MATCH PROGRAMME | EASTLEIGH vs WREXHAM | 10th DECEMBER 2022

Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to the Silverlake Stadium for this afternoon's match against Wrexham.

I’d like to welcome Phil Parkinson and his staff to the Silverlake Stadium this afternoon, as well as all of the fans who have made the long journey down from North Wales

I was delighted with last weekend's result against Boreham Wood despite playing with a patched-up team

We had a couple of players with COVID in the camp and some with tonsillitis, chest infections and other illnesses along with injuries.

We were forced to play lads in positions that they didn't normally play. Oscar Rutherford filled in at right-back, never played there before and I thought he was excellent at just 18-years old.

I thought everyone was bang at it and against a team that's very hard to beat, we managed to hold onto the 1 nil.

We spoke at half-time about not making the referee answer questions like 'was that a yellow card? Was that a foul?' and remained disciplined throughout.

I also thought Alfie Lloyd did excellently well in that game and has come into this league and wants to show his enthusiasm to run, work and his quality on the ball.

It was nice to kill that little run where we had three games where we'd lost and to come and get back to winning ways is great to see.

We've got a tough game coming up against Wrexham and it'll be difficult but I'm excited about it and it's these sorts of games that you should look forward to being involved in.

Thank you to everyone who is coming to the Silverlake Stadium this afternoon. Your support will be very influential for us today.

I am looking forward to seeing you all again.

All the best,

LEE BRADBURY

"We wanted to start well and get on the front foot. we wanted to match them physically and then play when we could and I thought that we did that well."

t h r o u g h t h e

Vanarama National League | 03/12/22 | KO: 12:30 Silverlake Stadium | Attendance: 1,683 (46 away)

match report

A first half penalty from Tristan Abrahams ensured that the Spitfires returned to winning ways in the Vanarama National League, with a 1-0 win over 10-man Boreham Wood.

Shortly after the restart, Rutherford again found Whitehall with space in the box, but he blasted his shot over the bar.

On the hour mark, George Broadbent’s free-kick went well over the bar from thirty yards out, as the visitors searched for an equaliser.

Moments later, Jack Payne saw his long-range effort parried away from danger by McDonnell.

Eastleigh had penalty appeals turned away by the referee when Abrahams was brought down in the 9th minute, as the referee deemed the foul to be on the edge of the box.

The visitors had their first attempt of the game when Zac Brunt fired an effort straight into Joe McDonnell’s hands.

The turning point of the game came in the 33rd minute, as Jamal Fyfield saw red following an altercation with Whitehall in the box, which saw the referee award Eastleigh a penalty.

Abrahams converted from the spot, drilling the ball straight down the middle to give the hosts a deserved lead.

Just before the break, the Spitfires nearly extended their lead, as Oscar Rutherford’s fine cross was headed over.

Boreham Wood’s Dennon Lewis almost made an instant impact minutes after coming off the bench, when he hammered an effort narrowly wide of the mark.

With 10 minutes remaining, Whitehall curled a free-kick over the bar, as the hosts looked to kill the game off.

Rutherford nearly sealed the win late on when Alfie Lloyd squared the ball nicely for him, but he couldn’t convert from close range.

Despite some further pressure late on from Boreham Wood, the Spitfires did enough to see the game through and seal an important three points.

INPROFILEINPROFILEINPROFILE oscar rutherford

Did you know?

Oscar made his first-team debut in the National League on the opening day of the 2022/23 season when he came on as a substitute against Wrexham.

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