Get the lowdown on the U’s next opponents: Eastleigh.

The Opposition

Eastleigh make the trip north on Saturday, and will be looking to close the gap on a Sutton United side who sit level on points and just one place above them.

The South Coast-based outfit entered their tenth successive campaign at National League level when a 13th place finish last season sealed their fifth tier status once more, and they will have been looking to kick on under manager Kelvin Davis.

Spitfires supporters will have been forgiven for being pessimistic heading into the current campaign though, with the club losing a number of key players including long-serving skipper Aaron Martin, along with the likes of Oscar Rutherford, Nigel Atangana, Brennan Camp and George Langston, all of which had spent the previous few years at the Silverlake Stadium. They would be joined in the departure lounge by Enzio Boldewijn, Ben Reeves, Aidan Barlow and Ryan Clampin, who in total had racked up 60 appearances between them during their single season on the South Coast.

However, Eastleigh recruited well in the summer amid a whole host of change, bringing in experienced centre half duo Richard Brinley and Niall Maher from Notts County and Grimsby Town respectively, complementing the younger Luis Fernandez who had impressed in the National League South with Hampton & Richmond Borough. They also tied down Jake Vokins to a second successive loan spell after spending the backend of last season with the club, who alongside Jai Semenyo on the opposite flank, have been assigned with bringing down a goals against tally of 87 come the end of last season. Defensive midfield duo Angel Waruih and Lloyd Humphries have also contributed to this task, and allowed star man Tyrese Shade to aid the division’s top scorer Paul McCallum along with the reliable Chris Maguire and Scott Quigley up front. Davis has already strengthened during the current window as well, adding even more firepower to their ranks with Jesurun Uchegbulam and Rekeil Pyke arriving on loan from Oldham Athletic and Grimsby Town respectively.

With Eastleigh putting together a well-balanced squad, they will have been looking up the table heading into the 2024/25 campaign, and after beginning the season with four successive wins, currently sit just three points outside the play-off places having previously gone 11 games unbeaten prior to last Saturday’s defeat to Altrincham.

Recent Form

Eastleigh 1-2 Altrincham

Solihull Moors 0-1 Eastleigh

Eastleigh 2-2 Oldham Athletic

Basford United 1-4 Eastleigh

Eastleigh 1-1 Barnet

Yeovil Town 2-2 Eastleigh

The Manager

Kelvin Davis

Former goalkeeper Kelvin Davis has taken the reins at the Silverlake Stadium since February 2024, and has defied the odds this season after many had predicted a disappointing campaign for the Spitfires.

Having turned out for Luton Town, Torquay United, Hartlepool United, Wimbledon FC, Ipswich Town, Sunderland and notably Southampton over a 22-year playing career – ten years of which was spent with the latter – Davis remained with the Saints after he opted to hang up his boots in 2016 and was appointed as a Football Development Executive at provide support to the players in the first team, before later being appointed as senior first team coach following the resignation of Eric Black. The 48-year old was later placed in temporary charge of the first team following the dismissal of manager Mark Hughes, with his time at St Mary’s coming to an end in 2022.

Two years later, Davis returned to coaching when he took over as manager of Eastleigh, replacing former boss Richard Hill at the start of 2024. Davis ended the 2023/24 campaign by guiding the club to a comfortable 13th place finish, and has kept up the club’s momentum by overseeing a run towards the play-offs heading into Saturday’s game.

One to Watch

Paul McCallum

Streatham-born forward Paul McCallum joined the Spitfires in the summer of 2023, and has had a remarkable impact at the Silverlake Stadium during his second spell at the club.

Beginning his career in non-league with Dulwich Hamlet, McCallum scored 15 goals in seven games over the course of the 2010/11 season, with his prolific goalscoring rate attracting interest from a host of Premier League clubs. He would join West Ham United on deadline day at the end of the 2011 January transfer window, spending four years in East London. A brief loan spell at Rochdale preceded his first involvement with the Hammers’ senior squad, being named as an unused substitute in the Second Round of the League Cup, before further loan spells at AFC Wimbledon, Aldershot Town, Torquay United, Hearts and Portsmouth.

McCallum departed Upton Park permanently in 2015 and joined Leyton Orient, scoring 15 goals in 43 appearances across a two-year spell at Brisbane Road before he arrived on the South Coast for the first time. Eight goals in 27 appearances in his first season saw him settle at the Silverlake, before an outstanding second campaign with Eastleigh seeing him notch 26 goals from 41 appearances as the Spitfires reached the 2019 National League play-offs. The striker went on to score in the semi-final against Salford City, although Eastleigh were eventually knocked out in the penalty shootout with McCallum scoring his spot-kick.

However, his form had attracted interest from other clubs with the 31-year old opting to depart the Silverlake at the end of the season, joining Solihull Moors. His sole season at the ARMCO Arena saw him net 11 times in 24 appearances, with a loan spell at Barnet during the second half of the campaign seeing him add five goals from seven games with the Bees.

His time in Birmingham was followed by a return to London as McCallum joined Dagenham & Redbridge, and continued developing his reputation as a reliable goalscorer in the fifth tier with 40 goals from 97 appearances across a three-year stint. The end of his spell at Victoria Road saw him join Chesterfield for a few months to aid the Spireites promotion charge, with McCallum scoring four goals as Paul Cook’s side reached the final, and was unused substitute as the Derbyshire-based outfit lost on penalties to Notts County.

While his stint at Chesterfield wasn’t as prolific as others throughout his career, he was still a highly-rated asset at National League level, and returned to Eastleigh after a four-year absence as the Spitfires looked to kick-on up the division. McCallum went on to enjoy an outstanding second stint at the Silverlake, continuing where he left off with 15 goals in his first 16 league games and finished the campaign as the division’s top scorer with 31 goals, as well as being named as Eastleigh’s Player of the Year. He has continued his fine form in front of goal during the current campaign as well, netting ten goals so far this season.

Last Time We Met

A monstrous performance from home goalkeeper Joe McDonnell ensured it would be a point apiece on Bank Holiday Monday, with the U’s ending Eastleigh’s four-match winning run thanks to Eduino Vaz’s early stunner.

The Guinea-Bissauan broke the deadlock after 14 minutes when he bent an inch perfect effort past McDonnell and into the top corner, but his opener was cancelled out shortly before the break when Paul McCallum headed Eastleigh level on his return from injury, following some good work from Scott Quigley.

The Spitfires would grow into the game during the second half with Steve Arnold producing a couple of crucial saves to deny Lloyd Humphries and Tyrese Shade, before some incredible work from the Spitfires backline kept the U’s at bay from three successive corners at the death, and was ultimately enough to secure a share of the spoils.

Watch the highlights here.

Head-to-Head

Eastleigh 1-1 Sutton United (26/08/2024)

Eastleigh 1-0 Sutton United (24/04/2021)

Sutton United 3-0 Eastleigh (23/01/2021)

Eastleigh 1-1 Sutton United (13/09/2019)

Eastleigh 3-2 Sutton United (19/01/2019)

Sutton United 1-0 Eastleigh (02/12/2017)

Played for Both

Matt Tubbs

Veteran striker Matt Tubbs enjoyed a brief stint at the VBS Community Stadium towards the end of his career, as well as previously turning out for Eastleigh across two spells.

A product of the AFC Bournemouth academy, Tubbs spent the first seven years of his career with local club Salisbury City where he scored over 100 goals in almost 250 appearances, before becoming something of a journeyman across the remainder of his career. An impressive stint at Crawley Town preceded a return to Bournemouth, before loan spells at Rotherham United, Crawley and AFC Wimbledon were followed by a permanent departure from Dean Court, with Tubbs joining Portsmouth. The striker scored 15 times in 40 appearances for Pompey, but spent the backend of his time at Fratton Park on loan at Eastleigh, where he scored twice in 17 appearances as the Spitfires finished seventh in what was just their second campaign in the National League.

Having impressed during his first spell back in non-league since Salisbury, Tubbs joined Forest Green Rovers ahead of the 2016/17 season, although he lasted just five months at The New Lawn. A one-month loan at Woking preceded a permanent move to Sutton at the end of 2016, where he remained until March the following year. His brief stint in South London would prove to be fruitful though, with Tubbs making an instant impact on his debut for the U’s, scoring his first goal two days after joining as the club beat League Two side Cheltenham Town in the FA Cup Second Round, helping to send Sutton through to the Third Round for the first time in 22 years. This would see him write his name into Sutton history, with his opening strike against the Robins becoming a wider contribution to an infamous run to the Fifth Round that saw Paul Doswell’s side beat Championship outfit Leeds United and face Premier League side Arsenal at Gander Green Lane.

After departing the U’s with three goals in eight appearances to his name, Tubbs returned to Eastleigh where he ended the 2016/17 campaign, adding nine appearances and two goals to his Spitfires tally before leaving for a second time at the end of the season. He would later enjoy stints at Havant & Waterlooville, Weymouth, Gosport Borough and Bashley, before hanging up his boots in 2023 at the age of 38.

He would then go on to manage Bashley during the 2022/23 campaign, before spending six months in charge of Southern Premier Division South club Poole Town between September 2023 and March 2024.

(Photo Credit: Paul Loughlin)