THE whirlwind of excitement enveloping Eastleigh temporarily blew itself out at the Silverlake Stadium yesterday.

Perhaps it was the distraction of Tuesday's huge FA Cup third round replay at Bolton that contributed to the Spitfires' tame 2-1 FA Trophy exit at the hands of National League rivals Gateshead.

Or perhaps it was the anti-climax of playing in front of a meagre 453 crowd - just seven days after a club record turnout of 5,025 had braved wind and torrential rain to witness that unforgettable 1-1 draw with the Wanderers.

All looked reasonably promising for the Spitfires yesterday when they led by James Constable’s poacher’s finish at half-time.

But the wheels seriously came off in the second half and manager Chris Todd knows a vast improvement is needed if they are to join the elite list of FA Cup giant-killers at the Macron Stadium.

Any notion that Eastleigh had taken the Trophy lightly was quickly dispelled by the disappointment etched on Todd’s face as goals by Paddy McLaughlin and substitute Danny Johnson fired Gateshead into the last 16.

After all, the young boss has set his standards high, leading the Spitfires to 13 wins and four draws in his 20 games in charge.

“I’m a little bit disappointed, I’m not going to lie,” he said afterwards. “It wasn’t great today, I don’t know if it was one game too many, I’m not really sure.

“It was too on and off for me today. Not enough tempo, play, drive, determination - a total contrast to the other day.

"It was always going to be tough because you get yourself so high for such a big game (like Bolton) and then you play Gateshead in front of 400 people.

"Of course it’s difficult, but we have to be bigger than that really.”

On the plus side, Jamie Turley was outstanding at the heart of the Spitfires’ defence on his return from long-term injury – and he needed to be.

Because even though Eastleigh were good value for Constable’s 19th-minute close-range finish from Lee Cook’s corner – his 14th goal of the season – Gateshead rarely gave them a moment’s peace at the back.

Whether the Tynesiders should have been awarded a 32nd-minute spot kick for skipper Ben Strevens’ challenge on Ryan Bowman is open to debate. “It was never a pen,” said Todd.

Referee Mark Pottage thought otherwise, but it ceased to be an issue when Spitfires’ goalkeeper Ross Flitney followed up his immaculate performance against Bolton by keeping out Bowman’s effort with his feet.

Lee Cook and Constable could well have doubled Eastleigh's lead by then, but Todd felt his side over-elaborated on a stodgy surface that, though much improved on the previous week's mudbath, was still not suited to flowing football.

Reflecting on the opening half-hour, Todd said: “We looked comfortable, probably too comfortable at times. We overplayed on the surface, causing ourselves our own problems and giving them a bit of confidence when they really didn’t need that.”

That confidence blossomed five minutes after the break when Paddy McLaughlin headed Gateshead level from a looping cross by new on-loan Middlesbrough defender Andre Bennett.

Eastleigh chances were few and far between from there on in and it was a master stroke by Heed manager Neil Aspin that settled the tie.

He went for broke, throwing on an extra striker after 70 minutes and, within the blink of an eye, sub Johnson had rewarded that ambition by drilling home the winner off the foot of the post.

“I can’t fault my players for effort, they always give effort, but they just weren’t at the races today,” summed up Todd.

Eastleigh, though, will be a different animal on Tuesday with a massive fourth round home tie against Leeds United at stake plus a £67,500 slice of the FA prize fund.

“We’ll be up for it without a shadow of a doubt because it’s such a big game for the football club,” promised Todd.

“But we will have to be better than we were today, that’s for sure.”

The fans should be on good form too with the club predicting a record away following of over 500 for the historic trip to the Macron.

EASTLEIGH: Ross Flitney, Joe Partington, Michael Green (Dan Harding, 63), Ben Strevens, Will Evans, Jamie Turley, Lee Cook, Andy Drury, James Constable, Jack Midson (Matty Fanimo, 68), Josh Payne (Ross Lafayette, 81). Subs: (not used) Lewis Noice, Jai Reason.

GATESHEAD: Sam Russell, Matty Pattison (Danny Johnson, 70), Ben Clark, Rob Ramshaw, Gus Mafuta, Jordan Cranston, Ryan Bowman, Adam Wrightson (CJ Hamilton, 58), Patrick McLaughlin, Alex Whitmore, Andre Bennett. Subs (not used) Shaun McDonald, James Curtis, Jon Shaw.

Referee: Mark Pottage.

Attendance: 453