EASTLEIGH sprang a surprise by naming ex-Saint Dan Harding in their starting XI for tonight’s 2-1 friendly win over Terry Butcher’s Newport County.

The 31-year-old, who still lives in the Chandler’s Ford area, is on the lookout for a club after parting company with Nottingham Forest via a loan spell with Millwall.

He has been training with the Spitfires and did manager Richard Hill a favour this evening by filling in for injured left-back Michael Green.

Whether Eastleigh can afford to sign him and whether the player himself would drop down to the National League remains to be seen. But Hill made it known earlier this week that he was on the lookout for a left-sided player and said: “If there’s the remotest possibility that we’re in a position to sign him, we will.”

Harding will be affectionately remembered by Saints fans as part of the 2009/10 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy-winning team.

The following season he was voted in the PFA’s divisional team of the season as Saints clinched promotion from League One.

It was all Eastleigh for the first nine minutes tonight with Harding and new signings Andy Drury, Josh Payne and Lee Cook all knocking the ball around well, but one incisive move from Newport ended with Lewis Bamford striking the base of goalkeeper Lewis Noice’s left-hand post.

Noice was then required to smother the ball on the line when big centre-back Matt Taylor found himself in space following an Exiles corner.

But it was Eastleigh who broke the deadlock on 17 minutes when, not for the first time, the ball was fed out to the blond figure of Harding on the left.

He searched out Cook with a crisp delivery and, although the former Barnet man was caught off-balance, he somehow managed to hook the ball into the path of former Exiles loanee Yemi Odubade to score against his old club.

With 35 minutes gone Eastleigh lost new strike signing Ross Lafayette to injury and his replacement James Constable thought he had polished off an exquisite move with a clever ball through to Odubade but, much to Hill’s exasperation, the linesman raised his flag.

And when the pair went on the rampage again two minutes later, Constable this time failed to find his pacy sidekick, delivering the ball in behind him.

Harding didn’t reappear for the second half as Joe Partington switched across to left-back, leaving trialist Jack Alexander from Bristol City to fill the right-back berth.

Odubade also took his leave of the game, making way for Jack Midson to join Constable up top.

Newport began the second half brightly but, with young Noice sweeping up confidently behind centre-back Will Evans and skipper Paul Reid, Eastleigh were not unduly troubled.

On 64 minutes Hill made his fourth change of the night, throwing on crowd favourite Jai Reason in place of former Woking man Payne, who annually suffers shin-splints in pre-season.

Constable drilled a shot just wide after driving across the area left to right before Eastleigh duly doubled their lead with a simple second with 70 minutes gone.

Ex-England hero Butcher watched on fuming from the sidelines as Evans was left completely unmarked to head in Reason’s corner at the near post.

But the dozy Exiles failed to pick up on their manager’s anger and committed exactly the same crime two minutes later, only this time Constable headed Reason’s delivery wide.

Eastleigh’s ex-Oxford United hot-shot worked himself into a good position again on 86 minutes but he was having one of those nights in front of goal and planted his shot well over.

With time running out Ben Strevens went desperately close with a dipping 25 yard volley just past the post.

But, from almost being 3-0, County substitute Aaron Collins pulled it back to 2-1 with a cool finish with just seconds of normal time remaining to put a rather flattering slant on the scoreline for the League Two visitors.

Eastleigh: Lewis Noice, Joe Partington, Dan Harding (Jack Alexander, 46), Will Evans, Paul Reid (Chris Todd, 81), Yemi Odubade (Jack Midson, 46), Josh Payne (Jai Reason, 61), Ross Lafayette (James Constable, 35), Ben Strevens, Lee Cook (Jack Masterton, 65), Andy Drury. Subs (not used): Tony Lee, Jack Smith.

Attendance: 530