Eastleigh have an opportunity to climb into the National League play-off places over the upcoming three-match Christmas/New Year programme.

Buoyed by a chaotic 5-3 win at Aldershot Town, Spitfires host Dorking Wanderers at the Silverlake Stadium on Saturday (3pm) before facing home and away games against Dagenham & Redbridge.

Both Dorking and Ben Strevens' Daggers are hovering uneasily on the brink of the relegation zone, while Eastleigh's victory at Aldershot's EBB Stadium hoisted them to within three points of the play-off places.

Influential right-hand midfielder Enzio Boldewijn will probably miss the holiday programme after being sent off in the Hampshire derby.

Shots and Eastleigh served up a pre-Christmas cracker, Eastleigh roaring into a 5-0 lead before Aldershot struck three times in the final quarter to set up a chaotic finale.

Aldershot looked leg weary after their shock 1-0 FA Cup win over League Two pacesetters Stockport County three days earlier and were 3-0 down at half-time.

"I believe this was a good time for us to play them as I knew how we were after beating Reading in the cup," reflected Eastleigh boss Richard Hill.

"It was a solid performance by us over an hour. We were clinical when we had to be, but its just the other end of the field that I have got to get right - for some reason we just panic and implode."

With Chris Maguire pulling the strings, Eastleigh capitalised on some slack Aldershot defending with Paul McCallum opening the scoring  midway through the first half, then Bailey Clements rifling home a second from 20 yards.

Aldershot had chances of their own, but by half-time were 3-0 down when Maguire set off on a run down the right-hand channel before cutting in and scoring with a shot which cannoned in off a Shots' defender.

It got worse for Aldershot as Scott Quigley and McCallum, with his 21st goal of the season, seemingly put Eastleigh out of sight with a 5-0 lead and barely an hour gone.

But Aldershot refused to lie down, rekindling their Stockport spirit and providing Eastleigh with an uncomfortable finale.

Jack Barham, who scored the winning penalty in Aldershot's FA Trophy triumph a week earlier, came off the substitutes bench again to make it 5-1 and when Josh Stokes scored a second ten minutes later Eastleigh were clearly rattled.

A fiesty brawl, provoked by a late challenge by Quigley, brought a flurry of yellow cards for both teams and a sending off for Boldewinj, the second consecutive Eastleigh player to be dismissed following Ludwig Francillette red card in the Trophy tie.

As Aldershot cranked up the pressure, Stokes had two further opportunities - both saved by McDonnell - before scoring a third goal five minutes into the extended 14 minutes of added time.

It proved too little too late - but it gave Eastleigh a very uncomfortable finish.