Fc Halifax Town 0 Eastleigh 2 - Cup frustration gets better of Scott Garner as Town slip out

Jordan Sinnott saw red in the FA Cup replay at home to Esastleigh. Picture Bruce Rollinson

Two goals in three minutes just before half-time from Scott Wilson and Mikael Mandron – who both scored in the 3-3 draw nine days ago – put clear daylight between the teams and sent Eastleigh on the way to a third round date with Brentford.

The game gradually came to life as Liam King’s wayward cross set Eastleigh off on a rapid counter-attack that ended with Joe Partington hitting the post after some desperate defending. Moments later, Partington produced a crude tackle on Sinnott, which forced the influential Town midfielder off.

The game looked to be meandering towards half-time until James Constable’s low cross from the right was tapped in at the far post by the unmarked Wilson.

Eastleigh then doubled their lead in controversial circumstances when Josh Macdonald was deemed to have fouled Coulson by referee Richard Clark, with Mandron sending Drench the wrong way from the spot.

Richard Peniket’s shot was cleared by Reda Johnson, before a Halifax penalty claim for handball was waved away.

But, thereafter, attacks broke down too easily, with the creativity and finesse of Sinnott badly missing.

With the game petering out badly, Scott Garner let his frustrations get the better of him by shoving Jai Reason and was dismissed with five minutes left.

FC Halifax Town: Drench, Moyo, Hotte, Garner, Wilde, Kosylo (Simmons 60), Lynch, King (Hibbs 70), Sinnott (Macdonald 33), Peniket, Denton. Unused substitutes: Nicholson, Hone, Barrows, Khan.

Eastleigh: Huddart, Pipe, Johnson, Essam, Green, Partington, Reason, Wilson (Dugdale 65), Coulson (Obileye 77), Constable, Mandron (Bird 59). Unused substitutes: Whittington, Bearwish.

Referee: Richard Clark.