This was the first of a minimum of four meetings between arch rivals Poole and Hamworthy United. With the more important FA Vase 2nd round fixture just a couple of weeks or so away this was a chance for either side to strike the first blow. Brown, Culliford and Trefor Smith all started on the bench to allow some of the new faces to get a full start. Leon Lima made his first appearance and Sean Bowden, signed from Dawlish, also made his first full debut. Karl Yelland started at right back.

There was very little to choose in the early exchanges as both sides sized each other up. The first chance came on 18 minutes when a Funnell freekick into the box found Luke Whitley who stabbed a shot just over. Three minutes and it was Whitley who started the move which put Poole in front. He spread play to Yelland who fed the ball onto Gary Funnell. The midfielder surged forward and eventually laid the ball off for Sturgess on the edge of the box and his shot took a deflection which guided the ball beyond Peters in the Hamworthy goal.

Poole were in the ascendancy now and nearly doubled their lead within a few minutes. Good passing and movement tore the United defence apart again and another shot from Sturgess beat the keeper but was blocked and cleared off the line. There was little other action in the first half as Poole continued to control the game.

Half time: 1-0.

Poole flew out of the blocks in the second half and made an excellent start. Steve Smith, who looked a handful and possessed great touch all night, knocked the ball into Dan Cann and he took one touch before volleying straight into the keeper's arms. Cann is still carrying an injury picked up from the VT game and he was replaced by Andy Culliford on 52 minutes.

On 61 minutes Steve Smith produced a fantastic run down the left, jumped over a despairing lunge before delivering a great ball into the danger area with the outside of his right foot - a United defender just managed to deflect the ball away for a corner.

With twenty minutes to go Hamworthy put together a better spell of football and threatened to get back on level terms. Funniest moment of the night? A United shot found the side netting resulting in total silence from all players and supporters but met by the entire Hamworthy bench jumping up and cheering thinking it had gone in.

In truth the result was never in doubt as Frampton never looked like being troubled let alone beaten. Leon Lima had a glancing header go just wide on 70 minutes and with ten minutes left a right sided corner was met by another towering header from Culliford who powered the ball into the back of the net - his seventh goal of the season.

Poole: Frampton, Whitley, I. Richardson, Yelland, Funnell, Bowden, Sturgess, S. Richardson, Lima (Campion), S. Smith, Cann (Culliford)

A fairly bumpy pitch and a wind that seemed to increase as the match wore on did nothing to help this game which really failed to provide much excitement at all for the large crowd assembled at Victoria Park. Both defences looked pretty solid all afternoon, both forward lines failed to carve open many clear cut chances and the whole match got bogged down in a real 'trench warfare' midfield battle. The referee's (both of them!) whistle blew for fouls and offsides with frustrating frequency and this all conspired to produce a fairly forgettable game with a predictable but wholly accurate scoreline.

The main talking point of the first half was the ten minute delay after the original referee injured himself. One of the linesmen took over in the middle and Poppies manager had no problems allowing Poole kitman Paul Ayley (a qualified referee) to take over the running of one of the lines. Probably the first real clear cut chance didn't arrive until the fortieth minute when a cross into the Poole box found an unmarked Poppies player but he could only head straight over the bar from just a couple of yards out. This seemed to encourage Poppies and a minute later a screamer of a shot from the right side of the box whistled just wide of the left hand post.

Half time: 0-0

The match did improve in the second half as Poole eventually managed to get some trademark passing football going. The Poppies defence however were a match for it and once again both sides cancelled each other out. It looked as though only a mistake or a set piece would settle the game. On 68 minutes this nearly proved the case when Poole won a freekick from 25 yards out and memories instantly returned of Funnell's super freekick which won this same fixture a year ago. From almost the same position the ball dipped perfectly but on this occasion just missed the right hand post.

With ten minutes remaining it was Poppies who perhaps finished the stronger. On 82 minutes a freekick saw Frampton scrabbling to keep the ball out and Ian Richardson followed up superbly to clear the rebound away for a corner before a Poppies player could finish with a tap in. A couple of other Poppies shots in the dying minutes threatened to give the home side all three points but nobody can argue that a draw was exactly the right result on the day. Poole supporters will be happy that a week containing away fixtures at VT and Poppies has ended unbeaten and yielded four points. Poppies will be relieved not to have allowed Poole to extend the points gap between them.

Poole: Frampton, Whitley, I. Richardson, Skelton, Funnell, Culliford, Cann (Bowden), Sturgess, T. Smith, S. Richardson, S. Smith

Poole Town Youth  1 - 2  Christchurch Youth
(AET)

Poole Town always seem to travel to VT on a Tuesday night and it always seems to be any two from freezing, wet or windy. Same again this season as the Dolphins travelled to many people's favourites to win the Wessex Premier League title. Unbeaten at home in the league so far this season and with a very impressive squad of well known and talented players this was always going to be one of Poole's 'big' tests to show how well equipped they are to keep their own title challenge up for the rest of the season.

No Karim Benssaouda again allowed Stuart Brown to start up front on his own as Tom Killick opted for five across the middle. If this was done to contain VT in the early stages it probably didn't work too well as VT got an early lead and threatened to wrap the game up before the break. VT's tactics were clear from the start - hoof the ball up the field as far and hard as you can and if a Poole player gets within three yards of you, go down with as much squealing as possible. This worked to their advantage to begin with as the referee was 'conned' time and time again. On 12 minutes the VT number 11 went down under no challenge and his yelping earned him a freekick. After that was cleared the same player did exactly the same again and got the same result. This time the ball dropped to Bowers in the Poole area with far too much space and he coolly took a touch before placing the ball beyond Frampton into the left hand corner.

This was a shaky period for Poole as VT definitely had the momentum. Four minutes later and Frampton called and came for a cross that he was never going to meet and a VT player nipped in and headed the ball beyond him only to see it drop back off the crossbar and was hacked away. A let off for Poole.

At the half hour mark it looked a bit grim for Poole - one down and two yellow cards already awarded for innocuous challenges - Skelton picking a yellow up for his first foul of the night. However, this Poole side is nothing if not resolute and they dug in and refused to allow the game to get away from them. They are good enough to create chances against any side in this league and they knew the chances would come. Sure enough, on 32 minutes a great ball split the VT defence and Stuart Brown raced away on goal. As he neatly rounded the keeper he was hauled down - penalty. Again some strange refereeing - only a yellow card was awarded against the home keeper with the referee claiming that three defenders had got back? If Brown had not have been pulled down he would have had a tap into an empty net - that's the fact. Skipper Ian Richardson made no mistake with the penalty as he thumped it into the back of the net.

VT nearly hit back immediately however. Within two minutes they had carved the Poole defence open again and a fine left foot shot inside the box beat Frampton but cannoned back off the inside of the left hand post. Who would have thought that this would be the last time that VT would threaten the Poole goal that night?

Half time: 1-1

Poole came out for the second half and totally dominated the rest of the game. The workrate was higher than VT and the passes started finding their men with speed and precision. It looked almost as though VT had lost interest in the game since they had been pegged back.

On 50 minutes a super move from Poole saw Funnell feed Cann. His great ball from left to right dropped just over the head of a defender and Stuart Brown unleashed a fierce first time volley which whistled just over the bar. Steve Smith replaced Brown on 58 minutes and continued his fine goalscoring record with the winner within twelve minutes of coming on. Trefor Smith produced a great mazy run down the right before beating his marker and squaring the ball for Steve Smith to tuck the ball away into the corner. Now in the lead Poole never looked like losing it and if anything more goals looked possible. Taffy Richardson headed just wide from another quality Cann cross on 82 minutes and even Luke Whitley joined the party with an unbelievable effort from thirty yards which left the keeper stranded but dropped just over the bar - very nearly a repeat of his wonder strike at AFC Newbury a couple of years back!

A fine performance from Poole, especially in the second half and a well deserved three points as the players were given a huge ovation by the Poole faithful as they left the pitch. Poppies up next and another unbeaten home league record to try and end.

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

As Poole Town travelled to Hamble for this latest Wessex Premier match, the evening was mild and dry and the pitch was in perfect condition....... until the referee blew the whistle to start the game! At this point the heavens opened, the wind got up and the pitch resembled an ice rink as the ball, and players, slithered around for the next ninety minutes. No Karim Benssaouda meant that Stuart Brown started up front alongside Steve Smith. Aaron Skelton also made a welcome return to the defence and Dave Sturgess continued in midfield with Funnell on the bench.

As always seems to be the case Poole made a bright start and soon had the home goal under pressure. After just two minutes a Trefor Smith corner found the head of Andy Culliford but although the keeper was beaten a defender was on the line to head the ball away. Three minutes later and Brown got down the right, squared the ball low to Steve Smith and the keeper did well to tip the resulting shot away for a corner.

Despite this early pressure Hamble gradually got into the game and soon the match was caught up in a real end to end frenzy of attacks and counter attacks. A rare mistake by skipper Ian Richardson allowed a Hamble player to race away but his shot ballooned well over the bar when a bit more composure was needed. Back down the other end and Poole forced corner after corner and saw several goalmouth scrambles end in a pinball effect but all to no avail - the ball flew everywhere but the back of the net.

On 26 minutes the home keeper pulled off another fine save when a typical 25 yard screamer from Stuart Brown was tipped just over the bar. As the game ebbed and flowed Dan Cann was beaten all ends up by some neat play and Max Frampton was forced into making a good save to keep the scoreline goalless. Just before the break Cann delivered another long throw which was flicked on by Taffy Richardson and Stuart Brown could manage only to head just over the bar from a couple of yards out.

Half time: 0-0.

Poole supporters were hoping that Poole could step it up in the second half and their prayers were answered immediately as Poole took the lead inside the opening minute. An innocuous looking ball from the wing found the head of Steve Smith and somehow the ball managed to loop up and drop just under the bar and out of reach of the keeper. Control was what was now required but Hamble simply didn't allow this to happen. They fought for every ball and it is a credit to both sets of players that only one or two players were booked, given the dreadful conditions they were playing in. On 63 minutes Trefor Smith broke down the right but his cross was poor and easily cut out. Hamble raced away down the pitch and suddenly found themselves two-on-one against the Poole defence. Despite Frampton trying to close the gap, Gregory finished very well placing the bar beyond Max into the far corner. 1-1.

Stuart Cannie replaced Taffy Richardson on 70 minutes and Funnell replaced Sturgess a minute later. It was probably the introduction of Funnell that finally saw the Poole midfield ticking again and looking threatening. It was Funnell on 73 minutes who played a neat one-two before firing across the face of goal for Stuart Brown to tap-in but the goal was disallowed as Brown was rightly offside. Aaron Skelton continued to look the class act on the pitch as he produced some great through balls which split the defence time and time again. One such pinpoint ball found Trefor Smith out wide and as he cut in he fired in a left foot shot which, again, the keeper did well to push for a corner.

It was all Poole in the final quarter of an hour as they looked for the winner while Hamble were content to hang on for the draw. To their credit they threw bodies in front of everything Poole could muster and a draw was probably a fair result on the night. The last decent chance fell with just a few minutes remaining when a good sweeping move from Poole down the left saw a good cross into Steve Smith and although he connected well the ball fell straight into the keeper's arms.

Two points dropped? Maybe, but Brockenhurst also drew here just three days previous and Hamble themselves have only lost two league games. They are certainly not the basement team of the last couple of years.

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

A welcome return for ex-Poole Town manager Trevor Parker saw him bring his new look New Milton Town side to Tatnam for this latest Wessex Premier league match. For Poole, both Karl Yelland and Dave Sturgess made starts with the unavailability of Sean Hogan and Aaron Skelton. Steve Smith also started up front with Cannie on the bench.

Right from the off Poole took control and pushed forwards looking for the early breakthrough. Good work from Trefor Smith earnt a corner on 7 seven minutes and as Trefor himself took it he sent in a great ball which found an unmarked Andy Culliford and he kept up his impressive scoring record of late by thumping the header into the corner of the net to give the Dolphins the lead.

Two minutes later Dan Cann sent a trademark cross over from the left and Trefor Smith aimed a (rare!) header back across goal, beating the keeper but hitting the post before being cleared away from danger. It was a bright start from Poole but New Milton, despite their league position, certainly had a lot more about them than most teams who have visited Tatnam this season and they gradually worked their way back into the game. They have a young side and undoubtedly their fortunes will get better as this season goes on and they gel more as a side.

On 29 minutes New Milton broke quickly and found themselves two on one against the defence. The eventual shot was parried by Frampton and the Poole defence got back to clear the ball away - it was a warning that underlined the need for a second Poole goal. A minute later and some sloppy play from Cann allowed a striker in again but his shot went well wide of the post with the goal beckoning.

Back came Poole on 36 minutes when Benssaouda sent Trefor Smith away down the left wing. His eventual cross was perfect and unbelievably an unmarked Taffy Richardson completely missed which, for him, was a straightforward header on goal. Some of the New Milton tackling at this point was 'physical' to say the least and the whole crowd were incensed when Steve Smith was hacked to the ground, requiring lengthy treatment and whilst a freekick was given, no card was shown by the referee. Of course, Karim Benssaouda commits a foul just minutes later which is far less serious and immediately gets a yellow card.

Half time: 1-0.

As has been normal of late Poole seem to produce one decent half of football and then step up a gear to produce a much more thrilling second forty five minutes. This was the same again today as Poole proceeded to hammer in the goals and leave the opposition wondering what they could do to avoid it. To be fair to New Milton, they never once let their heads dropped and they continued to scrap and battle even when the game was beyond doubt.

On 51 minutes Dan Cann robbed a New Milton player on the half way line and jinked down the left side. He played a simple ball into the feet of Benssaouda on the edge of the box and he turned, looked up and deftly chipped the keeper with a great finish. Two minutes later Steve Smith showed that he not just a goalscorer when he produced a fine run down the left wing before crossing perfectly to Benssaouda who volleyed wide. The linesman flagged for offiside anyway but it was a nice move.

If Culliford and Benssaouda had shared the goalscoring sheet at this point then Steve Smith suddenly stole the show as he proceeded to plunder a six minute hat-trick. On 60 minutes he received the ball in exactly the same place as Benssaouda had scored from just nine minutes earlier. Rather than the same chip however, he allowed the ball to bounce before volleying over the keeper gaining the same result. Two minutes later Cann hit a thunderbolt from distance. The ball cannoned off the right hand post, rolled along the goal line, came back off the left hand post and Smith was in the perfect position to tap in his second. Four minutes later and the hat-trick was secure. He produced some neat skill to beat a defender but as he got into the box the same beaten defender hauled him down and Smith got up to tuck away the penalty.

Job done for the day so Smith was immediately replaced by Stuart Cannie and shortly after Funnell came on for Trefor Smith. Benssaouda and Cannie combined well on a couple of occasions resulting in Cannie having one shot wide and another pushed away for a corner.

Poole's final goal came on 87 minutes. A long ball diagonally from right to left found Taffy Richardson definitely in an offside position. Whilst the linesman immediately flagged the referee allowed play to continue and when the ball dropped to Funnell on the edge of the box he hit a firm shot into the corner to complete the rout. A little lucky for sure but the result was beyond doubt anyway.

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

Poole Town Youth  2 - 1  Eastleigh Youth

Two goals for Jordan Fisk.
Attendance 61.

Poole Town Youth will now be at home to winners of Christchurch V Moneyfields, date to be confirmed.

FA Vase: Poole will be away to Hamworthy United in the 2nd Round on Saturday 17th November - kick off 3.00pm.
Dorset Senior Cup: Poole will be at home to Hamworthy United - date TBC.

Report Courtesy of Match Day Programme

The first ever fixture between these two clubs was an eagerly awaited affair. Due to our league position last season, we have been kicking our heels waiting for the opportunity to get involved in the FA Vase, having been exempt until the first round proper. Poole opened brightly and took the game to their Cornish opponents, taking the lead after just one minute and fifty seconds when Karim got his head to the ball just before the goalkeeper’s fist and looped a delightful header into the back of the net.

Poole then laid the usual Alamo type siege to the visitor’s goal but the second goal simply would not come, and on 22 minutes Liskeard broke away and James Miller equalised for the visitors. This ruffled the home team’s feathers, and the lead was duly resumed on 40 minutes when an excellent piece of work on the edge of the penalty box by Stuart Cannie opened up the Liskeard defence for Karim to take advantage and strike his second goal of the game.

Half-time: 2-1

Trefor Smith had sustained a knock during the first half so his brother Chris came on in his place and the team continued to press for more goals, the first of which duly arrived on the hour mark when Andy Culliford rifled a right foot drive home after Dan Cann had mesmerised the home defence with some excellent close control.

Cully did it again on 75 minutes heading home a cross from Sean Hogan, and then on 80 minutes Sean repeated the service pulling the ball back from the by line for Stuart Brown to drill a fifteen yard rocket past the despairing grasp of the visiting keeper Grant Fisher, who had an afternoon that he will want to forget.

The victory was very much appreciated by another excellent Tatnam crowd, most of whom went home extremely happy, little realising the drama that the draw for the second round proper of the competition was to produce, pulling us out of the hat alongside Hamworthy United – that will be one of the most eagerly awaited FA Vase Cup Ties, in local terms at least, since Wimborne got to the final back in 1992.

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

Despite their 6-0 home defeat to Maidenhead United in the FA Cup on Saturday there was never any question as to how tough this game was going to be for Poole Town. Brockenhurst have won five of their six league game so far including a win over much fancied VT and right from the start of the game the home side was extremely pumped up against the league leaders. With Stuart Brown and Sean Hogan unavailable, Stuart Cannie came back into the starting line-up along with Andy Culliford.

The pitch at Grigg Lane is never one of the best and again it was bumpy and the grass in places was very long. The drizzle added to the difficulty but also helped to raise the tempo and make this a very fast paced game indeed.

It's fair to say that Brockenhurst shaded the first half. They defended well and broke on the counter very quickly and always looked dangerous going forwards. Their first goal came on 17 minutes. Another quick break looked to have been snuffed out as Poole keeper Max Frampton raced from his line to clear. However, his kick was poor and veered straight to Danny Veal who produced a neat finish to place the ball beyond the retreating Frampton. This was only the second time this season Poole have been behind in a league match and was a real test of their mettle.

Chances were relatively few and far between in the first half. On 37 minutes Taffy Richardson cushioned a header on the edge of the box to Stuart Cannie but his volley flew just over the bar. A couple of corners quickly followed and the pressure ended with Luke Whitley just poking a shot just wide of the post. A scare for Poole late on in the half as a Brockenhurst corner was met with a free header which left Frampton rooted to the spot - luckily the ball went wide of the post.

Half time: 1-0.

Poole's attitude in the second half was superb. From the restart they took the game to the home side and totally dominated the half. On 49 minutes a static defence was caught out by Benssaouda and after he side-stepped a defender to get into a good position he slipped on the wet grass. Cannie picked up the ball but his shot was weak and dragged wide. Super sub Steve Smith replaced Funnell on 52 minutes and Poole gradually created more and more chances.

On 63 minutes Taffy Richardson robbed a Brockenhurst player in midfield and played the ball into Benssaouda's feet. He turned but his shot was aimed straight at the home keeper. Good pressure followed as Brockenhurst looked more and more desperate at the back. Whitley delivered a great ball in from the right and after the slenderest of deflections the ball came off the inside of the left hand post and rolled agonisingly across the goal line before being hacked away from danger. Five minutes later and a throw dropped to Taffy again and his volley beat everyone but cannoned back off the crossbar. It really did look like it was going to be one of those nights but then Poole equalised on 72 minutes. An underhit backpass was chased down by Steve Smith and as he and the keeper got to the ball at the same time, it was Smith who managed to get the crucial touch and put the ball into the net. All square and only one team in it at that point, it really looked like Poole would now go on to win the game. Credit to Brockenhurst however, they kept their heads up and hit straight back at Poole.

Frampton had to make a couple of very good saves, one point blank and the other from a good freekick as both sides looked for the winner. On 78 minutes however, a scramble in the Poole box finally saw Tate poke the ball home to give Brockenhurst the three points and end the only unbeaten side in the league.

Disappointed as manager Killick will be to lose the game, there are a number of positives to take from the match. Poole's attitude in the second half to being a goal down at the break was first class and they created enough chances to win it. And Brockenhurst are a much better side than in previous seasons - it will be a very tough place to go for most teams this season.

The run is over but maybe that gives the Poole boys even more incentive for the important Vase game this Saturday against Liskeard Athletic. It also adds extra flavour to the Wessex League Cup second round match against Brockenhurst at Tatnam later this month!

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