Eastleigh'S love affair with manager Paul Doswell looks set to run and run.

Having joined the club on a three-year contract last summer, the ambitious 37-year-old has been asked to sign an extended five-year deal by chairman Roger Sherwood.

By the sounds of it, Doswell will take no persuading. He has Ten Acres in his blood.

He started out his playing career at Eastleigh as an under-18 youth player and, in his first season as manager, is on course to steer the Jewson Wessex League leaders into the Dr Martens League next season.

While cynics have predicted that Eastleigh's bubble will burst as soon as Doswell loses interest, the man himself begs to differ.

He said: "I'm hungry for success, but what I also am is very loyal.

"People show me loyalty and I'll show it back. I've had one or two calls from other clubs when jobs have come up this year, but I'm totally committed to Eastleigh.

"I can't see myself managing another club. This has always been my football club and nowhere else appeals."

In the unlikely event that Doswell does leave Ten Acres one day, the club have worked hard to ensure that they are not reliant on one man.

Currently the Stoneham Lane-based club have 20 partner sponsors on board and Doswell explained: "We're trying to put an infrastructure in place so that if I got run over by a bus one day the club could go forward in a positive way.

"We've set it up so that it's not just one person putting the money in and there are plenty of people doing work behind the scenes.

"Roger Sherwood (chairman), Pat Mallon (commercial manager) and Derik Brooks (honorary general secretary) all work their socks off for this club and we've also got Denis Bundy (development officer) working on the commercial side and Bill Loosemore as a full-time groundsman."

Eastleigh have had to bite their tongues at times as their 'moneybags' reputation has spread.

True, they've got more to spend than your average Wessex League side, but they are adamant they do not just fritter it away.

Doswell said: "I could name loads of clubs who've had loads of money and done nothing. At Eastleigh we've only spent what we've received - and it hasn't all gone on players. We've improved the stand and the pitch."

He added: "It's a myth that we're spending thousands. For the record, three of our higher-profile players took three weeks to sign for us because we wouldn't budge from what we could afford.

"Our wage bill is very sensible and, if we do get promotion, we will go up with an average Southern League budget."

Lee Bright, Phil Warner and goalkeeper Colin Matthews all return to the Eastleigh reckoning at Christchurch tomorrow having been rested for the midweek Russell Cotes Cup defeat at Gosport.

There are question marks over David Hughes (ribs), Stuart Kenna (knee), Danny Steer (ankle) and Chris White (cheekbone).