Eastleigh boss Jason Dodd went with a more attack-minded formation at Thurrock on Saturday.

Yet when the Spitfires finally scored in a frustrating 1-1 basement draw, it came via the penalty spot with the third-to-bottom Essex hosts down to ten men.

New signing Steve Watts tucked away the 80th-minute spot kick after Thurrock defender Matt Paine had handled David Hughes's cross from a short corner.

Watts, a proven goalscorer at league and non-league level, will be relieved to have got off the mark.

But the stark reality for goal-shy Eastleigh is that they have netted just 20 times in the league this season - the lowest in the Conference South.

They should have gone a long way towards remedying that against struggling Thurrock who, with 50 goals conceded, possess the league's worst defensive record.

But, despite giving his side the best possible chance by playing Andy Forbes and Liam George just behind targetman Watts, ex-Saint Dodd was disappointed that the goal rush failed to materialise.

He said: "We must have had between half-a-dozen and ten good scoring opportunities. In the second half we were all over Thurrock and could have won two or three games with the chances we had.

"I changed the system to give us every chance of getting goals and we were quite brave going forward.

"The stats showed that we had lots of corners and free kicks, so it's disappointing that we had to rely on a penalty to get us point."

For full story and comprehensive round-up of the weekend's non-league action see Monday Sport.