Poole Town  2  V  1  Romsey Town  -  Wessex League Division 2

Following the midweek cup success at Horndean, Poole returned to league action at Tatnam against high flying Romsey Town. With still a number of players out Leigh Cornick again played at the back and Mike Walker started on the left of midfield for his second match for Poole.

Romsey proved to be one of the better sides to visit Tatnam this season and without creating too many chances they did look well organised and up for the game. During the first half it was Poole who created the better chances but yet again the team just failed to find the back of net on so many occasions.

On 9 minutes Funnell fed the ball through to Carl Chivers but his shot failed to trouble the keeper as it flashed wide of the right hand post.
Six minutes later and it was Funnell again in the thick of the action. This time his fierce volley was parried by the keeper and a defender was on hand to clear the ball away from danger.

Poole took the lead on 26 minutes with the now customary Gary Funnell freekick. Carl Chivers was clattered on the edge of the box Funnell stepped up to curl the ball round the left of the wall and into the bottom corner of the net - another great strike to earn his 15th goal of the season.

On 39 minutes Poole should have gone two up but the chance was wasted. Mike Walker received a quickly taken corner and his delightful cross with the outside of this left foot found Taffy Richardson at the back post but his header went agonisingly wide.

On the stroke of half-time keeper Scrivens was adjudged to have brought down a Romsey player in the penalty area and Romsey gained an unlikely equaliser from the penalty spot. Half time: 1-1.

Full credit to Romsey as they started the second half the more positive and for 20 minutes they controlled the game and denied Poole any sight of the ball. Although under increasing pressure Poole weathered the storm well and the defence never looked like being breached. Gradually Poole began to come back into the game and a stunning goal on 67 minutes settled the match.
Aaron Turner picked up the ball with his back to goal and after turning a defender he unleashed an unstoppable volley from 30 yards which flew into the top left hand corner of the net. It was only his second league goal of the season but it was a brilliant winner.

Now back in front Poole created yet more chances but all went begging. On
72 minutes a misplaced back header sent Anthony Warrington clear but as the ball dropped he dragged his shot wide of the right hand post when a goal looked certain. Three minutes later and a Cornick cross from the right found Turner at the back post but his header skewed wide of the target.
Within a minute Matty White fed Funnell but his shot flew over the bar as well.

The final chance also fell to Poole when a flick on found Warrington inside the box but his volley shaved the crossbar with the keeper beaten.

Poole: Scrivens, Welsh, Spalding, Cornick, Bartlett, Richardson, Funnell, White, Walker (Brown), Chivers (Warrington), Turner

Horndean  3  V  6  Poole Town  -  Wessex League Cup 3rd Round

Less than a week after the poor display against Aldermaston Poole travelled to Horndean in the third round of the Wessex League Cup with an even more under strength side. Brown, Woolfenden and Reeks were all out injured, Warrington was working and Taffy Richardson was off with a virus. This meant that manager Tommy Killick had to dip into the reserve side again with Johnny Byrom making his first senior start and Chris Snell and Dave Sturgess both starting on the bench. With Chivers and Bartlett also starting it was a very young side that took to the field.

Poole got off to a very bright start and immediately the new players gelled into the side very well. Despite controlling the game in the opening period Poole were unable to make the pressure count until the 25th minute. Yet again Gary Funnell produced another trademark freekick which left the keeper routed to the spot - 1-0 to Poole. A minute later and things got better for Poole as Carl Chivers produced a brilliant solo run and goal.
Half time: 0-2.

Poole were again very quick out of the blocks in the second half and they could have been four up inside the opening two minutes of the second period. On 48 minutes however, Cherrett put Carl Chivers away and his delightful lob put the Dolphins 3-0.

On 69 minutes Horndean pulled an unlikely goal back and seven minutes later the home side were awarded a penalty and suddenly Poole were clinging to a
3-2 lead.

In an explosive end to the game Poole piled on the pressure to finally finish off their opponents. On 86 minutes a Funnell freekick was headed back across goal by Aaron Turner and Ollie Cherrett raced in to thump a header past the keeper into the net. 4-2. A minute later and Chivers raced away to coolly slot home Poole's fifth and complete a fine hat-trick.

Dave Sturgess then came off the bench for Chivers and promptly scored within a minute of coming on. Horndean pulled a final goal back right at the end of the match but it is Poole who now progress to Round 4 where they have a mouth watering tie away to Wimborne Town.

A very good performance and the youngsters in particular were very impressive for the Dolphins.

Poole: Scrivens, Spalding, Welsh, Cornick, Cherrett, Byrom (Snell), Funnell, White, Bartlett, Chivers (Sturgess), Turner

Whitchurch United  0  V  2  Poole Town  -  Wessex League Division 2

Report Courtesy of Andy Starmore - www.pitchside.net

Poole Town got back on track in their quest for promotion to Wessex One, with a comfortable 2-0 win at Whitchurch United.

The Dolphins had Michael Walker making an impressive debut, following his arrival from Dorchester Town, where he was a regular in the side.

The 21 year old is talking to Weymouth however, so it remains to be seen as to how long Poole can keep hold of him.

It took the left sided midfielder just 20 minutes to make his mark on the game, when he swivelled and shot a left foot effort from distance into the hosts net for the afternoon’s opener.

The game was played in dreadful weather conditions, with the rain lashing down all afternoon.

For Gary Funnell however, the game won’t be remembered for the elements or indeed Poole’s win.

In the opening half Funnell latched on to a loose ball and with the Whitchurch goalkeeper out of site and Funnell standing just six yards from goal, he somehow fired his shot over the bar.

It wasn’t to prove costly to his side however, with Anthony Warrington grabbing his first goal for the club in the latter period, with an excellent finish after some good work from Neil Spalding to make it 2-0.

Leigh Cornick played at the back for the Dolphins and put in a man-of-the-match performance as Poole Town closed in on the Wessex Two leader-board, gaining two points on Locks Heath, who could only draw with Shaftesbury.

Poole Town: Scrivens, Reeks, Cornick, Spalding, Walker, Bartlett, Funnell, Richardson, White, Warrington, Turner. Subs: Welsh, Chivers, Killick.

Poole Town  1(1)  aet  1(1)  AFC Aldermaston  -  Wessex League Cup 2nd Round
Poole Town won 5-4 on penalties

It was back to cup action at Tatnam as the Dolphins took on bottom of the table AFC Aldermaston in the Wessex League Cup.
Although players such as Stuart Brown, Lee Manning and Ollie Cherrett were missing it was still a strong Poole side that lined up and that makes the performance even more of a shocker than it would have been if a weakened side had taken to the field.

Anthony Warrington partnered Aaron Turner up front and Gary Bartlett and Darren Reeks slotted into the defence alongside Neal Spalding.

The first half was a completely one-sided affair but yet again Poole failed to take the many chances that they created. They really should have been five or six up at the break and no-one could have complained. The match would have been over and supporters spared the agony of the second half (and extra time!).

On 5 minutes a Gary Funnell shot was left by the Aldermaston keeper but his misjudgement nearly cost them dear as the ball cannoned back off the left hand post and was cleared away for a corner. Funnell himself took the corner and as the ball floated into the box, Taffy Richardson rose to head the ball over the keeper only to see it rebound off the bar away to safety.

Poole took the lead on 13 minutes. A cross from the left was met by Richardson again but his header was handled by a defender and the referee pointed to the spot for a penalty. Funnell tucked away the spot kick.

On 17 minutes good work from Woolfenden on the left saw him steal the ball from a defender. With the defence in tatters he squared the ball to Turner and with loads of time he controlled the ball and blasted over the bar.

Despite playing good football and creating several other chances the half time whistle was met by a 1-0 scoreline to Poole.

The second half was as different to the first as you could possibly get.
Funnell picked up a knock on 55 minutes and his loss and the subsequent shift in personnel around the pitch saw Poole lose both shape and commitment. AFC Aldermaston could sense some jitters in the Poole side and their confidence visibly grew as the half wore on. On 57 minutes they produced a good passing move and a cross from the left was met by a free header which fortunately was aimed straight at keeper Scrivens. The warning signs were there.

The equaliser came on 67 minutes and was fully deserved. A cross from the right was flicked on and a crisp volley from around the penalty spot saw the ball fly past Scrivens into the Poole goal. Suddenly supporters were faced with possibly the biggest potential shock result Tatnam has ever seen as Aldermaston continued to look dangerous on the break.

On 75 minutes the Aldermaston keeper received lengthy attention and he was unfortunately stretchered off with a leg injury. Poole finally began to pick up the tempo again and in the dying minutes they peppered the visitor's goal with shots from Chivers (on for Woolfenden), Turner and Warrington. A corner on 88 minutes fell invitingly to Matty White at the back post but his header was deflected into the side-netting by a defender.
With practically the last kick of normal time Chivers found himself clean through but his shot was aimed tamely at the stand-in keeper.

Extra-time proved little better than the second half and penalties always looked likely. On 113 minutes Poole produced a final good move. Matty White found Chivers with a good ball and the youngster did well to beat a couple of players before teeing up Richardson for a shot which agonisingly floated just over the crossbar with the keeper beaten.

With Aldermaston having their first penalty superbly saved by Scrivens, Poole eventually won the tie with successful penalties from Cornick, Turner, Spalding, Warrington and Richardson.

A huge improvement on this will be required next Tuesday at Horndean if Poole have any hopes of progressing into the latter stages of this cup competition.

Poole: Scrivens, Spalding, Reeks (Bayston), Bartlett, Richardson, White, Funnell (Harris), Woolfenden (Chivers), Cornick, Turner, Warrington.

The proposed friendly against Brockenhurst on Wednesday night has been called off as Brock cannot raise a side.

Poole Town have been drawn at home to Hamworthy United in the quarter final of the Dorset Senior Cup. The match will almost certainly take place on Wednesday 1st December - to be confirmed.

On a superb playing surface at the Victory Stadium it was clear that good passing football was more than possible (and a world away from Horndean last week!) and Poole set off in this vein from the very start.

Poole created their first good chance as early as the fourth minute. A Gary Funnell corner missed several players and as the ball dropped James Wood volleyed well over the bar when in a good position to score. As is becoming normal at the moment Funnell was at the centre of everything and a fierce right footed shot from him on 16 minutes saw the keeper beaten but the ball hit the side netting. A minute later and on the other side of the box a left foot shot from Funnell was dragged wide of the post.

Poole were well in control of the game but it was only a bit of composure in front of goal that was keeping the scoresheet blank. On 24 minutes Ollie Cherrett delivered a fine cross into the box and Stuart Brown chested the ball down, turned, but hit his shot over the bar. With so many chances going begging the home side began to gain a bit of confidence and their first chance came on 34 minutes. Funnell was tackled in his own half and Portsmouth broke down the left hand wing. A cross was met by a free header but luckily for Poole it was directed back across the face of the goal and the Dolphins were able to clear.

On the stroke of half time Poole got their deserved lead and what a strike! A trademark Funnell freekick from 25 yards out was whipped into the left hand corner of the net with the keeper rooted to the spot. Half-time: 0-1.

Again Poole bossed the second half and always looked dangerous on the break but they needed the cushion of a second goal to make the game safe. On 65 minutes a good move saw Chivers pass to Funnell and his excellent ball sent Brown away on the right. As he ran in on goal his shot again went the wrong side of the crossbar.

Three minutes later and the excellent Woolfenden found Chivers in the box but his shot was pulled wide of the target as well. On 73 minutes Chivers was clean through again but this time the keeper made a good save to deny the youngster.

On 84 minutes Gary Funnell wrapped the game up with his second goal of the game and it was another beauty. From barely in the Portsmouth half he raced in towards goal, skipped past two challenges, rounded the keeper with ease and thumped the ball into the empty net. It was a memorable goal and capped another superb performance by the midfielder.

Amongst the substitutes  for Poole was young reserve player Paul Bayston and he came on for Wood with minutes remaining for his first taste of first team action.

An excellent performance right throughout the squad which keeps Poole pushing at the top with the crucial away game at Lymington next up on Saturday 13th.

Poole: Scrivens, Wood (Bayston), Cherrett, Richardson, White, Funnell, Woolfenden (Harris), Cornick (Reeks), Brown, Chivers, Turner

Both Aaron Turner and Anthony Warrington failed late fitness tests and with no Lee Manning either it was a slightly different Poole side that lined up for the cup tie. Ollie Cherrett started at the back and both Ryan Woolfenden and Ali Harris came back into the midfield.

Poole got off to the best possible start when, after just five minutes, Gary Funnell fired in an absolutely superb right footed shot from an angle.

Poole continued to press and Leigh Cornick hit the bar on 10 minutes. Gillingham, however, were well up for this game and despite Poole playing well they equalised on 15 minutes.

It was quite clear that Poole were not going to be denied in this game and they continued to push forward, always looking for goals. On 20 minutes a Funnell freekick was met by Cornick at the back post and his powerful header put the home side in front for the second time. Poole finished the half in style as they took a 3-1 lead. A goalmouth scramble saw the ball drop out to the edge of the box and Gary Funnell was once again on hand to crack home his 10th of the season with a well placed left foot shot. Half time: 3-1.

Both Carl Chivers and Ryan Woolfenden went close in the early stages of the second half. On 56 minutes Ali Harris was stretchered off to be replaced by Matty Welsh and Gary Bartlett soon followed by coming on for Neal Spalding at the back.

Gillingham were still showing some good spirit and on 68 minutes Poole keeper Kevin Scrivens pulled off a tremendous save to keep the lead to two goals. On 85 minutes Leigh Cornick produced a great run down the left, cut in and after his shot had been hooked off the line, Carl Chivers brought the ball down and finished well to make it 4-1.

The scoring didn't finish there however and in the dying seconds a Funnell shot was well parried by the keeper but Ryan Woolfenden was on hand to drill home the rebound.

Poole: Scrivens, Spalding (Bartlett) (Wood), Cherrett, Richardson, White, Funnell, Woolfenden, Harris (Welsh), Cornick, Brown, Chivers