EASTLEIGH are resigned to being without defensive powerhouse Reda Johnson for the remainder of the National League campaign.

A healthy haul of ten points from their last four games has banished any fear of getting dragged into a relegation scrap and Spitfires’ saviour Richard Hill sees no point rushing injured players back too soon.

Hill, who leads his in-form side to promotion-chasing Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday, said: “Reda did his hamstring at Chester and I’d be very surprised if he plays again this season. There’s no point pushing him now.

“I came back to the club to get us safe and we’ve managed to do that. There’s no point playing players with long-term injuries, we might as well save them now.”

In Johnson’s absence, fellow backline giant Ayo Obileye has made his presence felt at both ends of the park, scoring in the 3-2 win at Torquay and again in last Saturday’s 1-1 home draw with Gateshead.

The 22-year-old knows Dagenham well having spent two loan spells there from Charlton Athletic prior to joining Eastleigh last summer.

He is one of three former Daggers in the Spitfires' camp, along with Ben Strevens – a 2006/07 Conference winner – and Gavin Hoyte who signed a two-year contract at Victoria Road following his release from Arsenal in 2012.

Although Eastleigh are well adrift of the fourth-placed Daggers in 11th, they are way ahead of them in the current form charts, based on the last four games.

The Spitfires are joint top with ten points from 12, while Dagenham – who lost three of their five March games - are down in 11th with six.

“We’re in better recent form, but they’re at the right end of the table with not a lot of upheaval this season, which is totally different to Eastleigh,” said director of football/caretaker boss Hill, the club’s fourth manager of a rollercoaster campaign.

“At Eastleigh it’s been one obstacle after another, but the club’s come a long way in a short space of time and perhaps it’s time to just calm ourselves down a bit.

"We’d all like to win the league every season or reach the play-offs, but you can’t always get everything you want in football.”

Coming up after Saturday's trip to Dagenham is a home game against mighty league leaders Lincoln City on April 8.

“They’re two big matches and it’s nice to still be involved in games that mean something at this stage of the season,” said Hill.