Eastleigh manager Paul Doswell heads into tonight's Jewson Wessex League Cup final dress rehearsal at AFC Totton admitting his side are struggling in the wake of winning the league title.

Since lifting the crown with a 2-0 home win over their closest rivals Gosport Borough on April 5, Eastleigh's form has nosedived alarmingly with a 1-1 midweek draw against Lymington & New Milton followed by Friday night's 6-1 collapse at Andover.

Matt Le Tissier's big appearance at the Portway Stadium was soured as his fellow ex-Saint Phil Warner was sent off after only ten minutes for slamming the ball down and swearing.

Doswell admitted: "We've got a problem in that, having won the league, we are now struggling to take the games seriously.

"The Andover game started off in the spirit of a pre-season friendly, which was how it was meant to be, but then a couple of decisions went against us. Phil got sent off and it all turned sour.

"Our players lost interest after that and even Howard Goddard, the Andover manager, said he was sorry at how things were going. We were trying to do it as a public relations exercise, but it all went wrong."

Tonight's league match is a timely warm-up for the League Cup final between the teams at AFC Newbury's Faraday Road ground on Bank Holiday Monday, May 5.