Amesbury Town  1  V  6  Poole Town  -  Wessex League Division 2

Poole Town wrapped up their Division 2 campaign with their 15th straight win in an unbeaten run of 26 league games. Scriven, Spalding (both suspended), Brown, Woods, Hayfield (away), Woolfenden (injured) were all absent. Paul Spillane returned in goal and Joe Collins also came into the back three alongside Cherrett and Bayston.

There was a definite end of season feel about the game from the off but at the same time Poole clearly wanted to finish the season on a high. In a one-sided match they managed to score six but should have got double figures easily and but for some superb goalkeeping it could have been up to about fifteen!

On 10 minutes a cross was dummied by Carl Chivers and a header from Taffy Richardson went just wide of the left hand post. A minute later and Poole took the lead. Chivers had the ball wide on the right and his cross was met by Goodbody at the far post and he knocked it in.

On 15 minutes Funnell raced clear on the right and with the defence in disarray again he crossed to Chivers but his shot was smartly saved and went for a corner. Five minutes later and the home keeper was adjudged to have brought Chivers down in the far side of the box but he more than made up for it when he saved the spotkick from Funnell.

Time and again Poole beat the offside trap and on 34 minutes Richardson raced clear. He took the ball towards goal and delayed his shot until the last moment but again the keeper did well, standing his ground and making the save. Three minutes later Richardson thought he was on the scoresheet after putting the ball in the net after another Funnell shot had been well saved but this time the linesman did give the offside.

On the stroke of half-time Goodbody broke down the left, cut in and delivered a perfect cross with the outside of his right foot to Richardson who this time made no mistake from 3 yards out. Half-time: 0-2.

Shane Duggan made his first start of the season as he replaced Ollie Cherrett for the start of the second half. Within two minutes of the restart Poole scored a great goal. Gary Bartlett made a good run down the right and crossed to the far post. Richardson controlled the ball before cutting it back for Funnell to unleash a shot which crashed in off the underside of the bar. It proved to be Funnell's last kick of the season as he was then replaced by Ali Harris.

On the hour mark the excellent Dave Sturgess saw a shot turned in by a defender for an own goal and five minutes later Richardson raced clear, rounded the keeper and walked the ball into an empty net to make it 5-0.This was also his last kick of the game as James Wood made a welcome return to the team after being out for much of the season with injury problems.

Immediately from the kick-off Amesbury attempted a shot from the half way line and were unlucky to see the ball beat Spillane but come back off the bar. On 77 minutes Chivers squared for Goodbody but his shot whistled narrowly over the bar and two minutes later Amesbury got their consolation when the ball dropped in the Poole box and a right foot shot found the bottom left corner of the net.

Poole completed the rout on 82 minutes when Ali Harris delivered a great ball down the right to Sturgess and he took the ball round the keeper and walked it into the net to complete the scoring.

Poole: Spillane, Bayston, Bartlett, Collins, Cherrett (Duggan), Sturgess, White, Funnell (Harris), Richardson (Wood), Goodbody, Chivers

Poole Town  7  V  0  Brading Town  -  Wessex League Division 2

The opening half hour of the match was far from the good football Poole have played of late and there were little signs of the eventual scoreline.
Indeed Brading probably made four very good chances to score in the opening 30 minutes and but for some poor finishing and some excellent goalkeeping from Scriven the Dolphins could have been behind. On 15 minutes Hayfield replaced the injured Woolfenden.

On 34 minutes Poole broke the deadlock. Dave Sturgess surged into the box and after being brought down the referee had no option but to award a penalty. Gary Funnell tucked the kick away in his usual style. This opened the floodgates for Poole and suddenly they were a transformed team. Four minutes later and the lead was doubled. A great move saw Sturgess pass the ball to Goodbody and he fed the ball down the right. The eventual cross was met by Stuart Brown and he headed the ball home. Half time: 2-0.

The second half saw five more goals rattled in. Immediately after half time Brown found himself free on the right and his cross was met by Funnell at the far post and he volleyed home to record his 30th of the season. On 50 minutes Poole produced some good patient build up and the ball eventually found Sturgess on the edge of the box but his shot was tipped onto the post and away to safety.

Four minutes later and Taffy Richardson produced a cross from the right and Peter Goodbody rose at the far post to put Poole four up. This was a great period for Poole and another goal arrived after just three more minutes.
The keeper found himself in no-mans land and Bartlett side-stepped him and crossed to the far post where Richardson headed into an empty net.

On 67 minutes Sturgess produced a great ball over the top for Richardson to chase. His shot was saved by the keeper but substitute Carl Chivers followed up to add his name to the scoresheet. Within a further six minutes he had scored again when he picked up a through ball and calmly rounded the keeper before passing the ball into the net.

Poole continued to put pressure on in the last fifteen minutes but no more goals. With all three substitutes already on the pitch Poole actually finished the game with nine men as both Hayfield and Bayston picked up knocks late in the game.

Poole: Scriven, Spalding, Bayston, Bartlett, Woods, Sturgess, Funnell, Richardson, Woolfenden (Hayfield), Brown, Goodbody (Chivers)

Tom Killick talks to Andy Starmore

Andy Starmore has put an interview with Tom Killick up on his superb www.pitchside.net site. Read it here.

Poole Town  4  V  1  Whitchurch United  -  Wessex League Division 2

Poole Town completed their 12th league 'double' of the season to extend their unbeaten league record to 24 games since 13th November last year.
Whitchurch United's first visit to Tatnam saw them fall to another good performance from the Dolphins as they scored two goals in each half to win the game.

Poole got off to the perfect start when, after just two minutes, a cross from out wide was met by Taffy Richardson and he rose to glance a header into the far corner. The next half hour saw very little goalmouth action as both sides settled into the game.

On 30 minutes a very good Poole passing move saw Richardson make room for a shot from the edge of the box which was well saved by the visiting keeper.
Five minutes later and it was Richardson again, this time drilling a 40 yard pass into the path of Stuart Brown but his shot was dragged wide of the right hand post. The pressure was now mounting on the Whitchurch goal and Poole doubled their lead just three minutes later. The excellent Joe Collins picked up the ball on the left, cut in and then proceeded to side-step past two defenders before firing a left foot shot low into the net. Half-time: 2-0.

On 52 minutes Whitchurch gave themselves a glimmer of hope when they scored an exact replica of Collins goal from the first half. In truth Poole were well in control of the game and it always looked as though they would add to their tally to make the game safe. On 54 minutes Chivers raced away down the right and his lob dropped just wide of the left hand post. The next few minutes saw shots flying in from Cherrett and Funnell but all were wither saved or deflected wide for numerous corners. Richardson fired just wide of the left hand post after another corner.

On 81 minutes Richardson turned provider as his cross from the right was met by the head of Brown and the ball dropped neatly into the right corner of the net. With just a couple of minutes left a Brown shot was blocked but Richardson nipped in to score his second of the game and his sixth in five games.

Poole: Scriven, Cherrett, Spalding (Bartlett), Woods, Funnell, Richardson, White (Woolfenden), Hayfield, Collins, Brown, Chivers (Goodbody)

Andover New Street  0  V  6  Poole Town  -  Wessex League Division 2

Unfortunately no full match report available (due to wedding anniversary and apparently a burger at half time at Andover New Street was not acceptable to the wife!!)

20 mins: Funnell shot saved and Richardson header - 1-0.
21 mins: Chivers shot hit post.
24 mins: Chivers solo effort from halfway line - 2-0.

Half-time: 0-2.

48 mins: Richardson cross and Chivers finished at far post - 3-0.
60 mins: White for Bayston
62 mins: Chivers lob to complete hat-trick - 4-0.
65 mins: Brown solo goal - 5-0.
70 mins: Sturgess for Bartlett
85 mins: Dobbs for Chivers
89 mins: Richardson fouled in the box - Funnell from penalty spot - 6-0

Poole: Scriven, Bartlett (Sturgess), Bayston (White), Cherret, Spalding, Woods, Richardson, Funnell, Hayfield, Chivers (Dobbs), Brown

Poole Town  2  V  0  Locks Heath  -  Wessex League Division 2

With promotion already secured Poole Town took on third placed Locks Heath at Tatnam and obviously the pressure was off the Dolphins. However, with such a long unbeaten league run behind them there was no way that they were going to let it slip at this stage.

The first 30 minutes were instantly forgettable. In blowy conditions neither side could fashion any sort of good football and both keepers were left untroubled for long stretches. Lee Manning limped off after a collision with the keeper after just 16 minutes and Carl Chivers replaced him up front. On 20 minutes Locks Heath broke clear but the final shot dropped wide of the right hand post.

On 35 minutes Poole finally created a decent chance. Stuart Brown turned and chipped the ball superbly over the keeper with his left foot but saw his effort cannon back off the crossbar. Five minutes later and Brown raced down the right wing and cut the ball back for Chivers. He, in turn, cut it back to Funnell but his outstretched shot lacked any power and the keeper saved comfortably. Half-time: 0-0.

The second half was completely different as Poole took much better control and the result never looked in doubt. On 49 minutes a Funnell corner dropped into the box and Taffy Richardson lashed home his third goal in as many games. Ten minutes later and the win was assured. Defensive errors allowed Brown away on the left and his cross was met by Funnell who headed back past the keeper into the bottom left hand corner of the net. 27 goals this season and probably the first with his head!

On 73 minutes Scriven was called into action as he tipped a long range effort over the bar. It was a rare chance for Locks Heath and Poole continued to threaten another goal . On 85 minutes a Funnell volley wide on the right was tipped away for a corner.

Another good win marred only by picking up three silly yellow cards (Funnell and Richardson for dissent and Brown for throwing the ball away).

Poole: Scriven, Cherrett, Richardson (Sturgess), Bayston, Spalding, Bartlett, Funnell, Collins, Hayfield, Brown, L. Manning (Chivers)

Poole Town Promoted to Wessex League Division 1

Report Courtesy of Andy Starmore - www.pitchside.net

Poole Town have reached a goal they have been aiming for, for what must seem like an eternity – they’ve finally gained promotion to Wessex League Division One.

The club have endured season after season of trying to make the step up to the next level on the non-league-pyramid ever since they were booted out of the old Wimborne Road Stadium some years back.

They will no doubt be an excellent addition to the standard of Wessex One and along with Lymington Town, who have also gained promotion, the league looks set to raise it’s standards yet again.

Each year the Wessex League has been growing stronger and stronger and these two additions will only help to continue that trend.

Talking to the Daily Echo, Poole Town manager Tommy Killick said, “The club as a whole deserves it – I’m delighted.

“The players, who are capable of playing at a higher level, sacrificed a year of their career to get us promoted and I am very grateful to them.

“But the people behind the scenes have worked so hard and the supporters have been tremendously loyal for so many years. It is brilliant we have done it for them.”

The Dolphins succeeded in their attempt to leap from Wessex Two to One with a scrappy 2-1 win away to Liss Athletic on Saturday.

The win put enough distance between them and third placed Locks Heath, who could only draw with Petersfield Town, to make it mathematically impossible for Locks Heath to catch Poole.

The Dolphins have been quietly going about their business taking three points here and three points there on such a regular basis that they’ve managed to gain promotion with five games still to play.

The only question that the majority of their supporters were pondering was whether the standard of the Tatnam Farm ground would be good enough to make the grade for Wessex One football.

Last Thursday the league inspected the facilities at Poole Town’s home and the club were given a resounding thumbs up, meaning they will now definitely be competing in the league's top division next season.

Killick added, “We got the green light for the ground and it was just a matter of getting the result on the pitch. It was a dire game of football on a horrible pitch and we were dreadful. But it doesn’t matter because we got the win.

“With the current squad, I think we would finish about half-way in Wessex One. But I have five or six players I know who could make a real difference if we spent some money to sign them. We will have to see what plan of action the club decides to take but that is for another day.”

Liss Athletic  1  V  2  Poole Town  -  Wessex League Division 2

No full match report available.

Poole scorers: Funnell, Brown.

Poole: Scriven, Cherrett, Richardson, Bayston (Goodbody), Spalding, Bartlett, Funnell, L. Manning, White, Brown, Collins (Hayfield)