RICHARD Hill praised Eastleigh's “game management” as, for a second season running, they kicked off the National League campaign with a resounding away win.

Last year the Spitfires brushed aside Nuneaton 3-0 on their Conference debut with Jai Reason scoring the opening goal.

History repeated itself at sunny Southport on Saturday with Reason again opening the scoring on a blisteringly hot day on Merseyside.

But this time Hill’s men went one better, taking full advantage of the Sandgrounders going down to ten men to run out handsome 4-0 winners.

It shoots them straight to the top of fledgling league table ahead of home games against Boreham Wood (tomorrow) and Lincoln on Saturday.

Eastleigh made the 41st-minute breakthrough when Reason collected Andy Drury’s throw to feet and shook off the attentions of two players before shooting across ’keeper Andy Coughlin into the bottom corner.

The second half exploded in unseemly fashion with Andrai Jones red carded for an horrific lunge on Joe Partington, who had started at centre-back in place of the injured Paul Reid.

Fortunately Partington was able to soldier on and, although branding the challenge “horrible”, Eastleigh boss Hill felt there was no malicious intent from the 23-year-old Southport man.

“It was a nasty tackle on Joe, but I don’t think there was any malice,” he said. “The problem we have nowadays is that young lads don’t know how to tackle because academies don't teach them anymore.

“Once their lad got sent off it made the pitch bigger and allowed us to get some quality in there.

“It was a very hot day, but our game management was good and we were very professional. We managed to score soon after the sending-off and control things. At 2-0 we didn’t need to score another, as long as we didn’t concede, so we just kept the ball.”

Jamie Turley, one of Eastleigh’s standout performers, headed them 2-0 up from Reason’s 53rd-minute corner and, with the “oles” ringing out from the Haig Avenue away end, Yemi Odubade forced home Ross Lafayette’s knockdown only for the linesman’s flag to cut the celebrations short.

But the Spitfires’ faithful were cheering again come the 74th minute when Lafayette was brought down by Matty Challoner and skipper Ben Strevens made it 3-0 from the spot.

Even with Josh Payne ruled out by a one-match suspension, Hill had such a depth of talent at his disposal that he was able to replace Reason – on a booking – with James Constable, Odubade with Lee Cook and new signing Dan Harding with Michael Green.

It was two subs who combined for the 90th-minute fourth – ex-Barnet man Cook dribbling half the length of the pitch before teeing up Constable to sweep home.