EASTLEIGH 2 READING 1

EASTLEIGH fielded four new signings and four trialists in today's morale-boosting 2-1 friendly win over Championship outfit Reading.

Having already welcomed ex-Saint Oscar Gobern and full-back Josh Hare to the Silverlake, the Spitfires announced the arrival of 24-year-old duo Alex Wynter, from Maidstone United, and Joe Jones, from Woking, in the build-up to the game. Both players have signed one-year deals.

They were joined in this afternoon's squad by a quartet of players all bidding to catch manager Andy Hessenthaler’s eye.

Former Scarborough midfielder Cameron Murray and Richard Gilot, a 21-year-old French midfielder most recently with Bognor, spent the first 45 minutes in the shop window, followed by Bayley Brown and Aziz Deen-Canteh after the break.

Brown, a 6ft 4in ex-Spurs Academy midfielder, has played for Maidenhead and Staines, while left-back Deen-Canteh represented for England and Chelsea at youth level.

Despite soaring late-June temperatures, the game was played at a decent tempo in front of a 738 Silverlake crowd.

Eastleigh led on 14 minutes when Mark Yates played in lone striker Paul McCallum who steered his shot across Finnish goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola into the far corner.

Mo Barrow went close to Royals’ equaliser when his low cross hit the post and, after wholesale half-time changes, the Eastleigh woodwork was bruised again by Dan Loader shortly after Reading's Callum Harriott had headed a good chance wide.

That same upright featured again shortly afterwards as Leandro Bacuna's 78th-minute shot rolled in off the far post for 1-1.

But Eastleigh had the last word when, with four minutes left, Brown met Deen-Conteh’s delivery with a goal-bound header. Keeper Vito Mannone appeared to have saved it, but the ball squirmed loose and Ben Williamson prodded it over the line.

“Everyone raised eyebrows about how quickly we’ve played a friendly, but Nigel Gibbs (Reading assistant boss) phoned and asked for a game on June 30," Hessenthaler explained afterwards.

“Paul Clement (Reading boss) doesn’t normally do it this early, but we came back to training on Monday, the same as Reading, and it gives us a chance to quickly identify what we need to do and what we need for the team.

“We could have put on a running session today, but it wouldn’t have been as good as that (playing Reading). We knew Reading would have more of the ball. It was perfect for us.

“It’s good to get work in the legs and hopefully we’ll benefit from coming back early.”

Next up for Eastleigh is a Friday night (July 6, 7.30pm) trip to Gosport Borough who have just appointed ex-Spitfires duo Craig McAllister and Matt Tubbs as player/manager and player/first-team coach.

Eastleigh (first half): Mark Childs, Josh Hare, Michael Green, Danny Hollands, Alex Wynter, Reda Johnson, Cameron Murray, Oscar Gobern, Paul McCallum, Mark Yates, Richard Gilot.

Eastleigh (second half): Graham Stack, Josh Hare (Ollie Dennett,69), Joe Jones, Cav Miley, Alex Wynter (Lewis Harvey, 72), Andrew Boyce, Sam Wood, Bayley Brown, Ben Williamson, Chris Zebroski, Aziz Deen-Conteh.