EASTLEIGH got back to winning ways in a 4-3 festive goal feast at bottom club AFC Telford United on Saturday.

Leaking three goals wasn’t in the plan, but delighted manager Richard Hill didn’t care how many his side conceded as long as they returned to Hampshire with three priceless Vanarama Conference points in the bag.

Having exited the FA Cup and FA Trophy and sandwiched a 3-2 league loss at Alfreton in between, winning was all that mattered for the Spitfires, who are now just three points off the play-offs in ninth spot with as many as three games in hand.

“For me the result was way more important than the performance,” said Hill. “It is at any time, but in this particular case we just needed to get the three points some way, somehow, be that by scrapping, winning ugly or whatever.

“We went to (league leaders) Barnet, played well and got beat and went to Torquay, played quite well and got beat.

“On Saturday there wasn’t a lot of quality, but it was all about the result and I wouldn’t have cared if we’d won 8-7.

“At times we looked quite disorganised, but that’s because the commitment and endeavour of the players was taking them all over the pitch into positions they possibly wouldn’t normally have been in.

“We had to show character to win and the lads were amazing.”

Hill, though, was less than complimentary about the players of bottom-of-the-table Telford, whose poor form had cost manager Liam Watson his job the previous weekend.

managers’ union Twice the Midlanders took the lead through Tony Gray and twice Eastleigh pegged them back through Craig Stanley (18 mins) and Jack Midson (45 mins) before two second-half strikes from fit-again James Constable (65 and 68 mins) put clear daylight between the sides.

Gray completed his hat-trick at the death and, while Hill felt Telford deserved credit for pushing Eastleigh all the way, he also implied their players should take a long, hard look at themselves for letting Watson down.

“I’m part of the managers’ union and, had they played like that in 75 per cent of their games, the manager would still be in a job,” he said.

“On Saturday’s performance Telford were better than Barnet, in my opinion, and I can’t believe they’ve only won three games.

“Myself and the lads knew what to expect, but I’m just disappointed that Liam, who’s not someone I know, is out of a job because they haven’t bothered their a*** for him.

“But now the players are potentially under threat of losing their own jobs, they’re all running around and making the effort – and that tells you just how hard our lads had to play to get a result.

“It’s a great way for us to go into Christmas and the lads deserve full credit, including the players on the bench who were really supportive from the touchline. They rallied the lads in the dressing room too and were all jumping up and cheering when we scored. The team spirit was brilliant.

“They knew the importance of the game, we all did, and all credit to them for getting the result because it was difficult for them out there.

“We looked a bit nervy and short of confidence but, once we got past the hour mark, we got a foothold in the game.

“It means we can all enjoy Christmas now and I’ll at least be able to open my presents with the family for ten or 15 minutes without thinking about the Woking game on Boxing Day (December 26, 3pm, Silverlake Stadium).”