STRAIGHT-TALKING manager Ronnie Moore accused his expensively assembled Eastleigh side of being “mentally weak” after they had carelessly chucked away two precious Vanarama National League points in Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Woking.

You might have known it was going be one of those days when the Spitfires’ former loanee striker Matt Tubbs – all 5ft 9in of him – nipped in among the land of the giants in Eastleigh’s defence to make it 1-1 with a glancing header.

And that was just one of a long list of grievances from Moore who watched on incredulously as Eastleigh flexed their muscles to go 3-1 up and then meekly caved in after the break .

With injuries biting deep and Eastleigh loan defender Connor Essam unable to play against his parent club, Woking could only name four players on the bench.

Yet the Cards, all pace and passion, unsettled Eastleigh’s thoroughbreds to such a degree that Moore admitted: “If it had gone on another five minutes, we’d have lost the game.

“From being 3-1 up, it feels like we’ve lost anyway. We’ve thrown away two points that could be so, so important come the end of the season.”

The second half had an uncomfortably familiar feel to it for the 180 Eastleigh fans who made the short trip to Surrey.

The Spitfires had buckled under similar pressure at home to Sutton United seven days earlier when only a miraculous display by debut-making goalkeeper Ryan Clarke spared their blushes in a 2-1 win.

But even Clarke came under scrutiny from his new boss at Woking for the “joke” Delano Sam-Yorke goal that trimmed the lead to 3-2.

Eastleigh should have had no problem dealing with Fabio Saraiva’s curling free-kick from the left. Yet it found the outstretched leg of the former Basingstoke Town striker and somehow bounced past Clarke with an hour gone.

But for the strong wrist of another former Spitfires man, Cards goalkeeper Michael Poke, Eastleigh sub Adam Dawson would have restored the visitors’ two-goal advantage.

Instead it was Woking who found the net again as Tubbs – playing his first game on loan from Forest Green - picked out unmarked sub Luke Kandi to thrash in a clinical equaliser.

It could have got worse for the sloppy Spitfires but Clarke denied Sam-Yorke one-on-one after the Cards hitman had jostled giant centre-back Reda Johnson off the ball.

It had all been so different in an Eastleigh dominated first half in which Partington crossed for Luke Coulson to net his fourth goal in three games before scoring himself with a bullet header from Jai Reason’s corner. In between, defender Adam Dugdale – in for injured skipper Ryan Cresswell – had punished poor Woking defending from a free kick.

Just how the Spitfires crumbled from a position of such authority is a source of concern for Moore going into two crucial home games against Maidstone United on Tuesday (7.45pm) and league leaders Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday.

But the Spitfires boss does not buy into the theory that this Eastleigh side, like others before it, seem to struggle when confronted with pace.

He said: “A lot of players at this level have pace but not brains. If they had both, they’d be in the Premier League.

“It doesn’t matter how quick they are, our lads have had 1,000-odd League games and it’s not about pace for me, it’s about dealing with the first ball.

“The first 45 minutes was one-way traffic but second half it looked like Woking were going to score every time the ball came into our box. We were mentally weak.

“The second goal’s a joke. How can the ball end up in the back of our net from there?

"I don’t know who’s let the lad go to give him a free touch like that, but it must’ve bounced four or five times before it went in and the keeper’s got to do better with that.”

Eastleigh – still unbeaten under Moore - are down to eighth ahead of Tuesday's FREE ENTRY game against mid-table Maidstone.

Woking: Michael Poke, Joey Jones, Brian Saah, Ismail Yakubu (Max Kretzschmar, 80), Dennon Lewis, Fabio Saraiva, Frankie Sutherland (Anthony Edgard,57), Charlie Carter (Luke Kandi, 74), Matt Tubbs, Delano Sam-Yorke, Keiran Murtagh. Subs (not used): Brandon Hall, Anthony Edgar.

Eastleigh: Ryan Clarke, Joe Partington, Michael Green, Jason Taylor, Reda Johnson, Adam Dugdale, Luke Coulson, Andy Drury, Mikael Mandron, James Constable (Jamie Cureton, 71), Jai Reason (Adam Dawson, 71). Subs (not used): David Pipe, Ryan Huddart, Ryan Bird.

Referee: Antony Coggins

Attendance: 1,403 (180 Eastleigh)