AHEAD OF THE GAME: Eastleigh (H)

Woking vs Eastleigh

Enterprise National League

Friday 3rd April

15:00 Kick-Off

Good Friday at the Laithwaite Community Stadium sees the Cards host a struggling Eastleigh side, with new manager Jermain Defoe taking charge of his first matchday.

Indeed, despite Defoe’s appointment being announced last Sunday, it remained Craig Ross, Jake Hyde, and Dale Gorman who oversaw the midweek draw against Altrincham.

In that fixture, they capped off a successful stint as interim managers, with an excellent 82nd-minute strike from Andrews ensuring the points were shared after Woking fell behind in the opening stages.

Boxing Day saw the reverse fixtures between Woking and the Spitfires, a clash which ended in a 1-1 draw at the Silverlake Stadium. It was Sanderson who struck first, before Josh Lundstram levelled in the closing stages to see the spoils shared.

Recent history suggests that this game loves a late leveller, with both meetings between these two teams last term ending in a 2-2 draw, courtesy of a goal within the final ten minutes.

That firstly worked in favour of Eastleigh, back on September 24th, 2024, with an 80th-minute leveller on home turf for the Spitfires. In the reverse fixture, the last time Woking hosted Eastleigh, the late leveller favoured the Cards, with Andrews stealing a point with his 86th-minute strike on April 26th, 2025.

One who will be in search of minutes against his former club this weekend is Inih Effiong, who joined the Spitfires back in February. He netted 31 goals in 108 games for the Cards before his departure in December 2025, and since his move to Eastleigh, he has quickly cemented his name in the matchday squad, and even scored on debut with his 72nd-minute opener against Truro City on February 25th.

Opposition Watch

On a difficult run of form, Eastleigh start the day in 20th place, four points ahead of a Brackley Town side who currently occupy the final relegation spot.

It was against the Saints that they registered their last victory, with the four games since seeing the Spitfires suffer defeat.

They have had a challenging run of fixtures, however, facing Carlisle, York City, Rochdale, and Forest Green Rovers all in their last seven clashes.

Eastleigh also had a midseason managerial change, with Richard Hill replacing Scott Bartlett on an interim basis until the end of the season, a switch which happened in late February. He has since taken charge of eight games, having won two and lost the remaining six.

After a tough string of results, Hill will be looking to turn fortunes around upon his trip to Surrey, to put some crucial points between his side and the drop zone.

One to Watch

Ninth in the league’s top goalscorer standings sits Aaron Blair, with 15 to his name so far this term.

One known for his abilities in front of goal, he netted 31 times in 91 appearances for Braintree Town across two seasons, including goals in both the National League South Play-Off Semi-Final and Final in the 2023/24 season, a pivotal character in Braintree’s promotion back to the National League.

He continued to impress at Maidstone United the following season, before signing for the Spitfires in June 2025. A fast start saw him score Eastleigh’s first goal of the season, in their third fixture, opening the scoring in a dramatic 3-2 victory against Aldershot Town.

He will be one who strives to add to his tally in his side’s remaining five fixtures, as they try to secure National League safety.

Preview by: Holly Porter