EASTLEIGH manager Chris Todd would not put it past his players to go to Bolton Wanderers for the FA Cup replay next week and win.

It’s often said that non-League sides only get one bite of the cherry when it comes to putting higher league opponents to the sword.

But on the evidence of Saturday’s 1-1 draw at the Silverlake Stadium, Todd sees no reason for the Spitfires to travel to the Macron Stadium with an inferiority complex.

For large spells of the game National League Eastleigh were the better side and managed to play some decent football on a mudbath of a pitch.

Their away form is none too shabby either. Under Todd’s tenure, they have won nine and drawn two of 11 games on their travels.

“Do I believe we can go to Bolton and win? Of course, why not?” he said.

“It’s going to be a tough task at their home ground, but there were lots of signs today that have given me confidence that we can put on another show.

“Another day we could have won this football match, so why can’t we do it again?”

Eastleigh were leading by a 51st-minute Dorian Dervite own goal until the closing stages at the Silverlake, only for Wanderers’ skipper Darren Pratley to dig the Championship strugglers out of trouble with a late leveller.

“It says it all about my group that the players are disappointed not to win,” said Todd.

“Regardless that Bolton are three divisions above us, at times we were the better side. The lads have put in a performance of Championship standard.

“We played some good football on a very tricky surface.

“To come up against a Championships side and play like that is a credit to us. We’ll go to Bolton full of confidence.

“I believe in my players and, with effort and workrate I put in as manager, we can be successful.”

With a club record 5,025 crowd packed into the Silverlake, Todd described it as an “unbelievable” day, like something from a “storybook”.

“The scenes when our goal went in were priceless,” he smiled.

“This club’s never seen anything like that before.

“I’m sure Bolton won’t be overkeen on having us come up to their place.

“We’ve shown how good we can be and how many problems we can cause.”

According to the FA website, the replay is scheduled for an 8pm kick-off at the Macron Stadium next Tuesday (January 19), but that is subject to change when the TV channels make their selections.

In their wisdom, the BBC and BT Sport opted not to show Saturday’s match live but, with the scent of an upset in the air, they may think twice about ignoring the replay.

“It (Saturday’s game) would have been a spectacle,” said Todd.

“Everything that went on beforehand with the pitch (there were three pre-match inspections), it’s been unbelievable, like a little storybook on its own.

“It would have been great to be on TV, but maybe we’ll get the second game.

“Little old Eastleigh visiting Bolton Wanderers in ten days’ time! If anyone had said that three years ago, we’d probably have laughed!”