BARROW 4 EASTLEIGH 0

EASTLEIGH chose their moment in the BT Sport spotlight to suffer by far their worst result under manager Ronnie Moore at Barrow this afternoon.

The early second-half dismissal of skipper Ryan Cresswell proved pivotal as the ten-man Spitfires succumbed to a hefty 4-0 National League defeat at Holker Street.

Barrow’s star man Byron Harrison weighed in with a hat-trick to condemn the Spitfires to only their second loss in 14 league games since Moore was named Chris Todd’s successor in mid-August.

Eastleigh lined up at a grey, drizzly Holker Street without striker James Constable (concussion) and defensive colossus Reda Johnson (virus).

That left Connor Essam partnering skipper Cresswell in central defence, while Ryan Bird was recalled alongside 41-year-old Jamie Cureton up top.

The game had hardly got going when there was a lengthy hold-up for a nasty facial injury to Eastleigh goalkeeper Ryan Clarke.

He was left with blood streaming from his nose after denying Barrow with a superb sixth-minute double save.

After sprawling to push away Alex Ray-Harvey’s strike from outside the area, he bravely dived at Harrison’s feet, taking a blow to the face in the process.

With blood streaming from a suspected broken nose, play was halted for six minutes while Clarke was tended to. He managed to continue after a change of pink shirt and having plugs inserted to stem the bleeding.

That spate of Barrow pressure followed a throw-in from the right and there was more danger from that area on 13 minutes when, from a free-kick conceded by Jai Reason, Liam Hughes rifled wide.

Another injury, to Barrow’s Shaun Beeley, triggered another long hold-up, and little was seen of Eastleigh as an attacking force until around the half-hour mark of a stop-start game.

Having appealed in vain for handball against Beeley following a swiftly-taken short corner, right-back Joe Partington had a shot blocked in the wake of a free kick – those incidents bridging Bird’s stabbed effort wide.

Barrow had the ball in the net on 32 minutes following another free-kick conceded by the combative Reason, but Hughes’ header was ruled out for offside.

During a whopping nine minutes of added time, the Bluebird threatened again. Richie Bennett unleashed a terrific shot on the turn which appeared to be finger-tipped onto the bar by Clarke, but appeals for a Barrow corner fell on deaf ears.

Half-time: Barrow 0 Eastleigh 0 The second half opened in nightmare fashion for the Spitfires as they conceded a penalty and had captain Cresswell red-carded.

Luke Coulson was caught in possession in midfield, Barrow punted a long ball forward and, in desperation, Cresswell tugged at Bennett – albeit with minimal contact - as the Barrow No9 threatened to burst clear.

HARRISON coolly sent Clarke the wrong way from the spot to give the Bluebirds the 48th-minute breakthrough.

Moore stuck with two up front, switching Partington into central defence and introducing sub David Pipe at right-back.

The ten-man Spitfires briefly dominated possession, knocking the ball around well, before disaster number two struck on 62 minutes.

Eastleigh were again undone by a long throw from the right, the giant figure of Barrow defender Moussa Diarra won the header and Nick ANDERTON hooked into the top corner for 2-0.

Moore went for broke, removing Bird and Cureton and throwing on the young legs of Mikael Mandron and fit-again Scott Wilson up front.

But a punishing afternoon for the visitors got worse on 74 minutes as the Bluebirds nicked goal number three.

Jordan Williams’ deep cross from the left was met by Bennett’s looping header back across goal and, although Clarke clawed it out from under the bar, HARRISON nodded in from a yard out.

Wounded soldier Clarke pulled off another superlative save to keep Williams’ 25-yard free-kick out of the top corner with three minutes of normal time remaining.

But there was more doom and gloom to come for Eastleigh as the excellent HARRISON too easily outjumped Mandron to head in sub Andy Haworth’s cross in the second minute of stoppage time.

Eastleigh: Ryan Clarke, Joe Partington, Michael Green, Jason Taylor, Connor Essam, Ryan Cresswell, Luke Coulson, Andy Drury, Jamie Cureton (Scott Wilson, 64), Ryan Bird (Mikael Mandron, 64), Jai Reason (David Pipe, 49). Subs (not used) Jake Howells, Ryan Huddart.

Referee: Karl Evans

Attendance: 1,795 (46 from Eastleigh)