EASTLEIGH 4 BROMLEY 4.

EASTLEIGH’S lengthy wait for a home win continues, but no-one could fault the entertainment value at the Silverlake Stadium this afternoon as they fought out a rollercoaster 4-4 draw with Bromley in the Vanarama National League.

Spitfires boss Richard Hill rang the changes after what he described as the worst performance under his charge at Sutton last week.

Sam Wood returned from injury to fill the left-back slot at the expense of Frazer Shaw and in came Danny Hollands and starting debutant Bradley Hudson-Odoi in place of Mark Yeates and Sam Matthews.

The game got off to a distasteful start when right-back Gavin Hoyte was caught by a nasty challenge from Bromley skipper Jack Holland. Fortunately the Eastleigh man was able to continue with the offender collecting a fourth-minute booking.

It wasn’t the most sparkling of starts to the game with Christmas just two weeks away, but there were much-needed glad tidings for Eastleigh as they seized the lead with ten minutes gone – and the front two of Paul McCallum and Chris Zebroski were both instrumental in the breakthrough.

Zebroski took possession just outside the centre-circle and expertly picked out the run of McCALLUM who jubilantly drilled home his first competitive goal for the club.

Bromley’s defence were finding it difficult to cope with the height and power of the Spitfires front two and, ten minutes later, it was 2-0.

With Zebroski putting goalkeeper David Gregory under pressure, Hudson-Odoi’s fierce, low strike was cleared off the line for a corner.

The Sutton loanee wideman delivered, Zebroski flicked it on and there was McCALLUM to tuck home his second of the match.

Nothing is ever simple with Eastleigh, however, and on 27 minutes their lead was sliced in half.

Former Wolves man Roger Johnson swung in a cross from the right and JOSH REES was left unmarked to curl a header inside Graham Stack’s left-hand post.

A minute later the Ravens made a tactical change, introducing former Spitfire Brett Williams up top and, with the visitors reinvigorated, Stack was tested by Rees’s bobbling strike.

With Eastleigh’s brittle confidence evident yet again, Bromley began dictating and inevitably equalised on 37 minutes.

To rub added salt into the Spitfires’ wounds, it was their former player WILLIAMS who scored it, rampaging down the right, cutting inside and shrugging off a weak challenge before drawing the keeper and firing into the far corner.

Eastleigh responded with a long-range effort just over by Simon Heslop before the lively Hudson-Odoi cut in from the right and curled one wide.

But with half-time approaching Williams caught the eye again for Bromley, unleashing an audacious bicycle kick that flew straight at Stack.

Half-time: Eastleigh 2 Bromley 2.

Five minutes into the second half Eastleigh’s misery was compounded as Bromley completed an incredible turnaround by seizing the lead.

It was exquisite goal too with LOUIS DENNIS chasing down Johnson’s clearance, turning his man and curling a delicious strike into the top corner.

To their credit, Eastleigh resolved to make a fight of it and they got their reward on 58 minutes as former Orient man McCALLUM completed his hat-trick.

Good work by Hudson-Odoi forced a corner which he duly delivered from the right.

The ball was nodded on to the big No9 who whose header went in off the underside of the bar for 3-3.

Suddenly the pendulum was swinging back in the Spitfires’ direction and, following some great play by young Cav Miley on the left, keeper David Gregory did well to turn Heslop’s goalbound strike behind for a corner.

But it was Bromley who posed the next threat in a thrilling game – Stack doing brilliantly to turn over Holland’s header at full stretch from Frankie Raymond’s free-kick.

Eastleigh made their first change on 70 minutes, withdrawing the excellent Hudson-Odoi and throwing Yeates into the fray.

It could have gone either way at that point and, following arguably their most fluent move of the game, Zebroski struck the ball right to left across goal but his strike partner McCallum couldn’t quite reach the far post in time.

Sam Matthews replaced Wood on 82 minutes and, three minutes later, hat-trick hero McCallum made was for Craig McAllister.

Eastleigh wanted, at the very least, to see the game out for a point but, on 87 minutes, catastrophe struck – DENNIS shuffling his feet on the left of the area before arrowing a fierce, low shot across Stack and into the far bottom corner.

But the air of gloom enveloping the stadium was instantly lifted as MATTHEWS pulled Eastleigh level again with a finish of the highest order.

The ball broke to the on-loan AFC Bournemouth midfielder just outside the area and he curled in a right-foot beauty that gave keeper Gregory no chance, ensuring that a crazy, frantic game ended with honours even.

EASTLEIGH: Graham Stack, Gavin Hoyte, Sam Wood (Sam Matthews, 82), Danny Hollands, Andrew Boyce, Callum Howe, Cavaghn Miley, Simon Heslop, Paul McCallum (Craig McAllister, 85) , Chris Zebroski, Bradley Hudson-Odoi (Mark Yeates, 70). Subs: James Constable, Harvey Read.

Referee: Sam Allison.

Attendance: 1,751.