Yemi Odubade’s goal two minutes into his Eastleigh comeback wasn’t enough to give the Spitfires anything from their first leg Vanarama Conference play-off match against Grimsby Town tonight at the Silverlake Stadium.

Odubade, who returned from a loan spell at Woking recently, headed in from close-range on 61 minutes just moments after coming on.

But it still didn’t stop two absolute screamers from Nathan Arnold giving the Mariners a 2-1 lead going into the second-leg at Blundell Park on Sunday.

The first-half started with Grimsby very much in the ascendancy with Eastleigh improving kicking and screaming as the first period wore on.

A disastrous start for the Spitfires saw, with just over two minutes played,  Arnold smash in a sublime half-volley.

Daily Echo:

From a long ball forward Eastleigh centre-back Jamie Turley could only head away into the onrushing Arnold who, with a cheeky touch with his knee, powered away from Craig Stanley.

With that he slammed an audacious effort straight at goal with the outside of his right foot.

It was straight at Spitfires keeper Ross Flitney but the trajectory of the ball lifted it inch-perfect over the helpless stopper. It was a special strike for a big occasion.

The Mariners had rattled Eastleigh and could have doubled their lead minutes later when Arnold burst into the left of the box before firing into the side-netting.

And it could have easily been three before ten minutes had past, as ex-Havant & Waterlooville forward Ollie Palmer clattered the post from close-range after going one-on-one.

Arnold’s beautiful goal was in stark contrast to the rest of the half.

It got very scrappy and feisty as the half wore on, with Ben Strevens picking up a booking for a foul on Craig Disley.

In another incident Grimsby stopper James McKeown was very lucky to escape without a card after he needlessly shoved Jai Reason.

Eastleigh, though, grew into the occasion and closed out the half having the better of the play.

The best of the home side’s chances saw Joe Partington shoot narrowly over the bar after McKeown had missed a punch from a Reason corner.

Reason also went close from a Partington ball, but he couldn’t quite untangle his legs to hit the target in the area.

The half closed out with Midson pulling a save out of McKeown to his left from just inside the box.

The second period had little to offer until Odubade made his very productive return to Stoneham Lane.

The wideman, who just returned from a loan spell at Woking, made his comeback as a 59th minute substitute for Midson.

So rushed was his return to action that his shirt wasn’t even printed with the club’s sponsor yet.

Nonetheless, it took just two minutes for Odubade to make his impact.

First, he won the free-kick 30-yards out, which Reason curled neatly to back-post.

Then, as Aristote Nsiala and Contstable battled in the air for the ball, a mixture of the two saw the ball zip across the front of goal.

Ready to pounce at the back-post was Odubade, who had the simple task of heading home from a matter of yards.

The 30-year-old then went close to putting his side in the lead, but his rasped effort took a deflection as it went just wide of the right post.

However, Odubade’s leveller was cancelled out as Arnold netted his second screamer of the evening on 71 minutes.

It started when McKeown launched the ball forward.

As it came down, Lenell John-Lewis headed down into the path of the Cambridge United loanee.

Again taking a touch off his knee, he burst away to the side of Partington, who was only a spectator with keeper Flitney, as the ball arrowed into the top left of the net.

Eastleigh searched hard for another leveller, but clear-cut chances were not forthcoming.

In fact it was Grimsby that went closest to extending the lead, with only Flitney’s heroics denying the visitors.

The former Gillingham stopper was on hand to tip Disley’s 20-yard effort round his post and then most impressively made a superb save in the box from John-Lewis’s powerful effort in the box.

Eastleigh: Flitney, Spence, Stanley (Howard 78), Constable, Reason, McAllister, Midson ( Odubade 59), Strevens (c), Evans, Turley, Partington. Subs (not used): Beckwith , Pell, Burton.