ON September 28 last year, Eastleigh beat Mangotsfield United 4-0 in the FA Cup in front of a paltry 238 crowd at the Silverlake Stadium.

Tomorrow they will grace Wrexham’s historic Racehorse Ground, which once drew in 34,445 spectators for the visit of Manchester United in 1957.

On Tuesday, an all-ticket match against Bristol Rovers beckons at Stoneham Lane which will smash Eastleigh’s previous league record gate of 2,283 for the 2009 visit of AFC Wimbledon.

And next Saturday they head to the Hive Stadium, Barnet, to face another former Football League club in yet another heavyweight Vanarama Conference showdown.

Small wonder that the overriding emotion of Spitfires boss Richard Hill can be summed up in one short word: “Wow!”

“We’ve got four really big games coming up now – Wrexham, Bristol Rovers, Barnet and FC Halifax – and that shows you just how far this football club has come,” he marvelled.

“Not so long ago we’d have to have been in the Football League to be playing teams like that.

“I just think it’s amazing, I really do.

“We’ve played 11 games in the Conference, but these next four really put things into perspective.

“It sums it up for me that 12 months ago I drove to Mangotsfield to watch them play Taunton and this week I watched Wrexham at Chester!”

Since arriving at the Silverlake two years ago, the club’s high ambition means Hill has almost always gone into matches expected to win.

But, for once, the sheer stature of this week’s opponents means Eastleigh – a Wessex League club 12 years ago – will wear the ‘underdogs’ tag.

“Irrespective of what the bookies see us as, we’re the underdogs and for me that’s quite unique,” said Hill.

“But this is why I’ve come to the club, to have a tough week like this and to test ourselves against this sort of opposition.

“The club’s come a long way in two years and we’ve earned the right to be playing these teams.

“And when I stood at the ground yesterday and saw the big, new stand starting to take shape, it hit home that the club’s come on unbelievably in the last 12 months. We’re becoming a big football club in our own right. “We’ve got a massive week ahead and if we can compete and all stay healthy, who knows what could happen. But the main thing is to enjoy it.

“Enjoy playing at Wrexham, which not so long ago was a national stadium. Enjoy playing Bristol Rovers in front of what could possibly be our biggest ever league crowd. Enjoy playing at Barnet’s new ground next week. Wow!”

Despite taking a 58th-second lead, Wrexham lost Monday’s cross-border skirmish 2-1 at Chester, leaving them level on 19 points with eighth-placed Eastleigh, but two places behind on goal difference.

The Spitfires await results of tests on left-back Michael Green, who missed the 1-0 win over Braintree with suspected glandular fever, while skipper/defender Dean Beckwith remains sidelined with groin trouble.

With striker Ben Wright out long-term and fit-again midfielder Craig Stanley having started just one game, Hill wouldn’t go as far as to say he is seeking out new signings, but admitted: “If something falls into my lap, it’s a different kettle of fish. I’m always trying to improve everything, whether it’s the team, training, myself or my staff.

“We’ve been unfortunate with injuries and we’re not going to be put in a position where we’re flying by the seat of our pants.

“We can’t just rest on our laurels thinking everything’s fine.”