After the disappointment of dropped points at Horndean on Saturday, and given the visitor's perfect start to the season, it was absolutely critical that Poole Town got something out of this game and put in a decent performance as well. Therefore manager Tom Killick will be delighted with the day's work - in front of record Tatnam crowd for a competitive game of 403, it was a superb performance, the satisfaction from which comes just two or three times during a season.
Stuart Cannie made his first full start (against his former club) as he partnered Karim Benssaouda up front. Chris Smith also started with Gary Funnell dropping to the bench.

The first fifteen minutes or so were pretty even as both sides set about breaking the other down. On ten minutes Taffy Richardson (another terrific game from him) pushed the ball through to Benssaouda and his toe poke was just saved by the keeper's legs to deny an opening goal. As the game heated up the referee started throwing yellow cards all over the place and he threatened to ruin a fascinating match. Luckily the red cards which looked likely at several points remained firmly in his pocket and the match was allowed to flow. For the record, Taffy Richardson, Trefor Smith, Benssaouda, Chris Smith and Andy Culliford all picked up yellows for next to nothing a two or three Wimborne names went into the book as well.

On 18 minutes Wimborne's Bailey-Pearce was up-ended by Whitley just outside the box and Christer Warren's freekick left the ground in total silence as it curled round the wall and came back off the foot of the post. It was the closest Wimborne would come to scoring all afternoon.

Poole took the lead on 32 minutes. A neat ball in was flicked on by Taffy Richardson and there was Benssaouda to head home past the despairing dive of the keeper. The lead was nearly doubled just two minutes later. Chris Smith received the ball in midfield, turned out and spread the play left to Dan Cann. Cann's cross was as precise as usual and Taffy nipped in to fire a bullet header towards goal only to see the keeper tip the ball away for a corner.

Half time: 1-0.

Poole dominated the second half and always looked likely to extend their slender one goal lead. On 50 minutes Cann sent Benssaouda down the left touchline, The striker volleyed a great ball across the defence to release Cannie but his left foot shot whistled just over the bar - it was a great move. Two minutes later and the killer second goal arrived. A long throw from the left was allowed to bounce and within a whole clutch of players Benssaouda was quickest to react and volleyed the ball home from just a few yards out.

Poole were creating chance after chance now as Wimborne appeared to lose the heart for the game. On 60 minutes another good move saw Cann down the left and his cross was met by Culliford who controlled well and then fired just over the bar. Two minutes later another Cann throw was flicked on by Taffy and Benssaouda's shot was well blocked when a hat-trick looked likely.

Funnell came on for an injured Chris Smith with twenty minutes to go and he too injected some neat attacking passing into the game. A twisting and turning Benssaouda had another shot blocked on 73 minutes and with just eight minutes left Funnell sent a great ball down the left for Benssaouda to chase and his brilliant cross was met beyond the far post by Culliford who had timed his run to perfection but his first time volley cannoned back off the post before being cleared.

A terrific performance from Poole who jump over their local rivals into top spot in the league although it may be short-lived as Romsey play tomorrow night. Lots of positives from a really enjoyable game. Whitley, Richardson and Skelton solid at the back and positive attacking midfield and strike force. Great to see Gary Funnell back in the squad too.


Poole: Frampton, C. Smith (Funnell), Whitley, I. Richardson, Skelton, Cann, T. Smith (Brown), S. Richardson, Culliford, Cannie (S. Smith), Benssaouda

Full report to follow.

Poole: Frampton, C. Smith, Whitley, I. Richardson, Cann, Yelland, S. Richardson, Culliford (Brown), Funnell, Benssaouda (Cannie), S. Smith

After the disappointment of the FA Cup defeat on Saturday it was critical that the Dolphins got back to winning ways as soon as possible and maintain their 100% record in the league. Graham Kemp's Christchurch were the visitors to Tatnam and there was no doubt that they would provide a stern test. The only change for Poole was Chris Smith coming in for the unavailable Sean Hogan. Karim Benssaouda made his 100th appearance for the club.

It was a bright start from Poole and after just two minutes Trefor Smith hit a superb ball diagonally out left, Culliford headed it into the path of Stuart Brown but his shot went just wide. The next few minutes saw Poole look a bit lost in all honesty and when Christchurch got a freekick on the edge of the box on ten minutes, the alarm bells were ringing. Sure enough, with the defence simply not looking ready  the ball was delivered to the back post and a Christchurch striker nipped in to take a touch and then volley into the roof of the net to give the visitors the lead.

Poole hit straight back. Inside of two minutes of the restart Taffy Richardson played the ball to Benssaouda on the right side of the pitch. As we have seen so many times before he cut back inside onto his left foot and then delivered a stunning shot over Walker-Harris in the Christchurch goal. It was a typical Benssaouda goal and marked his 90th goal for the club in his 100th appearance.

The match settled down now into a bit of a midfield scrap with Christchurch not giving an inch. On 26 minutes a corner from Cann was met by the head of Culliford but it flashed just wide. There were few other chances for either side during the rest of the half.

Half time: 1-1.

Stuart Cannie made his long awaited debut for Poole when he came off the bench to replace Stuart Brown on 58 minutes. As the game entered the final quarter Poole really pushed hard to find the winner. It was clear from the amount of time Walker-Harris was taking over every goal kick that Christchurch were more than happy to take a point. On 67 minutes Benssaouda produced some magic on the right and he crossed to Cannie unmarked just a few feet out but somehow he managed to mishit his shot altogether. A minute later and manager Tom Killick brought on Steve Smith in place of Chris Smith as Poole went 3-5-2 in an effort to find the winner.

Yet again Steve Smith looked really lively and on 76 minutes he saw a fine shot pushed away for a corner after a great ball from Benssaouda. This was a very good performance from Karim as three minutes later he found himself helping out in the left back role. Having won the ball back he played a neat pass to Taffy Richardson and he slid Cannie in again only to see this shot find the side netting.

Time appeared to be running out but with ten minutes remaining Steve Smith proved his eye for goal again when he turned in the box and lashed a fine shot into the corner - his third league goal form just a total of 97 substitute minutes!

Poole now looked to kill the game off and this they did with some style. Quite amusing to suddenly see Walker-Harris scurrying around his box trying to speed things up but Poole just kept possession and played the clock down brilliantly. Cannie produced some good work down the left and after twisting and turning inside the defenders he knocked a nice ball square into the path of Benssaouda but he could only sky the ball over the bar when a goal looked certain.

A good win for Poole who ground out the result against a determined Christchurch side. Next up - Horndean away.

Poole: Frampton, C. Smith (S. Smith), Whitley, I. Richardson, Skelton, Cann, T. Smith, S. Richardson, Culliford, Brown (Cannie), Benssaouda (Yelland)

The first cup action of the season had already arrived at Tatnam as Poole Town looked to take on Western Premier League side Dawlish Town in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary round - the first time the two clubs have ever met? Manager Tom Killick had a pretty full squad to choose from and the only change was Karim Benssaouda coming in to start up front with Stuart Brown - Ryan Lucas dropped to the bench.

This was a terrific game of football to watch and displayed all the skills of each of the two leagues represented. Unfortunately the only poor aspect of the game was the performance of the officials - the referee in particular being well below what is required at any level of the game. It was clear from the start that Dawlish are a very good side and would be a different proposition to Bemerton Heath and Alresford that Poole had already played and beaten in the previous week.

Dawlish looked very dangerous every time they attacked and the Poole defence, for the first time, looked capable of conceding goals. One such attack brought the first goal as early as the eighth minute. Some slick passing saw the ball received by the centre forward and he tucked it away under Frampton to put the visitors in front. From this point on Poole really stepped up the pressure and it's fair to say that the next eighty minutes saw Poole batter the Dawlish goal for nearly 100 percent of the time.

On 11 minutes Benssaouda did well and his deflected shot was superbly tipped away for a corner. A series of corners followed but Poole could not find the killer touch in front of goal. Three minutes later Dawlish again broke quickly and a good save was required from Frampton to keep the deficit to one. On 18 minutes Dawlish got a corner and a superb header beat Frampton but was amazingly headed off the line by Dan Cann to safety.

The first controversial moment came on twenty minutes. Benssaouda was put through with a great ball and as he accelerated away a chasing defender allowed him to get to the edge of the penalty area before catching hold of his arm from behind and pulling him back. It was clearly a professional foul and there was no doubt that he was also the last defender - it was a clear cut red card. Firstly the referee blew and awarded a freekick so there was no question over whether it was a foul or not - he gave the freekick. The referee then proceeded to run off without producing a booking of any kind - a quite ridiculous decision. The freekick came to nothing but Dawlish should have been down to ten men.

Poole continued to press and on 27 minutes Taffy Richardson was clattered out wide near the corner flag. Play continued but the linesman immediately started flagging. As soon as play eventually went dead the referee made his way over to the linesman. This was met by encouragement from Tom Killick who believed, like the rest of us, that the linesman was going to tell the referee what he had seen in the corner earlier. And what words of wisdom did the linesman pass onto the ref? That the substitutes were warming up behind the dugout and that they should be warming up down the touchline!! Obviously far more important than players getting kicked all over the park in front of him.

Half time: 0-1.

Ryan Lucas replaced Aaron Skelton at the start of the second half. Immediately Poole piled on the pressure again as they camped in the Dawlish half and won corner after corner. On 47 minutes Taffy raced through but delayed his shot and the ensuing pinball saw the ball into the side netting when a goal looked certain. On 54 minutes Benssaouda was put clean through again. With no defender on hand to pull the striker back the keeper came rushing out and dived to collect the ball a couple of feet outside of the penalty area. The rule? When a goalkeeper handles outside his box and denies an opposing player a goalscoring opportunity, that is a mandatory red card. 
This time the referee awarded a card but could only manage yellow when even the keeper would have expected a red for the offence. Dan Cann again hit the freekick and his thunderbolt easily beat the keeper but cannoned down off the underside of the bar and was hooked to safety.

It is impossible to list all the other chances Poole made and missed in the remaining half hour. Credit to Dawlish, they had the lead and they were prepared to defend it like demons - and they did. Glenister and Steve Smith came on for Luke Whitley and Benssaouda respectively but it made no difference in the end.

On 84 minutes the inevitable happened. With Poole all pushed up, Dawlish broke quickly and the number 9 was able to score his second of the match to kill off Poole's hopes. The final act again involved the referee. With three minutes left Dan Cann was brought crashing to the ground with a dangerous studs up foul. With nothing given Cann must of made some comment to the referee and was promptly sent off with a straight red card. No matter what he said, it could not have been worse than the challenge which sent him to the floor.

A very disappointing result for Poole but full credit must be given to both sides. Dawlish came, looked sharp and dangerous up front and crucially got the early goal. After that Poole played all the football and gave everything to get back into it. If only the referee had applied himself in the same way the result could have been so much different.

Poole: Frampton, Hogan, Whitley (Glenister), I. Richardson, Skelton (Lucas), Cann, T. Smith, S. Richardson, Culliford, Brown, Benssaouda (S. Smith)

What a difference in three days! Saturday was hot, sunny without a cloud in the sky. Tuesday was cold in comparison and rained all day. Such is the British summer this year. Luckily the quality of football from Poole Town remained perfectly constant as they picked up where they left off on Saturday. Today saw the visit of newly promoted Alresford Town and whilst the visitors managed a 3-2 win at Ringwood on Saturday, today was probably their real introduction to Wessex Premier football. Stuart Brown and Karim Benssaouda were both available again and whilst Benssaouda started as sub, Brown partnered Lucas up front with Richard Glenister dropping to the bench.

Like Saturday, Poole got off to a great start and were ahead inside ten minutes. Andy Culliford delivered a fantastic cross from the right and Dan Cann arrived at the far post to volley home from a couple of yards out. On 17 minutes a Poole throw into the area took a slight touch before bouncing over the keeper and hitting the far post before being cleared. A minute later and Culliford controlled the ball well and then lobbed the keeper from 35 yards only to see his effort bounce just wide of the post - a great effort. The chances were flowing at this point and within another minute Poole had a freekick on the edge of the box. Dan Cann's effort skidded just wide of the right hand post.

On 23 minutes Alresford had their first real chance. A good break saw a player ride a couple of challenges before dragging his shot wide of the left post when well positioned to score. Although wide it was still more than Bemerton (and Gosport before them) had managed against the Dolphins. Poole immediately counter-attacked and more chances came and went. On 26 minutes Ryan Lucas hooked the ball over the keeper but the ball bounced back off the bar. Taffy Richardson reacted quickest and managed to get his foot to the ball but his attempted shot went over the bar. There was now intense pressure on the Alresford goal as Poole searched for the second goal. Another ball into the six yard box was clearly handled by a defender as he tried to keep it out but the referee amazingly waved play on. No matter - as the ball was only half cleared it was knocked back in and Ian Richardson looped a header over the keeper to make it 2-0.

As half time approached Stuart Brown raced clear of the defence beating the offside trap. With only the keeper to beat he delayed, checked back, stepped out to avoid two defenders getting back and then produced a sublime chip from twenty yards which left the goalkeeper stranded but again the ball cannoned back off the bar and was cleared away. Two minutes later and Taffy produced a strong run into the box and after a neat one-two he drilled his shot just wide. Two goals, three efforts against woodwork and a host of other chances saw Poole lead just 2-0 at the break.

Half time: 2-0.

Steve Smith replaced Ryan Lucas for the second half and Chris Smith came on for a hobbling Aaron Skelton on 55 minutes. At the same time Luke Whitley broke forward and slid a great ball through the defence for Brown to latch on to. This time the striker made no mistake as he calmly took it wide round the keeper and then thundered the ball in from an angle with defenders trying desperately to get back onto the goal line.

Karim Benssaouda then came on for Trefor Smith with Stuart Brown moving to wide on the right. Benssaouda was instantly in the action and after some great football he put Steve Smith away who finished well but was ruled offside. Another good move on 73 minutes saw the ball drop to Steve Smith in space and one look to see the keeper off his line was all he needed before volleying over him into an empty net - his second in two substitute appearances - he really does look a natural.

Poole took their foot off the pedal a bit as the game petered out but they had already done enough to secure maximum points from their first two games. Next up - the FA Cup!

Poole: Frampton, Whitley, Hogan, Skelton (C. Smith), I. Richardson, S. Richardson, Cann, T. Smith (Benssaouda), Culliford, Lucas (S. Smith), Brown

With the summer break ended and the completion of the pre season friendlies, it was back to competitive action for Poole Town as they opened up their new season at home to Bemerton Heath Harlequins. Karim Benssaouda, Stuart Brown and Stuart Cannie all start the season with a suspension although Benssaouda and Brown will be eligible to play after this first game.
Even so, it was a settled Poole side carried over from last season that took to the field with the additions of Ryan Lucas up front (from Hamworthy United) and the return of former Poole player Andy Culliford into the midfield.

This was a game that Poole dominated from start to finish. They retained possession superbly well throughout the match and it is fair to say that Max Frampton in goal had absolutely nothing to do for ninety minutes. Poole started brightly and the first goal came as early as the eighth minute. Ian Richardson did very well down the left hand side and after beating another defender he was able to pick out Glenister with a pass back into the six yard box and the striker only had to tap the ball in to score.

The second, and best goal of the game came on sixteen minutes and effectively killed the game off as a contest. Good Poole possession eventually saw the ball out wide to Dan Cann. His pinpoint cross found Taffy Richardson at the far post and his header found the back of the net via the right hand post.

On 20 minutes a Culliford header (it felt like he won them all in midfield) put Glenister away but his left foot shot was dragged well wide of the right hand post. A few minutes later and the excellent Trefor Smith produced another superb run down the middle and his left foot shot was tipped away for a corner. Just before half time it was Trefor Smith again on the run but this time he fed Ryan Lucas and his shot went just wide of the post.

Half time: 2-0.

The same pattern continued in the second half with Poole in total command. Just a couple of minutes in and Taffy Richardson nearly scored his second. He took advantage of hesitation in the Bemerton defence, nipped in but chipped the ball over the keeper and just wide.

On 60 minutes the very promising Steve Smith made his debut as he replace Glenister up front. He immediately looked a danger with his pace and eye for goal. On 62 minutes Lucas had another shot go just wide. More changes came as the game wore on - Karl Yelland came on for Dan Cann and Chris Smith also replaced Taffy Richardson with a quarter of an hour left. Steve Smith thought he had opened his Poole account when he brilliantly headed home but he was adjudged to have pushed a defender prior to jumping and the goal was disallowed. He was not to be denied however and with just seven minutes remaining he neatly sidestepped the keeper and drilled a left foot shot low into the corner of the net.

A good performance and a great start to the season. There will be tougher challenges than this ahead but no-one could have asked for more today.

Poole: Frampton, Hogan, Whitley, I. Richardson, Skelton, Cann, S. Richardson (C. Smith), Culliford, T. Smith, Glenister (S. Smith), Lucas

A very solid performance from Poole to end their pre season friendlies. Poole were much the better side in this match and looked the more dangerous on the break. Richard Glenister had a couple of glorious chances to score but failed to take either of them. At the other end the Poole defence were superb and Gosport failed to create one single goal scoring chance in the entire game.

For Poole supporters interested in how Gary is doing over in the United States this summer coaching 'soccer', I have found the following links within the last week:-

Richmond Register -> here
The Franklin Press Online -> here