DAVID Hughes visited the treatment room more than most during his injury-plagued Saints career, writes WENDY GEE.

So it's hardly suprising that Eastleigh's player/assistant manager is looking forward to meeting up with former St Mary's physio Jim Joyce when Yeovil Town pay a friendly visit to the Silverlake Stadium tonight (Friday, July 7, 7.45).

Hughes was delighted to see Joyce, pictured, get straight back into work with the Glovers after being sacked as part of Saints' modernisation programme at the end of Rupert Lowe's reign as chairman.

"Whatever's gone on at Saints, Jim deserves to be working again. He's good at what he does and he's a really nice bloke as well," said Hughes.

"After all that time working as a physio in the Premiership, someone was always going to come in for him and Yeovil's very convenient because it's commutable.

"I was at Saints for ten years and Jim was there for a fair bit of that time. Even after I left Saints I still met up with him occasionally and it'll be really nice to see him again."

Tonight's game, which was arranged as part of the deal that took defender Bradley Thomas from Eastleigh to Yeovil last season, will be the first airing for the Spitfires' batch of summer signings as they prepare for their second season in the Conference South.

Ex-Saints and Weymouth defender Matt Bound is expected to make his first appearance in an Eastleigh shirt along with former Scunthorpe United goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite and ex-Weymouth pair Darren Wheeler and Brian Dutton.

As an added bonus, Eastleigh have welcomed back right wing-back/midfielder Adam James, who went to America last season after helping the club gain promotion from the Ryman Premier Division in 2004/5.

The only Spitfires' newcomer missing against Yeovil will be former Andover hotshot Justin Bennett who, along with fellow striker Stuart Douglas, is awaiting the results of a scan on his injured knee.