#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

#Dolphins 3 v 0 #Holt

So here we were again, another cup match – what a surprise. A pre-match Killick interview had more than hinted that the team would be “rotated” but I was pleased to see that a good proportion were still first team players

I was even more pleased that Dibba was playing and that he was captain, although I do suspect that was just so that we could all hear the tannoy announcer saying “skipper Dibba” – I did hope that we’d have a Cat in the Hat match but unfortunately that was where the rhyming ended

As the team lined up with Taff and Lowes  in the middle of the park it did rather look like it was “take your son to work” day but as the old adage goes it’s best to have a blend of youth and experience – although never have the boundaries been pushed so far……..

The game started with Poole very much on the front foot. As early as the 2^nd minute a lovely flighted ball from Taff sent Charles through but he was just beaten to the ball by the keeper

Preston and Elliott were having a lot of success down the wings but it was down the middle that the break through happened

On 14 minutes Taff picked up the ball half way into the Holt half and ran at the defence. As defenders came towards him he rolled back the years and he jinked, bobbled and juggled the ball past them all and passed the ball into the bottom left corner as the keeper ran out : 1-0

The crowd even believed that he’d fully embraced modern culture as they marvelled at his robot celebration – although in truth it was just him getting up from the floor as smoothly as he could…

Five minutes later Poole had their first scare as a long Holt ball was inexplicably punched out, at waist height, by Thomas in goal which caused some confusion before Dibba cleared away

It was, though,  just a temporary jitter as Elliott’s low cross 2 minutes later from the right found Charles in the middle who easily turned his defender and drilled the ball into the bottom right corner : 2-0

On 36 minutes Elliott almost added a third as he cut inside from the right and unleashed a ferocious  shot that was destined for the top left until the keeper, at full stretch, tipped the ball onto the bar

The last moment of note came just before the whistle as a misplaced ball from Taff had him shouting “come on that was a good ball” – at least that’s what I thought he said as his voice rose to such an alarming octave throughout the sentence I wasn’t surprised to see the ground surrounded by stray dogs at full time….

Preston and Clarke came off at half time for Davidson and Swindlehurst and rather than slowing the game up, Poole pressed forward even more.

Wave upon wave of Poole attacks crashed against the Holt defence but stubborn defending kept  Poole at bay

For me, the difference between this game and previous games I’d witnessed was the passing – all along the deck and always going through the midfield

For that play to work, you need a midfielder that can run, tackle and pass and in Lowes I believe Poole have found that player in Lowes. On top of these attributes his balance on the ball was superb which made it all but impossible to knock him off the ball.

He was involved in everything good going forward, from forcing the keeper into a fine low save to his left after riding several tackles on 65 minutes, to threading a ball through to Charles on 70 minutes for the keeper to make yet another fine save (surely Holt’s MOM)

With just 5 minutes to play in an unbelievably scoreless second half, Swindlehurst burst through on the left and used the runners in the middle as dummies before shooting hard at the near post, only for their substitute keeper to make a fine save.

From the corner, who was there, rising like a spawning salmon at the far post but Taff, who headed the ball in from close range

Leg speed is great, but sometimes it’s the speed between your ears that counts and being at the right place at the right time paid dividends – giving Poole a deserved 3-0 win

Summary – That was the best I’ve seen Poole play for a long time. Passing, movement and enthusiasm . I hope that some of the regulars rested for today were taking note as there were players out there really staking their claim.

Lowes is a Devlin mini-me, the Byerley/Charles combination worked well  and with Spetch being trialled at Pompey it was important that the back 4 gelled – which they did very impressively

Star Man – Young Taff – scoring 2 and excellent display of tackling and passing,  showing that his hunger for the game hasn’t diminished one bit

#Dolphins 1 v 1 #wtfc (Poole win 5:4 on Pens)

 So here we were for the Red Insurance Cup – nope – I’d never heard of it either. It’s “appeal” was clearly limited as despite local rivals Wimborne being the visitors, the crowd looked very sparse.

We watched Cummings warm up until he tried the tricky manoeuvre of pulling up his socks and he tweaked an aging hamstring.

What we needed was a level-headed, steady, pillar of a defender to take his place at left back. Killick turned to the obvious choice, Cann.

Poole started well with Elliott getting plenty of ball, and success, on the right. Cann and Davies both had early opportunities, the first being struck over the bar on the volley and the second a good side step and low shot well saved by the keeper.

Then on 13 minutes, Wimborne had their first attack.

Davidson got hold of the ball on the right and charged forward. As he approached the box he cut inside and fired the ball past Thomas in goal to put the visitors ahead 0-1

What we were all expecting was a fierce response from the home side but it seemed we had 2 halves of a team instead of one coherent unit

One half of the team seemed content to hoof the ball up front and just hope something happened. The other, wiser half, played through the strength of the team, the midfield, to move the forward.

Trouble was, Poole couldn’t seem to make its mind up which course to pursue and as a result did neither very well. Players’ touches seemed heavy and final  balls never quite made it to the intended recipient

Wimborne, one league below the hosts, bossed the first half with a lot of good play down both wings with both Poole full backs seemingly happy to let their wingers cut inside and have a shot but Thomas was equal to all that was thrown at him.

In fact, it was Poole that created the next best chance on 30 minutes as Steve “Archie Gemmill” Devlin danced past 4 defenders and as we all shredded our programs to recreate that Argentina ticker-tape experience he was just nudged as he shot and the ball tamely dribbled into the keeper

Less than a minute later, their number 9 burst through the defence and skilfully rounded the keeper. All he had to do was knock the ball into the empty net. Actually, that wasn’t all he had to do, he also had to take the ball with him. A step he seemed to forget and when he moved back to regain the ball, enough of the defence were back to snuff out the danger.

Wimborne finished the half the stronger, and despite a late chance when both Byerley and Elliott swung at the ball and clipped the bar from 12 yards out, Wimborne were worthy of their lead

Half Time 0-1

The second half started after the quickest half time ever (referee clearly on a promise) and Killick’s half time talk had obviously had an effect.

Preston had clearly been marked as the main outlet and he started to terrorize their right back

This had the knock on effect in that the more the defenders moved towards him, the more space was created for the rest of the team.

Cann saw this space on 55 minutes as he used Preston as his dummy runner  and charged forward. A one-two at the edge of the box gave him the chance to shoot but off balance, the keeper saved easily

A minute later, Preston skipped past his marker as he slipped and fired a cross from the left. Byerley came charging in and smashed the ball low only for the keeper to make an unbelievable point blank save with his leg – sending the ball wide for a corner.

He almost hit the ball too well, a scuff would probably have scored – maybe this wasn’t going to be our day

Just as we were all wondering how close the ball had to be before it would go in, we found out.

On 62 minutes, Preston again burst through and sent a defence splitting ball out wide to Elliott. He crossed low and hard into the box and from fully 4 inches Byerley smashed the ball in.

In fairness, it hit the roof of the net so in some respects maybe it was just as well it wasn’t 5 inches out :-)

I did feel sorry for Wazza though as he couldn’t give us all the goal scoring routine he’d been practising for months as his studs got caught up in the net and he lay there like a trussed up chicken

At that point the tannoy announcement was that if the game was level at full time, the game would go straight to penalties.

At the time I couldn’t work out whether the game being extended was a threat or a promise. It was the former.

As the regulars got subbed out the play, somehow, became even more disjointed from Poole and Wimborne resorted to the long ball hit and hope.

The one ray of class shown was by Turner as he fought to regain a ball, then turned his defender inside out before unleashing a venomous shot, well saved to the keeper’s right.

Full Time 1-1

All of a sudden there was a skirmish to my left. Brett Pitman had heard the word penalty and the only way Charlie Daniels and Cummings could stop him from taking them all was by wrestling him to the ground and sitting on his chest

Wimborne started the penalties and with Cann, Preston and Turner all scoring easily to keep the scores level at 3-3, the pressure was mounting.

This proved too much for the 4^th Wimborne penalty taker who went for power and rammed the ball down the middle, only to find that Thomas hadn’t moved and the ball struck him for the vital save

Elliott put Poole 4-3 up for the first time and once Wimborne had levelled the score with their final penalty, it was up to Byerley to take the final one

Up he stepped and coolly slotted the ball to the keeper’s right to win the game 5-4

Summary – A poor quality game that no-one really deserved to win. At half time a friend told me he’d seen worse – I’m still not convinced that wasn’t the drink talking. Poole looked so much better when playing the ball on the deck through the middle but unfortunately the rush to get the ball forward stopped this from happening as often as it should

Star Performer – Dibba – I was so pleased when I saw he was playing as normally, with him in the team the report usually just writes itself – but today he was an absolute rock. Commanding in the air and assured on the floor – best game I’ve seen him play by a country mile

#dolphins 0 v 0 #burnham

I was really looking forward to today – I hadn’t seen Poole Town for a few games and I’d marvelled at their powers of recovery from seemingly hopeless positions

My question to the RWA faithful was, have they got team spirit unrivalled in the league, or have they just been lucky…..?

When asked, bearing in mind that most were wearing a beer overcoat, I’d hate for any of them to take a Jeremy Kyle style lie detector, such was the sweating and shifty eye movement

To be fair, most said (and this mustn’t go back to those in charge) … a tad lucky

I personally was pleased to see Cummings announced in the squad, although that was slightly tempered when I saw his hair. I looked for the earring, tattoo and Harley parked in the car park but they all must be booked for later on….

Also, while I’m at it, Cummings in midfield? What’s that all about? Maybe the Gaffer could see something I hadn’t spotted while I’ve been supporting going to Dean Court, who am I to judge?

I’ve been doing match reports for a while now. I’m not presumptuous enough to think they’ve got any better quality wise, but they’ve certainly become easier to write

You look at what happens, in an unapologetically biased way, then you write it down. It’s simple.

When I’m at the Tatnam, I’m red and white, and will always try to tilt the report in our favour - let's face it, I can't even  be bothered to learn the opposition names.

Today, however, has been a real trial.

Never have I written so little during a game. I have stories of missed opportunities such as when Chappo’s phone was found, unlocked, yet Alex proved too strong to yield to the mounting pressure to text all from the phone about Chappo’s coming out….

Ah well, to the game….

Burnham’s away kit was dazzling in fluorescent yellow very reminiscent of Borussia Dortmund so at least we wouldn’t get confused as to who to pass to…. Or so I thought. At worst they wouldn’t be missed if they had to cycle home

In the first half, Poole had ONE chance. Count that again, ONE

I’m not saying that it wasn’t a good chance, I’m just querying that as the side at home against a team with only 2 wins this season, ONE BLOODY CHANCE!!!

It was a good chance, however, on just 7 minutes – which promised so much more than was delivered during the rest of the game

A Cummings free kick was smashed, point blank, by Spetch, a hero in the previous game, only to be miraculously saved by the keeper. He was a big old unit, as my mate Flakey said, but it was still a great save

That was it. The other 44.5 minutes I was struggling to see what was going on as the play was ALL at the other end.

Burnham were the first to every ball and where, on the very odd occasion they were second, they tackled like terriers and won the ball back

You really did struggle to recognise that Poole were the home side

Saying that, the defence were excellent and Hutchings had little to do.

When Poole did get a break and the lively Preston did get a cross in, it was easy fodder for the keeper

Half time 0-0

What I want to do now, in true Disney style, is say that the Gaffer bo***cked the players and they rose to the challenge

In fairness, they were a little better in the second half but still nowhere near what I’d seen before.

The “highlights” of the second half were two sending off, Oliver with a straight red for what looked like a head butt (if you saw the Larry Olivier performance of their player) and their 6 for a cynical foul on Preston right in front of me

The rest of the half it was same old same old…. Poor passing and poor movement

I was still in the bar (drowning my sorrows) as the game restarted so as I don’t know when it restarted exactly I can only say that at 16:43 Poole had their best chance as Gillespie nudged a near post cross wide

That’s it FT 0-0

Summary – The poorest performance I’ve witnessed at the Tatnam. No cohesion, no passion, no quality. I think I must have the answer to my first question – Poole Town, on this performance, must have been very lucky in past games

Today they could have easily lost. The defence deserves some credit as it was a clean sheet and Gillespie was full of running but if this is what the side looks like without Devlin I hope to God he’s back soon

Maybe I’m doing Burnham a disservice – today they were the better side and I believe will recover from a slightly shaky start to the season – for me that makes the day a little easier than just saying Poole were rubbish…

Star Man – Spetch – Resolute in defence and was on the end of the best chance to get a very undeserved victory

#dolphins 2 v 1 #Biggleswade

This was my second Poole Town game in a week – does this mean that I’m now allowed into the RWA clan? – I was allowed to sit on the “regulars” bench – it fair brought a tear to my eye

Not, in fairness, as much as watching the ex-team mascot drink his bodyweight in lager, except for the pint that he threw over his lifelong chauffeur (and there’s no “indication” of an end to that)

Still, from those of us in the know, bravo sir!!!!

The game started with the usual handshakes which are normally boring but for the Cann hang-time after the formalities were over….

 

So, we’re playing a side with a comic name that I’ve never heard of – this is going to be easy, right?

Well, the way the game started, you’d think so. In the first 2 minutes Devlin, Gillespie and Preston all had smart, low shots all well save by the Biggleswade keeper, who would get my opposition man of the match nomination

The first 15 minutes were all Poole with the ball hardly making it out of the opposition half, spurred on by rousing shouts of “winners winners winners” from the defence that have bonded as if there never was a #terra in their midst…

One time Biggleswade did make it out of their half their number 11 (Woolf?) screamed “how many more times?” at a perceived foul – I shouted “it’s only been 10 minutes” and he looked like he was going to reply but decided against it – good man – restraint is something to be applauded

Biggleswade’s first chance came on 15 minutes when a good move down the right fell to Lewis (No 8) and he fired over the bar from the edge of the box

On 19 minutes a cross from the left was met with a full blooded header from Davies which the keeper did well to parry but the ball fell to Gillespie whose point blank shot was again brilliantly saved – who were we up against, Joe Hart? (ok true we’d be winning by now….)

On 24 minutes, superman turned into the great spectator as he could do nothing to stop Poole Town from finally taking the lead.

A ball was played into Preston with his back to goal on the edge of the box and he collected, pirouetted and smashed it into the top right corner. There were some isolated calls for offside but even the keeper looked like he applauded as he picked the ball up – a touch of class from him as it looked like it needed that kind of strike to beat him

The game seemed to play itself out for the rest of the half with the unthinkable happening – Biggleswade were coming back into it

A couple of half chances saw shots go straight at Thomas and marginally wide but the best chance came in injury time when Preston was harshly adjudged to have fouled just outside the box and the resultant free kick was struck well by Daniel (No 6) and was well held by Thomas to his right

While we’re at it, I was surprised to see Devlin play after his previous red, especially as Hutchings hadn’t made the team. I suppose maybe Hutchings  is still sitting in the naughty corner….

Half time and it’s 1-0 and all looking pretty good for Poole

Poole started confidently in the second half with Preston and Gillespie causing havoc with their intelligent runs -  both having chances just going wide, with Gillespie going closest on 63 minutes as he cut in from the right and sent a low shot crashing towards to the corner, only for super-keeper to save again

Then something happened. It could be a coincidence. It might not, but the captain was substituted for Byerley.

Now I’m no fan of a captain playing up front – to me it’s like having the parrot steer the pirate ship rather than Blackbeard.

But the change was made and not for the good as far as Poole was concerned

Poole forgot how to pass, tackle, shoot, run, walk, stand, swear………

But that’s doing Biggleswade an injustice. A team that had looked disjointed all of sudden pulled together and gelled like team that really WANTED to win

Reminiscent of the Bayern / Chelsea game Biggleswade lay siege on the Poole goal and only resolute defence kept Biggleswade out, until just the 83^rd minute when a cross from the left caused mayhem in the penalty box and Reed poked home from close range

The score was now 1-1 and no-one could deny that they deserved it – I just hoped that we could hold on for the draw

It was back against the wall until the 90^th minute, when Poole broke against the run of play and got  a corner

In fairness, when the whistle went I’d hoped it was the end of the game. I’d only been to one game this season and that had stopped Poole’s 100% results so I didn’t want to bring any worse to the team

But as the ball was floated over, James Whisken staked his claim to be new cult hero as he soared above the Biggleswade defence and powered his header towards goal. Then, Gillespie, like a goal poaching ninja snuck in between two defenders vying to clear the ball and headed it home from close range

Against the run of play, against all odds, Poole had won 2-1

Summary – A very good first half but concentration went in the second and a game which should have been easily won in the first 45 could so easily have been lost. As I write this, I’m still metaphorically scratching my head as to how they pulled this result out. Hopefully this will be a valuable lesson learnt today – the game is a 90 minute game and at this level, any dip in focus will see points slip through fingers

Star Man – Gillespie – Not only for the last minute goal (although this did help) but for the tireless, clever running that had the Biggleswade defence not know whether they were coming or going

 

Action Picture

 

Poole Town Fans enjoying a cola

 

 

#dolphins 2 v 2 #terras

A hot Bank Holiday Monday – what could better than El Jurassico – Poole against Weymouth. With Walker and Burbidge having moved from Poole to Weymouth in the close season there was a little extra spice, with some light hearted booing coming from the home fans

Tuna fishing has got a bad reputation recently as Dolphins are often caught up in the nets – today the fishermen of Poole must have been confused as either a tuna fish or the smallest porpoise known to man led the teams out (sorry Alex)

The game kicked off with Weymouth showing a move straight from the training ground – one pass to another then a hoof for a goal kick – class

The Weymouth fans took up the bus shelter behind the goal and were in fine voice, even with a drum. The red and white army were strangely subdued despite Poole’s brighter start

On 7 minutes Poole actually had the ball in the net as Devlin went up with the keeper and the shot-stopper inexplicably threw the ball into his own net, only for a free kick to be given against Devlin – the first weird decision of the day but definitely not the last

Weymouth then came much more into the game and were having a lot of success down the right wing. Poole were left with half chances on the break with Preston being the leading light – if only the strikers gambled more to get into the box surely his work would have been rewarded.

On 30 minutes Yelton was presented with Weymouth’s best chance but he air shot his right foot volley from 6 yards – no doubt blinded by Hutchings’ garish kit – a kit so bright not even the Millwall kit man could miss it…

The ball spent so much time at the other end of the pitch in the Poole area I started looking for looky likeys in the crowd – I spotted Rod Stewart but I was advised not to publish the picture….

On 40 minutes a Poole free kick from the left was tucked in by Spetch on the far post – another curious decision ensued because it didn’t look like it had been flicked on at any point so offside seemed almost an impossibility

With just seconds to go in the first half, far too much time was given to Weymouth on the right (again) and the resultant cross went in (somehow) off Yelton (or is it Yetton, according to sky) to put the Terras deservedly in the lead

Half Time 0-1

In my haste to get to my now best friend (Flakey), who had got the beers in, I almost missed Brett Pitman, Jason Pearce and Warren Cummings in the crowd but later I saw Brett display a hitherto unseen turn of speed – what a pity it was to get to the ice-cream van rather than bearing down on a Championship goal

The second half started and within 4 minutes the game seemed over. The ball bounced high and Devlin jumped at the ball against his opponent and the Weymouth midfielder went down as if shot by a sniper

It must be bad, we all thought, he’s not moved a muscle. The presentation of the straight red card, however, seemed as magical as the old school cold, wet sponge because as soon as it was brandished, the guy jumped up like he’d been given an electric shock and took up his position

“It’s a miracle” we all thought, even if It did come out “referee you’ve been conned you *&^%$”

Oh well – damage limitation time

No – Not on Tom Killick’s 500^th game. Instead he took off Oliver and Elliott and brought on Brooks and Gillespie – surely the most attacking changes he could have made

On 56 minutes Preston fired over the bar and 3 minutes later, the unbelievable happened. A low cross was fired in from the right and Gillespie, like any true goal poacher, ran through the 6 yard box and met the ball with a cheeky back-heel that wrong footed the keeper and spun the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal

Poole had equalised – with 10 men!!!

Three minutes later a Weymouth cross from the right was turned in at the far post but the Weymouth cheers were cut short by the linesman’s offside flag.

The Red and White Army were still mocking the Weymouth fans by “pretending” they had scored, when Poole did it for real!!!

This time it was Cann that split the defence with an inch perfect pass to Gillespie, who controlled the ball and slotted it past the on-rushing keeper to make the game 2-1

I’ve said it once but it’s worth reiterating – this is with 10 MEN !!

I thought that important to mention as it wasn’t 10 for long. The referee seemed to book Hutchings for time wasting and then, from where I stood, Hutchings seemed to tap the ref on the head sarcastically.

Now, I was a long way away, so maybe this wasn’t how it happened – to be fair, as I write this it seems so ridiculously stupid that it couldn’t have happened, could it? Either way, the yellow turned red and off he trot (well, walked)

Thomas took his place which meant that Davies was sacrificed which was a real shame for him as he was having a blinder.

10 men on a hot day is hard, 9 men is nigh on impossible. Luckily for Poole the ref decided that they’d been penalised enough so that even had they’d set about Weymouth with a baseball bat, no decisions would go against them

Even with the referee back on side – it was never going to be enough and it was the former Poole Winger Burbidge that made the extra man count. Cutting in from the right he smashed his shot into the top left corner. With 10 men outfield maybe he could have been closed down – with 8 there was no chance – in fairness it was a very good goal

It was backs against the wall for the last 12 minutes and the whistle came to Poole’s relief

Summary – A poor start and some indifferent refereeing decisions went against Poole but the spirit they showed when down to 10 men should bear them in good stead for the games to come

Star Man – An easy choice would be Gillespie for the 2 goals but for me the player that made things happen and was the difference on the day was Preston – a real threat all day

 

Poole unveil new terracing

 

 

 

#dolphins 1 v 3 #afcb

Poole v AFCB – I was hoping for a veritable who’s who of Championship elite and it’s exactly what I got – I couldn’t count how often I found myself saying “Who’s that?”

Apart from Harry Cornick, Jalal and Mark Molesley, sporting a funnier haircut than fellow drinker Alex (just), I was very much in the dark. Come to think of it, why on earth was Molesley even there?

I was still hopeful of a good game and the signs were promising as we were treated to the South of England’s hula hoop champion practising for a forthcoming competition before running the line….

http://telly.com/Eloiseee_Gullis#!ZP3KQH

 

We then marvelled at the technology that AFCB brought with them – a camcorder on a huge pole. Surely an ideal job / position to sit for McQuoid ? I’d have paid my £6 entrance fee just to sit and watch him be of use for a change J

Hoisted on his own petard

 

The game started poorly for Poole as Hutchings was forced into a smart save to his left after a defensive mix-up had the ball drop to AFCB’s number 9 and he arrowed a shot just inside the post.

Things got worse 3 minutes later as an innocuous AFCB cross from the left was met firmly and positively by the head of Lamin. You’d hope he’d plant it into row Z (ok the burger bar) but instead it flashed into the top left corner of the goal. Even if Hutchings was expecting it, he wouldn’t have saved that: 0-1

That seemed to wake Poole up and they came back strongly with shots from Preston and Devlin bringing good saves from Jalal.

Jalal’s “distribution” (a quote for AFCB fans) however, seemed to have not improved and a typically poor clearance on 15 minutes had the ball pumped back up to Cann along the deck and a brilliant lay off sent Brooks through who calmly hit the ball with the out-step of his boot, beating Jalal but unfortunately not the post.

Brooks, who has been overshadowed by Devlin recently, then stepped up to show what a player Poole has and that the midfield is by no means a 1 man show.

He was everywhere – tackling hard and spraying passes that gave Devlin and Cann glimpses of the goal and both shot well only to be denied by the AFCB shot stopper.

He even got in on the act himself on 19 minutes with a lightning turn and shot bring yet another good save from Jalal.

Cornick was AFCB’s main outlet on the right and it was his cross on 29 minutes that put through No 10 and a howling miss saw the ball drift limply wide.

It would have been rough justice on Poole as they were carving out by far the better chances with Brooks running the show and it was on 35 minutes that they finally made their pressure pay.

A poor defensive pass had Cann snaffle the ball and send through a defence splitting ball to Preston who, cucumber cool, slotted the ball past Jalal into the bottom right corner: 1-1

The rest of the half was difficult for me to see as my eyes were stinging from the smell of the insect repellent the people on my left started to apply to themselves – strangely reminiscent of the spray we used on the dog to ward off any amorous advances from other dogs – whatever works I guess.

My mood was not improved as I winced through AFCB’s no 10 attempting to chest the ball, miss-timing it horribly and taking it straight in the throat. That had to smart

Not as much, however, as it was to see Poole go into half time 1-2 down, though, as a good ball through to the No 9 had him chipping the ball over the keeper and following it up to put it in at close range.

In fairness – it was a very well taken goal

Thomas came on for Hutchings in the second half and he was soon picking the ball out of the net.

It was on 53 minutes that Cornick bamboozled his way down the right and cross found its way to No 10 and although Thomas made a great save initially, the ball rebounded back and he was able to slot the ball home at the second time of asking.

Lots of subs were then exchanged but without the usual tannoy announcements quite frankly it could have been Lord Lucan and Elvis coming on – I’d not a clue. Wearing shirts with no numbers didn’t help much either.

Trouble was , I never got to see the Poole player’s backs much in the second half as AFCB’s no 9 started to make AFCB tick at a faster pace and Poole were very much on the back foot

Manny (I heard someone shouting his name) did have one chance, sliding in to meet a corner (just wide) but apart from that, a long range shot from Cann and a chest and overhead shot from Brooks (something for the cameras) the action was very much at the other end, with Thomas proving himself a worthy opponent

Final score 1-3

Summary – Poole were the better side in the first half and Jalal kept AFCB in it with a string of fine saves. The second AFCB goal on half time was the sucker punch that knocked the wind out of the home side and they were never to recover. The second half was almost all AFCB with their superior fitness proving the deciding factor

Man of the Match – Brooks – A masterful display in the middle with a mixture of aggression and attacking play, creating chances for others and himself and was unlucky not to notch himself when he hit the post

Not the hardest warm up......

 

What time's the bus again?

 

Action shot

 

 

 

#dolphins 1 v 3 #ytfc

So here we are – my first game of the season. Yeovil had promised a good side and Poole had a number of new recruits so it looked like it would be a good encounter

Before the match it was nice to see Gary Johnson talk to some young Yeovil fans – I overheard him say that he was “hoping to get a result” – that kind of humility is rare I think – certainly went up in my estimations – and he was already way up there getting Yeovil to the Championship

I noticed then that every other Yeovil fan seemed to arrive on crutches – I’m not sure if there’s a calcium deficiency epidemic or a runaway tractor has recently run amok but there was a Shaun of the Dead feel to the start of the game (it’s a joke – come on, it’s only the start of the season…)

The tannoy managed to last the first 12 seconds of the new season before the announcer turned into Norman Collier and sputtered through the teams – That’s my excuse anyway if I’ve got any of the names wrong…..

I was slightly disappointed to see some Yeovil fans shading themselves in the stand, seeing as their away end is unshaded – can give it but not take it eh boys….?

A minute’s silence was impeccably adhered to for the passing of Mike Allen – a fitting tribute to a friend of many at the club

The teams come out

 

To the match – Yeovil started the brighter, gaining a lot of joy down the Poole left and without Walker commanding in the middle the first few crosses were dealt with a little luckily but as the half progressed the back 4 started to come together.

New recruit Rolf Harris (number 7- Davis) then started to impress on the right with some clever footwork – for legal reasons I’d like to say that the resemblance is purely physical – I don’t want any libel lawyers coming my way : - )

It was then that Devlin, who appeared to have rather “enjoyed” the close season, took a grip of the game. He started to dominate the Yeovil midfield like a tenacious pit-bull, winning countless 50-50’s and having the skill to then bring others into the game with some astute passing

It was one such encounter that had Devlin threading the ball through to newbie Gillespie whose shot was well saved by the keeper on 8 minutes.

As you go through the leagues professionalism (cheating) becomes more subtle and less distinguishable from ordinary action – but when Brooks not only pulled at his opponent’s shirt but took it off and folded it up on the side line – a free kick was the inevitable result

From here Yeovil mounted some forward pressure which Poole did well to counter until Yeovil’s tall Moore found himself 1 on 1 with Whisken and a clever shimmy took him left and he fired a low shot into the bottom right corner of the goal – giving Hutchings no chance

16 mins 0-1

Yeovil were very much on the front foot then and should have extended the lead 6 minutes later when a free header was sent wide and a further 7 minutes later it was Hutchings that was to be thanked for his bravery in coming to punch a ball away though a crowded penalty area.

Poole were very much playing on the break with the Devlin, Davis and Preston all showing real intent but the opposition were always able to get a foot in just at the right moment.

That was until 38 minutes when a clever ball was slotted through to Gillespie and, with the coolest head on the pitch, he slotted the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal past the on-rushing keeper – a touch of real class

The half could have even finished even better for Poole as Preston flew past their right back and cleverly cut the ball back to the waiting Cann. Unfortunately for Cann, the ball took a horrendous bobble as he swung his foot and he only managed to shin the ball high and wide

Half time 1-1

The second half started and the heat began to take effect and added to this Hayter and Madden were brought on – Poole needed all the help they could get from the healthy crowd

On 53 minutes Hayter gave an indication of what was to come as he was put through but new keeper Harris did well to save from him

That said, just 4 minutes later Byerley (on for Gillespie) showed Brazilianesqe skill to jump between 2 defenders, chest the ball between them, pushing the ball through for a shot on goal. Unfortunately the power and accuracy of shot was more Barney than Fred so the keeper caught the ball with a minimum of fuss.

From then on, Yeovil’s number 17, known as Junior, took control of midfield and Poole were very much on the back foot. He looks a very good footballer.

I’d optimistically positioned myself near Yeovil’s goal but rarely was I able to see the players at close range

Yeovil were cutting through Poole at will and the inevitable happened on 65 minutes. Again Poole were split open and at first it looked like Yeovil had over played it and tried to walk the ball in until it fell to Hayter – who easily prodded the ball into the bottom right, as any true goal sniffer does

Deservedly 1-2

The match was wrapped up with 8 minutes to go when Edwards was slotted through and skilfully chipped the out-coming Harris again into the bottom right corner of the goal

Final Score 1-3

Just think, if Poole had managed to shrink the goals instead of just the pitch (or was that just me) then there may have been no goals at all : - )

Summary – Poole should take great heart from battling so well against a Championship side. The heat didn’t help and there were a number of new additions but each and every one looked like they are here to add strength and ability to the squad, not just back them up.

MOM – Devlin – if he can perform like this now, just think what he will be like match fit !!

 

Irish Spot the Ball

 

Phew what a scorcher

 

 

Poole Town 2 v 0 Swindon Supermarine

County Cup

 

Tonight was billed as the big celebration, picking up 2 trophies  and deservedly so. How often do these situations have a spanner thrown in the works by losing the game

Surely that couldn’t happen?  What do you mean Walker isn’t playing? I don’t care how far he’s run in his own time. Who’s his replacement?

Oh

Swindon started the brighter and within 2 minutes Killick was shown to have an embarrassment of riches in the goalkeeping department.

A stunning shot from their number 6 glanced off a defender’s head and stand in keeper Tom Brown did amazingly well to tip the ball over the bar

4 minutes later he was in action again. Again it was number 6 that shot, this time into the bottom left of the goal and Brown did well to get over and push away, especially as the ball bounced just before reaching him

It wasn’t until the 13^th minute that Poole had their first meaningful attack with a corner headed on by Dibba (Walker’s replacement) but no-one was able to latch on to it.

A pitch more bobbly than a 14 year olds’ forehead wasn’t helping control but Poole’s passing was poor with even the simplest passing going awry.

Passing through midfield wasn’t working and so long ball after long ball was fired up for Preston to run onto but clearly Swindon had done their homework and double teamed him to keep any threat at bay.

Swindon were having the better of possession and chances and will long rue missing 2 chances in 2 minutes on 26 minutes as first a free header and then a free shot from inside the box were inexplicably sent wide.

The first piece of home class was shown by a great turn and drive by Preston who was unlucky to have his shot blocked

 

This coincided with Pippa  joining the RWA and finally getting some volume out of the worryingly quiet regulars

It was still Swindon, however, doing most of the pressing and worryingly Poole’s defence started arguing amongst themselves

An old head on old shoulders Taff realised that the mood needed lightening and when pulled up for a foul, produced a Punch and a Judy doll from his socks and in his best Punch voice shouted “he just kicked my leg!!!”

Probably the most I have ever laughed at anything.

The half ended nil-nil and Taff’s cameo aside, there was very little to remember so I decided to break my tee-total intention in the hope that if the second half wasn’t any better – maybe I would still think it was.

As with all Poole games I have seen this season, Poole came out stronger in the second half and Devlin and Preston were slowly starting to take control

It was Devlin on 55 minutes that tried to get onto Soccer AM’s showboat slot with a quick round of keepy-uppy on the edge of the box before shooting low to the keeper’s left and it was well saved

2 minutes later Preston weaved his magic on the left and charged into the box. Instead of floating the ball over he fired it in low and hard into the 6 yard box only for the hapless number 4 to turn it into his own net.

The RWA were in full voice now but I feel they do need work on their diction because as I was joining in to their chorus of “where’s your quiche gone?” I couldn’t help but feel that couldn’t be right

Poole were in the ascendency now and were growing in confidence and control.

On 64 minutes Preston  was elbowed in the head to prevent him getting to the by-line and Devlin stepped up to take the kick from the left.

A low-ish cross (still too high for their number 10 – officially the smallest player I can remember seeing since my son’s under 12’s game) found its way to Spetch who turned sharply to strike it into the bottom right of the goal. Very nice, very nice indeed

The RWA redeemed themselves with a bellowing of “We’re putting holes in your Swindon submarine” and “Can we play you later this weeeeek?”, drowned out only by the gentleman to my left who spent the rest of the match shouting ”Shut up number 5!!” (maybe a Short Circuit fan?)

Summary: A performance of a team that has already won everything, with nothing really to play for, but still able to win. I can see why Swindon are right up there but when it mattered, Poole were just more clinical

Star Man : Brooks – Playing deeper than usual due to the Marathon reshuffle he was solid at the back  and looked a threat when going forward

An extra mention for Dibba – I gave him some fearful stick the last time I saw him as it appeared he’d put his boots on the wrong feet but today, despite a couple of wobbly moments when the ball was on the ground, was dominant in the air and showed the potential that he has

Oi, get your hands off Eloise - that's my daughter!!!

 

We are going up !!

 

Poole Town 4 - 1 Wimborne Town

Fans huddle against the rain

 

This was my first Poole Town away game, at Hamworthy United for the Dorset Cup final against local rivals Wimborne Town.

The clubhouse was bigger and better than Poole’s, but at £3 a pint (instead of £1.70) was it a price too far to pay? You decide. (I decided to still have 3)

Busy Clubhouse

 

The Wimborne fans were very vocal inside and outside the bar but Poole countered with a chant of “we don’t need no drum!” – I’ll grant you, not entirely grammatically correct but it did the job

The teams line up

 

We had twins for lino’s – our side had Danny DeVito whilst the other side had to try to look around Arnie.

We did worry about Danny’s credentials several times as he never stayed in line with the last man but insisted on tearing past him – it took until the 20^th minute for us to realise he was actually doing a bleep test and eventually scored 15.3 – bravo

Wimborne started the brighter with their Keith Lemon impersonator, the wrist-bandaged number 10 running the show with pace and skill in ever worsening conditions.

It was he who capped the first 8 minutes of pressure with a run that sliced effortlessly through Poole and  set up their number 6 to put Wimborne 1-0 up – it was an early goal, but nothing more than Wimborne deserved.

2 minutes later Poole were awarded a free kick 30 yards from goal and Devlin was handed the ball. He changed his boots for running spikes and lowered himself onto his quickly created marks before setting off on a 50 yard run up and crashing the ball onto the crossbar.

He and Cann were the stand out players for Poole in the first half but it was a half edged overall by Wimborne, despite Poole coming stronger as the half progressed, mainly because of the quality of the Wimborne crosses which made Poole’s constant over-hit efforts to the far post look very ordinary.

I did enjoy Burbidge defending a corner shouting “who’s meant to be defending the short corner” only to be told it was him (back to the training ground) and a 3 minute period where the ref used the Lancelot set of balls to make his free-kick decisions which baffled all and sundry but the half looked like it was fizzling out when Cann pounced on a loose ball

His ball to Preston was slightly deflected by the defender’s outstretched leg and this helped Preston to decide to take the ball and cut inside the Wimborne box. Then, just like his strike against Winchester, he drilled the ball to the keeper’s left and into the corner :  1-1

At half time Killick was looking confident after his consultation with his spy in the Wimborne camp – the guy was a master of disguise but we think we may have spotted him…

The Swans fly west in the morning...

 

Whatever news the Poole manager received, he put it to good use as Poole came out of the traps the quicker.

Conditions were getting worse by the minute and when Preston slid in to try to get onto a low cross after 48 minutes it was lucky that the Red and White army were slow to scatter as he’s still be sliding now had he not been met by one of the more *ahem* robust members of the 12^th man of Poole

Terrible conditions - even worse recording

 

Keith (10) was still calling the shots for Wimborne and Poole just couldn’t seem to get close enough to him to prevent a dipping shot which the keeper did well to claw away. But 10 aside, the balance of power was swinging towards Poole

Devlin and Brooks were gaining a stranglehold in the middle and crosses were beginning to find their mark. On 65 minutes one such cross was flicked on at the near post and Adam Kelly smashed the ball into the top right corner to put Poole ahead 2-1

6 minutes later, a Cann long throw in from the right was to be the undoing of Wimborne. The ball bobbled to Brooks who, reminiscent of a snakebite-drinking teenager, stumbled, got up, tripped and staggered through the whole back line before prodding the ball home for 3-1.

In a post match interview the Wimborne defence claimed they thought he was having a stroke and didn’t want to get involved – lesson learnt – play to the whistle

Wimborne heads were down now but there was still time for the goal of the game on 82 minutes.

Too late for the keeper to start praying....

 

Adam Kelly picked up the ball 25 yards out and a Messi-like run saw him bemuse and bamboozle all before him as he ran through the defence like a ghost before passing the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal

Final Score: 4-1

Summary Wimborne started the better and despite Poole’s equaliser, they shaded the first half. Poole, though, proved too strong in the second half and I hope that despite the backlog of fixtures, they get some time to enjoy this victory

Man of the Match – Brooks, Preston, Devlin and Cann all played well, but for the quality of goals in awful conditions, this goes to Adam Kelly

PS, if Killick is looking to improve his squad, he need look no further that Keith Lemon – OOOOOSH!!

Panoramic View of the ground