SAINTS B braced a physical battle but let a two-goal lead slip to 10 man Eastleigh, in a 2-2 pre-season draw at the Silverlake Stadium.

Diamond Edwards, who travelled to Austria with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first-team, and Luke Pearce netted their first goals of the B team's pre-season in the first-half versus the National League opposition.

The industrious forward, Ryan Hill, had been given his marching orders by referee Adrian Quelch for a last-man desperate hack as Jimmy-Jay Morgan was about to strike.

However, despite the disadvantage, Tristan Abrahams scored from the spot and George Langston levelled in the final 10 minutes for the tough non-league outfit.

Saints B came to the Silverlake Stadium hunting a first win in pre-season, while Eastleigh have done well – winning four and losing one, including a win over Swindon Town and Brighton’s U23s.

Dave Horseman tasked Nico Lawrence with operating in centre-midfield, having played there earlier in his youth while at Kinetic Academy, but been a central defender throughout his late teens.

Edwards, 18, bagged the opener early after link-up play with similarly impressive talent Kamari Doyle on the edge of the area, finishing across experienced EFL goalkeeper Joe McDonnell.

Doyle, who had last year been practicing his free-kicks with Saints captain James Ward-Prowse, struck an impressive direct effort from good range off the crossbar – over an enormous wall and back down.

Hill did the same thing at the other end, with the physically intimidating Eastleigh side sending free headers over the bar.

Morgan could have scored a close-range header of his own, but it was saved onto the bar and bounced on the goalline into McDonnell’s hands.

Pearce did not let a chance pass him by, the ball bouncing up over McDonnell from inside the area to double the lead before half-time, after Doyle’s cross was parried in his direction.

Eastleigh were reduced to 10 men with 25 minutes left after Hill hacked Morgan down last man on the edge of the area. A clear red, but relatively novel in a pre-season friendly match.

However, Abrahams netted from the spot following Pearce’s foul to reduce the deficit to one – as the affair continued to get heated.

Langston thumped home after pinball in the area nearly let Saints B off again, but the defender was clinical to deny them a much-desired victory.

Eastleigh: McDonnell; Camp (Bragg, 81), Martin (Rutherford, 70), Maghoma (Panter, 70), Langston, Harper; Trialist A, Cisse; Carter, Hill, Abrahams (Tshaka, 90).

Unused subs: Yang, Trialist B, Flitney (g/k).

Booked: Cisse.

Sent off: Hill

Saints B: Bycroft; Payne, Tizzard (Pambou, 80), Lancashire, Lawrence (Rodriguez, 83), Vokins, Doyle, Edwards (Bellis, 70), Morgan (Otseh-Taiwo, 70), Ferry, Pearce.

Unused subs: Carson, Hall (g/k).

Attendance: 557.

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