Eastleigh 3 Gateshead 2.

EASTLEIGH’S season is up and running again after a pulsating 3-2 home triumph over Gateshead.

Richard Hill’s men, desperate to turn the corner on three successive league and cup defeats, looked to have blown their chance of victory when their 2-0 lead was cruelly snuffed out with less than three minutes of normal time remaining.

But fortune favours the brave and Eastleigh’s determination to keep going paid rich dividends deep into stoppage when sub Ben Strevens grabbed a glorious winner.

The Spitfires had been boosted by a welcome return for defender Ryan Cresswell, back after a frustrating year out with a knee injury.

He was given the captain’s armband and slotted impressively into central defence in place of the suspended Andrew Boyce, while Ayo Obileye stepped in at right-back with Gavin Hoyte also serving a ban.

With Sam Togwell injured, Danny Hollands returned to a much-changed Eastleigh starting line-up, along with former Orient striker Paul McCallum and experienced duo James Constable and Gary McSheffrey.

After a morning of wild winds and heavy showers, the game kicked off in bright sunshine – and the Spitfires soon had smiles to match as they took the lead with just over five minutes gone.

Manager Richard Hill had spoken beforehand of the need for an early confidence boost, which duly arrived when top scorer BEN WILLIAMSON scampered onto Sam Wood’s throughball and coolly fired left-footed across ’keeper Dan Hanford for his sixth goal of the season.

With spirits raised, the Spitfires continued to attack with confidence and were shaking their heads with disbelief that they didn’t double their lead five minutes later.

The Gateshead goal led a charmed life as Obileye delivered from the right and first Hollands slid in with a shot that struck the woodwork and then Williamson smacked the loose ball against the bar.

They might have lived to regret that on 14 minutes when Russell Penn undid Eastleigh’s defence with a terrific ball though to former Wrexham winger Wes York, but Spitfires ’keeper Ross Flitney got his side out of trouble.

Gateshead’s Scott Barrow then fired narrowly over from range before some typically determined defending by Obileye got the Spitfires back on the front foot.

After another heavy cloudburst, good work by McSheffrey earned Eastleigh a corner on the left and, as the ball arrived low at the near post, Obileye wasn’t too far away with a shot intended for the bottom corner.

Flitney then coped well again with another shot from distance, this time off the boot of Luke Hannant, before boos rang out around the Silverlake when popular left-back Michael Green was penalised – and then booked – by referee Richard Hulme for what had looked like a well-judged tackle on York just to right of the Eastleigh area.

But with Cresswell constantly organising and talking, Eastleigh were untroubled by the free-kick and went in at the break holding a richly-deserved 1-0 lead. So far so good for the Spitfires.

Half-time: Eastleigh 1 Gateshead 0.

There was nothing doing at the start of the second half until Callum Howe headed Cresswell’s delivery into the path of McSheffrey who couldn’t quite squeeze a shot over Hanford as a rainbow arched the sky behind the Gateshead goal.

McSheffrey kept plugging away, unleashing an audacious shot from 35 yards which was comfortably saved.

But the Spitfires finally found the pot of gold on 62 minutes with a delightfully worked second goal. McCallum and McSheffrey were both involved inside the area – the latter cutely laying the ball off to JAMES CONSTABLE who curled a beauty past Hanford for 2-0.

That sparked a reaction from Gateshead with Theo Vassell hooking an effort off-target before Hannant tested the home defence with a whipped-in ball from the right.

The pressure told on 74 minutes when the visitors sliced Eastleigh’s lead in half. Flitney fended off sub Jordan Burrows’ shot, but JORDAN PRESTON was first on the scene to bury the loose ball.

As Eastleigh responded, Vassell came close to netting an own goal as he defended a testing Constable cross from the right, but the ball went behind for a corner.

But gallingly for Eastleigh, the ex-Walsall defender soon found the net at the other end as the Spitfires’ slender lead was cruelly taken away with less three minutes of normal time remaining.

It was the scrappiest of goals too, the ball taking a couple of ricochets amid chaos inside the Eastleigh area before VASSELL had the easiest of jobs of slotting it over for 2-2.

Constable had a chance to make amends early in stoppage time, but frustratingly he couldn’t keep his shot down.

But as the game ticked into its fifth minute of stoppage time Eastleigh’s never-say-die determination paid off.

Mark Yeates cut inside the area from the left looking for an opening to shoot. He finally unleashed an effort towards the far bottom corner where fellow sub BEN STREVENS was waiting to turn it over the line.

Still the drama wasn’t over, but it was a happy ending for Eastleigh as Flitney clawed Danny Johnson’s low goalbound shot behind for a corner.

Eastleigh: Ross Flitney, Ayo Obileye, Michael Green, Danny Hollands, Ryan Cresswell, Callum Howe, Gary McSheffrey (Mark Yeates, 73), Sam Wood, Paul McCallum (Craig McAllister, 66), Ben Williamson (Ben Strevens, 83), James Constable. Subs: (not used) Chris Zebroski, Cavaghn Miley.

Referee: Richard Hulme.

Attendance: 1,597.