EASTLEIGH skipper Danny Hollands has rallied his teammates and insisted “it’s time we do something for the club” ahead of their FA Cup first round tie with Boreham Wood Saturday.

The Spitfires travel to the fellow National League opponents with the hope of securing a second passage to the second round in the last three seasons, after a matchup with Crewe Alexandra in 2019-20.

The Hampshire side have enjoyed success in the world’s oldest domestic cup competition in recent years, with back-to-back third round ties against Bolton and Brentford just five years ago.

It took a replay and extra time to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory over Isthmian league Folkestone Invicta in October in qualifying though, and now the quality of opposition ramps up with the Wood currently leading the league.

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And with an away trip to a team that they have already played just a few weeks ago not the dream draw for an FA Cup date, Eastleigh’s captain has called on his side to make no mistake in bagging a lucrative place in the hat.

Daily Echo: Skipper Danny Hollands has been at the Spitfires since 2017 (Pic: Tom Mulholland) Skipper Danny Hollands has been at the Spitfires since 2017 (Pic: Tom Mulholland)

Speaking to the Daily Echo, midfielder Hollands said: “It feels almost like a league game, if it’s someone in the league below, two leagues below or whatever, you know what you have to do.

“If you get someone in the (Football) League, it’s happy days. It’s just one of those, we know what each other is about, so it’s just who wants it more on the day.

“The good thing about it is if you end up going through there is a better chance of playing a big boy, so that is the incentive, do you want to be in that hat to make sure you’ve got a chance? As a squad, I know that we certainly do.

“It’s a free hit, playing them a few weeks ago I felt we did enough to win the game, we drew 1-1 with a dubious penalty going against us. We’re confident that we can go there, do the business and be in the hat for the next round.

Daily Echo: Danny Hollands scored in Eastleigh's 2-1 win over Altrincham this season (Pic: Tom Mulholland)Danny Hollands scored in Eastleigh's 2-1 win over Altrincham this season (Pic: Tom Mulholland)

“At this time, the more money clubs can get through the door it’s going to help everyone, it’s time for us to do something for the club and get them some money through that door.”

The former Chelsea academy man, who turns 36 on Saturday, is no stranger to the weird and wonderful that the FA Cup can bring.

Hollands played in 10 FA Cup fixtures for his first professional side, Bournemouth, very much experiencing both the highs and the lows of the competition.

Aged 23, he scored a 120th minute winner in the 07-08 first round to beat Barrow 2-1 before being awarded a second yellow for his celebrations amongst the supporters.

Daily Echo: Danny Hollands played for AFC Bournemouth between 2006-11 (Pic: PA)Danny Hollands played for AFC Bournemouth between 2006-11 (Pic: PA)

He added: “First and foremost, as a kid you remember the FA Cup, everyone loves FA Cup final day. Unfortunately for me I was never that good to get anywhere near it but it’s a special competition.

“Obviously you go from hero to zero, straight away.

“You get a bit carried away and unfortunately for me the lads jumped on me and pushed me into the crowd, I ended up getting a second yellow. I was buzzing to score the winner and then I’m walking off the pitch feeling like an absolute donut!”

But he was also part of the Bournemouth side that suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of lower league cup-killers Blyth Spartans, following a 0-0 draw in the second round that prompted a replay.

Daily Echo: Danny Hollands captained Eastleigh as they faced Boreham Wood in October (Pic: Tom Mulholland)Danny Hollands captained Eastleigh as they faced Boreham Wood in October (Pic: Tom Mulholland)

To make matters worse, a lucrative trip to Premier League side Blackburn Rovers was up for grabs to the winners.

“It was a freezing cold night, I remember that one very, very well,” Hollands admitted.

“I think Brett Pitman got sent off about 25 minutes in and you think ‘oh no, here we go’, and to be fair to them, they were a really good team.

“But it’s like anything, you have to go to these places, roll your sleeves up and do the ugly side of the game. If you don’t, it can be a real tough contest.

“I remember the chairman upping the bonus for us as well, it was massive.

“I just don’t know, it didn’t happen for us. If we had the right mentality we’d have cruised to victory but we didn’t.”