Assistant manager David Hughes was disappointed but not totally surprised to see Eastleigh's six-match winning streak grind to a halt at lowly Corby Town on Saturday.

Although absent team boss Paul Doswell said beforehand that the Wessex champions were capable of finishing higher than their original top-six target, ex-Saint Hughes said: "Personally I think we're a top-six side but we're not much better than that.

"We've got to keep in perspective what we've done in a short space of time. When you bring in new players it takes time to imprint on them what you want to do and, although we're capable of playing any team off the park, it's the little bits of professionalism we're lacking.

"We should have come away with something from Corby, but there have been a few occasions this season when we haven't been clever enough to make sure we won the game.

"It's disappointing, but Saturday's result doesn't surprise me.

"At home I'd back us to beat anyone, but I've never sat here and said we're anywhere near the finished product. We're the new boys in the big boys' league.

"There are some long, old journeys in this league and, whoever you play will come out and have a right go. All you need is three or four players who don't fancy it and you'll get turned over like we did at Corby.

"It's a learning curve and it'll come with a bit of experience. Sometimes you just have to accept that it was one of those days."

Eastleigh were in control early on with Nicky Banger denied by a goalline clearance and Robbie Matthews and Hughes both going close. But the longer the game remained at 0-0, the more confident Corby became and they scored just before the hour mark when Lee Glover flicked on a free kick for Bobby White to stab home.

Salisbury demolished the Brickies to go third in the table, and the 3-0 scoreline at Sittingbourne was a relief as Whites produced what assistant manager Tom Killick described as "our best performance yet."

Sittingbourne, lying tenth before the match, were left floundering by the Whites' passing and movement game that could easily have seen the score reach double figures.

A whirlwind start saw Adam Wallace on the attack straight away and his fierce drive forced Sittingbourne goalkeeper Kevin Fewell to concede a third-minute corner. Stuart James delivered a quality ball that gave Matt Tubbs a near-post header for an early lead.

On ten minutes Tubbs just failed to get a second goal after launching himself at a Wayne Turk cross and 12 minutes later, Wallace, with Tubbs a constant threat, was foiled first by Fewell and then a last-ditch tackle as he waltzed through.

Salisbury's second goal came on 37 minutes when Wallace forced another corner and this time James's cross went to the far post for Josh Thomas to volley home.

Chances came thick and fast but Wallace claimed a richly-deserved reward for his efforts when he calmly beat Fewell from the spot after he had been brought down.

Another half-dozen chances were wasted before the final whistle and Killick confirmed: "In spells we played the type of football that would have had most teams struggling. We should have scored more and our front pairing of Wallace and Tubbs were constant trouble for Sittingbourne, who are by no means the worst side we have played.

Rock-bottom Fleet Town fell victim of another one-man demolition job in their 4-0 home reverse by Stamford. Rocked by five from Bashley's Richard Gillespie on New Year's Day, the struggling north Hampshire club were torn apart by four-goal Kevin Byrne, who sentenced them to their tenth defeat in 11 league games.