MANAGER Paul Doswell hit the pillow with a smile on his face last night after ecstactic Eastleigh had pulled off a dream double.

Fresh from hearing that the club had secured planning permission for the development of their Sparshatts Stadium home, the team knocked Conference giants Aldershot out of the Hampshire Senior Cup 1-0 at the Recreation Ground to reach the last four.

"What a great day," grinned Doswell. "We had a call just before kick-off to tell us we'd got the planning permission and the lads all knew how important that was to the club. They responded with a terrific performance against the Cup holders - and we could have scored more.

"Aldershot fielded seven of the side that played in the Conference on Saturday, but we had a catalogue of missed chances. Their chairman congratulated us afterwards and said it was a game they were desperate to win."

At one stage Doswell feared Eastleigh would never score. Tyronne Bowers smacked the inside of the post with a header from two yards and then top scorer Paul Sales missed a close-range sitter.

Bowers was unlucky again with a 20-yard volley which the keeper tipped over, but Eastleigh's fortunes changed following the half-time introduction of pacy wideman Martin Beck, pictured above, rated by Doswell as: "The best substitute in the league."

Midway through the second half Beck, who had a trial game with Saints Reserves last summer, did what his teammates couldn't, skipping past two defenders and coolly slotting the ball home.

Eastleigh were so comfortable that they didn't bring on influential ex-Saints Nicky Banger and David Hughes until the last 15 minutes and Banger, too, was guilty of a glaring miss, heading over from five yards.

"All the time it was 1-0, I was just waiting for them to equalise, but it wasn't until the last five minutes that they put us under pressure," said Doswell. "Becky terrorised them when he came on. I just wish he could do it for more than 30 or 40 minutes."