Danny Searle celebrated his first game since his permanent appointment with a convincing Fleet win and a dream debut for Bryant Bilongo.

The Middlesbrough loanee was one of two changes as he and Franklin Domi started in place of Ouss Cissé and Omari Sterling-James.

Fleet were excellent throughout but it was Eastleigh who began the match on the front foot, almost taking advantage of a defensive error. Fleet created the first chance on five minutes when Rakish Bingham latched on to a ball from Bilongo and fired a shot that forced a save from Joe McDonnell. 

Bilongo was lively and almost found Dominic Poleon with another low cross before Paul McCallum somehow shot wide on 15 minutes after capitalising from Declan Skura’s miskick at the back. 

Myles Kenlock slid a dangerous ball into the box but there was nobody on the end before a darting run from Poleon saw him skip through Eastleigh shirts but with his shot blocked, Luke O’Neill’s follow-up was sent for a corner.

Luke Croll’s bullet header was just wide for Eastleigh before the Fleet retaliated once again when penalty protests were made after Poleon tried to stay on his feet in the area, Domi picking up the ball with an off-target effort. 

The second half saw the Fleet begin in the same fashion as they did at Chesterfield with a goal inside the first five minutes. Bilongo got his head on to Josh Wright’s corner and though the ball came bouncing back out he was celebrating already as the goal was given. 

Bilongo almost set up Poleon for a second a minute later but he went from scorer to provider to tee up Bingham at the far post to smash the ball high into the goal on 58 minutes.

Fleet were piling up the chances and Ben Chapman’s cross was attacked first-time by Poleon but blocked who then won a corner after another link-up between O’Neill and Chapman.

The third goal arrived just past the hour mark, Wright with the corner delivery and O’Neill getting a header away that seemed to be going wide before bouncing off the inside of the far post and in. 

It was a completely dominant display from the Fleet and Chapman’s clever lob into the six-yard box might have been the fourth, while substitute Dominic Samuel pulled the trigger from outside the area to see McDonnell making a diving save once again. Scott Quigley almost found a consolation goal for the visitors with five minutes left but his effort was marginally wide.

Samuel did find the back of the net when he was one-on-one with the Spitfires keeper but that was denied by the offside flag and Fleet were more than happy to settle for the three points and clean sheet.

EUFC: Cousins, O’Neill (Fogarty 81), Kenlock, Skura, Bilongo, Wright, Domi, Chapman, Edser (Clifford 74), Bingham (Samuel 74), Poleon. Subs: Cissé, McQueen
EFC: McDonnell, Martin, Taylor, McCallum, Boldewijn, Croll, Nwabuokei (Atangana 63), Maguire (Reeves 63), Longe-King, Quigley, Rutherford. Subs: Francillette, Hodson, Greenwood
Attendance: 1,617 (131 Eastleigh)
Winning 50/50 number: 07382

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