BOSS Richard Hill said “don’t blame me” for the trio of penalty howlers that spiced up Eastleigh’s incredible 4-0 win over Lincoln City.

Three Spitfires players stepped up to the spot in the Vanarama Conference showdown at the Silverlake Stadium and two of them – Brian Howard and Will Evans – were guilty of shocking misses, while the game’s two-goal hero Jack Midson was denied his hat-trick by a solid save.

Hill, below, had predicted all three would miss, but said he leaves it entirely up to the players to decide who takes spot kicks.

Stuart Fleetwood had been taking them, but his loan departure to Forest Green Rovers left a vacancy and, on Saturday’s showing, the Spitfires have yet to find a worthy successor.

“I’ve never been involved in a game where we’ve had three penalties before – let alone three missed penalties!” admitted the Spitfires boss.

‘I knew we’d miss’ “Nobody’s going to believe me, but I predicted we would miss them. For the first one we’ve let Brian Howard take it and I don’t like left-footed penalty takers.”

He liked them even less when Howard’s attempted chip backfired, presenting Paul Farman with an embarrassingly easy save.

“Apparently he’s taken penalties like that before and scored from them,” shrugged Hill. “I was very close to taking him off, but he got hold of the ball after that and bought himself a bit of time.

“I told him what I thought at half-time in my own way – and people who know me will know what my way was!

“When he did come off (in the 58th-minute) it wasn’t as punishment. Brian’s not played much football lately.”

Midson’s was a well struck effort but delivered within reach of Farman, while Evans’s attempt flew wildly over.

“Next time we get a penalty I’ll get my missus to come and take it!” smiled Hill.

“I let the players decide because they’re the ones out there and they know how they feel and who’s in good shape to take a penalty.

“I do find it strange, though, that we’ve got strikers on the field who are paid to score goals and they’re letting a full-back take one.

“Brian obviously felt confident to take his – and so he should, Midson wanted his hat-trick and Will probably wanted to put the icing on the cake after setting up two goals.

“Had it been 0-0 (for the second and third penalties) we might have been more concentrated.

“Don’t hold me accountable, though. It’s not my fault we missed them.”