Chesterfield break Eastleigh hearts with fantastic late winner

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A stunner from Curtis Weston moments before the final whistle meant Chesterfield would pip Eastleigh to the three points. 

Despite the result, the hosts can take heart from their performance as they did deserve more than to come away with nothing. 

Both teams looked to have battled out a 0-0 draw in a game which was very much one of two halves as a very entertaining first-half followed by a rather forgettable second. 

Eastleigh interim boss Jason Bristow made two changes from the nightmare defeat to Dover Athletic during the week. Vincent Harper and Christian Maghoma both started as Michael Kelly and Dan Smith dropped to the bench. 

During the normal warm-up procedures, you could feel tension around the ground as supporters piled into the Silverlake Stadium in their numbers and it was almost a sense of optimism mixed with understandable fear. 

Questions were always going to surround today’s match whether there would be a reaction from Tuesday evening’s dire showing or if high-flying Chesterfield would condemn the Spitfires to their fifth straight defeat.

As expected, the opening 10 minutes were cagey. However, Eastleigh almost broke the deadlock when Josh Hare met a dangerous Tom Whelan corner. The wing-back cleverly flicked the ball towards the near post, but Scott Loach was alert to gather at the second time of asking.

Spitfires shot-stopper Joe Mcdonnell is usually a trusty pair of hands between the stick, however, the 27-year-old was almost caught out by the visitors more than once in the opening 30 minutes.

First, he just about held Fraser Kerr’s effort following a corner, and soon after, Laurence Maguire’s deep in-swinging cross from the left looped over him, narrowly avoiding the far post.

Moments later, Harper, who started the game brilliantly down the left-hand side, very nearly raised the roof with a blast from distance after half an hour. The youngster danced past the defender before letting fly with his weaker right foot, drawing a superb save from Loach in the process.

On the balance of play, the hosts edged it and were unlucky not to be ahead at the break. National League top goalscorer Kabongo Tshimanga was unfamiliarly quiet and this would have pleased interim manager Bristow.

It was like watching a completely different match in the second half. Both teams were unable to muster chances as the game turned scrappy.

The points arguably deserved to be shared but it is fair to say that quality prevailed late on. Chesterfield’s Weston netted a fantastic volley from the edge of the area to send the travelling fans behind the goal into raptures. 

Eastleigh’s struggles continue whilst the Spireites maintain their pressure on Stockport County at the top of the National League.

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