Eastleigh 1 Hereford 2.

THERE will be no FA Cup fairytale for Eastleigh this season.

Instead, the sorry Spitfires can reflect on a truly disastrous fourth qualifying round tie which saw them unceremoniously dumped out of the competition, 2-1, by two-leagues-lower Hereford – and ending the afternoon with nine men.

The Bulls, whose forerunners Hereford United were famed Cup giant-killers, were 1-0 up before Eastleigh defender Andrew Boyce was shown straight red.

Garyn Preen doubled the visitors’ lead and, after a 78th-minute reply by Callum Howe had set up a frantic finish, Gavin Hoyte’s stoppage-time dismissal compounded the home side’s misery.

The light at the end of the Spitfires long injury tunnel had shone through in Richard Hill’s team selection with Michael Green (foot) and skipper Sam Togwell (thigh) returning to the starting line-up and Ryan Cresswell and Paul McCallum named on the bench.

Hereford, of the Evo-Stik South Premier, began with an air of confidence befitting a side on a run ten straight league and cup wins.

They strung together a decent early move from James Bowen’s long throw from well inside this own area, resulting in Ross Flitney punching away Preen’s floated ball in.

Eastleigh responded with a threatening low ball across from Sam Wood following a short corner which experienced midfielder Mike McGrath managed to turn behind.

The Bulls were forced into an early substitution when Rob Purdie replaced the injured Calvin Dinsley who was unable to continue after treatment.

But Hereford went straight back on the attack, winning a couple of free kicks about ten yards outside the Eastleigh area.

Nothing came of the first with prolific marksman John Mills heading Preen’s delivery harmlessly over, but catastrophe struck for the Spitfires from the second.

Skipper Howe was penalised for catching Mike Symons and up stepped McGRATH whose free-kick cruelly ricocheted off the Eastleigh wall and past flat-footed goalkeeper Ross Flitney.

Initially shellshocked, Eastleigh swiftly got their act together. Sam Wood’s 25-yard free kick was blocked by Preen, who was booked for handball. It invited Wood to take aim again from the very edge of the area inside the ‘D’, but this time his kick was deflected out for a corner.

Wood then produced some fancy footwork on the right of the box but his finish was wayward.

With the Bulls’ noisy band of fans roaring them on, the visitors earned another free-kick on 27 minutes when Green was penalised for fouling Keyon Reffell. While Eastleigh were disputing it, Hereford took the kick quickly and the distracted National League full-timers had to scramble it away.

It lurched from bad to worse for Hill's side on 32 minutes when they were reduced to ten men.

Slack play allowed the Bulls to send Symons clear through the left channel. Panicked Spitfires defender Andrew Boyce slid in and whipped his legs from under him, earning the former Grimsby man a straight red card for what referee Carl Brook deemed to be a professinal fould.

Apart from a couple of high crosses which tested Bulls keeper Martin Horsell, Eastleigh posed little threat and might have conceded again on 41 minutes, but Symons spooned a close-range volley over.

Ben Strevens’ weak header barely tested Horsell and Hereford soon showed the ten-man Spitfires how it was done, seizing a 2-0 lead in the 43rd minute.

Reffell laid the ball across the six-yard box and, with Flitney totally exposed, PREEN coolly bypassed him and rolled the ball into the bottom corner.

Having had time to reflect at half-time, Eastleigh – with James Constable replacing the injured Togwell – came out fighting.

But it wasn’t long before Hereford were troubling them again – Mills swinging a boot at Symonds’ delivery, but failing to get good contact his volley.

A serious injury held things up on 52 minutes when Preen went down under a strong but fair challenge from Eastleigh right-back Hoyte. With both sets of players gathering round in concern, the two physios were quickly on the scene followed by a stretcher.

It took ten minutes before Preen - who was reportedly struggling to breathe - was eventually carried off to sympathetic applause from the 1,345 crowd. Adam Page replaced him.

With the Spitfires showing no sign of getting back into it, Hill made one last roll of the dice, throwing on attacking duo Gary McSheffrey and fit-again striker McCallum for McAllister and Ben Williamson with 73 minutes gone.

The effect was instantaneous with McSheffrey’s determination forcing a corner on the left. It was delivered long and Ben Strevens nodded it back goalwards for on-loan Lincoln defender HOWE to pull one back with a close-range header. There were 12 minutes of normal time – plus a whopping 14 minutes of stoppage time - remaining.

Suddenly the Spitfires were all over Hereford like a rash and the lower league side had to defend for their lives.

But with seven minutes of added time played, the Bulls broke and Flitney crucially got his fingertips to sub Page’s goalbound strike.

With the action flowing this way, then that, Hereford ’keeper Horsell did well to claim Green’s high ball under pressure from McCallum before Reffell’s shot trickled just inches past the upright at the other end.

And, as the drama kept coming, Hoyte launched into another challenge by the touchline and this time the referee had no hesitation in showing another straight red, reducing the sorry Spitfires to nine men.

Eastleigh: Ross Flitney, Gavin Hoyte, Michael Green, Sam Togwell (James Constable, 46), Sam Wood, Mark Yeates, Ben Strevens, Craig McAllister (Paul McCallum, 74), Andrew Boyce, Ben Williamson (Gary McSheffrey 74), Callum Howe. Subs (not used): Ryan Cresswell, Chris Zebroski, Ayo Obileye, Cavaghn Miley.

Referee: Carl Brook.

Attendance: 1,345.