THERE was no love lost – on or off the pitch – as Eastleigh extended their unbeaten home run to ten Vanarama Conference games with an explosive 3-2 win over Chester.

November’s fireworks arrived early at the Silverlake as Spitfires skipper Dean Beckwith and Chester’s on-loan Fleetwood firebrand Matty Hughes were red-carded for a 38th-minute flare-up.

Seven minutes earlier sparks had flown between the opposing technical areas after Eastleigh right-back Dan Spence had been upended by a late tackle from Sean McConville just yards from the home dugout.

Spitfires boss Richard Hill made his feeling known in no uncertain terms and later revealed that his anger had been aimed at members of Chester’s backroom staff who had previously been calling for Plymouth referee Adam Bromley to take action against Eastleigh players.

“The challenge on Spence was awful and, in my opinion, was a red-card offence,” said Hill. “But the reason I reacted was because there had been a couple of instances when their bench – not their manager Steve Burr – had been calling for our players to get booked or red-carded.

“They wanted (Eastleigh goalkeeper) Ross Flitney sent off because they thought he’d handled outsde the box.

“I’d had to listen to them trying to get my players red and yellow carded and I was pointing out that they thought it was okay to kick us but not for us to go near them.

“I don’t like it when people try and get players sent off. I don’t do it to other clubs and I don’t like people doing it to me.”

Eastleigh were leading 1-0 before hostilities broke out – Ben Strevens beating ’keeper Jon Worsnop at the second attempt to round off a sweeping 25th-minute move involving Spence, Jai Reason and Craig McAllister.

It was shortly afterwards that Chester were adamant Flitney had handled outside his area as he dealt with the threat of the livewire Hughes.

Either referee Bromley didn’t see it or didn’t agree and, as play broke up the other end, Strevens planted a soft header into Worsnip’s arms from Michael Green’s cross with Chester still complaining.

“It looked like handball and that would have possibly led to a sending-off if the ref had seen it,” fumed Burr.

But it wasn’t long before the Devon official was delving into his pocket for the red card. With 38 minutes gone former Everton trainee Hughes reacted angrily to Beckwith’s heavy tackle and, as the pair squared up, the Eastleigh skipper leant his head towards the fuming, fair-haired winger who responded by headbutting the tall defender.

Bromley sent them both off and, while the experienced Beckwith left the field peacefully, 22-year-old Hughes had to be restrained by two members of the Chester coaching staff.

With defender Chris Todd replacing forward James Constable at half-time, McAllister had chances to extend Eastleigh’s lead either side of the break.

He was denied by a terrific tackle from Chester skipper Matt Brown in the first instance before heading Green’s precision cross over.

Flitney then made a crucial stop with his feet to deny Craig Hobson but, just when the balance of power looked to be tipping the visitors’ way, the Spitfires hit them with a double whammy inside six minutes.

Sponsors’ man-of-the-match Reason was involved in both, first brought down by Ben Heneghan for Fleetwood’s coolly despatched 58th-minute penalty and then lifting the ball into the path of McAllister who expertly found the far corner.

McAllister and Strevens exited to a well-deserved ovation on 70 minutes, replaced by Yemi Odubade and Ben Wright.

But with a three-goal cushion for comfort, Eastleigh visibly relaxed and, having allowed McConville a simple far-post tap-in from sub Peter Winn’s 78th-minute cross, they were caught again in stoppage time by a clever run and near-post finish from Kingsley James.

It wasn’t enough to derail the Spitfires’ seventh home win of the season, but an unimpressed Hill pointed out: “For 70 minutes we were decent and for 20 minutes we were awful and gave two poor goals away.

“The sendings-off opened the game up and at 3-0 I thought we’d go on and score four, five or six, but we didn’t do the horrible bit for the last 20 minutes and just thought we’d see the game out.

“We needed to get Wrighty and Yemi on the pitch to get some minutes, but perhaps the players felt I’d relaxed by making those changes and they relaxed as well.”

Burr agreed: “At 3-0 they thought they’d won it, but our lads kept going and, with a bit longer on the clock, we would have got something.” Eastleigh – up to eighth and just two points shy of the play-off zone – are at home again this Saturday against Lincoln City in the FA Cup first round.