Eastleigh climb above opponents Dagenham with early penalty![Copy icon](/ls-web-assets/svgs/common/link-38b6c0e79d99f1789ecdee667813501e.svg)
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![Danny Whitehall steered Eastleigh to victory (Jeff Holmes/PA)](https://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/717f292de94c0a7780a6a27bf0b9a732Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjc2NTAxMDQ4/2.54792004.jpg?rect=0,308,3648,2052&ext=.jpg&operations=fit(707:)&w=707&quality=100)
Danny Whitehall’s early penalty helped Eastleigh leapfrog Dagenham to ninth in the Vanarama National League after a 1-0 win at the Chigwell Construction Stadium.
Whitehall provided the cross that led to Kairo Mitchell being brought down in the area and then stepped up to take the resulting sixth-minute spot-kick, hammering home off the underside of the bar.
Inih Effiong spurned a gilt-edged chance to level midway through the first half, missing the target with the goal gaping, before the Spitfires were awarded a second penalty when Emmanuel Onarise handled in the box.
Mitchell stepped up this time and saw his 38th-minute effort saved. It might have proved a costly miss but a combination of poor Dagenham finishing and stout defending helped Eastleigh go level on points with seventh-placed Boreham Wood.