Poole Town 1 Bath City 0

Vanarama National League South

29 August 2016

This is the time of year when teams do start to notice positions in the league table and Bath came to Tatnam showing due respect for Poole's early play off position place. An early departure for goalie Hutchings threw Rees in at the deep end and he did have a fair bit to do, proving himself an able stand in. Bath found themselves one place behing Poole and prepared for a cagey game. They probed Poole's defence without committing too many resources forward in attack and Poole did the same. Poole had plenty of possession and Burbidge got clear a few times but there was no-one in the centre able to finish things off. By half time Poole had only had one shot on goal and if there was to be a winner it looked like Bath who had several near misses and shots saved.

Bath came out stronger in the second half and fancied their chances of winning, pressing forward a bit more urgently. They continued to out shoot Poole by some distance but never had the killer instinct and eventually introduced substitutes to try to break the deadlock. With the Poole fans settling for a well earned point against a good team, the ball fell to Walker on the edge of the area and he had no hesitation in striking the ball sweetly through a crowd of players into the net. Bath shocked by another Poole smash and grab, celebrations wild, 12 points above the relegation zone and looking up.

Poole's injury crisis deepens with Hutch and Petts seemingly added to the list and there were some interesting positional changes today which for me didn't quite work. However as a group you can't fault anything they have done so far this season. Defender Taylor Rice (27) with Panamanian league experience joins the squad and looks sure to get some early experience on the pitch.

Star Player: Jamie Whisken who ran all day, getting into some unfamiliar positions and used the ball well.

Hemel Hempsted 2 Poole Town 4

Vanarama National League South

28 August 2016

Things get easier in the National League South as Hemel were systematically dismantled by a more determined and classier Poole team that played them off the park once the first goal had been scored. Two late goals gave the score respectibility it didn't deserve but is another lesson that you can't get complacent at this level.

There looked to be goals in this game from the off with both teams starting brightly and creating chances. Hemel looked the most likely to score early with a couple of shots fizzing over the bar and a goal being ruled offside. Burbidge was acting as Poole's main creator making inroads on the right and shot just wide of the post. Wort on the left was mainly in a defensive role with Roberts in the middle. Gleeson left the field with an injury and was replaced by Grainger who made an immediate impact with a shot from some distance that rocketed into the top left hand corner. After that it was all Poole with Burbidge scoring with a shot from the edge of the area (assisted by a deflection) when the ball came back to him, and Devlin spotting the keeper off his line trying a shot from near the half way line which the goalkeeper tipped on to the bar. 0 - 2 at half time.

Poole continued the second half on top and Roberts made it 0 - 3 collecting the ball in the middle and beating a defender before slotting the ball past the keeper. Ollie Davis looks a great prospect coming on for Roberts and immediately getting some good touches. Later he found himself on the right and produced a perfect cross for Case to head in from an acute angle at the far post. At 0 - 4 with plenty of time left and Hemel down to 10 men Poole were cruising to vicory, but with nothing to lose, Hemel produced their best spell of the match with quick interpassing bringing about two goals in a couple of minutes. Dolphins looked shocked and although Hemel had another good chance to score they ran out of time and the full time score ended 2 - 4.

In this match with Gillespie sidelined, Poole proved that goals can come from everywhere and that they have the potential to more than hold their own in this league. Monday's game at home to Bath will be a test as will Saturday's away trip to Wealdstone, winners of the National (Gola) League and FA Trophy double in 1985.

Star Player: James Grainger - made an immediate impact and was dominant in midfield throughout. Scored a worldy that is already a candidate for goal of the season.

Poole Town 1 Margate 0

Vanarama National League South

20 August 2016

After a creditable 0 - 0 draw at erstwhile leaders Weston Super Mare the dolphins returned to Tatnam for their third home match of the season having won the previous two 1 - 0. The same result saw Poole take the 3 points and rise to 6th in the table, above title favourites Ebbsfleet, a brilliant start to the season.

Poole are rapidly acquiring the reputation of smash and grab experts as they were outplayed for much of this match by a physical Margate with a lively attack. The first half was not full of good football although Burbidge created a few chances on the right. Poole's finishing was weak with Gillespie not looking quite so sharp as in earlier games. Margate's finishing was even worse. They probably should have had 2 goals before the break but failed to capitalise on gilt edged chances.

At half time 0 - 0 looked the most likely score with Gillespie going off to be replaced by Grainger. Poole's substitute options looked limited with no Baggie, Brooks or Lindsay and digging deep seemed the order of the day. Poole won a penalty when a defender charged down a shot with his arm. Bizarrely, the penalty spot seemed to detatch itself from the pitch and had to be repaired before the kick was taken. Under heavy sledging Devlin brought a good save from the Margate keeper high to his left. After the kick the penaly spot looked a real mess. A factor in the miss? After that Margate dominated creating chance after chance, hitting post and bar and bringing another great save from Hutch. Poole nicked the points when after interplay on the edge of the box, Grainger found himself with only the goalkeeper to beat and made no mistake, putting the ball low to his right with a decisive finish. Margate came back strongly but as their shot tally reached double figures could find no way to equalise. Whisken saw a straight red for a foul on the edge of the box when the Margate player probably had a chance to go on and score but dolphins held out for a hard earned win.

I thought this was a really good performance and win when you consider the lack of depth in the sqaud and the injuries that we already had coming into the game. Also I thought the referee had a decent game and both of the major decisions seemed correct.

Star Player: Nick Hutchings. No doubt about the star player today. He made two fantastic saves (one in each half) and martialled the defence superbly. Dolphins didn't so much ride their luck as make their own.

Poole Town 1 Bishops Stortford 0

Vanarama National League South

13 August 2016

Two 1 - 0 home wins have given the dolphins a firm foothold in the league and the two have been very similar in shape with Gillespie scoring an early goal and then keeping it tight at the back to secure the points. The early exchanges were all about Poole pressing forward as they had on Tuesday. The Stortford defence didn't get tight enough or close down early enough and the goal had been coming for some minutes when Gillespie skilfully deflected a fierce shot from Baggie in to the net. That did seem to shock the opposition into action and they created a few good chances at the other end. More clinical finishing such as Ebbsfleet showed would have ensured a much more difficult game for dolphins. However, it was mostly Poole and Roberts forced the Stortford keeper to tip a good effort on to the bar.


After half time the match turned and Poole had to rebuff some heavy pressure from the opposition, often struggling to get out of their own half. Again Stortford created chances which should have been put away but dolphins' luck held out. At the other end not much was being created but when Wort and Gleeson were introduced the energy levels went up and the team worked hard for each other.


Six points from 3 games is a great return for Poole and it is great to see the positive vibe all around the club. Weston are top of the league with a perfect record and the visit next Tuesday will be a real test. It will be interesting to see the line up when Walker returns with Spetch and Whiskin playing so well as a pair at the centre of the defence.


Star Player: For the second match in succession, Lewis Lindsay could not be faulted for an energetic and effective performance at full back.

Poole Town 1 Maidenhead United 0

Vanarama National League South

9 August 2016

As TK said, no-one looks at the table at this time of year. Except me. We are a very respectable 13th with 3 teams already having 0 points from 2 games. More importantly this was our first win in this league - indeed a historic moment. It came courtesy of a Richard Gillespie crisp low finish from a perfectly placed cross from Luke Roberts after 15 minutes. RG looks class at this level and hopfully is now fully ensconsed in cotton wool having been taken off after 65 minutes.

The match itself was so different to Saturday with none of the first night nerves and plenty of can do attitude from the start. A very attacking line up was positive on the ball with lots of energy from supporting players to get into positions that were dangerous and with everyone making yards with the ball. There were warning signs that Maidenhead too were classier than the teams Poole had been used to last season. MU had big dominant players and were a real threat from crosses in the first half. They held their own for a while and will be disappointed that they didn't make anything of their superiority in the air. Poole were hanging on a bit as half time approached but were anything but naive in eating up the time (Devs).

In the second half Poole achieved dominance. Maidenhead threw substitutes on, then threw players forward with little effect but did create enough dangerous moments for the spectators to realise that it was only 1 - 0 and that could change in an instant. Poole failed to put the game to bed when it was probable that they would as Maidenhead left gaps at the back. Substitutes Burbidge and Grainger both found themselves running on to balls but were unable to convert and Wort hit the post with a delicate shot past the keeper. But this was a night for total celebration as the points were won in style in front of a decent Tuesday night crowd of over 500.

Star Player: Lewis Lindsay who ran and ran chasing everything down and making some enterprising runs forward. A mention as well for Lee Wort playing mainly on the right and getting through a tremendous amount of work.

Ebbsfleet United 4 Poole Town 0

Vanarama National League South

6 August 2016

It couldn't have been a tougher opening fixture than having to go to last year's play off finalists before the feet were under the proverbial vanarama table. But on a scorching hot day in front of a crowd of over 1,000 (one of them very passionate indeed) the dolphins were asked to keep it tight at the back and give them something to think about at the other end. All went spiffingly well for 10 minutes until a loose ball after pressure was rifled home spectacularly from the edge of the area. A bit of a surprise, certainly for the dolphins defence. At the other end Roberts ran and shot well from the left and Brooks had a glorious chance to score from a header. Brooks was injured in a clash with a defender and Wort came on to replace him and he also had a good chance to score. With Baggie looking lively on the ball it looked as thought Poole might do ok although defenders were under constant pressure as the half came to an end.

The half time sprinklers entertained the crowd as they danced across the pitch but within a few minutes of the restart Ebbsfleet attackers were dancing in delight as they went two up and from then on it became how many they were going to score. In the end it was four and all the goals demonstrated the lessons that have to be learnt if Poole are to compete at this level. All were quick incisive moves with a deadly finish when defenders were just not at the races. There weren't many shots or passes wasted by Ebbsfleet and at times there did look a gulf between the teams. Poole visibly tired and Ebbsfleet looked fitter and stronger as the game went on.

So Poole find themselves at the bottom of the league after the first round of matches but it will take 5 or 6 games to see where they are in the pecking order in this league. We can't set our sights too high and there will be other games like this which are tough but there will be other games which should yield points (Hungerford). An intriguing season is guaranteed.

Star Player: Abdulai Bell-Baggie: The few attacks that Poole were able to make were usually instigated by him and he showed a few tricks and won some free kicks that could have led to something. He also tracked back to cover on the left effectively.