Preparation is absolutely key for Eastleigh manager Richard Hill and not what he does on the touchline during match-days.

There was no rest for Hill because the Spitfires prepare to travel to Forest Green Rovers tonight in the Vanarama Conference following their historic FA Cup victory on Saturday.

The boss visited The New Lawn on Sunday in their 2-0 defeat to League One Scunthorpe in their FA Cup first round match.

And as part of further preparations Hill also had his side in training yesterday as they look to continue their fine Conference form.

The Spitfires have won six games in a row in all competitions and are just four points off second in the Conference, with games in hand over clubs above them.

Ady Pennock’s side are one of those clubs. They sit one place above Eastleigh in eighth, having played a match more than Eastleigh.

Once Hill’s homework is complete however, he knows he can call upon the vast experience within his squad to take care of things on match-day.

And that means he can concentrate on making adjustments from his technical area.

“I’ll have to go to work tomorrow because Forest Green are playing,” he said after Eastleigh defeated Lincoln City 2-1 in the FA Cup. “I’ve got to do my homework on them.

“We’ve then got a training session on Monday to prepare.

“There’s people that look at me and don’t think I’m doing anything on the touchline.

“I’ve got a bunch of players that accumulatively have played more than 5000 Football League games.

“Do they need me jumping up and down on the sidelines? Somebody going mad, telling them what to do? No, they know what to do.

“Ben Strevens knows what to do, Craig Stanley knows what to do, McAllister does, Paul Reid does.

“They can educate the likes of (younger players) Will Evans, Dan Spence and (Michael) Green.

“What can I do? Because they’ve played, accumulatively, far more games than I ever did in the Football League.

“So sometimes you’ve just got to let them get on with it – let them suss it out for themselves. My job is to tinker, move things around, making the substitutions (on match-day).

“My job happens on Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays on the training ground.

“There I prepare them with as much information as possible about the team ahead.”

Five of that experienced squad are very familiar with the Gloucestershire outfit. Player-coach Chris Todd, Stuart Fleetwood, Jamie Collins, Yemi Odubade and Ben Wright are all FGR old boys.

Rovers are currently on an unbeaten run that stems back to the end of September. They are unbeaten in six league games.

But they have drawn their last two home games. On the other hand, Eastleigh haven’t dropped any points since early October. Although they have failed to win away from home in the league since the opening day of the season.