EASTLEIGH live to fight another day in the FA Cup after a dramatic comeback against lower league Folkestone Invicta.

Folkestone of the Isthmian League Premier Division, compete two levels below the National League Spitfires.

However, they stormed into a 3-0 first-half lead courtesy of an Alfie Paxman brace and Scott Heard strike.

But Eastleigh battled back in the second 45 minutes at Silverlake Stadium.

Ryan Hill got the ball rolling from the penalty spot, before Tyrone Barnett further reduced the arrears.

Neil Cugley's Seasiders still looked set to complete the shock victory, right up until stoppage time when Christian Maghoma popped up to earn a 3-3 draw and book a replay in Kent on Tuesday night.

Boss Ben Strevens, who made five changes to his side for the fixture, told BBC Radio Solent: "Relieved would be one word, there's a lot of other words I would probably use right now.

"But the fact we're still in with a chance of getting through to the first round with a replay on Tuesday night, that's the positive out of the day.

"Other than that, the least said the better I think."

Asked what the message was after the disastrous first half, Strevens added: "I clearly wasn't happy.

"I think pretty much everything that could go wrong in the first half did, in terms of with the ball, without the ball, doing our jobs.

"That's my responsibility as manager. I can't say the players have had a bad 45 minutes, I've had a bad 45 minutes, clearly. Because the team is more than good enough to play better than they did in the first 45.

"Not very good at all, that's the polite way of putting it."

Spitfires: McDonnell, Smart, Maghoma, Broadbent (Whitehall, 80), Kelly, Harper, Hesketh, Hollands (Whelan, 70), Miley, Barnett, Hill (House, 70).

Unused subs: Hare, Pritchard, Low, Flitney (g/k).