Eastleigh fear master marksman Andy Forbes will be out for a minimum of two weeks following Saturday's miserable 2-1 defeat at Cambridge City.

After a couple of heroic performances at central defence, Forbes resumed his normal frontline duties at Milton Road, but hobbled off around the hour mark.

"He went up for a header and did his calf again," reported manager Paul Doswell. "We were doing okay before we lost him, but Forbesy's a main threat. He'll be out for two or three weeks."

After falling behind to a seventh-minute Robbie Simpson header, Eastleigh - unbeaten in eight in the Confence South - settled down and played some decent football.

They levelled on 17 minutes when Steve Forbes played in new signing Nicky Stavroulakis who coolly lifted his shot over keeper Dan Naisbitt.

Eastleigh keeper Wayne Shaw kept City at bay with a couple of decent saves and Chris Collins made a goalline clearance from Paul Booth before Cambridge had Dale Binns red-carded for elbowing skipper Danny Smith.

That should have handed the intiative to Eastleigh, but it was ten-man Cambridge who clinched the points when Booth cashed in on Nick Burton's defensive lapse to lob Shaw with 15 minutes to go.

Both Burton and Collins were just back from lengthy injuries and, with Ian Oliver ruled out by a gashed ankle and Bradley Thomas suspended, Eastleigh lacked their normal cohesion at the back.

"Nick Burton hadn't played for three weeks and he was miles off the pace. It was a soft goal to give away," admitted Doswell. "Both he and Chris Collins looked a bit rusty and we missed the pace and power Bradley gives us."

l While Eastleigh sit sixth, Havant & Waterlooville are up to the dizzy heights of third after Saints Academy graduate Brett Poate struck twice in a 3-1 win at Bishop's Stortford.

"We lost Brett for a couple of games suspended and when he came back he was not up to the standard he had set earlier in the season," admitted Hawks boss Ian Baird. "But on Saturday he was back to how he can be. The more positive Brett is, the better player he becomes. He should be playing higher but, for me, he's still got another 25 per cent of improving to do."

Poate blasted Hawks into a ninth-minute lead from Robbie Pethick's cross and on 15 minutes Stortford were reduced to ten men when Scott Forbes was sent packing for a two-footed lunge on Guy Lopez.

The hosts equalised through Alex Martin on 27 minutes, but Hawks wrapped up the points in the second half with a Rocky Baptise penalty and another smart strike from Poate.

"Before Saturday, we'd gone seven games unbeaten in the league and I set the lads a target for the next four games against Bishop's Stortford, Weston, Eastleigh and Welling," Baird revealed.

"We've achieved our first aim and ideally we're looking for 12 points out of 12 going into the Christmas period, but ten out of 12 would make me happy."

l Any win would do for Basingstoke Town right now. Ernie Howe's men have slumped to fifth bottom after being thumped 4-0 at home by fellow strugglers Yeading.

Errol Telemaque and Manny Williams each struck twice for the promoted Ryman Premier champions in front of a paltry 285 crowd.