Match Report: Eastleigh 1-0 York City

Vanarama National League playoff battlers Eastleigh met relegation-fighting York City in an encounter where both could do with a win to climb the table.

Vanarama National League playoff battlers Eastleigh met relegation-fighting York City in an encounter where both could do with a win to climb the table.

A quiet first half for the men between the sticks saw only two attempts on goal, albeit it was the Minstermen who had the better chances, but failed to take any of them.

In contrast to that, the second forty-five started in the best possible way for the Spitfires, as Michael Kelly superbly curled a dangerous free kick into the top corner, six minutes in.

But there seemed to be no way back for the visitors, who couldn't muster another shot on the mark, while Eastleigh held on to claim an important three points in the race for the top seven.

Following on from a goalless draw with Bromley, Lee Bradbury's Eastleigh lineup only required two alterations, due to suspension and injury, with Aaron Martin and George Langston earning promotion from the bench, in place of Corey Panter and Christian Maghoma.

Interim manager Michael Morton was forced into multiple changes to his York City team that had beaten Yeovil days earlier, as four players were ruled out through injury, including goalkeeper Ethan Ross.

Neither side could notch an attempt on target within the opening fifteen minutes, in what was a scrappy but slow start for both.

Set-pieces came to be a waste, with them all having a nothingness result early on.

A bright beginning for York's key man Maziar Kouhyar, on his first start since November, saw him drive a dangerous ball across the face of goal, that Shaq Forde would have diverted home, had it not been for some impressive defending from Vincent Harper.

And it would be the young Watford loanee, Forde who was brave enough to try a strike in the match, cutting inside, before unleashing a low shot from the edge of the box, which rolled just wide of the bottom right corner, shy of the half hour mark.

Moments later, the Spitfires eyed up an opportunity of their own, as visiting stopper Ryan Whitley was almost caught off his line, racing back into position to catch a long-range effort from top scorer Danny Whitehall.

Forde was the driving force of the majority of the away attacking openings, feeding in Olly Dyson down the line, with the latter forcing Joe McDonnell into a crucial diving stop; a man in blue cleared the danger, to prevent a follow-up.

Six minutes of added time allowed both sides to threaten once more before the break - a good string of passes got the ball over to Eastleigh's Kairo Mitchell, who couldn't get his eventual shot through City bodies.

The Minstermen then got themselves on a counter-attack, but couldn't capitalize through Mitch Hancox, whose looping effort had just too much on it, drifting over the bar.

That concluded the half, and York will sure have been regretting missed chances, falling behind only six minutes after returning, victim to a stunning free kick from substitute Michael Kelly.

Centre-half Fraser Kerr was the one who conceded the set-piece, right on the edge of the 'D', all set up for Kelly to curl over the wall and into the top-right corner.

It came as no surprise that Eastleigh aimed to fend off a City side that were frantically chasing the game for the remainder of an unentertaining half.

Entering the final five minutes of normal time, a great opportunity materialized for the North Yorkshire outfit, after some good play on the right hand side played the ball across to Ollie Tanner on the penalty spot, but on his first touch, narrowly blazed it over the goalframe.

The same number of minutes were extended onto the ninety, and were so close to proving useful for the Minstermen, although Forde just couldn't muster a late leveler, his strike deflected wide of the mark, that being the final action of the match.

As a result of the win for the Spitfires, they extend their league unbeaten run to five, and move up to 6th.

York go back to staring down the barrel, and their brief streak of two games without a defeat has been brought to an abrupt end - it's three points from the drop now.

Eastleigh: McDonnell, Martin, Carter, Cisse, Whitehall, Langston, McKiernan (Camp 37’), Harper (Kelly 25’), Mitchell (Atangana 75’), Rutherford, Lloyd

Unused Subs: Payne, Scrimshaw

Goals: Kelly (51’)

York City: Whitley, Fallowfield, Kouogun, Kerr, Whittle, Pybus, Dyson, Hancox (Hancox 79’), Forde, Kouhyar (Tanner 74’), John-Lewis

Unused Subs: Campbell, Duckworth, McLaughlin

Goals: N/A

Yellow Cards: Forde, Hancox, Kerr, Whittle

Referee: Paul Johnson

Attendance: 2,199 (177 away)