#dolphins 1 v 0 #hitchin

The call had gone out

Like a horn blast across Dorset, the signal was there for all beer drinkers to hear, the Poole Town bar was finally open

Create a bar, and they will come - and they did in their numbers

Beers on tap, beers in the can, INSIDE WORKING toilets and oh yes, did I mention they had beer?

Wee Simmo was the only one disappointed pre match as Phil, whose round it was, was pulled behind the bar to help out which he manfully did, without actually telling him

Once the penny dropped and he got his own in, he only had 5 minutes to sink a pint of reasonably priced San Miguel but of course, that was at least 3 minutes longer than he needed...

On the way down Steve and I discussed our girly dilemma of what to wear for the evening and we both got it wrong

My boob tube and his off the shoulder number in no way kept out the cold and we wished we hadn't been fooled by such a fine sunny day

Poole started the brighter and it was good to see Burbidge pushed forward for a change and it was his shot in the first minute that showed the home team's intent but he dragged the ball just wide

Poole were sharper all over the pitch and even Elliott who I'd previously criticised as having the gentle first touch of a sledgehammer was doing well linking up with the midfield

Corners were also causing the Hitchin defence all sorts of problems despite their height advantage, mostly because of Brooks' zebedee like leaps but it was Wannell that went closest after 8 minutes, putting his header wide

Not normally worth a mention except the header did manage to smash a sickly sweet smelling energy drink out of the guy's hand next to me causing a very pleasing fountain effect

Not quite as pleasing, though, as when Wee Simmo forgot that he was stood in a roofed area 2 minutes later and attempted to kick the ball in the air with the ball's ricochet taking out half of the RWA

Talking of which it was an evening where the RWA regained their voice and passion for the game and that was so good to hear

Although very much on top, Poole struggled to get anything on target although I bet on 20 minutes their number 2 wished Dev's pile driver HAD tested the keeper, rather than catching him in the "gentleman's area"

Quite frankly I'd have wanted to be stretchered off so the fact he was back on his feet just a few eye watering minutes later was testament to his determination

Besides, the local choirs are always after someone who can hit that top C so every cloud and all that ....

Preston had the next Poole chance but his shot was brilliantly blocked by the tracking defender and on 37 minutes it was again time for the impressive Burbidge to shine

Cutting in from the right, having played a smart 1-2 he belted the ball towards goal and the keeper made an excellent low save, clinging on to the ball as poacher Brooks sniffed for a spillage

A minute later it was he that turned provider by crossing the ball in low from the right and you'll not see a more relieved man than their number 5 as his sliced clearance looped up, bounced on the bar and into the crowd

The RWA pounced in the ball before Alex had the chance to do it all again....

Just before the half time whistle Burbidge crowned a first class first half display by appearing this time on the left, cutting inside and unleashing a ferocious shot to the far corner which the keeper was at full stretch to tip round the post

Half Time 0-0

We were all disappointed that, as the second half started, we saw Chiedozie on the pitch instead of Burbidge 

Not just because Burbidge had been the stand out player of the first half, but because Chiedozie had looked a little tired (lazy) in previous games and this was no time to take your foot off the pedal

My mate Steve is the next person to trouble my note taking as he cheered wildly at what he saw as a Hitchin shot that went horribly wrong - If only he'd seen their player on the left who collected the ball BEFORE the whooping started

Luckily we had a crowd commentator next to us for the second half so we were left in no doubt as to how the rest of the game was going....

On 51 minutes a slick through ball had Chiedozie running through with a great chance until an awful first touch sent him so wide that when the shot came in, the angle was so tight the keeper blocked his options and the ball went for a corner

I was just commenting that it must be time someone else learned to take a corner as Devlin must run miles every game to take them all when in the ball came

After a blocked shot and a half clearance the ball fell to Elliott who thumped the ball through a crowd of players to put the home side 1 up

Thank goodness for that!!

Five minutes later a Hitchin fan walked past and shouted at their number 3 "go on Gazza - skin him"

I looked at their 3 - worst Gazza impersonator ever - no fake boobs, fishing rod OR packet of sandwiches

The remainder of the game had Poole in charge but really lacking that cutting edge

Davies came on for Devlin and Gillespie came on for Elliott but neither made a real impact on the game

The Hitchin fans got more and more frustrated at their perceived bias of the ref towards Poole so it did make me smile as they cheered like madmen as they were awarded a throw in - class

The last moment of note was for their striker

Luckily for him I couldn't see what number he was to fully name and shame but as my mate said - he produced a move that was a "mixed bag" towards the end

Firstly, he brilliantly controlled a long ball that looped over his head with his left foot, then he shinned it to the touch line

Showing a surprising turn of pace he got to the ball and went past the defender, only to trip over his own feet and fall over as he went, unchallenged, to cross the ball

You just can't teach that

Final Score 1-0

Summary - A far better performance than I have seen recently and it was bizarre that the goal came in the second half when Poole were far more dominant in the first half

It seemed a much more balanced side with more players playing their preferred positions which made everyone look just more comfortable

Fatigue is still the key for this season and it worries me that the second half was less dynamic than the first, especially as Poole have such a difficult game on Thursday

Maybe they were just saving their energy, maybe......

Star Man - Had he stayed on the pitch it would probably have gone to Burbidge but instead I'm awarding it to Brooks for marshalling the front line so well and making such good runs and creating space for the team to run into

Only a goal was missing from a quality performance

#dolphins 1 v 2 #stourbridge

So here I was, my second game in a week but as there was a 'fiver-ness' about it how could I not make the last minute decision to attend?

The mood in the bar was much buoyed after Tuesday's heroics although when we looked at the team sheet and saw that Gillespie wasn't even in the squad we all feared that perhaps his precautionary substitution was maybe a little more serious than that

Right from the first whistle you could see that Stourbridge were going to be a very different prospect to Banbury as they had pace all over the pitch and gave Poole absolutely no time on the ball

In fact had they brought their shooting boots they could have been 2 up in the first 10 minutes as first their 6 fired just over and then their 7 forced a great fingertip save from Thomas

Gulp

Charles had Poole's first chance on 10 minutes as a cross from the right hung invitingly for him but unfortunately he mistimed his header horribly and completely missed the ball - what I'd give to have Gillespie attacking that kind of chance

After Stourbridge's strong start Poole started to come much more into it but unfortunately the chances kept falling to the wrong player, Dibba, who was unable to convert

The first was from a Devlin outside of the boot inswinging cross that he just couldn't get to and the next was after he reacted quickest to the errant overhead kick from Charles but again he just couldn't quite reach

On 39 minutes Stourbridge showed what they were all about producing a passage of play reminiscent of  Leeds in the 70's as they smoothly passed the ball from one end to the other through a dozen or so passes and if the final ball wasn't just too high for their number 2 striker then surely that would have been the goal of the season

Bearing in mind the pitch was so bumpy it often made the ball look like a Mexican jumping bean it was a truly impressive display

Half Time 0-0

The opening 15 minutes of the second half were largely even although Poole were very lucky to have the ref stop play for the injured Dibba just as Stourbridge had broken through and looked destined to open their account

The very vocal travelling supporters were NOT happy and quite frankly I didn't blame them

On the hour mark though their frustration turned to delight as a flick on was pounced upon by their impressive number 2 and he beat Thomas to the ball and skilfully chipped it past him before beating the world record knee skid to celebrate their deserved lead 0-1

That, however, appeared to wake Poole up from their slumber and 2 minutes later Charles was bearing down on goal.

His shot was initially blocked then his second brilliantly saved by the keeper but the ball ricocheted to the edge of the box where super-Dev took aim and smashed the ball into the top left corner

A fantastic finish and to rub salt into the would he even took the knee slide record from their 2 as he aped the celebration towards the delirious RWA 1-1

We all assumed then that this would be the stepping stone to an impressive comeback but in fact the opposite happened

It almost appeared that the team had this one last herculean effort left in them to get the game back to parity but by doing that they just had nothing left to give

Passes became wayward, running stopped and challenges, whilst not dangerous, started to come under the category of "I got there as soon as I could"

It was one such "tired" challenge which resulted in Stourbridge being awarded a penalty in the 73rd minute and it was coolly slotted away to make it 1-2

Sure, Charles did have a glancing header just go wide and a Davies' shot did sting the keeper's fingers but in my opinion we could have played all night and wouldn't have scored

In fact, the longer the game went on the more likely the goal difference was going to take a beating so when the final whistle went , there was almost an air of relief, like when you see a boxing match where one boxer is clearly out on his feet but is determined to get through to the end

Final Score 1-2

Summary : For the first time this season I have some doubts about Poole's chances of reaching the play-offs

Part time builders, plasterer's etc just can't be expected to play 3 games a week on a relentless treadmill of games and be able to keep winning

The weather could be the factor that finally breaks Poole and so something has to be done to protect the players

In my opinion some games are going to have to be sacrificed by playing a weaker side else EVERY game we will be putting out a weak side as each and every one of them are completely shattered

Also, we can't keep relying on Devlin to burst the back of the net to rescue the side and so the season may well depend on how quickly Gillespie can be brought back into the starting line up

Star Man : Burbidge - playing out of position he looked composed at the back and offered real threat when going on his cavalier runs in attack

#dolphins 4 v 1 #banbury

It had been a week or so since I'd seen Poole play and in Poole's life, that meant I'd missed a LOT of games

That included the Bedford game but from what I'd heard my trip to Birmingham to see AFCB triumph was by far the better choice

It was after that humbling defeat that we all stood under the new stand more than a little apprehensive about what we were about to see

The backlog of games had cruelly caught up with Poole and we all hoped that this extra day's break would be enough to rest our weary players

It looked like Banbury even had magic on their side as their coach looked like the bus driver from Harry Potter fame and we all feared the possible "bumpy riiiiide"

Looking at the Banbury line up the 2 CBs and the keeper had clearly been eating their weetabix as they stood about 9 feet tall - I just hoped that Killick had given the "keep the ball on the deck" command

Within 4 minutes it was clear that the team were on message as smart interplay in the middle resulted in Gillespie running through on goal but the keeper just stretched out his giant telescopic arms in true Inspector Gadget style and beat him to the ball

Six minutes later and this time it was Chiedozie in a foot race with the keeper and this time the attacker won but his only option was to lob the keeper and had to hit it so high it came down with snow on it, landed on the new stand and shattered into a million shards of ice

On 11 minutes Poole made all this good pressure pay

It was Gillespie that again ran through and deciding wisely against the aerial route he thumped the ball low and Bambi on ice was unable to adjust his feet quick enough to prevent being nutmegged from the edge of the box 1-0

The poor lad looked shell shocked but that was only the start of his woes as the RWA seized upon this weakness to give him a torrid time for the rest of the game.......

The Poole pressure now was relentless as the Banbury defence threw their bodies at everything and everyone to prevent Brooks, Elliott and then Gillespie from doubling the host's lead as chance after chance was created by keeping the pace of the game high and the crosses low

It took until 35 minutes for the second goal to come and it came from the left by way of a chest high cross and Gillespie was quickest to react with a stooping header guided inside the near post

Excellent giant avoidance there and no more than Poole deserved 2-0 and apart from one Banbury striker auditioning for a slot on Splash that was the final point of note in the first half

The Banbury manager had clearly administered a well deserved rocket as they came out with some fire in their bellies and in the first minute forced Thomas into a smart save diving to his left

That fight back was short lived though as on 49 minutes it was game over

Gillespie again ran through and this time he was unceremoniously dealt with and was sent flying for the most obvious of penalties

Devlin then showed a touch of class by stepping down and allowing Gillespie to take it and complete his hat-trick by banging the ball down the middle 3-0

Devlin and Brooks were then subbed to preserve them for future games and again Devlin showed how much he'd grown since the last time I saw him by shaking everyone's hand in the dug out and then more hand shaking with the crowd as he walked off to a deserved early rest

He'd just disappeared round the corner as his replacement, Davis, tore down the left and fired a low cross in and this was met by , who else, Gillespie and he rifled the ball home to make it 4-0

The game was so over now that Poole well and truly took their foot off the gas

I did enjoy a Davies long free kick which raced along the ground and as the keeper stooped to pick it up it bobbled and caught him square in the face - haven't laughed so much in ages :-)

Gillespie was then taken off as a precaution which meant that Poole were down to 10 as all substitutes were used which meant that Banbury came much more into the game and although they didn't look particularly threatening, they did manage a consolation goal with 5 minutes to go

Their 12 went on a mazy run down the left and suddenly cut in and fired into the bottom far corner giving Thomas no chance

The clean sheet was gone which was a shame but it was much too little way too late and the game petered out to finish 4-1

Summary : Best performance I'd seen from Poole for weeks. The day's extra rest clearly helped and I wonder if that should give Tom something to think about

By my reckoning 2 wins a week for the rest of the season would take Poole safely into the play-offs so would it be better to just play a second 11 on Thursdays to give the key players time to recover - only time will tell I guess

Star Man : Gillespie - fantastic attacking display and single handedly dismantled this giant Banbury team

#dolphins 0 v 2 #hemel

Pre match drinks was improved today by Hemel fans joining in and having a natter

They were cautiously optimistic despite some less than quality performances (their words not mine) and didn't even raise an eyebrow at the High Ho song - good effort I reckon

I stood in the new stand behind the goal first half and the RWA didn't take long to discover and appreciate the acoustics of the place.

I was more intrigued in their number 8 and number 9. They reminded me of the Schwarzenegger/Devito movie "Twins" and I'm sure 9 must be cheesed off with 8 bench pressing him all the time (beast)

The game kicked off and the opening 10 minutes were even(ish) with both sides forcing easy saves from the respective keepers but although shot numbers were even, possession certainly wasn't

The relentless number of games Poole are having to play was already showing as Hemel were quicker to every ball and always had options when on the ball, whereas Poole looked pedestrian in comparison

Good sides capitalise on any advantage and Hemel are better than good and so on 13 minutes the almost inevitable happened

A through ball had their attacker chasing and although I was a LONG way away, it seemed like Thomas hesitated and by the time he decided to go at the ball it was too late

Their player got there first and smacked the ball over the diving keeper. To his dismay the ball struck the underside of the bar and bounced out but, as shown for the full 90 minutes, when attacking Hemel attack with pace and in numbers and so it was Mackey who got there first to tap it in

It was a hard enough task to get anything out of this game having played twice midweek and playing the champions elect and this was a real, very visible body blow 0-1

Heads dropped, panic set in.

Players stopped running and when they did run, control was all over the place

Don't get me wrong, this wasn't just about Poole imploding, Hemel went for the jugular and just ran the show

First to every ball the movement patterns of their attack was a joy to behold making our defence run and run, pulling them out of position and making them make decisions that they just didn't want to make

While Hemel were putting together 10-12 pass moves together including showboat back heels and then making Thomas make up for the goal with at least 2 very good stretching saves, the best that Poole could muster was a hoof up front and hope for the best

With the massive back 4 Hemel had it just wasn't the right tactic and they mopped up what was thrown at them

Half Time 0-1

Second half started and we noticed that their Harte lookalike of a keeper started the same as he did for the first half - tensed as if expecting a shot straight from the kickoff

Had he not watched the first half - that wasn't going to happen

We were still hopeful though - maybe Killick would work his magic again

As the ball struck the underside of Thomas' goal for the second time this game just 3 minutes into the second half we all looked at ourselves and winced

It was turning into a car crash - the kind of thing you don't want to watch but you just can't help yourself

The viewing got worse on 56 minutes as the frustrated Devlin was replaced by Chiedozie

The shirt came off in disgust like it did last time he was subbed at home but this time he went one step further by spitting his dummy fully over the fence and storming off

We all know he wears his heart on his sleeve and admire his passion but the team should always be put ahead of the player

Killick is the manager and it was his decision. Devlin's job was to abide by that decision and then turn his attention to supporting the rest of the team

Unashamedly, I will admit that he is my favourite Poole Town player, but today he not only let me down, he let his team and ultimate!y himself down

He's a big man and a big player and I reckon he'll know this already and will have apologised to everyone - we all have weak moments and it's how we react to those moments that can define a season

I've spent way too much time on this already but quite frankly apart from this and the absolutely inevitable Hemel second goal that came on 71 minutes there is very little else to talk about

The goal came from a route 1 long ball, flicked on for Mackey again who had the coolness of thought to slot easily past Thomas 0-2

The last 20 minutes Poole, who had done very little as an attacking force, just had nothing left

Right near the end you could hear Gillespie shouting "stop them taking the p**s out of us" because that was what was happening

Just walking around the pitch, keeping the ball moving and letting all players wander wherever they wanted Poole just couldn't get a sniff

It was an ending that just hurt, and Killick will earn every penny of his wages if he can pick this team up for 2 midweek away games

Final Score 0-2

Summary : When game after game was postponed we all agreed that this alone would put off any chances of automatic promotion

You would have to be superhuman to play 3 games a week while continuing as a plasterer / brickie  etc and so it proved today

However, despite this damning report - there is a positive to be spoken about

Hemel are the runaway leaders and will get promoted automatically this season. Poole have hundreds of home games left and although tricky, none will be as difficult as this game as no other side are as good as them in this league

We must, MUST, draw a line under this performance (not result) and move on knowing that we are capable of beating any team that lines up in front of them from now on

Tiredness will be a factor, squad rotation will be key and I have no doubt Poole will end the season in a play off spot

What is essential though, is when those pay-offs start we have a full, injury free and rested squad in order to fulfill the dream of back to back promotions

Star Man - Stephen Fakley - you may not have heard of him but he is the guy that selflessly left the dismal first half early in order to get the beers in. Undoubtedly the best service I witnessed from any Poole resident today :-)

#dolphins 2 v 0 #totton

The night started badly. I got to the carpark and it was all different - I fear change

Instead of stumbling across a bumpy, unlit, muddy field I was forced to walk along a well lit, tarmac path. Bloody outrageous!! I knew bringing that Mitchell into the fold would be the ruin of the club.....

I then ran into a very friendly steward who told me I'd missed the turning for the turnstile

But that couldn't have been true - I looked down that murky, black-hole-of-Calcutta alley and surely that couldn't be the welcoming way in??

I cautiously walked in, ready to be knifed at any point, turned round the corner and it was .....Pippa in the turnstile, turned round the wrong way

Another change - note to self - bring a torch and a big stick next time :-)

By the time I'd seen the bar moved too I did need a drink but don't worry, I'm over it now.....

Totton started the brighter but it was Poole that took the lead after just 4 minutes in unlikely circumstances

Bennett chased a slightly over-hit ball pumped over their defence and the keeper was able to get there first. With the whole world to aim for, the keeper smashed it at Bennett and the ball ricocheted towards the goal.

Bennett had the momentum and so got there first, knocking it in from 2 yards

Poole Town 1 v 0 Totton

A collective sigh went round the ground - this is what the faithful had been waiting for - a nice early goal and a hopefully convincing performance

Well, one out of two isn't that bad, is it?

On 13 minutes their number 8, a constant speedster threat, thumped the ball from distance and Whisken, mistaking the football for a basketball presumably, slapped the ball down and cleared it

The Totton crowd went berserk as no penalty was given. I (and my friends) winced and chose not to look their way - for me the distance between players was too great to say it was ball to hand, so discretion on our part  was the only way forward

Devlin almost rubbed salt into the wounds just 4 minutes later as his mazy run took him past all and sundry and as he was shown onto his right foot, he curled a delicious shot just past the left post

This though, was very much against the run of play as Totton were first to every ball and but for a fantastic last ditch tackle from Whisken their 8 was through on goal straight from the goal kick

That was a theme of the evening - the long ball to a pacey attacker caused problems - really weird considering how dominant the CB's are in the air

Despite having to live on scraps and soaking up a lot of pressure, it was Poole who created the next chance on 28 minutes and Preston ran down the left and fired in a low cross right across the goal

Bennett was charging in but just couldn't reach the ball and it flew to safety

Their 8 was then put through on 30 minutes and but for a heavy, heavy touch would have been through on goal but Thomas was there to clear up his mistake

Just 4 minutes later, though, 8 was charging at goal again and his shot was deflected over the bar

From the corner, the ball was half cleared but was rifled back at goal and if it wasn't for the fact their 7 was so slow to move it actually hit him on the line, surely that would have been the equaliser

Inexplicably the ref gave a corner, and from that the ball was headed at goal and looped over Thomas, only for Martin to spectacularly hook it off the line with a Pele like scissor-kick

How were we still in the lead?

Devlin had had enough of not getting the ball by this point and went on a 1 man crusade knocking players over to get the ball back and was penalised time and again

I've compared him to Archie Gemmill before, maybe Paul Scholes was more apt at this moment

Still Thomas stood resolute though and Poole saw the half off still leading 1-0

I'd hoped for a Killick hair dryer improvement in the second half but it took only 3 minutes for Thomas to have to use up yet another top drawer save, diving to his left from a long range shot

Nothing seemed to gel for Poole and on 58 minutes Devlin was substituted for Charles. He didn't look happy as he took his shirt off as he left the pitch- starved of the ball all night we could all feel his frustration

I hope Mrs D hid the dog before he got home....

We were hoping for inspiration and just 4 minutes after the substitution it came in the form of a marauding Prezzo

As he tore through the defence their 6 fell to the ground like he'd been harpooned - get up you girl - the ref wasn't impressed either

This gave Preston the time to pick out Bennett in the middle with a low cross and after a defence bamboozling turn, sent the keeper the wrong way, tucking it into to left of the goal

Well thank God for that 2-0 - although as I sit here now completely sober I still don't know how

No, that's not true - it was due to having a keeper in excellent form, and a striker more clinical than the opposition - simple

On 73 minutes Bennett was passed through on goal to complete his hat-trick but as the ball was rebounding off the post we all noticed that the ref was booking Charles - no idea why but it wouldn't have counted anyway

There was still time for "superman" Thomas to pull off 2 more fine saves before Bennett chested the ball down to Charles in the box on 82 minutes and he swiveled and crashed it against the post

The result was already flattering enough - that would have been just taking the p*ss

Final Score 2-0

Star Man : Thomas - a wonderful 90 minute long performance. He dominated the box and made enough saves today to win 4 matches

Summary : Poole win 2-0 and the star man was the keeper - I think that says it all. With fixtures relentlessly coming thick and fast and each player also having to do a "proper" job - tiredness may well derail the Dolphin juggernaut

Totton were a much better side than the league table suggests and will surprise many teams before the end of the season but still Poole had enough to get the job done

Good teams have to do this - win ugly - and this was as ugly as a robber's dog

#Dolphins 0 v 0 #Hungerford

As a part time supporter it's been a while since I saw Poole at home - to be fair it's been a while since ANYONE has seen them at home

The pitch was still a swimming pool at the Tatnam and so Wimborne were gracious enough to lend us their ground for the night - so for me it was almost my first away match

I have to say I was very impressed with both the bar and its stock - I hope the next time I'm actually at the Tatnam I'll be able to say the same

The ground was also very impressive although I wouldn't like to have to make too many cross field runs as I was never much of a fan of hill running - but I'm being churlish ......

The game started with Poole determined to look like the "home" team with Davies on the right and Devlin on the left causing both fullbacks problems

The game's first chance fell to Chiedozie as he was put through on 4 minutes

The world's smallest keeper gasped in frustration as he was never going to finish the sandcastle he'd started in the goal mouth but still bravely came out and tipped Chiedozie's fierce shot around the post

The fact that the ref didn't give the obvious corner didn't endear him to the RWA, shall we say

The pressure on Hungerford was relentless and perhaps we got a glimpse of what was to come on 10 minutes as a Devlin free kick fell to the in form Spetch and twice his shots from close range were blocked by desperate defenders throwing themselves in front of the ball

It was going to take something special to beat this well drilled side and even my helpful hints of "just aim high" didn't seem to help

Before the game the referee was seen polishing off 2 double cheeseburgers and they came home to roost on 23 minutes as he was forced to stop the game for 6 minutes for a "comfort" break

Sure he said it was to replace a contact lens but that doesn't explain the Benny Hill run off the pitch - I kept looking for the bald man he was going to slap .....

The last 10 minutes turned into the Bennett show

First he turned brilliantly at the edge of the box to make himself a yard of space but his shot just went over the bar - maybe they had heard me after all....

Then he was put through after  great run and only a fantastic last ditch tackle stopped him pulling the trigger.

Finally, from the resulting  corner Spetch rose the highest and he saw his header cleared off the line and the ball fell to Bennett - quick as a flash he smashed the ball into the gaping net on the left only to see the ball thump against the post

Close but no cigar - Half Time : 0-0

Poole started on the attack again and their job seemingly got easier on 50 minutes as their rotund number 5 finally got fed up of getting no ball by scything down Davies

Maybe it was frustration, or maybe it was the beard - beards anger some people I've found...

Anyway it was a straight red - surely this was the edge we needed?

What I'd like to say now was that Poole started passing Hungerford off the pitch to tire them out before applying the final killer blow - I'd like to, but I can't

What actually happened was Poole slowed the game down, had loads of possession but none of which was in the final third.

Hungerford were well drilled and organised and sat back en masse and the speed at which Poole played meant that no gaps were found - in fact for some of the game, despite it looking like a training match of defence against attack, you'd be hard pushed to notice they were a man down

It took until the 68th minute for Poole to muster a shot as Spetch's free kick nearly took my head off and 7 minutes later his header again just went wide

The keeper just wasn't getting tested - the only way he was getting his kit dirty was if he dropped his post match hot chocolate down him

Devlin then had a shot that was visibly repelled by the obvious spell the keeper had put on the goal and then the unthinkable almost happened

With just 7 minutes to go their 11 was suddenly through and Buchel pulled off a lovely low save to rescue the "home" side

The last 5 minutes and the extraordinary extra 6 minutes of injury time (where did he get that from) were spent hoisting a lot of high balls into the box, just hoping for the ball to fall our way

It didn't and the game ended a disappointing 0-0

Summary : Lots of possession, quite a lot of chances, very very few shots on target - that was the defining factor.

Hungerford, despite playing with 10 men for 40 minutes were organised and tireless and Poole just didn't have the guile to break them down, or the luck in front of goal - although if you can't hit the target, luck doesn't really count for much

Star Man: Spetch - these run outs with higher league teams have clearly rubbed off and he popped up all over the pitch

#Dolphins 2 v 0 #StNeots

I’m starting to become a sort of regular now at the Tatnam and I have now witnessed a ceremony I thought was only folklore

As two fans came in they were welcomed warmly as obvious firm favourites and as they approached the bar door I was advised to “wait for it….” but I had no idea why

As they opened the bar door the bar regulars all joined in with a rousing chorus of “Hi Hooooo”  - that kept me chuckling for the whole game – so nice to see banter amongst friends where no malice was intended and none taken

I also very much enjoyed a phrase I never thought I’d ever hear – “you get into Dylan and I’ll get the flag”.

Alex was Dylan for the day and to see him desperately trying to keep the costume trousers up as he marched across the pitch is another sight that I won’t be able to forget in a long time

The teams lined up and St Neots had clearly got the wrong end of the stick. This was billed as a game of football – not a basketball/rugby cross.

Their numbers 4 and 6, the two centre backs, were absolutely enormous and built like brick out-houses – I hoped that we’d taken note of this and had plans to keep the ball on the deck

Poole were the brighter starters and with Preston on the left and Brooks on the right the Saint’s full backs were all over the place and crosses rained in from both left and right

Trouble was, they were all up in the air and let’s face it, there was only ever going to be one team winning those battles

On 9 minutes the penny had clearly dropped for Preston as he beat his man easily again and crossed the ball back low for Charles.

Charles hesitated though when a first time shot was called for and although the ball ran to Preston, all the off balance winger was able to do was weakly shoot at the keeper

Just 4 minutes later though, Poole put this right

Preston again cutting in between 2 defenders, proving that both big men have the turning circle of an oil tanker, ran to the by line and as the ball came back to Cann, at the second attempt he smashed the ball past the keeper from close range 1-0

Despite excellent possession and play from Poole, not enough balls were played over the St Neots mountainous defence to turn them which meant that they were able to keep Poole at arms’ length, allowing Poole only long range opportunities which rarely troubled the keeper.

With 2 minutes to go the St Neots number 10 became the crowd favourite as he took a spectacular tumble in the box and got exactly what he deserved – a yellow card

I’m sure he took heed of the gentle “encouragement” he received to get up and continue playing

Half Time 1-0

The second half started very much as the first had ended with Poole being on the front foot and it didn’t take long for the home side to double the lead.

A left cross, low into the box (Poole were learning) had Brooks and the keeper running at the ball and with an ear-shattering crash of broken glass, the keeper’s bottle broke and Brooks got there first.

His instinctive stab hit the keeper, bounced back at Brooks and as the ball ricocheted left Brooks was first there to knock  the ball into the empty net

This strike seemed to wake the visitors up and with the Icelandic looking number 7 pulling the strings in the middle, they suddenly became a threat

Just 4 minutes later Poole were glad that the whistle happy ref didn’t play any advantage as a cross from the right was put in, only to be called back for a free kick just outside the box

From that free kick, a curling shot from their number 11 bounced off the top of the bar with the keeper nowhere near it  - 2 let-offs for the price of 1

This heralded the best 20 minutes for St Neots with Poole mostly hitting on the break.

A Spetch headed goal was ruled out with 15 minutes to go as a foul on the keeper was given, much to the bafflement of players and crowd alike and from then on the visitor’s threat was over.

Somehow, even though it was a clear reprieve, it knocked the wind out of them

Cann had the last 2 chances of the game, both put on a plate by the marauding Preston but both times fierce shots were equalled by the quick reactions of the keeper.

Final score 2-0

Summary – A deserved victory but for me it was a bit disappointing how many high balls were put in against the Peter Crouch tribute back 4 – a total contrast to Tuesday when the ball didn’t get above grass level

When the ball WAS at feet, the play was a joy to watch with excellent passing and movement with all looking comfortable on the ball

Star Man – Preston – Absolutely unstoppable on the wing and was the start of everything good