illness and couldn’t make the trip up the M3.
With just under half the first period gone, Danny Whitehall connected well with a volley from 25 yards, but saw his shot was claimed well by Fulham-loanee Ashby-Hammond.
Just a couple of minutes later, Whitehall found the ball at his feet again following a period of pinball round the box. However, on the half-turn, he could only send his shot narrowly wide of the post.
On the half hou r mark, McDonnell made yet another big save to keep the scores level. He got down well to deny another Shots loanee in Faysal Bettache, whose low effort from a tight angle would have surely gone in had it not been for Joe’s heroics.
The second half was a tightly-contested affair, with large parts of it being played out in the middle third of the pitch.
Aaron Martin made a couple of impressive blocks with his body, including one to prevent a curling effort from Aldershot’s Corey Jordan working McDonnell in the Eastleigh net.
Callum Ebanks replaced Whitehall as the clock wore down, as Jason Bristow turned to youth in the form of both Ebanks and Spitfires academy product, Oscar Rutherford in the search for the three points.
Alas, it was to no avail as the two sides shared the points on a night where neither side could ultimately find a way through, and the home side held on for their first clean sheet of the season.
Eastleigh: McDonnell, Camp, Langston, Martin, Kelly, Hill, Carter, McKiernan, Hesketh, Abrahams, Whitehall
Subs: Flitney, Rutherford, Atangana, Cisse, Ebanks
Report by Dylan Chavasse
