EASTLEIGH’S season ended in heartbreak as they lost their final game of a rollercoaster National League campaign 2-1 at Woking today.

On an afternoon when everything went against them, play-off rivals Braintree and Tranmere both won, forcing the Spitfires to settle for a disappointing seventh-placed finish.

Braintree – 3-0 winners over Altrincham – climbed to third spot above Grimsby and Dover, which left Eastleigh and Tranmere out in the cold and tasked with doing it all again next season.

The Spitfires were dealt another pre-match injury blow when Jamie Turley (knee) joined James Constable, Luke Coulson and Andy Drury on the sidelines for this must-win game.

Ross Lafayette started up front alongside Matt Tubbs, having returned this week from four months on loan at Aldershot.

Woking had the first glimmer of a chance five minutes in when their player-of-the season-John Goddard skipped inside and fired wide of Ross Flitney’s right-hand post.

The Spitfires raised their game and, after Matty Fanimo’s blocked shot had gone out for a corner, they had the ball in the net through Matt Tubbs.

It would have been the Portsmouth loanee’s first goal from open play since arriving in early February but, typically of his luck in an Eastleigh shirt, the linesman’s flag was up.

The visitors’ frustration grew when the flag was raised again as Tubbs burst through, but there was worse - far worse - to come for the Spitfires who, from a position of relative comfort, suddenly found themselves two goals down.

Woking’s first, on 13 minutes, was a total disaster for Chris Todd’s men as a driven cross by former Havant left-back Chris Arthur eluded everyone, including Flitney, before being bundled home by Keiron Murtagh amid a mad scramble on the line.

With the game invitingly open, the Cards doubled their advantage less than three minutes later as the game swung quickly from one end to the other.

Jai Reason’s penalty appeal for handball went unheeded, Woking broke and, after Giuseppe Sole had gone down under Michael Green’s challenge, there was another unsightly mess in the Eastleigh defence.

It was all too easy for the Cards as Matthew Robinson crossed from the right, and Goddard calmly swept the ball home.

Just when it looked as if the afternoon couldn’t get any worse for the Spitfires, news filtered through that their two rivals for the fourth and last play-off spot, Braintree and Tranmere, were both winning.

Flitney’s sharp reaction prevented Sole getting a third for Woking on 28 minutes, while both Murtagh and Goddard shot narrowly wide before half-time.

In between, the chances were all Eastleigh’s, but Lafayette’s cleverly worked shot was held by keeper Jake Cole, Tubbs’ close-range effort from Yemi Odubade’s cross was blocked at point-blank range and Green’s delivery into the six-yard box was scrambled clear.

Half-time: Woking 2 Eastleigh 0

Eastleigh went 3-4-3 after the break with skipper and defender Paul Reid making way for winger Lee Cook.

Cook’s first contribution was a deep delivery to the back stick but the sliding Odubade could not keep his shot down.

With 58 minutes gone, Todd made another change with Jack Midson taking over wide-right duties from Fanimo.

As the frantic end-to-end action continued, Midson headed over and Tubbs flung himself at another Cook cross, but just failed to connect.

Woking, though, looked menacing every time they burst forward and there was relief for the yellow-shirted visitors when Sole’s 66th-minute ‘goal’ was ruled offside.

Eastleigh’s players were not to know it but, by the time they mustered a 74th- minute reply, Braintree had strengthened their grip on the vacant play-off spot with a third goal against lowly Altrincham.

It was Tubbs who halved Woking's lead, getting the final connection on a cracking Josh Payne strike from the right edge of the area to divert the ball past Cole.

There were chances at both ends in a barnstorming finale with Flitney pulling off a smart late save to deny Woking sub Danny Carr.

Woking: Jake Cole, Jake Caprice, Chris Arthur, Mark Ricketts, Brian Saah, Joey Jones, Keiron Murtagh, Giuseppe Sole (Danny Carr, 75), John Goddard (Godfrey Poku, 86), Matthew Robinson, Bruno Andrade (Cameron Norman, 80). Subs (not used) Nick Hamman, Alex Smith.

Eastleigh: Ross Flitney, Joe Partington, Michael Green, Will Evans, Paul Reid (Lee Cook, 46), Yemi Odubade, Josh Payne, Jai Reason, Ross Lafayette, Matt Tubbs, Matty Fanimo (Jack Midson, 58). Subs: (not used) Michael Poke, Ben Strevens, Dan Harding.

Referee: Wayne Barratt

Attendance: 1,853 (226 from Eastleigh)