EASTLEIGH manager Richard Hill was pleased with a 1-1 draw at fellow Conference Premier promotion hopefuls Woking – despite conceding in the last 30 seconds.

Jack Marriott’s last gasp strike denied the Spitfires what would have been a great win.

But Hill, who now has to ready his side for a Conference home clash with Altrincham on Sunday, was philosophical about the late heartbreak.

“You have to be pleased,” he said after Eastleigh’s second draw against the Cards over the festive period – the two teams had played out a 2-2 Boxing Day draw in Hampshire.

“We’ve played them twice in a week – a team I said if we finish above then we’ll be in the play-offs. That’s how highly I regard them.

“Both times they’ve played a 4-5-1 against us. Getting men behind the ball and trying to hit us on the break.

“We’ve come here and controlled the game from start to finish, all bar the last few minutes.

“I’m sure Garry (Woking boss Hill) will say they were the better team, and his assumptions of games are good, but we controlled it from start to finish.”

On the Cards’ formation, Hill added: “It says they see us a tough opponent. They did it against us the other day when we were at home, I expect that.

“They’ve got the players to play that formation.

“I haven’t got the players to play that formation and I purposely don’t want to play that formation.

“They could have equalised earlier on but Rossco (Ross Flitney) made a good save.”

When asked if he was annoyed to take a point from the jaws of a 1-0 win, Hill looked back on the amount of times his side have snatched late goals.

“As I’ve said before, the game is 95 or 96 minutes long,” he said. “Today it was 95 minutes long.

“You have that long to score a goal, it’s as simple as that.

“How many times have you seen us do it?”

He continued: “It’s a tough place to come.

“It was a good solid team performance. I don’t want to tempt fate, but we’re in a good little bit of form.

“Other than the cups, it was a good December.

“We had a tough December.

“Don’t lose sight of that. It hasn’t been easy. A lot of away games, we’ve only had two home games.”

Even though Altrincham, who won 4-1 against Chester yesterday, lie 16th in the Conference, Hill knows his men – unbeaten at home in the league all season – will have to perform to their best this Sunday.

“Just because you’re at home it doesn’t mean these teams are going to come and let you tickle their bellies,” he said. “They’re going to come and try and beat you.

“I’ve seen Altrincham play, they’re a very good team. They pass the ball well. If we’re not tidy and we don’t take them lightly, it could be a long game.”

With just days until the game, Hill is short on time to patch up his side.

“We can’t train tomorrow,” he said. “I’ve got lads that are sore.

“We’ll train on Saturday. What can I do in that time?

“We’ve only really got an hour/hour and a half to prepare.”