EASTLEIGH welcome Barrow to the Silverlake Stadium tomorrow as a team in freefall in the National league – with the worst record of all the sides in the division over the last 10 games.

The Spitfires have not won since New Year's Eve – losing six and drawing four of their league fixtures – and have slipped to 15th in the table amid management instability.

Director of football Richard Hill came in as caretaker manager last month, following the departure of Martin Allen .

Hill is the fourth manager of the season at Eastleigh, with Chris Todd lasting just four games at the start of the campaign, Ronnie Moore being appointed in August and axed in November, before Allen's three-month stint.

Only Moore, who oversaw a nine-game unbeaten run between the end of August and early October, has produced anything like the form the big-spending promotion hopefuls were looking for, taking them as high as fifth.

However, he did oversee their 4-0 thrashing by Barrow in the reverse fixture in late October – when Byron Harrison netted a hat-trick.

Hill – who produced a brusque 'no' and nothing more when approached for comment ahead of the game with the Bluebirds tomorrow – has yet to taste victory in his caretaker tenure, which began on February 22.

The Spitfires have claimed a single point in three games since then – from a 1-1 draw against Aldershot – while going down to promotion contenders Dover Athletic and relegation battling York City.

A 3-1 defeat against the latter last weekend – when former AFC target Jon Parkin netted a brace for the Minstermen in the first 13 minutes – led Hill to say afterwards: “You can't start a game of football 2-0 down after 15 minutes and expect to win.

“We need to defend situations like that better and we were on the front foot straight away.”

Chairman Stewart Donald has accepted much of the blame for the turmoil which has engulfed Eastleigh this season, and a club statement issued following Allen's sacking last month confirmed as much.

It said: “At the start of this season Eastleigh FC had high hopes of challenging for promotion.

“Clearly there has been far too much change for this to be achieved and the managerial changes have not had the desired affect.

“This is solely the fault of the chairman, who would like to apologise to all our loyal fans who deserve much better.

“Mistakes have been made, albeit with the best of intentions, however it has been a costly and unsettling period which has seen the club unfortunately struggle rather than build on previous progress.”

Speaking after York, Hill echoed those views, when he said: “I haven’t created this situation, I’ve inherited this situation.

“We’ve got some players who are very low on confidence. We don’t particularly look like a team, we’re very disjointed.

“Once again it’s my job to have a few sleepless nights and see how we are going to put this right,”

Since Hill's installation as caretaker manager, Michael Green – who has more than 250 Eastleigh appearances to his name – has returned to the club just weeks after departing during the final days of Allen's tenure.

Winger Mekhi Leacock-McLeod has walked out of the Spitfires door, having been signed by Allen.