Eastleigh manager Richard Hill admits the club “are patching up bodies” over the coming days after a hectic schedule of matches last week.
The Spitfires currently sit unbeaten on seven points in fourth place after three games played in the Vanarama Conference Premier.
But the two wins and a draw have come at cost to the Silverlake Stadium side.
The 3-1 win over Nuneaton Town on the opening day of the season saw Craig Stanley, a summer signing from Aldershot Town, pick up a heel problem that he failed to shake off for the two matches at the Silverlake Stadium.
On top of that, striker Jack Midson had to play through the pain barrier with a migraine during the 1-0 win over Aldershot Town on Thursday night and less than 48 hours later in the 2-2 draw with Gateshead – in which he scored his first goal for Eastleigh.
Another concern saw captain Dean Beckwith hobble off against the Tynesiders just after hour mark.
And Hill admitted that his side were “dead on its feet” after playing Thursday and Saturday.
But, thankfully, for the Stoneham Lane outfit, this week has blessed them, and the rest of the league, with no Tuesday night fixture, giving them time to recuperate ahead of a visit to Dover Athletic on Saturday.
“We’re patching bodies up at this time in the season and that’s not healthy,” said Hill after the Gateshead draw.
“It’s not healthy for people in this industry and the way football is these days to be playing two games of football in that period of time.
“I’ve got a few tired bodies and we need to patch them up.
“But the league we’re in demands us to do that.”
While Hill’s team will have time to recover this week, the boss, who led them to the Conference South title last term, never rests.
“I’m always taking stock of everything,” he said. “That won’t change.
“I took stock on Thursday night after the Aldershot game. I didn’t sleep Thursday night because I’m always thinking.
“I came into training Friday morning in preparation for the Gateshead match, my mind’s always busy.”
And his mind will certainly busy this week as he plots to maintain the unbeaten start to the season at The Crabble (3pm).
One definite absentee when they travel to Kent will be left back Michael Green, who was shown a straight red card for a tackle on Gateshead’s Alex Rodman.
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