THE authors of a new book charting the history of Eastleigh Football Club are urgently trying to contact a selection of their former players – including Bournemouth-based pair Taffy Richardson and Danny Woods.

Club secretary Ray Murphy and co-writer Gary Day are hosting a players' reunion on Sunday to launch The Story So Far, which details the team's results in competitive fixtures, dating back to their very first game in 1946 against Woolston Boys.

That match in Southampton League Junior Division One ended with the side then known as Swaythling Athletic running out 3-1 winners.

The book's facts and figures are complemented by team photographs, programme covers and league tables.

President Derik Brooks, who founded the club 71 years ago, will be at the launch event, set to take place between 3-12pm in the newly-opened lounge bar and restaurant at the Spitfires' Silverlake Stadium home.

Former players have been tracked down as far afield as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, while ex-manager Trevor Parker is travelling from his home in Portugal to join a host of Eastleigh alumni at the reunion.

Richardson is still going strong, working with boss Tom Killick at Poole Town and even being named on the bench for a handful of Dolphins games late in the recent campaign.

Murphy is also still searching for goalkeeper Colin Matthews, striker Ricky Fernandez, Jason Scannell and Simon De’Ath.

Others yet to be found include Tony Mucci, a striker from the late 1980s, former manager Tony Noble, and John Clarkson, a left-back who made 300 appearances between 1956-1970.

Richard ‘Dickie’ Morgan also played for the club 300 times, going back to the early-1950s, while Ricky Ironside was a left-back during the following decade.

The Story So Far is available to pre-order at £15 per copy, plus postage. It will be on general sale from Tuesday, May 30.

If you can help locate any of the missing men, please contact Ray Murphy on 07508 431451 or at rmurphy@eastleighfc.com.