EASTLEIGH return to league action on Saturday, as they welcome high-flying Fylde to the Silverlake Stadium for Matchday 17 of the National League.
Despite bowing out of the FA Cup First Round last week, Spitfires supporters will be encouraged with what they saw, as League Two Shrewsbury needed a late winner to down the hosts.
Now, Eastleigh will need to feed off that spirited performance to turn their league fortunes around, as they currently sit just four points above the relegation zone in 17th.
Perhaps more concerning for manager Matt Gray is that the Spitfires have just one victory in their previous six encounters, and will have to turn in a fine performance should they add another one up against the favourites.
Fylde – boosted mainly by the goalscoring prowess of Luke McCormick – have flexed their attacking muscles recently, netting three times on both occasions against Hartlepool and Hornchurch.
As such, they occupy fourth place with nine wins from 16 games, and also progressed to the next round of the cup last week after thumping Harrogate Town – also of the National League – 4-1 away from home.
The head-to-head record doesn’t give Eastleigh any added hope either, with the visitors taking the slight edge to recent encounters dating back to 2017.
In the 10 games since, Eastleigh have two wins with three defeats, whilst the pair haven’t been able to be separated on five occasions – so a draw could certainly be on the cards here on Saturday afternoon.
It is worth noting that the Spitfires did also play on Tuesday night in the third round of the Servio Men’s Senior Cup – losing 3-2 to Southern Premier South outfit Gosport Borough – although the team fielded on the night was largely made up of academy players.
