Eastleigh: Chairman Stewart Donald backs management pair

Richard Hill was reappointed Eastleigh manager in February

Eastleigh chairman Stewart Donald has backed the club's management team of Richard Hill and Andy Hessenthaler despite a recent poor run of form.

The Spitfires are 17th in the National League and already out of the FA Cup.

"We've played lots of clubs lately with much smaller budgets, but our players haven't risen to the challenge," Donald told BBC Radio Solent.

"We're there to be shot at," he added. "People know we're big spenders and they'd like to put one over on us."

Eastleigh were knocked out of the FA Cup earlier this month in the fourth qualifying round by Hereford FC, a club two divisions below.

Hill's side also lost 2-1 at home to bottom-of-the-table Solihull Moors on Tuesday.

"We've been in the games and with a bit more luck we could've picked up a few more points," Donald added.

"But, it's a bigger job probably even more than Richard realised when he first came in.

"We were in an awful lot of trouble then, we weren't winning games, morale was low and there were players at the club who didn't have the right level of passion or desire."

Donald confessed some of the responsibility for a slump in form must also lie at his door.

"(It's) because of the expectations players have who come here," he said.

"We need to have a look at that as we've got lads who are paid double of what they're playing against some weeks in the National League."