Clumsy Eastleigh smashed for four

7:16pm Sunday 3rd August 2008

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By Neil Perrett »

THEY say there is a time and a place for everything.

Well, pre-season games are certainly not the time or the place for strong-arm tactics, not if you are looking to cement the fixture anyway.

Cherries' final warm-up contest was anything but friendly with Eastleigh's often over zealous approach leaving a lot to be desired.

The non-leaguers could have been excused for the odd mistimed tackle or the occasional clumsy challenge. The exuberance of youth could have been another defence.

At times though, this was unnecessarily brutal and the chief culprits should have known better.

The tone was set early on when Luke Byles caught Lee Bradbury with his elbow. It could have been accidental and Byles got the benefit of the doubt from referee James Linnington.

But there was nothing unintentional about Trevor Challis's X-rated tackle that left Paul Rutherford in a heap after 15 minutes.

The experienced former QPR and Bristol Rovers man cynically went through the back of Rutherford after he had received the ball to his feet on the halfway line.

In days gone by, Eastleigh would have been invited to substitute Challis. Instead, he received nothing more than a ticking off from Linnington.

However, bureaucracy went mad when the official applied the letter of the law after Ryan Garry had re-entered the pitch without permission having taken an impromptu drinks break.

Garry was probably celebrating his part in Cherries' fourth-minute opener after his initial cross had led to Jo Kuffour finishing smartly from close range.

The striker, who had hernia surgery just a fortnight ago, netted with his first touch of pre-season after Bradbury and Marvin Bartley had also played support roles.

With new signing Scott Guyett outstanding in the air, Cherries coped easily as Eastleigh, fresh from their success in the Errea Cup, aimlessly launched the ball forward at every opportunity.

Referee Linnington sensibly opted to keep his cards in his pocket after Eastleigh goalkeeper Jason Matthews had tripped Brett Pitman on route to goal. A penalty, confidently dispatched by Pitman past the goalkeeper's despairing dive, brought the striker's pre-season tally to six.

Ashley Vickers's agricultural challenge on Pitman left the youngster nursing a bruised leg and resulted in him playing no part in the second half, while Bartley also failed to show after the break having become the next victim of a reckless Challis tackle.

Eastleigh's first noteworthy chance came after 33 minutes when Tom Jordan's powerful header flashed past the post following Tony Taggart's free kick.

Not entirely blameless for the fractious nature of the contest, Shaun Cooper's petulant kick on Matt Groves sparked an ugly melee with players from both sides running from all directions to square up.

Then, on the stroke of half-time, Vickers epitomised his clumsy first-half display when he inadvertently took out team-mate Challis, who required treatment.

Kuffour applied a delicate finish to Darren Anderton's majestic 50-yard pass as Cherries added a third goal seven minutes into the second half. The striker, who lifted his shot over the advancing Matthews, had looked sharp and hungry on his reappearance.

Garry reacted angrily after Byles had taken him out while in full flight down the left flank before Anderton again took centre stage as Cherries strolled into a four-goal lead on the hour.

While his incisive pass to Josh McQuoid ended with the youngster's shot being superbly saved by Matthews, his accurate follow-up to Cooper left the midfielder with the simple task of finding the back of the net.

Trialist Craig Dobson, a 24-year-old from MK Dons who appeared in the Urban Freestyler DVD, caught the eye, while Joe Partington looked composed after making a welcome return as a half-time substitute.