EASTLEIGH will be in the hat for the second round of the FA Cup after drawing 1-1 against League One Swindon tonight.
The National League outfit forced a replay against their higher-league opponents after an enthralling game at the Silverlake Stadium.
Swindon dominated the opening 45, but it was the minnows who sprung a surprise by taking the lead in the 64th minute, Mikael Mandron nodding home a Jake Howells free-kick.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest FA CUP news, shocks, goals, fixtures and results by visiting SunSport's dedicated FA CUP section
But credit to a youthful Swindon side, their average age was just 26, as their heads didn't drop, and they levelled from the penalty spot just five minutes later through Michael Doughty.
Doughty himself was tripped by Spitfires keeper Ryan Clarke and the Swindon midfielder dusted himself down to slot home the resulting spot-kick.
Related Stories
Robins forward Luke Norris had earlier seen a close-range header saved by Clarke, with replays suggesting the ball may have crossed the line, but Eastleigh also saw an Ayo Obileye effort cleared off the line in added time.
The replay will be at Swindon's County Ground on Tuesday, November 15.
In the night's other clash, Mahlon Romeo scored the only goal as Millwall beat League One rivals Southend 1-0 at the Den.
After the game, Eastleigh boss Ronnie Moore said: "I thought the first goal was going to be so important and be enough to win the game.
"But we've given everything, couldn't ask much more, and had one kicked off the line at the end, so could have been even better.
"We live to fight another day. We will go and try again, and look forward to it. We will go and give it our best shot."
Leave a comment