Swindon Town fell to their second defeat of pre-season as they were unable to make the most of their openings in a 1-0 defeat at Eastleigh.

Paul Glatzel, Aaron Drinan, and Harry Smith played together for the first time, with the German playing in a midfield role rather than as an attacker in the now-normal 352 formation.

Eastleigh took the lead within five minutes after a cross was headed only as far as Soloman Nwabuokei. The midfielder took it on the half volley, and it came off the ground and looped against the post before hitting Jack Bycroft on the back and going in.

The hosts’ pressure continued when Richard Brindley got in behind Trialist A for the second time in five minutes and delivered a cross that Tunmise Sobowale tentatively flicked away before Will Wright nudged the ball behind.

Swindon still had a threat themselves as Drinan raced in behind and sent a low cross into Glatzel, but he failed to make a clean contact in front of goal.

In the Hampshire heat, Swindon had looked frazzled from the off, unable to retain the ball and even less able to contain Eastleigh’s right flank. As the match progressed, they grew into things and defensively demonstrated more solidity. Their pressing quickly turned professional defenders into rabbits staring down a car in the middle of the road. Marcus Bignot, the tracksuited conductor on the touchline was audibly controlling it all but looked lost in thought whenever Swindon had possession.

The problem remained a lack of plan with the ball, long balls into Smith worked well for the first header but rarely resulted in another red shirt having the ball. Slower build-up was more fragmented with nobody to take control.

The best chance of the first half came as Wright’s corner picked out the run of Ollie Clarke, steaming through bodies to head just over the crossbar.

Following the break there was a greater intensity about everything Town were doing, with Bignot being audibly pleased with the work that was on show. Rosaire Longelo created a chance for Sobowale early on as Eastleigh struggled to match the pace Swindon were working at.

But the goals were still not following and there was a lot of final third rashness as Sobowale, Longelo, and Glatzel all hit wild crosses and shots from promising positions early in the half.

The final third persisted to be the enemy as Eastleigh had retreated into their own area and nobody in red could quite find the weak spot during a second-half siege.

The final twenty minutes became all about Wright and his pinpoint set-piece delivery, ball after ball was put into a dangerous area but the Spitfires managed to get through the bombardment and take the win.

EFC starting XI: McDonnell, Brindley, Fernandez, Francillette, Taylor, McCallum, Shade, Sotona, Nwabuokei, Panter, Quigley.

EFC substitutes: Scott, Humphries, Trialist B, Waruih, Webber, Rogers, Dotse.

STFC starting XI: Bycroft, Sobowale, Wright, Ofoborh, Clarke, Glatzel, Smith, Freckleton, Drinan, Hall, Trialist A.

STFC substitutes: Evans, Johnson, Khan, Cain, Longelo, Mitchell, Minturn, McGregor, Brown, Hart.