WOOLSTON-based striker James Taylor helped Francis Vines make an instant impact as new Basingstoke Town boss by scoring twice in Saturday's 4-0 win at Yeading.

Ironically, goals had been scarce for the 31-year-old under previous manager Ernie Howe, but Taylor confessed: "I can't think that I did anything different to what I normally do. It's just the way things happen.

"When you change a manager, you usually get a result straight after it and it always felt as if it was going to be our day. Yeading weren't the greatest side and we gave them a bit of a kicking really and were comfortably better than they were."

Having failed to win in their previous seven league games, Stoke were falling fast towards the Conference South drop zone, but the Yeading win has steadied the ship.

It keeps the north Hampshire club six points above the danger area with five games left. Taylor said: "We desperately needed that win and one more should definitely be enough to keep us safe.

"Ernie had been at Basingstoke for a long time and he and his assistant Pete Peters are nice people. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how good the manager is if the players aren't performing. If someone gets sacked it reflects on the players as well."

Taylor put Stoke two up before David Ray struck to give them a comfortable half-time advantage. Three minutes after the break Woking youngster Giuseppe Sole - one of six new Vines recruits - went on a terrific solo run and planted a left-foot strike beyond keeper Luke Blackmore.

"I think Sole's quite highly rated at Woking but he's here to help us out for the rest of the season," said Taylor.

l While Eastleigh's game against Cambridge City fell foul of a waterlogged Sparshatts Stadium pitch, play-off chasing Havant & Waterlooville threw away two points at home to Bishop's Stortford.

Leading through a Rocky Baptiste double at the break, Hawks allowed the visitors to hit back through Wayne Jackman and Jason Mason early in the second half.

Manager Ian Baird confessed: "I think anyone who was at the game would say we should have been six up at half-time, but then we just switched off and let them back.

"We came back into it with 15 minutes to go but Craig Watkins has had one cleared off the line and Rocky's hit the underside of the bar."

Fifth-placed Havant should find out today if their 2-1 January win over Weymouth will still stand.

A three-man Conference committee is due to consider claims that Havant broke a written agreement not to play midfielder Tony Taggart against his former club.

The Conference have already heard the case once and ordered the game to be replayed, but that decision was overturned by the FA following an appeal by Havant.

Former H&W striker/assistant manager Dean Holdsworth has left Conference South leaders Weymouth after just 122 minutes in a Terras shirt. The 37-year-old ex-Bolton Wanderers and Wimbledon marksman was unable to commit to full-time training because of business commitments.