The Spitfires are back on the road in the National League, as they travel to Surrey to face Dorking Wanderers at Meadowbank on Saturday 2nd September, with a kick-off time of 3:00pm.
Dorking Wanderers:
The hosts have had a difficult start to the season and have just four points on the board from their first six games.
Their only win came in mid-August at home to Southend United, with a 2-1 win over the struggling Shrimpers.
Dorking’s only other point came in a 2-2 draw at home to York City in late August.
Red cards have been a theme in Dorking’s season so far, with four players being sent off in the opening six games they’ve played – two for Dorking and two for their opponents.
Eastleigh:
The Spitfires secured their first win of the season when they beat Hampshire rivals Aldershot Town at the Silverlake Stadium on Monday.
The Shots played most of the game with an outfield player in goal, following the dismissal of goalkeeper Jordi van Stappershoef in the 34th minute.
Eastleigh took full advantage of Aldershot’s misfortune and cruised to a 3-0 victory, with Chris Maguire scoring from a free-kick, before Enzio Boldewijn netted a brace in the second half.
The Hampshire club will be hoping that the win over Aldershot will kickstart their season and get them moving up the table from their current position of 15th.
Previous Meetings:
The two sides had never met until last season, but they played each other three times during the 2022/23 campaign.
The first meeting came in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round last October, as the Spitfires came from behind to win 3-1 away to Dorking and progress to the first round of the famous competition.
On Boxing Day last year, the two sides faced each other at Meadowbank again, with a late Ryan Seager strike cancelling out Alfie Lloyd’s opener to rescue a point for Dorking.
The Spitfires started 2023 in style by beating Wanderers 4-0 at the Silverlake Stadium on New Year’s Day, with both Charlie Carter and Lloyd scoring twice each.
01/01/23 | Eastleigh 4-0 Dorking Wanderers | VNL
26/12/22 | Dorking Wanderers 1-1 Eastleigh | VNL
15/10/22 | Dorking Wanderers 1-3 Eastleigh | FAC
Preview by Tom Humphrey
