By Jack Bunclark
PAUL McCallum’s brace earned Eastleigh a 2-1 win ver Boreham Wood to stretch the Spitfires’ unbeaten run as their resurgence continues
The game started in a slow, sluggish and lacklustre fashion but McCallum’s strike burst the game into life as his curled shot flew past Nathan Ashmore in the 15th minute.
The striker started the move when he switched the ball to Enzio Boldewijn, the Dutch winger teased a low cross into the box that McCallum met and thumped home with a first time finish.
Minutes later, after their first sustained piece of pressure in the game, Boreham Wood equalised when Tyrone Marsh found space in a sea of bodies in the penalty area and flashed a shot in off the crossbar.
The Wood sprung out of the traps after going behind and peppered crosses into the Eastleigh box, after several failed attempts the visitors got a chance to level it up which Marsh did emphatically.
Scott Quigley, who was included in the National League team of the week on Saturday, almost caught out Ashmore with a wide cross that darted towards the visitors goal.
After the restart, Erico Sousa danced his way through several challenges before forcing Joe McDonnell into a sharp save down low at his near post.
McCallum was lighting up the Silverlake Stadium with his brave defending but more importantly his deadly finishing, whenever he got a chance to punish the opposition, he did in ruthless style.
Aidan Barlow fizzed in a corner, in the 48th minute, McCallum sawed into the Hampshire sky and elegantly scissor kicked the ball home from yards out, the wry grin on his face told you the whole story.
15 goals of the campaign before December, McCallum had his best scoring record in his first stint at the Spitfires and his proving that lightening does strike twice with his fantastic form this season.
With the clock ticking, Femi Ilesanmi decided to have an effort from range with the space opening up ahead of him, his out swinging thunderbolt needed fingertips by diving McDonnell to keep Eastleigh ahead.
From the resulting corner, substitute Jayden Harris’ lung busting run nearly worked an opening and a penalty but the referee didn’t batter an eyelid in his direction.
The game fizzled out as Boreham Wood did little to threaten and the Hampshire side continued their good form, Eastleigh will need all the confidence they can get as next at the Silverlake, the visit of the Royals, Reading FC.
