Eastleigh’s FA Trophy hopes were sunk 2-0 in the first round at Vanarama Conference rivals Woking this afternoon.

It was their third defeat in seven depressing days, but they had their fair share of chances in a frantic tie at Kingfield, hitting the woodwork twice in the first half.

The Spitfires were without suspended skipper Dean Beckwith, while Michael Green, currently nursing an ankle injury, was again named on the bench alongside rested big guns James Constable, Stuart Fleetwood and Ben Strevens.

Manager Richard Hill sprang a surprise by handing a first start to Hussein Heidari, a highly rated youngster from Lee Peacock’s Academy group, who started at right-back while Dan Spence switched to the left.

With both sides looking to get back on track following back-to-back defeats, it was Eastleigh who created the first flicker of excitement on six minutes when Jamie Collins launched a free kick into the area and it was headed out as far as Chris Todd whose shot cannoned off a defender.

Jai Reason then lofted a shot over after a neat one-two with Craig McAllister on the edge of the Woking box.

But the first real chance fell to the home side in the tenth minute when Kevin Betsy made progress down the left and slipped the ball in for Jack Marriott whose angled drive flashed across the face of goal and wide.

Eastleigh keeper Ross Flitney then had to be sharp off his line to clear the danger from a long ball forward and, as an end-to-end contest tilted Eastleigh’s way, Woking skipper Joe McNerney made a crucial tackle to dispossess Jack Midson at the expense of a corner before captain Will Evans headed just over from another Collins free kick.

The Cards returned fire with a 20-yard Dean Morgan drive, but it skidded well wide of Flitney’s left-hand post.

The response from Eastleigh was emphatic, breaking straight from a Woking corner to set the pacy Yemi Odubade loose inside the Woking half. He drove at the defence, muscling past Mike Cestor before unleashing a shot which clipped off the top of the bar and over.

Back came Woking at the double with Marriott first missing an open goal after pouncing on Todd’s misplaced header, then just failing to get a toe to Josh Payne’s dangerous driven cross from the right.

The pressure eventually told on the Spitfires when they fell behind in the 29th minute to a belting finish by PAYNE into the roof of Flitney’s net after the visitors had failed to deal with Marriott’s delivery from the left.

Payne almost doubled the advantage with a cracking long-range volley after Evans had headed out John Nutter’s free kick.

The Spitfires then threatened with a set-piece of their own – Evans meeting Reason’s back-post free kick with a stooping header which went just wide.

The visitors went closer still on 38 minutes with Midson meeting Reason’s corner with an acrobatic overhead kick but, alas for the Spitfires, it clattered off the woodwork and they went in at half-time trailing 1-0.

Woking brought on Keiran Murtagh and Chris Arthur for the start of the second half, but it was the unchanged Spitfires who had the greater urgency about them with Reason flicking a header wide from Craig Stanley’s right-wing cross.

Even so, the home side should have scored in the 51st minute when Odubade clipped Morgan’s ankle close to the left-hand corner of the area.

Payne delivered the free kick into the six-yard box where the experienced Betsy found himself with a free header, but only managed to direct it straight at Flitney.

Eastleigh responded positively and almost forced an own-goal when Woking’s attempted clearance ricocheted off one of their own players, but Eastleigh boss Hill wanted more and duly made two changes, hailing Green and Strevens off the bench for Collins and young Heidari.

Woking’s Cestor picked up the afternoon’s first booking for fouling McAllister 20 yards out, but Reason steered the free kick wide.

The next handful of chances belonged to the Cards with Joey Jones firing on to the roof of the net, Payne lashing a shot well past the post and McNerney heading a good chance wide.

Just when it looked as if the pendulum had swung Woking’s way, back came Eastleigh with Midson forced wide by Cards keeper Ross Worner before Odubade failed to capitalise on McAllister’s cross in the face of strong home defending.

McAllister then had the ball in the net following great work by Reason on the byline, but it was ruled that the ball had gone out of play.

No sooner had the home fans in the 693 crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief than they were cursing Morgan for blazing a clear chance over at the other end.

But Woking’s lightening speed on the break proved the Spitfires’ undoing as they fell further into arrears in the 71st minute – menacing on-loan Ipswich marksman MARRIOTT latching on to Betsy’s pass and arrowing a shot into the far corner for 2-0.

The Spitfires stubbornly refused to give up the ghost and on 81 minutes full-back Spence drove forward and tested Worner with a hard, low shot which the keeper tamed at the second attempt.

As the game moved into its closing stages, Woking used their pace to try to open Eastleigh up from balls over the top, but a chance-laden contest ended 2-0.