Eastleigh: Richard Hill plays down Conference promotion bid

Eastleigh's rise through the leagues

Eastleigh manager Richard Hill says winning promotion to the Football League is still a tall order.

A win or a draw at home to Kidderminster on Saturday will see the Spitfires through to the Conference play-offs in their first season.

The club, who were playing in the Wessex League in 2003, are in great form having won their last four games.

"It's hard to win four on the spin. We are looking now to try and win five," Hill told BBC Radio Solent.

"If we are to be successful, we are going to have to win eight games on the spin. That is a lot of games. It takes a lot of energy and effort, and coupled with that you need some luck."

Chairman Stuart Donald has invested around £3m to improve the ground, the club's infrastructure and bolster the playing squad for their first season in the Conference.

And Hill says that after attracting players such as James Constable, Jack Midson and Paul Reid to Eastleigh, the play-offs were always the aim.

"It's what we started out for at the start of the season," he said. "I said we would be competitive and we are right down to the last game of the season and now we just need to finish it off.

"We've got good players and I always thought we'd get better.

"We were a new team team coming together and we've done a lot of hard work on the training ground. The lads are up there on merit. We've still got four games left hopefully to get to that point (the Football League)."

Hill also believes his side could cope if they were to achieve League Two status for the first time in their history.

"Are we ready for it on the pitch? I'd like to think so," he said. "Off the pitch? It's nothing to do with me. That's the chairman's problem.

"The players are relaxed and you've got to remember we've got good players who have played in far bigger games than this."