BT Cameras Roll! Can Eastleigh And Pools Now Be Separated?

Eastleigh and Hartlepool are evenly matched in more ways than one as they prepare for Saturday’s BT Sport showdown.

But anyone who thinks this has got a draw written all over it doesn’t know these two sides very well.

Ben Strevens and Dave Challinor are not the type of managers to compromise.

The Pools boss, in particular, is in need of a reaction. He will want his post-match interview with BT Sport’s on-screen line-up to be so very different to the last one.

The sheepish Challinor faced the cameras two Saturdays ago, embarrassed by the 5-0 home defeat to Torquay United and refused to call it just a bad day at the office.

After all, it was their first defeat, and even after marking the one-year anniversary of his arrival he wouldn’t demand perspective - just improvement.

“That defeat should fester in the back of the players’ memories for the rest of their careers,” he told the Hartlepool Mail.

“I don’t think we can move on from the Torquay result because there is still so much work to do.

“I was disappointed and embarrassed. It was nowhere near where our expectations are. The scoreline was one thing, the manner of the defeat another.

“We’ve now got to run through walls and get hurt to win a football match.”

Challinor added: “I was proud of our performance at Salford, but I will continue asking questions of the players after the Torquay display. As a starting point, it was miles, miles better.

“Every game in this division is tough and Saturday won’t be any different.”

Pools pushed Salford City all the way in the FA Cup on Saturday before going out in extra time.

Eastleigh, meanwhile, took League One Milton Keynes Dons to penalties but couldn’t join what would be 12 National League braves in the second round.

The Spitfires have impressed many so far, a vast improvement on the inconsistencies of 2019-20 which saw them sit in an uncomfortable 16th when the campaign was halted.

Now in the play-off places, Strevens says they still haven’t really hit their stride.

“I’m not being disrespectful to any team at our level,” the Spitfires boss said after the unlucky defeat to MK. “But nobody is going to pass the ball as well as they have and we’ve dealt with it.

“If we continue to show that workrate and and defend for each other, we’ll be in a good place come the end of the season.

“I wanted to have a good run in the FA Cup, but if you gave me the choice between getting far or being around the promotion places, I would have to pick the promotion places.”

Eastleigh’s one to watch is easy - new striker Ben House, the National League Player of the Month.

He scored five times in October, and let’s not forget the Hampshire side are the only club preventing leaders Torquay United having a 100 per cent start.

That has already shown what they are capable of and on their last outing, man-of-the-moment House scored twice to down Bromley at Hayes Lane.

“We were delighted with that performance,” he told the club’s YouTube channel. “They have got some really good players.

“To a man we were superb. We had a first month points target and we’re pleased with 11 points from six games.

“We’ve got some exciting matches coming up in the National League and they will all be big tests but hopefully the level of performance stays the same and our shape is just as good.”

Match Stats - Eastleigh
Position: 7th
Last time out: Bromley (A) W 2-1
Top scorer: Ben House (5)
Form: W-L-D-D-W
One to watch: Ben House

Match Stats - Hartlepool
Position: 8th
Last time out: Torquay U (H) L 0-5
Top scorer: Ryan Johnson (2)
Form: L-D-D-W-W
One to watch: Claudio Ofosu

PICTURES BY GRAHAM SCAMBLER & MARK FLETCHER