Eastleigh 1 Bromley 0

EASTLEIGH made it back-to-back National League wins – and kept a clean sheet into the bargain – at a satisfied Silverlake Stadium tonight

Buoyed by Saturday’s 2-1 breakthrough at Barnet, they came racing out of the blocks and dealt Bromley an early blow from which the Ravens never recovered.

The Spitfires could not have dreamt of a better start as they seized the lead with just five minutes gone.

Ben Williamson beat Bromley’s Marc-Anthony Okoye down the left and crossed for Mark Yeates to head home his first goal of the season.

With Andrew Boyce, one third of Eastleigh’s central defensive triumvirate injured, the Spitfires switched to a 4-3-3 with Reda Johnson and Alex Wynter at the heart of the back four.

The reshuffled rear-guard looked well organised – and they needed to be as Bromley came more into the game as the first half unfolded.

On 28 minutes the Ravens produced good link-up play between Omar Bugiel and Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, but Bugiel couldn’t find the target.

After a scrappy spell either side of half-time, the Spitfires had chances to extend their lead but Paul McCallum and Chris Zebroski were denied by the heroics of Ravens’ keeper David Gregory, while the increasingly influential Williamson and McCallum sent efforts wide.

On 81 minutes Williamson went down under a challenge inside the area, after being played in by Zebroski, but the decision was given the other way.

With Bromley in danger of going home empty-handed, they bombed forward in search of a late leveller.

But the lessons of the opening day defeat by Solihull seem to have been learned by this well-drilled Eastleigh side and more inspired defending, this time by right-back Josh Hare, kept the lead intact.

It keeps spirits high for Saturday’s home test against Wrexham (3pm).

It was a memorable night too for Eastleigh’s neighbours AFC Stoneham who stunned higher-division AFC Portchester 3-0 in their FA Cup extra preliminary round replay with goals by Sergio Caballero, Alex Welch and Matt Palmer.