EASTLEIGH 0 EBBSFLEET 1.

IGNORE the scoreline.

Ten-man Eastleigh will have won over an army of fans with one of their most passionate performances of recent years.

It was an afternoon when everything that could have gone against them did.

They had defender Alex Wynter dismissed for a second yellow card after 32 minutes, having already hit the bar and had a seemingly good goal disallowed.

Yet despite all that, the Spitfires, who had started the afternoon with just 11 fit senior players, produced a performance that made Andy Hessenthaler “the proudest I’ve been” as Eastleigh manager.

Hessenthaler’s worst fears about a physically demanding bank holiday programme were realised when six players – Graham Stack, Ben Williamson, Chris Zebroski, Joey Jones, Reda Johnson and loanee George Dowling – were ruled out by injury.

Ebbsfleet, in contrast, were unchanged from Saturday’s 3-1 National League win over Aldershot, with Andy Drury starting and fellow ex-Spitfire Luke Coulson among a full quota of subs.

The early drama was all inside the Ebbsfleet area with Eastleigh No9 Paul McCallum seemingly manhandled by Sam Magri as Josh Hare’s deep cross came in and then ex-Havant goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore slipping on the greasy surface with McCallum lurking.

It was the visitors who mustered the first shot at goal on 14 minutes but Corey Whitely dragged it wide.

Two minutes later, Eastleigh so nearly seized the lead when James Constable smacked a thunderous volley off the underside of the bar with many in the 1,663 crowd convinced it had bounced down over the line.

Mark Yeates then drilled a low free-kick from the left which McCallum tucked in at the near post, but the ‘goal’ was ruled out for a questionable offside.

If that decision didn’t endear referee Lloyd Wood to the home fans, the next one certainly had them up in arms.

Centre-back Wynter, already on a soft booking for clipping keeper Ashmore, was deemed to have fouled Ebou Adams as he stretched to reach Michael Green’s pass in the left full-back position.

Mr Wood reached for yellow again and so, for a second home game running, the threadbare Spitfires were down to ten men.

Ross Flitney, in for injured ‘keeper Stack, diverted Danny Kedwell’s goal-bound blast behind and, with half-time approaching, it looked destined to stay 0-0.

But, cruelly for ten-man Eastleigh, wily marksman Kedwell broke the deadlock in stoppage time, shirking off the attentions of defender Andrew Boyce with a trademark turn and finish.

The Spitfires deserved to be at least on equal terms and so nearly were seconds after the restart when a sweeping move involving Green, Constable and Yeates ended with McCallum ruffling the side netting.

Two fine saves by Flitney, first at Kedwell’s feet and then from sub Coulson, followed before Eastleigh went close again when McCallum’s downward header was cleared off the line.

The Spitfires continued to be on the end of some suspect officiating and, to compound their frustration, they lost ex-Saint Oscar Gobern to a dead leg on the hour, meaning Ollie Dennett - one of a three-strong bench of youngsters - was thrown into the fray.

Flitney was having a stormer, tipping over Coulson’s blast from the edge of the box.

But Ebbsfleet kept coming and, presented with an open goal, Coulson this time thumped the foot of the post.

Two minutes later, Dennett, a 19-year-old from Lymington, almost made it a dream home debut, holding off two defenders and testing Ashmore with a shot on the turn.

The young man then smartly found the hard-working Constable but he too was denied as the tension reached fever pitch.

Coulson should have finished Eastleigh off but somehow flicked another sitter wide and Yeates so nearly capitalised on that wastefulness with a 20-yarder that drifted just past the post.

“To a man my players were absolutely outstanding,” said Hessenthaler.

“Their determination and togetherness was phenomenal.”

Referee Wood went off to a deafening chorus of boos from the Silverlake faithful, but the least said about the official, the better, as far as Eastleigh’s boss was concerned.

Hessenthaler did, however, confess: “You stand on the line sometimes and it feels like you want to give the game up as a manager.

"The first booking was embarrassing. The keeper just fell on the floor and, even if it is a foul, does it warrant a booking?

"And I've just seen the video of the disallowed goal and McCallum wasn't offside."

Eastleigh: Ross Flitney, Josh Hare, Michael Green, Danny Hollands, Andrew Boyce, Alex Wynter, Oscar Gobern (Ollie Dennett, 59), Cav Miley, Paul McCallum, James Constable, Mark Yeates. Subs (not used): Callum Baughan, Tom Bearwish.