James Constable struck five minutes from time to ensure that Eastleigh returned home from a rain-soaked Gloucestershire with a richly deserved point against Forest Green Rovers.

The Spitfires had fallen behind to Clovis Kamdjo’s 58th minute goal, a breakthrough that arrived just as this slow-burner of a game was exploding into life.

The first 45 minutes was light on chances, although Forest Green had a strike on target within the opening sixty seconds of proceedings. David Pipe’s cross from the right was hammered at goal by Lee Hughes, but Will Evans was on hand to block.

Eastleigh’s first-half efforts at goal were restricted to wayward strikes by Ben Strevens and Craig Stanley, the latter’s screwed half-volley running out for a home throw-in.

The visitors gradually began to dominate possession, but Rovers showed some real menace just past the half-hour mark. Pipe lofted a ball forward that found Hughes darting in behind the Spitfires’ rear-guard. Eight yards out, and with the ball sitting up invitingly, the ex-West Brom man fired past the near-post.

Constable had the first sight of goal after the break. Eddie Oshodi made a hash of Flitney’s 55th minute punt, allowing the visiting striker to swoop in and hit a shot that deflected wide off Luke Oliver.

Just sixty seconds later the hosts were ahead. When a straight ball down the middle was forced on by Luke Rodgers, the Spitfires hesitated, fatally. Kamdjo burst through from midfield, and prodded home after having his initial effort stopped by the advancing Flitney.

Although disappointed to concede, Spitfires boss Richard Hill was sanguine about the nature of the goal: “We’ve had a lot of possession. We’re the away team and had more possession than the home team, so you will always be susceptible to a break away.”

The away side were instantly in search of a leveller. Constable, having latched onto Ben Wright’s clever lofted pass looked to be hauled to the ground by Oshodi in the area. The striker was subsequently cautioned for voicing his displeasure at referee Nigel Legg, who had emphatically waved away the concerted Spitfires’ spot-kick appeals.

Eastleigh frustrations grew when substitute Jack Midson couldn’t keep his effort on target after Will Evans had forced Russell into spilling Reason’s free-kick from the left. Constable then took an exquisite first-touch to spin clear of Oshodi, but could only drag his shot across goal.

Constable made no mistake late on, though. Reason rolled a pass back to Dan Spence, who sent a high cross to the far post that Midson managed to guide down into his strike partner’s path. Constable did the rest, lashing a low finish past Russell’s outstretched left glove.

There was still time for Midson to hit a post from 12 yards after some fine work by Spence down the right, while a combination of Flithey and Evans prevented a Kamdjo close-range strike from finding the net.

Hill was full of praise for his players, and in particular the nature of their performance at a venue where the hosts have lost only twice this season: “It’s a tough place to come and we’ve had long periods of the game where we were on top.

“Had we gone away with nothing tonight I still could have been proud of my players, but we were unlucky not to come away with three points. I thought over the 90 minutes we were the better team. “That’s six games unbeaten now. This was a tough place to come. I said earlier this season that my team would get better, and I think they’ll get better still.”