Eastleigh: Gray Area, Bright Future?
Eastleigh have spent years looking like a club with the tools to push higher, but last season was a reminder that infrastructure does not win points by itself.
Seventeenth place, 80 goals conceded and four different men in the dugout told its own story. This was not a side unlucky to miss out on the play-offs. It was a side that never found enough stability, defensive security or rhythm to fully escape the wrong conversation.
There were positives. Aaron Blair’s goals gave Eastleigh a genuine attacking threat after Tyrese Shade’s move to Burton Albion, and there was enough individual quality to avoid serious late panic. But the campaign was defined by drift. Kelvin Davis went in September, Scott Bartlett followed in February, Richard Hill returned to steady things, and by May the next change had arrived with Matt Gray.
Gray’s appointment gives Eastleigh credibility. He knows the club, knows the level and has won this division before. But he inherits a thin squad, a defence that leaked badly and a club priced by the market as one of the sides in danger.
This is not about whether Eastleigh can finally become the club they keep threatening to be. It is about whether Gray can make them solid enough, quickly enough, to avoid another season sliding towards trouble.
From the dugout
Matt Gray returns to the Silverlake Stadium as Eastleigh’s new manager, having previously worked at the club as assistant manager between 2007 and 2011, and his appointment immediately gives the summer a more settled feel.
He is joined by Jason Goodliffe, his long-time assistant and a coach with experience at Sutton United, Eastbourne Borough, Stevenage, Boreham Wood and Woking, plus close to 500 games in the dugout across his career.
After a 2025/26 season that moved from Kelvin Davis to Jason Bristow, then Scott Bartlett, then Richard Hill, the club needed stability, structure and a coaching team with enough experience to stop the cycle of short-term fixes. Gray does not guarantee instant success, but he should bring calm, clarity and a more durable plan.
Manager Profile
Gray’s record gives Eastleigh something more tangible than optimism. After coaching spells with Eastleigh, Aldershot Town, Crawley Town and Sutton United, he became Sutton manager ahead of the 2019/20 National League season and went on to deliver one of the great modern non-league stories.
In 2020/21, he led Sutton to the National League title, the best attacking record in the division and a first ever place in the Football League. He then backed it up with an outstanding first League Two campaign, finishing eighth, one point outside the play-offs, with 69 league goals and the highest league finish in Sutton’s history.
His later spell at Eastbourne Borough was brief, but Eastleigh are not appointing him because of that. They are appointing him because he has already built the sort of National League side this club has spent years trying to become.
Summer Mood
The appointment of Gray has changed the mood. It has not removed the doubts. Supporters seem more willing to trust the process than they were last season, largely because of his Sutton record. But the early reaction to the signings has been mixed rather than euphoric. Ibrahim Bakare, Hady Ghandour and Will Randall all make sense in different ways. There are still fair questions, though. Fitness, recent minutes and defensive certainty all matter for a squad that conceded 80 goals last season. That is the tension of the summer.
Gray feels like a strong appointment. The squad still looks like it needs a lot of work. There is a version of this season where Eastleigh remain awkward, undercooked and closer to trouble than their ambitions suggest.
Squad
The retained group gives Gray something to work with.
Aaron Blair is the obvious attacking reference point after a strong debut season. Nick Townsend and Aaron Pierre bring experience, while Josh Lundstram, Temi Eweka and Jordan Cousins give the midfield a useful core. Connor Underhill and Barney Stone add younger depth, but the squad still looks slim. That is especially true after the departures of Richard Brindley, Inih Effiong, Lloyd Humphries, Niall Maher, Paul McCallum, Josh McNamara, Jake Vokins, Angel Waruih, Sam Pearson and Kieron Evans.
The early additions are interesting rather than headline-grabbing. Ibrahim Bakare strengthens the defence. Hady Ghandour adds a hard-working forward option. Will Randall brings quality if his fitness holds up, but after a year out, that is a big if. There is logic to the business, but also risk. Eastleigh still need more before the squad feels ready for what Gray wants to build.
For full details see: Eastleigh FC.
Retained
- Aaron Blair | Forward | Age 26
- Jordan Cousins | Midfield | Age 22
- Temi Eweka | Midfield | Age 26
- Josh Lundstram | Midfield | Age 27
- Aaron Pierre | Defence | Age 33
- Barney Stone | Forward | Age 18
- Nick Townsend | Goalkeeper | Age 31
- Connor Underhill | Midfield | Age 20
Players in
- Ibrahim Bakare | Cheltenham Town | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 24
- Hady Ghandour | Aldershot Town | Free Transfer | Forward | Age 26
- Will Randall | Unattached | Free Transfer | Midfield | Age 29
- Harry Sidwell | AFC Wimbledon | Season Loan | Midfield | Age 20
- Ben Drake | Millwall | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 20
- Max Dickov | Mansfield Town | Free Transfer | Midfielder | Age 24
- Nick Akoto | Burton Albion | Free Transfer
Players out
- Richard Brindley | Released | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 33
- Inih Effiong | Released | Free Transfer | Forward | Age 35
- Lloyd Humphries | Released | Free Transfer | Midfield | Age 28
- Niall Maher | Hednesford Town | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 30
- Paul McCallum | Havant & Waterlooville | Free Transfer | Forward | Age 32
- Josh McNamara | Released | Free Transfer | Goalkeeper | Age 22
- Jake Vokins | Ebbsfleet United | Free Transfer | Defence | Age 26
- Angel Waruih | Released | Free Transfer | Midfield | Age 22
- Sam Pearson | Merthyr Town | Free Transfer | Forward | Age 24
- Kieron Evans | Newport County | Undisclosed Fee | Midfield | Age 24
Return to parent clubs:
- Ricky Aguiar, Jack Baldwin, Luey Giles, Archie Harris, Jayden Moore, Harvey Saunders, Jake Tabor
One to Watch
Aaron Blair was one of the big positives in a season where plenty went wrong for Eastleigh. His goals were pivotal in ensuring Eastleigh steered clear of trouble. They also gave an inconsistent side a genuine attacking threat. The interesting question now is what happens under Matt Gray. His Sutton promotion side carried plenty of goal threat, and his first League Two team also scored freely.
If Eastleigh give Blair better service, more structure and a stronger platform behind him, he could become one of the more dangerous forwards in the division. Defensive improvement is essential, but if Eastleigh are to prove the market wrong, Blair’s goals may have to carry them.
Bookies’ odds
Eastleigh are 200/1 with BetVictor, which places them firmly among the sides the market expects to struggle. That is not just a reflection of last season’s 17th-place finish. It also reflects the scale of the job facing Matt Gray.
Prediction – 22nd
The squad will need padding out between now and the 8 August kick-off, and it almost certainly will be. Even so, the tide may be against the Spitfires this season.
