INIH Effiong hit late to force Eastleigh to settle for a 4-4 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge in a thrilling National League fixture on New Year's Day.

The forward fired a brilliant strike from outside the area which caught the keeper out to level the game once more.

Paul McCallum thought he had won the game for the Spitfires when he completed his hat-trick in the 67th minute.

The Daggers looked a good bet to repeat their crushing 4-1 win on Boxing Day when they scored two quickfire goals just after the half-hour mark.

Tom Eastman and Josh Rees put them 2-0 with two goals in the space of three minutes.

Richard Hill's side reacted well and pulled a goal back on 39 minutes, McCallum scoring his first, slotting home from Bailey Clements' delivery.

The FA Cup hero added a second in the fifth minute of first half injury time when he slammed home from Chris Maguire's free-kick.

Jayden Harris then headed in four minutes after the restart to swing the game in Eastleigh's favour for the first time all afternoon. 

Their lead didn't last long, Rees levelled on 56 but Eastleigh regained their lead one more when McCallum headed home to complete his hat-trick on 67 minutes.

McCallum, who rejoined Eastleigh in the summer, has now hit 22 goals in 27 games across all competitions - a haul which includes two hat-tricks.

The goals kept coming as Effiong hammered home from long range 10 minutes from full time to secure a draw for Ben Strevens against his former side. 

Eastleigh now sit 11th in the Vanarama National League on 37 points after 26 games. They return to action on Saturday when they travel to 17th-placed Southend United.