ANDY Hessenthaler has his doubts that Eastleigh will keep a clean sheet between now and the end of the season.

But after watching his side come back from behind twice to dig out a 3-2 National League victory at Maidstone United this afternoon, he is not overly bothered right now - just as long as they keep scoring.

True, the Spitfires could have done without a risky back pass by defender Ayo Obileye placing goalkeeper Ross Flitney under pressure, allowing Stones striker Johan ter Horst to pounce and roll the ball into the empty net with just 30 seconds gone.

And when Stuart Lewis put Maidstone ahead for a second time on 33 minutes after ex-Spitfire Jai Reason had hit the post, Eastleigh’s inability to shut up shop could well have cost them.

But new loan signing Ryan Broom came up trumps with a smart 79th-minute leveller before Obileye atoned for his earlier error big time, heading home his second of the afternoon to seal Eastleigh’s fifth away win of the season.

It makes it seven games unbeaten for the revitalised Spitfires who are up to 12th, just seven points off the play-off zone.

And who would have predicted when Hessenthaler stepped up to take charge in mid December that Eastleigh would now be sitting second in the form chart with 14 points from their last six games and on a run of three straight wins?

“I don’t think we played particularly well today, but you’ve got to give Maidstone credit, they’re a good footballing team,” said Hessenthaler.

“We gave them two goals first half.

"For the first one, the ball went out of play, but it doesn’t matter about that. Ayo’s held his hands up, you can’t give a ball back to Rosco (Flitney) like that and you can’t start games like that.

“Are we going to get a clean sheet this season? I’m not so sure.

“But if we keep winning games 3-2 and 4-3, I’ll take it all day long!”

Obileye took just nine minutes to atone for that mistake, meeting Mark Yeates’s corner on the edge of the area and slamming home for 1-1.

Lewis then plunged the visitors into arrears again on their 3G pitch before Hessenthaler turned to his bench to change the game.

Broom, who arrived on Friday on loan from Bristol Rovers, replaced Sam Matthews on the hour and took just under 20 minutes to make his mark.

He latched onto keeper Lee Worgan’s mishit clearance and steadied himself before finding the net from 25 yards for a dream debut.

By then fit-again central defender Ryan Cresswell had been thrown on up top as Eastleigh sought to physically overpower their smaller opponents.

It worked a treat as, with four minutes of normal time remaining, Sam Wood’s deep corner found centre-back Andrew Boyce. He got in front of his marker and headed on for man mountain Obileye to nod in the winner.

The Stones threw the kitchen sink at Eastleigh in time added on but, with Cresswell dropping into defence, they just about held out with Flitney saving well and ter Horst having a penalty shout turned down.

“We’re on a bit of a roll now and we’ll take full confidence to play Hartlepool at home on Saturday,” smiled Hessenthaler.

“If we keep doing that week in, week out until the end of the season, who knows?

“The lads are taking it from training onto the pitch at the moment and that’s fantastic.”