EASTLEIGH boss Kelvin Davis admitted there were "no surprises" after his side were beaten 7-1 by Saints in a pre-season friendly on Friday evening.

First-half goals from Adam Armstrong and Will Smallbone saw Saints 3-0 up at the break before Sekou Mara scored a fourth right after the break.

The Spitfires rallied and pulled one back through Scott Quigley, who applied the finishing touch to Deji Satona's deep cross.

Southampton bounced back from that goal by adding three more, through Ryan Manning, Yuki Sugawara and Charly Alcaraz.

Former Saints keeper Davis was thankful for the opportunity to face Premier League opposition as Eastleigh prepare for the National League.

He felt the game gave his side a lot to work on ahead of their season getting underway against Maidenhead United on August 10.

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Adam Armstrong scored twice for Saints against EastleighAdam Armstrong scored twice for Saints against Eastleigh (Image: Stuart Martin)

Speaking to Eastleigh's media team, Davis said: “That was exactly what we expected. It was a tough test which has given us a lot of stuff to work on.

“We knew that they would show up. It was a great evening for us and a great evening for everyone who came.

“We got ourselves a goal and had a few moments in the game. It was a set piece. A great ball in from Deji and a great finish. We will take it.

"They had most of the possession, which you would expect. It was about us trying to limit them from creating too many opportunities. 

"They got a couple of late goals at the end which flattered the scoreline. It was an experiment for us to see where we are and where we want to get to.”

He continued: "On the whole, there weren’t any surprises tonight. We saw a lot of out-of-possession.

“Player understanding can be a little bit better but it’s great for them now because we have some good video clips to look at.

"I hope this relationship can be a long-lasting one beyond me and Russell being in our positions. Going forward, I hope this goes on for years to come. 

“When you look out and see a full stadium where both teams can play their style of football, it makes perfect sense to me.”