HOLDERS Eastleigh intend taking their entire first-team squad to Sydenhams One outfit Fleet Spurs tonight for the Hampshire FA Senior Cup third round.

Following recent heavy rain, manager Richard Hill has been asked not to use the main Silverlake Stadium surface for training this evening.

And, with the club’s neighbouring Lower Hardmoor pitch soaked through, the tie will be invaluable in helping the Spitfires prepare for Saturday’s Blue Square Bet South assignment at Dover Athletic.

Having watched his side stumble to a third successive defeat in all competitions against Welling United on Saturday, there are things Hill needs work on.

“I would have liked to have spent some time on the training ground,” he admitted.

“But I’ve got a couple of ideas in mind for tonight which we’ll try and look at.”

“We’ll be taking the full first team and treating the cup with the respect it deserves.”

Having taken an early lead against Welling on Saturday, Eastleigh fell away in the second half and went down 3-1.

They hadn’t played a competitive game for two weeks previously, but Hill said: “I didn’t think we looked particularly unfit.

What disappointed me is that in every training session in my first few weeks here we’ve worked a lot on the shape of the team when we haven’t got the ball.

“But against Welling we looked a bit ragged in the last 15 minutes and we were all over the place a bit.”

Loan midfielder Jamie Hand is ineligible tonight, but Hill has an otherwise full squad available.

Eastleigh remain determined to sign Aldershot Town striker Reece Connolly, but it looks as if they will have to wait until his loan contract with BSB rivals Farnborough expires on December 12.

Reports that the Spitfires have bid an initial £12,000 for 20-year-old Connolly appear to be wide of the mark and it’s believed that, taking weekly wages into account, the money received from the recent sale of Moses Ademola to Dover will cover the deal.