EASTLEIGH’S FA Cup hangover continues.

Even the loan signing of Matt Tubbs couldn’t lift the mood as Saturday’s National League defeat at Lincoln was quickly followed by another tonight – this time an unthinkable 3-2 loss at Kidderminster Harriers who were rock-bottom with just three wins to their name.

All the talk going into the match was about what Tubbs – signed from Portsmouth until the end of the season – could do to boost the Spitfires ‘goals for’ account and reignite their bid for the play-offs.

But it’s the ‘goals against’ column that is suddenly giving cause for concern with six shipped in the last two games.

The Spitfires found themselves 2-0 down at Aggborough before top scorer James Constable hauled them back on terms with his 14th and 15th league goals of the season.

But, instead of kicking on, Eastleigh fatally lost concentration from a quickly-taken free-kick on 72 minutes, meaning they have now gone six league games without a win and nine including the FA Cup and Trophy.

“We’re not defending well enough. End of,” said deflated manager Chris Todd. “The first half was not good enough, the second half we dominated and got ourselves back into it but then gave ourselves another headache with a silly goal conceded. It’s shocking.

"Defensively we were very, very poor. I'm a defender myself and it's got to hurt a lot more."

The Spitfires got off to the worst possible start, falling 1-0 down to a Luke Maxwell strike inside the first three minutes and losing ex-Saint left-back Dan Harding to injury into the bargain. Kaid Mohamed replaced him.

Todd's men never really got going in the first half and, on the rare occasion they did, there was no final ball for Tubbs and top scorer James Constable to feed off.

It went from bad to worse six minutes after the break when 19-year-old midfielder Maxwell – sold to Birmingham City last month in a £75,000 deal and loaned straight back to Harriers – forced a parry from Michael Poke, again preferred to Ross Flitney in the Eastleigh goal. As the ball ran loose, Harry White followed up with a poacher’s finish.

Joe Partington, returning to the Spitfires side after injury, got the mini revival underway just after the hour, delivering the ball for Constable to meet with a bullet header.

Eight minutes later, recent signing Luke Coulson ventured forward from Partington’s throw and picked out the predatory Constable to equalise against his old club.

The good vibes didn’t last long, however, with Frenchman Arthur Gnahoua given the freedom to run at Eastleigh’s back line before pulling the trigger for 3-2.

Man-of-the-match Ben Whitfield could have added a fourth for Kiddy before Coulson smacked a potential Eastleigh equaliser against the bar.

The Spitfires remain fifth but, with a queue of seven teams sitting four points or fewer behind them, they urgently need to stop the rot at home to Barrow on Saturday before another big away test looms at Gateshead next Tuesday.

"I'm feeling a bit deflated if I'm honest," said Todd. "But we've got 16 games left and we have to pick ourselves up.

"The second half showed how good we can be, but we have to do it for 90 minutes, not 45. We just can't have silly defending."