EASTLEIGH will experience the calm before the storm tonight when they entertain Sydenhams Premier outfit Brockenhurst in the Hampshire Senior Cup.
While the Spitfires can expect only a modest attendance for tonight's game, manager Paul Doswell anticipates that well over 1,000 will flood in for Saturday's eagerly awaited FA Cup showdown with high-riding Conference South rivals Salisbury City.
Despite a disappointing start to the season, Eastleigh's average gates have shot up by almost 300 this term to a remarkably healthy 722 and Doswell attributes that to two key factors.
Firstly the opening of the club's new all-weather pitch has attracted even more youngsters and their parents to the club. And, secondly, marketing manager Pat Mallon and the football in community team of Wayne and Danny Smith are doing a first-class job promoting the club among the local business community and the schools.
"As long as we stay in the Conference South this season I will be happy because there are so many good things going on at the club," said Doswell.
Signing big names like Francis Benali and Jason Dodd has undoubtedly helped raise Eastleigh's profile, but there is more to it than that.
"We've got over 100 children playing on the all-weather pitch and Danny and Wayne have 200 coming in for the half-term soccer schools," Doswell explained. "Nearly all those kids are coming to games with their parents, which means we're getting crowds in win, lose or draw.
"We had 737 here for the game against Yeading last Friday and the corresponding attendance for last year's game was 312.
"Parents have been coming up to us and saying what a good job the club's doing.
"Believe me, compared to the work that's gone into getting more people into the ground, getting the football right will be the easy bit!"
Mallon deserves a huge slice of the praise for helping transform Eastleigh crowds from the mediocre Wessex fayre of around 80 to the 700-plus they are attracting through the turnstiles now.
"The marketing side of the club is going really well and Pat is doing a fantastic job," said Doswell. "He's out and about five hours a day leading up to a game, going and meeting local business people and encouraging them to come along.
"Recently he went to Draper Tools and handed out 50 £5 concession vouchers and 19 people from Draper Tools turned up at our next match.
"Our hope is that they will come along and pay £9 to get in for the next two or three games and then we can give them another concession."
Tonight's HSC tie has been rapidly arranged so that Eastleigh striker Jamie Brown can get a one-match suspension out of the way, freeing him up to face Salisbury.
More non league football in today's Daily Echo
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