Poole Town 1 Hitchin Town 0

Southern Premier League

23 February 2016

It wasn't so much the quality of performance that was different today, it was the effort and determination that kept the second best team in the league from equalising during a second half spent under the cosh. If asked after the match, maybe neutral observers would have said that Hitchin deserved a point, but for all their possession and quick interplay they came up with few shots on goal, a testimony to the heroic eforts of a much changed back four and resolute midfield.

Starting with new signing Tony Lee on the left and Roberts again up front, dolphins were quickly into their stride with Lee showing that he will add pace and trickery to the Poole attack. His first contribution of note was to fire a spectacular overhead kick just over the bar. He followed that up by getting to a through ball in the box which the Hitchin keeper did well to smother. Roberts' deft header at the near post gave dolphins the lead and from then defence was always going to be more important than attack. Hutchins saved a tame shot before half time which the Hitchin forward should have done better with. At the back still no Walker and with Tallack on the left instead of the right, Lindsay slotted into the centre back position and Dickson to right back. More disruption came when Devlin had to be substituted early with Gleeson coming on in his place but the balance of the team was not disturbed.

The second half was one way traffic but it was never easy for Hitchin as they were harried and pressed high up the pitch and then met a solid wall around the edge of the area. There was a moment when Hutchings came out and lost the ball but the shot towards goal from an acute angle was headed behind. At the other end moments were few and far between but Gleeson shot wide. Holgate came on for a cameo near the end but there wasn't much he could contribute in the circumstances. His time will come.

Verdict: The performance was important today and it proved that when Poole are on song they are the best in the league. It laid the ghost of Biggleswade and importantly extended the long unbeaten run. Consistency is what wins leagues. Hitchin are now 6 points behind and on the same number of games and now Redditch come into view as title challengers. Confidence will be high for the trip to Cirencester where last season's title chances took a severe dent with a 3 - 2 reverse on the run in.

Star Player: So many excellent performances today with Gleeson, Tallack, Dickson and Pettifer all having outstanding games, but I would give it to unsung hero Lewis Lindsay who has had injury problems, copes with constant positional changes and still puts in great performances.

Poole Town 2 Biggleswade Town 2

Southern Premier League

16 February 2016

Luckily only 266 people turned out to see this dire display by Poole. 2 - 0 up and coasting at half time they continued to coast in the second half and let a mediocre Biggleswade side come back when they had no right to. Competitors are creeping slowly towards the top but maybe we are toying with them. Who knows?

Bright spots were the well taken goals by Roberts and Brooks but the rest was a real low point of the season. After Biggleswade had equalised they were going for the winner and Poole never looked likely to score. Connell was introduced too late to make any difference but had some good touches and Gleeson looks like he can be a creator, passing the ball well.

Poole continue to play as they have for most of the season without a striker to call their own. One starts to wonder whether there is some sort of perverse bet going on. But lo .. the appearance Ahsan Holgate on a 'short term arrangement' and Tony Lee on a month's loan may eek out enough points. Poverty has been pleaded but unless something changes, how are we going to compete with professional teams in the league above?

Poole Town 2 Weymouth 0 

Southern League Premier Division

2 February 2016

The biggest crowd of the season saw a match which shed some light on the destination of the Southern League title as 2^nd played 4^th. Poole recaptured the top spot from Chippenham that they had occupied for so long.

The first half was cagey with each team nullifying the other, there was little action to speak of and few shots although Brooks hit the bar late on. The interest for the home fans was seeing Richard Gillespie start for the first time in many games. He provided an outlet as for long periods Poole played within themselves and restricted attacking to long balls forward.

The second half was a bit brighter with both teams less willing to sit back but it was a Weymouth sending off (2 clear yellows) which was the tipping point of the game. The catalyst however was the introduction of Luke Roberts who quickly showed his enlightened ball skills and vision to send ripples of delight through the home crowd. He was on hand as Brooks blasted in for the first from close range and then raced on to a through ball before beating a defender and placing the ball over the head of the advancing keeper into the Weymouth net. Weymouth did have a good chance to score before the end but blasted profligately over when it seemed easier to score. The introduction of Jamie Gleeson towards the end was a welcome sight for Poole fans and hopefully we will see more soon.

Verdict

Weymouth were found wanting creatively but clung on until the sending off. Probably Poole would have won without the sending off and it always looked as if the result could go only one way. The Terras fans must have been disappointed with this showing and deserve more for their unwavering support. 

For the Poole fans it was satisfying to get a win and in context the recent string of draws looks like good points won. If Biggleswade can be beaten on Saturday the dream of National League football looks nearer to reality.

Star Player

Could have been Luke Roberts for his transformation of the game but Marvin Brooks was consistent throughout and dominated the Weymouth midfield so gets the nod.

Merthyr 1 Poole 1

Southern Premier League

23 January 2016

With storm clouds on the horizon promising rain but with bright sunlight gleaming off the artificial surface, the Merthyr coach in bright green boots created quite a stir amongst the home fans before the match.

I should say straight away that this was a great game to watch, with Merthyr going for it from the off and McLaggon and Reffell showing outstanding touches and speed up front to give the Poole defence real difficulties. Although Roberts had a shot over the bar, it was Merthyr who looked more likely to score coming close several times, and when Walker headed away from a free kick it bounced off Reffell into the net with Hutchings stranded. After Whiskin picked up a yellow, Spetch should have scored with a free header in the box but headed straight at the keeper. From that moment it seemed that he was determined to make up for the miss appearing in the box or on the edge at every possible opportunity (more later). Wort did good work powering into the box and taking the ball round the keeper only to see his shot from an acute angle kicked off the line by a defender. Spetch hit the post from a similar angle with a cross shot just before half time.

In the second half Poole set about putting pressure on the Merthyr defence which played superbly as a unit with Baggridge having an outstanding game. The introduction of Connell and Gillespie and rain had the desired effect eventually as Merthyr could no longer hold out. Connell placed a great ball across the area but Gillispie had not advanced far enough to reach it. Then a Burbidge corner was punched straight to Spetch who placed his header carefully over the keeper into the net to the delight of the several Poole fans who had made the trip. After the goal Merthyr regained the upper hand as Poole seemed to stand off having spent an enormous amount of energy to get the equaliser but the game remained open and either team looked capable of scoring. Neither did as the referee called time on an entertaining match.

Star Player
Luke Burbidge: Back to his best on the wing created lots of opportunities in the second half and hit the bar with a great shot. Created the pressure that led to the equaliser.


Verdict
Merthyr remain in 16th place having lost 13 games but are another team that seemingly raise their game when they play the leaders. This was one they were determined not to lose and defended well. Forward Kayne McLaggon who started his career at Southampton looks very able to play at a higher level and new striking partner Keyon Reffell has a superb first touch. Together they look like they could make things happen for Merthyr.

Poole started slowly and Merthyr deservedly took the lead. Once they had got over that they had plenty of possession but never gave up and forced the equaliser near the end. The game was very open and end to end at times so there was plenty to interest both sets of spectators. Poole's lead is cut to 2 points with difficult games to come but who said it would be easy?

Poole Town 1 Kings Lynn 1

Southern Premier League

16 January 2016

Superhero Richard Gillespie donned his cape to save a match slipping away from the league leaders with a well taken opportunist goal with 10 minutes left. Up till that point the dolphins had toiled without reward to claw back the linnets lead given away by sloppy defending in the first half.

It all started well with a Devlin free kick being well saved by the Lynn keeper and then shooting just over the bar. The Kings Lynn players were vocal in complaining to the referee about every challenge which seemed to contribute to a spate of yellow cards for the home team. Devlin and Walker were booked but Tallack was lucky to escape. Kings Lynn looked lively in attack but no real threat when a free kick on the corner of the box was headed in by an unmarked player. Dickson received a yellow. The telling statistic of the first half was that Kings Lynn became the first team of the season to have more shots than Poole, the tally being 3 - 7 as Wort ploughed a largely unsupported furrow up front.

The second half saw Poole toiling against a well drilled Lynn defence who largely negated the threat from Burbidge with plenty of cover on their left side. Spetch was sacrificed for Roberts with Dickson being moved to left back and then Gillespie came on for Dickson and the assault began. The difference was immediate and electric as Burbage twisted and turned crossing low just beyond Gillespie's reach for what would have been a certain goal. A few seconds later Gillespie scored with his first touch as the Lynn central defender failed to deal with a awkwardly bouncing ball. Meat and drink to RG who coolly slotted through the keeper's legs for the equaliser. Unfortunately Poole had run out of time to get the winner. Devlin slammed a blockbuster against the bar and there were a few scrambles in the Lynn area towards the final whistle but the linnets held on for a deserved point.

Star Player
Richard Gillespie - what an impact!

Verdict
Kings Lynn played well and did in the away match as well. They are in touch with the play offs and could make it if they can achieve some consistency. I was impressed with their defending. Poole gave away a goal through poor defending and it isn't the first time this season that an unmarked player has scored from a header inside the box. In this match as in so many where points were lost, the team's true performance only seems to come out in the second half when really committing to attack. Nevertheless, I think this was a good point well dug out. At this stage of the season with Poole in pole position it is important not to lose and make other teams do the work to catch up.

Frome Town 0 Poole Town 0

Southern Premier League

26 December 2015

The league table doesn't lie and Poole were faced with a Frome team that lacked any sort of threat up front and whose sole ambition was to stop Poole scoring. The fact that Poole didn't score was solely down to incompetence in front of goal and lack of creativity. The conditions played a big part in a dreadful game but the reality was that Poole again should have been two or three up in the first 15 minutes, hitting the post and the bar and forcing two great saves from the Robins' keeper.

After that a familiar pattern emerged with Poole snuffing out most things coming at them in midfield and pressing forward only to see most efforts break up on the edge of the box. It wasn't really a day for pretty football and Burbidge and Dickson hardly got involved in the game so most threats were coming from set pieces. Frome found it relatively easy to defend the predictability and reached half time safely at 0 - 0.

We hoped for some festive cheer in the second half and you couldn't fault Poole for effort but they just didn't have the guile to beat the defenders. As the half wore on Frome gained confidence and mounted a few lightening attacks which got the crowd behind the goal excited but were dealt with well by the Poole defence. When Gillespie came on it was immediately obvious what was missing. He ran on to a ball over the top and won it against heavy pressure from a defender. Shooting early from the edge of the area he beat the keeper but saw the ball hit the far post and bounce away harmlessly.

This was a game best forgotten quickly for a number of reasons. I go to many away matches, some are good places to go and some not so good but I can honestly say that Frome is the place that I look forward to going to least. If you go to football matches you expect to hear supporters being passionate about their team, decisions etc. It is all part of the game. However the level of abuse that the home support gives away supporters is just unacceptable and unecessary. Probably as ever a few people but it does make it a very unpleasant experience and I wouldn't recommend anyone to go there.

Poole Town 3 Slough Town 3

Southern Premier League

19 December 2015

A languid performance by Poole saw them gift 3 goals to Slough and draw a high scoring game they should have won at a canter. At 2 - 0 it seemed a case of how many Poole could score but with the Rebels at their mercy and threatening nothing in attack, defenders failed to react to a quick break and the extra man at the far post easily slotted past Hutchings to make the score 2 - 1 at half time. Poole had earned their lead when Wort charged down the keeper and the ball fell to Dickson a fair way out who passed the ball into the net with considerable skill. Slough were all over the place at the back and Poole looked like scoring from every corner and Spetch did, heading in when unchallenged on the penalty spot.

More poor defending allowed Slough to equalise through Jepson in the 57th minute but Wort again proved strong in challenging the keeper and scored himself when the ball broke kindly for him. At 3 - 2 it was probably time to take stock and consolidate but Slough had been given a sniff and more terrible defending led to the equaliser with a couple of minutes to go with Hallahan again on hand to punish a weak defensive header. Slough came closest to winning the match but a dangerous low cross flashed across the Poole area without an attacker getting a touch.

I imagine that strong words were said in the dressing room after the match as this was just a case of complacency and lack of focus in complete contrast to some of the performances we have seen recently. Lewis Lindsay unfortunately again looked lost in midfield but the problem that the manager has is trying to fit 3 centre backs into 2 roles. A rethink seems necessary.

Star Player: I couldn't really pick anyone today although Jack Dickson played well in the first half and took the goal beautifully. Lee Wort also had a solid game.

Poole are still 12 points clear at the top albeit with more games played and this blip shouldn't make much of a difference at the end of the season especially with teams around them dropping points. Things are still looking good and so its onwards at home to Hitchin and away to Frome with a 6 points to prove.