After the disappointment of several recent home league defeats it was perhaps good to get back on the road as the Dolphins travelled up towards Salisbury to take on Downton - a venue that most supporters had not been to before. Despite the heavy rain through the week and postponements elsewhere the pitch, though heavy, was perfectly playable. The Poole side were depleted through suspensions to Funnell, Benssaouda and Cann and Aaron Skelton was also unavailable for the trip. Dave Sturgess and Sean Hogan filled the two wing back roles and Stuart Brown returned and partnered Richard Glenister up front.

The first half carried on the home form of late - good possession and some good attractive football from Poole but without ever looking like they were going to score a goal. On 18 minutes a good move saw the ball eventually passed to Taffy Richardson and his shot was drilled just wide of the left hand post. Three minutes later and Downton had a rare chance. A poor backpass from Hogan was pounced upon but the resulting shot only found the Poole side-netting. There were no other chances throughout the first half as it finished goalless.

Half time: 0-0.

Most discussions during the half time interval seemed to center around Poole's dominance but failure to score and where a goal might come from, if indeed it did. Needless to say Poole then rattled in four in the second half to inflict Downton's biggest home defeat of the season! On 47 minutes a mistake by a Downton defender allowed Trefor Smith to set Glenister up but his shot whistled just wide. A minute later though and Poole were in front. Trefor Smith found himself in space on the edge of the box and he calmly took a touch before guiding a left foot shot beyond the keeper into the left hand corner - a fine goal.
Three minutes later and Poole doubled their lead. This time Glenister was put through and it was a typical Glenister goal - his strength holding off a couple of challenges and then the clinical finish under the keeper.

On 59 minutes a Hogan corner was met by the diving head of Gilbert but the ball flew just wide. Chivers replaced Brown on 66 minutes and four minutes later Glenister should have got his second. Taffy slid the ball beautifully through to him but with only the keeper to beat Glenister first waited and then tried to take the ball round the keeper but by then a defender had got back to make the tackle. The points were sealed with ten minutes remaining. Another good patient build-up saw the ball out wide to Sturgess and his perfect cross from the right picked out Glenister and his looping header went over the keeper and went in off the far post.

Immediately Killick brought Neville and 16 year old debutant Jordan Fisk on for Ian Richardson and Glenister respectively. Fisk looked particularly bright up front and it was he who was pulled down on 90 minutes to earn Poole a penalty. Manager Killick insisted that Fisk himself take the penalty and he coolly put the ball on the spot and then placed it perfectly into the corner of the net - if there was any nerves he certainly didn't show it.

A good three points once again away from home which lifts Poole back into third place in the league.

Poole: Frampton, Whitley, I. Richardson (Neville), Gilbert, Hogan, Sturgess, S. Richardson, C. Smith, T. Smith, Glenister (Fisk), Brown (Chivers)

With the rain finally abated it was a chance for Poole Town to get back into action as they took on Graham Kemp's Brockenhurst at Tatnam. Brockenhurst have certainly come on since the 3-1 win for Poole earlier in the season so a hard game was always expected. Despite that, this result (and performance) was disappointing to say the least. Stuart Brown was away and so Cann partnered Karim Benssaouda up front.

All in all this was a pretty drab game. Both sides cancelled each other out for much of the time and despite dominating possession in the usual way it was again a complete lack of finishing ability which cost Poole the game. This has been apparent (especially at home) since before Christmas and was cruelly underlined again. Everything else looks pretty solid and dependable but unfortunately Poole are simply lacking a Jamie Laidlaw, a Scott Joyce or, to be honest, a Leigh Phillips!

Poole's first chance took until the eighteenth minute to arrive. The Brockenhurst keeper rushed out of his goal and kicked a poor clearance. The ball feel to Dan Cann about 40 yards out and his instant shot towards an empty net fell just over the bar - it was a great effort. A few minutes later though the same player had a golden opportunity to put Poole in front when he met a cross from the left but somehow he managed to put the ball wide from just a couple of yards out. A short freekick from Funnell to Aaron Skelton saw his fierce shot find the side netting.

Despite these chances it was perhaps Brockenhurst who looked more dangerous on the break. Time and again they would counter and have three or four players running into space but more often then not the final ball let them down. One such break on 35 minutes was ended by a fantastic last ditch block from Luke Whitley as the skipper managed to deflect a dangerous looking shot. On 38 minutes Funnell fired a right foot shot just past the post and a minute later the Brockenhurst keeper spilled a Benssaouda shot but nobody could pick up on the rebound.

On 42 minutes a Brockenhurst cross from the right eluded all but another Brock player and his shot produced a superb point blank save from Frampton. At the other end Whitley found himself through against the keeper but his shot was saved. From the corner Dan Cann swung a deep cross into the box but Ian Richardson could only head over the bar.

Half time: 0-0

Two minutes into the second half and Benssaouda pounced on a defensive error but again the resulting shot was wide. Manager Killick rang the changes on 56 minutes as Glenister and Hogan replaced Benssaouda and Skelton respectively. Poole's best move came soon after on 62 minutes. Cann did really well on the left to beat a couple of players and then produced a superb cross which was met by a firm header from Taffy Richardson. Everyone expected the back of the net to bulge but somehow the ball went just wide of the post. Two minutes later and a good run from Hogan down the right saw him cut in and square the ball to Taffy. He played the ball wide again to Cann but his shot was wild and wide.

During all this time Brockenhurst worked so hard to close the Poole players down. With the vocal support of Kempy urging them on they chased and harried right across the pitch - to a man. With twenty minutes to go you could visibly see the belief in the visitors that this game was there to be won and on 72 minutes a Brock corner saw a flicked on header miss everyone and go just wide of the post. Their goal came on 79 minutes and it was a goal worthy of winning any game. A neat build up saw the ball played into feet in the box. A great little flick set the ball up for Ben Osbourne to hammer the ball home into the roof of the net.

With time running out Chivers, on for Cann, sent Glenister clean through but his shot went wide and in the dying seconds Funnell produced a superb pass to Glenister but his volley was well saved by the keeper, parrying it away to safety.

No complaints regarding the scoreline. Brockenhurst worked harder than the Poole lads and the three points were richly deserved. It's just a shame that with the other sides behind Gosport and Totton all doing their best to throw away points at the moment Poole really could, and should, have been firmly away in third place by now. As it is, the scrap goes on.

Poole: Frampton, Whitley, I. Richardson, Gilbert, Funnell, C. Smith, Skelton (Hogan), S. Richardson, T. Smith, Cann (Chivers), Benssaouda (Glenister)

Full report to follow.

36 minutes - A Stuart Brown cross was finished by Dan Cann.
40 minutes - A Dan Cann cross was finished by Stuart Brown.
Half time: 2-0.
Start of second half Fawzi Saadi replaced injured Skelton.
60 minutes - Middleton replaced Cann.
70 minutes - Lymington penalty - 2-1.

Poole: Frampton, Whitley, Gilbert, I. Richardson, Funnell, S. Richardson, T. Smith, Skelton (Saadi), C. Smith, Cann (Middleton), Brown

Another home game and another tough game as Poole took on AFC Totton in the Wessex Premier League. Along with the Fareham Town and Gosport Borough games however, it was another defeat against top opposition for the Dolphins. It's the first time Poole have lost 3 consecutive home league games since this website started over seven years ago. Failure to score in all three of these games just underlines the quality of the opposition and also exposes Poole's lack of cutting edge up front.

Back into the side came Aaron Skelton but Sean Hogan was suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season at Moneyfields two weeks ago.

Poole got off to the worst possible start when Totton took the lead in just the fifth minute. A harmless looking ball down the left wing saw two Poole players effectively leave it for each other. The very impressive Floyd Hamodu was far too quick for either player, nipped in and after Frampton did very well to save his first shot the rebound dropped to Hamodu again and he passed the ball into an empty net.

The Poole defence looked unusually nervous and three minutes later there was more panic when Ian Richardson skewed a backpass across the face of the goal and Frampton had to scrabble across to clear the ball away for a throw. Two minutes later and the visitors again ripped the Poole defence apart. A superb move down the left saw some great passing and movement and eventually the ball fell to the number ten Mark Osman. He looked as though he was brought down in the box but somewhat luckily the referee waved away appeals for a penalty.

Poole began to come into the game and Trefor Smith produced two fabulous runs from the midfield, the second of which saw him ghost past three or four defenders. However on both occasions he refrained from shooting in a good position. For such a talented player he really does need to have more confidence in front of goal. On 21 minutes a Cann corner was met by the head of Taffy Richardson but the ball went straight to the keeper.

On the half hour Totton got their second decisive goal. A freekick was flicked on into the box and it was Hamodu again who produced a superb spin and turn leaving the Poole defence for dead and he toe poked the ball past the oncoming Frampton.

Still Poole dominated possession and territory for long periods and as is the norm at the moment they produced some neat attractive football. However, again there was just no end product to it all. Smith sent a good ball out to Stuart Brown and his deep cross was cut back well by Cann but the final shot sailed over the bar.

Totton still looked superb on the counter with Hamodu and Osman looking easily the best strike partnership the Poole fans have seen all season. On 36 minutes Hamodu again snaked through the defence and only a last ditch deflection prevented him from gaining a first half hat-trick.

Half time: 0-2.

For the second half Trefor Smith moved more to the right side as Stuart Brown moved up front with Benssaouda. On 53 minutes a Totton cross from the right was headed towards goal and again Frampton did well to get down to push it round the post for a corner. The yellow cards were also flowing for Poole at this stage with both Funnell and Cann going into the book. To be fair this was not a dirty game in any way and it was ridiculous that Poole managed to pick up six yellow cards and two red by the end of the game. Again, dissent was a large contributor to this but the refereeing once again left an awful lot to be desired.

Poole continued to play some good football and after a period of good passing they forced a corner on 61 minutes. This time Taffy Richardson's header flashed just wide of the post. Benssaouda then picked up his first yellow (for next to nothing) and even more absurdly Ian Richardson was booked for what was an excellent piece of defending. A ball was put over the Poole defence and both defender and striker went shoulder to shoulder just like any one of dozens of times in a match. The referee decided the striker had been fouled when quite clearly he had not. Given the fact that the referee deemed it to be a foul then the card should have been red as Ian Richardson was the last man before Frampton. It was probably yellow because the referee had more than likely realised that he had given the foul incorrectly in the first place.

Killick brought Steve Gilbert on for Roberts and this allowed Ian Richardson to push forward as well. On 79 minutes Dan Cann was booked for a second time (for nothing again) and was sent off. Three minutes later and it looked as though Totton had got their third. A shot from the edge of the area took a wicked deflection and Frampton could only watch as the ball looped up over him and bounced just wide of the post.

Saadi came on for Funnell with just a couple of minutes remaining and then another blow for Poole as Skelton picked up a knock and hobbled off to be replace by Chris Smith. Deep into injury time and for the second match running Benssaouda managed to pick up a yellow card - only this time it was his second and he too was sent off. And yes - it was a nothing foul once again.

No complaints though - Poole were simply beaten by the better side on the day.

Poole: Frampton, Whitley, Roberts (Gilbert), I. Richardson, Brown, Cann, Funnell (Saadi), S. Richardson, T. Smith, Benssaouda, Skelton (C. Smith)