Spitfires lose at home to Dover in Vanarama Premier

Results elsewhere meant the seventh-placed Spitfires still have all to play for in their last five Vanarama Conference games but they will be gutted that, having played so well, they were undone by a Sean Raggett header with 20 minutes to play.

The Spitfires stuck with the same starting line-up from last week’s Gateshead victory, meaning Jai Reason – back from a two-match suspension – had to settle for a place on the bench.

With manager Richard Hill starting a two-match touchline ban, it was his player/assistant Craig McAllister who had the first sight of goal, turning sharply and volleying just wide in the third minute.

Apart from one slightly uncomfortable moment when Dover’s Ricky Modeste whipped the ball off the toe of Spitfires keeper Dean Beckwith as he attempted to control it to the right of Ross Flitney’s goal, the early threat was all Eastleigh’s with the Whites defence having to work overtime to keep them at bay.

Michael Green went on a surging run down the left and, when he ran into traffic, Brian Howard thumped a hopeful shot wide.

Ben Strevens was unlucky not to get a clean connection to Will Evans’ delivery to the back stick, before neat interplay between McAllister and James Constable resulted in the ball being scrambled behind for a corner.

With the Spitfires swarming all round the visitors, Howard ran into a pocket of space and unleashed a low, left-foot drive which keeper Mitch Walker was comfortably behind.

The visitors were pacy on the break, but produced nothing to unduly trouble the Spitfires who were creeping ever closer to scoring.

First McAllister was blocked out at point-blank range after a sweet passing move involving Howard, Harry Pell and Jack Midson, and then Midson teed up Pell who shot wildly over.

McAllister was in inspired form for the Spitfires and it was his astute pass that set up the best chance to date for Constable, who cleverly brought the ball down between two defenders and flashed a shot inches wide of Walker’s right-hand post.

Dover’s best phase of passing football presented a half chance to Stefan Payne, but he caught his shot all wrong and launched it well over.

Strevens bent a free-kick narrowly off target for Eastleigh before there was another slight scare in their own area when Flitney spilled Modeste’s shot, but there were plenty of defenders on hand to clear.

Two excellent Spitfires chances followed in the space of as many minutes.

First Constable was denied one-on-one by Walker inside the six-yard box and then the Dover stopper was in the way again after Howard had picked out McAllister with a searching ball from the left, leaving Eastleigh with nothing to show for their first-half superiority.

Playing with a brisk wind behind them, the visitors carved out the first opening of the second period but Solomon Taiwo’s ballooned effort over wasted all Payne’s hard work in setting up the chance.

Eastleigh responded with a couple of penalty shouts.

Overlapping full-back Evans quickly got back on with things after stumbling over Tyrone Sterling just inside the right of the area, but Pell put up more of an argument as he hit the deck claiming a shove by Tom Murphy.

The supporters packed behind the clubhouse goal then appealed in unison for handball against Dover’s Richard Orlu as Constable looked to get on the end of Jamie Turley’s long ball forward, but again there was nothing doing from referee David Rock.

Payne drove a rare Dover effort across the face of the Eastleigh goal before Modeste hung up a hopeful ball from distance which Flitney dealt with well in an awkward breeze.

By then the Spitfires had replaced Midson with Reason and it was from the substitute’s pass that Constable so nearly opened the scoring, driving down the right side of the area and cannoning a shot off the bar.

But, against all odds, the breakthrough came at the other end as Dover stole the lead on 71 minutes.

Eastleigh were preparing to bring on Dan Walker for Howard when the visitors earned themselves a corner on the left.

Taiwo delivered and Eastleigh were left kicking themselves as tall defender Sean RAGGETT got in with a free header.

In response Eastleigh threatened from a corner of their own, but the unlucky Constable steered his shot wide after sub Walker had found him on the left of the area.

Reason then threaded the ball through to Strevens, but he too was shut out by the hard-working Dover defence as the Spitfires desperately tried to claw their way back.

With just ten minutes to save themselves, Eastleigh lost Green injured and threw on Joe Partington at left-back.

The announcement of five minutes of added time gave the Spitfires hope, but it was all very rushed as the seconds ticked down and their last chance disappeared when Reason snatched at his shot and sent a tame effort straight at Walker.