THE bad news for Eastleigh is that Luke Coulson will not be fit for Saturday’s Vanarama National League showdown at promotion rivals Grimsby Town.

The good news is that the 22-year-old stands a fighting chance of returning for Tuesday’s big free admission game against Barrow at the Silverlake Stadium.

Manager Chris Todd couldn’t disguise his anger last weekend when Coulson, signed for a club record fee from Oxford City in January, fell victim of a heavy tackle by Guiseley’s Adam Lockwood 65 minutes into a 1-1 draw at the Silverlake.

Coulson’s afternoon was prematurely ended and there were fears he faced a lengthy spell out with ankle problems.

Fortunately, the injury is not as bad as initially thought.

“There’s no ligament damage," a relieved Todd reported. “He took a kick and it’s more of a strain. I was frustrated more than anything to think we could have lost a player who has been on top form.

“People forget Luke’s only just turned 22. He’s come up from the Conference South and shown just how good he is. He’s very dynamic and offers us something different. He’s a top kid and a hungry lad who wants to perform.

“We’ll miss him on Sarturday, but it’s good that he’ll probably be okay for Tuesday.”

Those dropped points against lowly Guiseley were not as harmful as they might have been to the Spitfires' play-off push.

With both Tranmere and Braintree losing – the latter also beaten at Barrow in midweek – seventh-placed Eastleigh remain two points off fifth spot with two games in hand.

The Spitfires are on a six-game unbeaten run and they will need to be at their vengeful best to tame jinx side Grimsby who have beaten them five times over the last two seasons.

Having triumphed home and away in the league last term, the Mariners went on to burst Eastleigh’s play-off bubble. The curse continued in November when they won by a single Padraig Amond goal at the Silverlake.

“Everyone keeps telling me they’re our bogey side, but we’re looking forward to the challenge of trying to beat them. We’re more than capable,” said Todd.

“It’s not going to be easy, we know that, but we have to go there and be positive.”

Grimsby are third, eight points ahead of Eastleigh, but Paul Hurst's men have stuttered of late.

Beaten at Macclesfield and league leaders Cheltenham, they looked to be heading for an unwanted hat-trick of defeats at Aldershot on Tuesday when they slipped 2-0 down.

But a rollercoaster game ended 4-3 in the Mariners’ favour thanks to Jon Nolan’s late cross-shot.

Turning his attentions to Tuesday's free-entry showdown with mid-table Barrow, Todd said: "If there's any local person that hasn't seen Eastleigh yet, that's the night! It's a great chance to come along and see what we're about."