THERE has never been a better time to support Eastleigh, but Richard Hill is calling for fans to stay level-headed going into the new year.

Given the calibre of company they keep these days, the Spitfires boss thinks it’s “blasé” to talk about where his fifth-placed side could end up if they win their games in hand.

But he concedes that “barring a catastrophe” the Silverlake club can, at the very least, look forward to a second season of Conference national football in 2015/16.

Two wins and a draw from their last three league games has lifted Eastleigh onto 43 points, nine adrift of second-placed Bristol Rovers having played three games fewer than The Gas.

But speaking ahead of today’s visit to Woking (3pm), Hill was keen to stress that it’s presumptuous to talk about winning games in hand when you’re rubbing shoulders with non-League’s elite.

“Last season we had to win our games in hand (to win the Conference South) but we were equipped to do it,” he said.

“I’m not saying we aren’t equipped now, but we’re playing a different calibre of team this year. We’re talking about ex-Football League clubs with a lot of history.

“My players aren’t in the mindset that all we’ve got to do is just turn up and win our games in hand and I don’t want the supporters in that mindset either.

“There’s still a lot of hard work to do – and I mean a lot - and there are going to be a few more twists and turns to come.

“But we’ve done great, fantastic, and barring a major hiccup, we’ve made sure we’re going to be in the Conference Premier again next season – and we did it before the new year arrived.

“Some fans said at the start of the season that they wouldn’t care if we stayed up by one point or one goal just as long as we survived.

“And it would take something really catastrophic now to stop us picking up ten more points to keep us in this league.

“Considering we’ve just come through probably the toughest spell I’ve had at the club with six Saturdays away from home, we’ve not done too badly.”

Buoyed by success at Telford and Braintree, the Spitfires make the short trip to Woking today looking to make it three away league wins on the bounce.

It will be their third meeting with the Cards in as many weeks, having followed a 2-0 FA Trophy exit at Kingfield with Boxing Day’s 2-2 league draw at the Silverlake.

Hill faces a defensive headache for the rematch.

Skipper Dean Beckwith is out for at least a fortnight with the shoulder problem that forced him off during Saturday’s 5-1 romp at Braintree.

Will Evans, Paul Reid, Michael Green and Chris Todd also missed training on Tuesday with knocks and niggles, while Dan Spence was laid low by a virus.

“I’d expect Spence to be fit, but I don’t know if today will be too soon for some of the others,” said Hill. “At this rate I could end up with (Craig) McAllister and (Jamie) Collins at centre half or Ben Strevens, because he can play anywhere! But if I did have to use any of them, I’d trust them.”

Unlike Eastleigh, sixth-placed Woking are on a rocky run, without a league win since December 2, and their manager Garry Hill was distinctly unimpressed with Saturday’s 2-1 home reverse against bitter rivals Aldershot.

“We had too many players who didn’t rise to the occasion,” sighed the Cards boss. “We went with the same team – apart from Theo Lewis who wasn’t 100 per cent fit – which played down at Eastleigh and did very well, and I’m afraid it seemed too much for certain players who couldn’t adjust or handle it.”