Eastleigh-FC

 Manager

Ian Baird - Took over the role of manager in October 2007 after leaving fellow Blue Square Southern Division side Havant & Waterlooville.

A highly rated striker in his playing days Ian had spells with Southampton (24 apps/5 gls), Cardiff City (12/6), Newcastle United (5/1), Leeds United (192/57), Portsmouth (22/1), Middlesborough (76/21), Bristol City (64/12), Heart of Midlothian (79/19), Plymouth Argyle (29/7) and Brighton & Hove Albion (42/14). Ian also played for Salisbury City and Farnborough Town before having gained managerial experience with Interdict (Hong Kong) and the Hong Kong National XI. Born 1st April 1964 in Rotherham.

Steered Eastleigh to their highest ever league position (6th place in the Blue Square South), in his first season at the club narrowly missing out on a play off place.

Baird then guided the Spitfires to an all time high with a 3rd place finish in the 2008/9 season. Unfortunately this fantastic season for Ian and his players ended in heartache as Hayes & Yeading United overturned a 4-2 win in the first leg of the playoff semi-final to miraculously win 4-0 at the Silverlake Stadium and in so doing ended the promotion dream... for now!

 Coach

Matt Gray - Appointed as Coach at Eastleigh Football Club in October 2007 joining from Havant & Waterlooville with Ian Baird.

A fully licensed coach, Matt had to retire from playing football owing to a back injury but had spells with Havant & Waterlooville, Hayes, Tottenham Hotspur and Cardiff City. Born 16th September 1981 in London.

 Goalkeepers

Jason Matthews - Following David Wilkinson's recall to Crystal Palace in March 2008, after a fantastic contribution during his loan spell, Eastleigh promptly moved to bring in a goalkeeper in the form of ex-Weymouth stopper Jason Matthews.

"We've been on the look-out for a keeper for next season and Jason comes with a good pedigree having played in the Conference," said Eastleigh boss Ian Baird.

"He's only just lost his place in the Weymouth side with John Hollins (Weymouth manager) bringing in Stephen Henderson from Bristol City and, when the opportunity popped up, we went for it.

"I tried to sign him when I was manager of Havant & Waterlooville and I believe Eastleigh were also interested at the time."

Matthews, once of Salisbury City, went on to play for Exeter in the Football League and memorably replaced the injured Stuart Naylor during an FA Cup tie against Everton and, despite a barrage of attacks, managed to keep a clean sheet.

Matthews made his debut, at the same time as ex-Spitfire Ashley Vickers in the 5-0 away win over Maidenhead United on the 8th March 2008 before making his home debut a week later in the 1-4 home defeat at the hands of Hayes & Yeading United a week later.

Kept sixteen clean sheets in the 2008/9 season.

 Defenders

Tom Jordan - The Tom Jordan transfer saga finally came to a welcome end for all Spitfires fans after an undiclosed fee was agreed between Eastleigh and local rivals Havant and Waterlooville in the close season of 2007/2008.

Jordan resigned as Hawks captain midway through that same season, hoping to follow Baird along the M27 and he finally got his wish as the deal went through towards the end of June 2008.

The 6ft 5in centre half missed the historic FA Cup 2nd round proper victory over Notts County as Eastleigh made a second approach for him. Although Jordan played in the ground-breaking 3rd round win against League Two leaders Swansea and the 4th round tie at Liverpool, he still wanted a move to Eastleigh and spent the rest of the season on the sidelines as negotiations between the two clubs broke down.

Finally in the close season, a deal was struck and Baird got his man.

He is the son of the Scottish international footballer Joe Jordan, who was centre forward for Leeds United during the 1970's.

Scored his first competitive goal for Eastleigh in an excellent 2-1 win over Hampton & Richmond Borough in October 2008, heading home the winner to turn the game around from a cross by fellow former-Hawk Tony Taggart.

Tom has continued to make great strides of progress in his short time at the club. Helping the side to five straight league victories and three consecutive clean sheets in November and December 2008, Jordan has more than lived up to expectations in what was Eastleigh's most successful league campaign in the Blue Square South.

Terrific captain and leader, struck up a deadly defensive partnership with Aaron Martin in the second half of the 2008/9 season and will be looking for more of the same in the coming campaign.

Aaron Cook - Ian Baird's Eastleigh completed the signing of former Salisbury skipper Aaron Cook from league rivals Newport County at the end of October 2009.

The transfer of experienced centre-back Cook, who joined Newport from the Whites initially on loan in November 2008, had come at a time for the Spitfires when Southampton were in negotiations with Eastleigh regarding Aaron Martin's move from the Silverlake Stadium (which went through in early November).

Cook made a positive start in his Eastleigh debut keeping a clean sheet against Hampton & Richmond Borough on Tuesday 27th October 2009.

Brett Poate - Born 1983, Brett joined Havant & Waterlooville on loan in August 2002 from Southampton FC's Youth Academy, where he was a third year student.

Having played against the Hawks earlier the same month in a pre-season friendly, he impressed enough to be drafted in at the start of the 2002/03 season to cover for injured players.

Saints released Brett at the end of that season, and he returned to the Hawks after try outs with various league clubs around the country. An unimpressive tenure as a signed player followed, and Brett was farmed out on loan to Bognor Regis in January 2004, from where he returned a month later completely revitalised.

Brett was one of the Hawks longest serving players having amassed 237 appearances to the start of the 2008/09 campaign. His versatility has seen him play in midfield as well as at left back, and his lethally accurate shot has seen him rack up 32 goals; mostly from free kicks.

Left the Hawks in April 2009 at which point he promptly joined Eastleigh but was unable to link up with the club and his former manager Ian Baird, until pre-season. Became Eastleigh's first new signing for the coming campaign.

Warren Goodhind - Returned to Eastleigh in August 2008 after a brief spell with Harrow Borough and has returned again in February 2010 after "hanging up his boots" at the end of 2009. Previously played for Ebbsfleet United, Barnet (93 lge apps/3 gls), Cambridge United (103/0), Rochdale (10/0), Oxford United (6/0) and Dagenham & Redbridge. Born in Johannesburg 16th August 1977.  

Ross Bottomley - Commanding centre back signed in February 2010 from Dr Marten League South & West Division A F C Totton. Ross who can also play as a striker has also played for Bashley, Fareham Town and Hamble ASSC. Born 11th May 1984 in Ascot.

Chris Holland - Arrived at The Silverlake Stadium in June 2010 from Bath City. Central defender who has also played for A F C Bournemouth, Bristol City, Exeter City, Team Bath, Weston super Mare and Gloucester City. Born 29th August 1980 in Taunton.

 Midfielders

Anthony Riviere - Riviere is a former England National Game international who signed for Fisher Athletic in 2004 from Welling United, having previously been at Kent League side Faversham Town.

Great engine and work ethic, box to box player who will pop up and score goals just as much as he will stick a tackle in.

Highly rated, and comparable to that of Patrick Vieira and Claude Makelele. Marked his first competitive game for the Spitifires with a top class finish to seal three points for Eastleigh on the opening day of the 2007/8 season against Cambridge City.

Made an extremely strong start to life at the Silverlake Stadium impressing fans with his excellent undoubted ability and attitude featuring on a regular basis.

As well as playing his part in creating goals through assists, Anthony has continued to show his quality week in, week out. A highly consistent performer.

Went on to make 41 appearances and 4 as a sub in a fantastic debut season where he scored a total of eight goals.

In the 2008/9 season, 'Rivs' got into double figures for goals in another fine campaign for the midfielder where he formed a formidable partnership with Peter Adeniyi in the centre of the park. In Riviere and Adeniyi, Eastleigh are fortunate to have what is widely regarded as the best midfield pairing in the division, it is unrivalled.

Peter Adeniyi - Peter signed for Eastleigh in December 2007 from fellow Blue Square South side Bromley.

The 6ft 4" frame of Peter came straight in for his debut against Thurrock on the 11th December 2007 and put in a solid display at the Silverlake Stadium.

A statement on the Bromely official website stated: "Peter Adeniyi has left the club to sign for Eastleigh. The Hampshire side had made an official approach for the midfielder back at the beginning of October but after listening to their offer Peter decided to remain a Bromley player.

Eastleigh's interest was rekindled following Mark Goldberg's departure from the Hayes Lane hot seat and after talks Bromley were not prepared to match the offer made to Peter.

Whilst far from happy to lose a player of his calibre, the Club would like to thank Peter for all his efforts and wish him every success in the future."

Peter enjoyed his first full campaign with Eastleigh in the 2008/9 season where he finished the year with 50 appearances to his name, more than any other player, such was his importance and the key role that he played for the side.

For a player of his size, Adeniyi has terrific feet, skill and flair on the ball. In Peter and Anthony Riviere, the Spitfires have a midfield duo that is unrivalled at this level of football.

Jamie Brown - Eastleigh snapped up the versatile player from the Magpies early in September 2006. As part of the deal, Liam Green (loan) and Dave Town (permanent) went the other way.

The Southampton born player spent six seasons at the Avenue Stadium scoring 34 goals in 216 appearances. Brown was brought in for a four figure sum and instantly proved his worth at the Silverlake Stadium just as he did at Dorchester where he was an integral member of their side for several years.

The former Magpie made his debut against Salisbury City in the derby match in September 2006 and soon after bagged his first goal for the club in an FA Cup tie with Gloucester City.

Very determined, 110% committed to the cause and tremendous work rate to boot.

Jamie has continued his outstanding work ethic and despte not scoring as many goals as he might like, Brown is a constant menace and nuisance to just about anyone who he comes up against. James almost always needs to be doubled up on when marked, which has allowed the likes of Andy Forbes to grab the goals.

In the summer of 2007, Jamie had a hip operation that kept the lionheart out until October. Came back from injury to make his first game of the 2007/8 season on the 6th October in the 2-2 draw against Bishops Stortford, in what was Ian Baird's first game in charge.

Jamie has once again shown his tremendous hard-working attitude week in, week out and is the perfect example to any youngster of wearing your heart on your sleeve.

Brown, who had been dogged with hip and back trouble for some time, underwent surgery in March 2008.

Manager Ian Baird reported: "The surgeon reckons Jamie will be out for six months. They've got to break the femur and tear through the ligaments to get right into the hip joint. It's a nasty operation."

After missing pre-season for the 2008/9 season after injury problems, Brown made the opening league day of the season as a sub and since then the man dubbed by Baird as the 'Bionic man' has gone onwards and upwards with typically gutsy and whole-hearted performances.

Shaun McAuley - July 2009 signing from fellow Blue Square South side Hampton & Richmond Borough. Previously with Hayes. Born in Hillingdon 16th February 1987.

McAuley joined the Beavers in the summer of 2007 having come through the ranks at Hayes.

Described by Hampton & Richmond as: "a pacy and exciting player who is just as comfortable as a striker", he won the club's best newcomer award in his first season at the Beveree Stadium. "We needed to replace Ashley Carew (following his move to Bromley) and Shaun is a good signing for us," said Eastleigh boss Ian Baird.

"I've admired him for the last couple of years. He's always caused us problems when he's played against us. He's quick with plenty of energy."

Danny Smith - Linked up with Eastleigh in June 2009 for a second spell signing from Bognor Regis Town. A Youth Community Football Coach with Eastleigh FC.

Director of Football Dave Malone confirmed the news of Danny Smith re-uniting with the Spitfires: "We are pleased to confirm that Danny Smith has re-signed for EFC, after spells with both Bashley and Bognor.

"Danny is a welcome addition to our squad, and we look forward to him playing an important part in our quest to emulate or even better our performance in 2009/2010."

Danny initially signed for Eastleigh in August 2004 from Winchester City after captaining his former side to success in the FA Vase. The defensive midfielder played 24 times for AFC Bournemouth before he made his move to Winchester. Smith is also a product of Bashley's youth academy.

Many other Conference sides including Aldershot and Exeter were very close to signing Smith in the summer of 2004, but Paul Doswell managed to pull off a fantastic signing at about the same time he brought Andy Forbes to the club.

Danny captained the side and played a tremendous role in Eastleigh's promotion campaign to the Conference South in the 2004/2005 season.

During 2005/2006, he played the most number of games (47), for Eastleigh and the skipper chipped in with 8 goals - a great return for a central midfield player.

He is a terrific leader and hard worker with a never say die attitude.

At the commencement of the 2006/7 season, Danny put pen to paper, signing a 3-year deal.

In December 2007, Baird agreed for the former team skipper to join Southern Premier outfit Bashley on a month's loan to get some games under his belt.

Towards the end of January 2008 it was revealed that Danny would extend his loan stay until the middle of March, which later became a permanent deal.

After three seasons at Eastleigh and playing a significant part in the clubs rise up the Non-League pyramid, Danny remained an important and integral member of the Spitfires' thriving Football in The Community team, even after his move away from the club as a player.

Will be looking to provide healthy competition for a central midfield role, battling it out with the likes of Anthony Riviere and Peter Adeniyi on his return to the club in the coming season.

Josh Webb - Signed in January 2010 from Carshalton Athletic. Son of former England midfielder Neil, Josh has also played for Hemel Hempstead Town, Basingstoke Town, Farnborough, Weymouth and Reading. Born in Manchester 23rd February 1990.

Strikers

Richard Gillespie - Eastleigh completed the signing of Bashley ‘legend' Richard Gillespie in June 2009.

The player nicknamed ‘Mr Goals' will go down in history as one of the Foresters' all-time greats having banged in 173 goals in 308 appearances for the Southern League club.

He has finished as top Bash marksman for the last five seasons and, with statistics like those, Eastleigh's director of football David Malone is convinced he has the potential to follow in the footsteps of former Winchester City hotshot Andy Forbes.

Jamie Slabber - June 2010 signing from Woking FC. Jamie has also played for Tottenham Hotspur (1/0), AB (Denmark), Swindon Town (9/0), Aldershot Town, Grays Athletic, Oxford United, Stevenage Borough and Havant & Waterlooville as well as representing England at Under 18, 19 and 20 level along with the England ‘C' side. Born in Enfield 31st December 1984.

Richard Graham - July 2010 acquisition to the squad from Grays Athletic. Has also played for Queens Park Rangers (2/0), Chesham United, Billericay Town, Kettering Town, Barnet, Dagenham & Redbridge (12/0). Has also made two appearances for the Northern Ireland Under 21 squad. Born in Newry Co. Down 5th August 1980.