Eastleigh 2 North Ferriby 0: Plucky Ferriby again head into big trouble

It was another hard-working and, on the whole, disciplined performance from Ferriby, but again they conceded goals from headers.

Assistant manager Darryn Stamp commented: “I keep saying it but, once again, we’ve played well and got nothing from the game. A neutral fan watching would have struggled to see which club had the very high playing budget and which had the small one.”

Once again, Ferriby gave their opponents a flying start. Adam Dawson was given too much space on the left and his cross to the far post was headed home by the unmarked Andy Drury.

Dawson proved a thorn in Ferriby’s side throughout with his pace and control.

Dawson and Mikael Mandron went close on a number of occasions in the first 25 minutes, but Ferriby gradually played themselves into the game without getting a shot on target and rarely troubled goalkeeper Ross Flitney although Connor Oliver came close to an equaliser with a 25-yard free-kick that dipped just over the bar.

The second half started promisingly with Flitney producing a good diving save to turn over Oliver’s free-kick.

Eastleigh doubled their lead after 51 minutes. Again it was an unmarked header as Reda Johnson rose to head home from Dawson’s cross.

Mandron and James Constable went close before Ferriby had their best spell of the game.

Eastleigh: Filtney, Partington, Green, Drury, Constable (Bird 90), Howells, Dawson (Coulson 74), Mandron, Cresswell, Johnson, Taylor. Unused substitutes: Huddart, Dugdale, Pipe.

North Ferriby United: Watson, Middleton, Gray, Skelton, Hare, Oliver, Clarke, Russell, Emerton (Fosu-Mensha 82), Bateson (Thompson 44), Mukendi (Robinson 64). Unused substitutes: Topliss, Fallowfield.

Referee: A Serrano (Hertfordshire).

Man of the match: Adam Dawson.