Eastleigh 1 Wrexham 1

TEN-MAN Eastleigh showed sheer grit to keep their unbeaten run going with a 1-1 draw at home to Wrexham this afternoon.

After conceding the penalty that put them behind midway through the first half, Spitfires centre-back Andrew Boyce got his marching orders for a second a bookable offence with 68 minutes gone.

But Andy Hessenthaler’s side stubbornly refused to throw in the towel and finally got the equaliser their relentless late pressure deserved when defender Ryan Cresswell bundled home in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The Spitfires had flown out of the blocks and forced the first of a string of top-drawer saves from Dragons keeper Chris Dunn with little more than 30 seconds gone.

Sam Matthews slipped a pass to the feet of fellow youngster Ryan Broom and the blond-haired midfielder unleashed a powerful shot which reared up off a defender, forcing Dunn to stretch and turn it over for a corner.

Dunn came to Wrexham’s rescue again ten minutes in, diving at the feet of Chris Zebroski after the visitors had failed to deal with keeper Graham Stack’s long ball into the box.

From the subsequent corner, the Dragons No1 was hurt in a collision with Eastleigh centre-back Andrew Boyce which left the two players requiring treatment but, thankfully, they were both able to play on.

Play had only just got going again when Wrexham’s top league scorer Chris Holroyd went down unchallenged with a twisted ankle. He did his best to continue after treatment but, within seconds, went down on his haunches again in the centre circle and had to make way for sub Simon Ainge.

Those stoppages interrupted Eastleigh’s early flow and, out of nowhere, Wrexham were awarded a penalty with 20 minutes gone.

Boyce was the offender, tugging at the shoulder of Dragons’ dangerman Scott Quigley inside the area and the Wrexham No9, on loan from Blackpool, took the spot kick himself, calmly side-footing past Graham Stack.

It was just as well Boyce wasn’t booked in that incident because, seconds later, his frustration got the better of him as he went in hard on Sam Wedgbury on the halfway line, giving referee Adam Bromley no option but to brandish the yellow card.

Sub Ainge fired over from a tight angle from the subsequent free-kick and then Eastleigh had a chance at the other end. Broom crossed dangerously from the left, but livewire midfielder Sam Matthews couldn’t get a clean connection on his shot, allowing Dunn to make another save.

Referee Bromley made a potentially disastrous intervention, from Eastleigh’s perspective, on 34 minutes when the ball bounced off him and straight into the path of Wrexham No3 James Jennings, whose shot flashed across the face of goal.

On 40 minutes came a moment of sheer brilliance from Wrexham keeper Dunn to shut the Spitfires out.

An equaliser looked on the cards when Chris Zebroski guided a perfect left-wing cross onto the head of strike partner Paul McCallum. Somehow, though, Dunn managed to get a hand to it to push it away and McCallum’s follow-up header was wide.

Given all the stoppages, it was no great surprise when the board indicated eight minutes of added time. But, fittingly in this cut and thrust encounter, the only significant action was a booking for Wrexham sub Ainge for a hefty challenge on Cav Miley.

Half-time: Eastleigh 0 Wrexham 1.

The Spitfires began the second half as enthusiastically as they had started the first but Dunn again proved a sizeable obstacle, getting down to fend away Sam Togwell’s low drive and then turning away Matthews’ precision free-kick after Broom had been clipped on a darting run goalwards.

Togwell then picked out McCallum with a cross, but the Eastleigh No9 could only steer his header wide.

In between, Wrexham mounted a couple of lightning-fast breaks and powerhouse striker Quigley, who was proving a real handful for the home defence, sent a decent chance over.

Back came Eastleigh with another McCallum header, this time from Matthews’ deep corner, but it bounced down and behind.

Andy Hessenthaler made an attacking substitution on 65 minutes, withdrawing right-back Togwell and sending on a third striker Ben Williamson.

Wrexham responded by replacing Marcus Kelly with Nicky Deverdics and, before the game had settled down again, disaster struck for Eastleigh when they were reduced to ten men with 68 minutes gone.

It was Boyce who got his marching orders for a second bookable offence – deliberate handball right under the noses of the travelling Wrexham fans.

Hessenthaler’s response was to withdraw Zebroski and bring giant centre-back Reda Johnson back into the equation.

To their immense credit, ten-man Eastleigh carried the game to the visitors, bombarding the box with cross after cross from Broom, Yeates and Matthews, but neither McCallum, Williamson nor Ryan Cresswell could connect with a killer header.

With eight minutes of normal time remaining, Eastleigh made their last roll of the dice when fit-again Michael Green replaced Sam Wood at left-back.

By now it looked as if Wrexham were the side playing with ten men and, as another superb cross came in for Broom, McCallum was challenged in the air and the ball came out for Miley who fired over.

Eastleigh were camped in the visitors' half but Dunn’s heroics bailed the Dragons out again when he managed to turn Matthews’ inswinging corner over amid a pack of bodies on the goalline.

With five additional minutes announced, Wrexham finally came out of their defensive shell and it needed a good block by Cresswell to deny Deverdics.

But the Eastleigh skipper wasn’t done there as it was his goal that rescued the Spitfires a late, late point - albeit that goalkeeper Stack felt that he had got the final touch.

Four minutes into stoppage time Matthews curled in yet another dangerous corner and with Stack's presence helping to create panic in the Wrexham area, sheer willpower eventually told for Eastleigh as CRESSEWELL forced the ball over the line to rescue a well-deserved 1-1 draw.

EASTLEIGH: Graham Stack, Sam Togwell (Ben Williamson, 65), Sam Wood (Michael Green, 82), Cav Miley, Ryan Cresswell, Andrew Boyce, Mark Yeates, Ryan Broom, Paul McCallum, Sam Matthews, Chris Zebroski (Reda Johnson, 72). Subs (not used): Ross Flitney, Danny Hollands.

Referee: Adam Bromley.

Attendance: 1,765 (205 from Wrexham)