With many Hampshire Premier games falling foul of the weather Poole Town travelled to bottom club AFC Aldermaston looking to secure three points and a move up the table. With no Holland, Culliford (both linked with Peter Moore's Bashley), Jones, Fletcher, Wood, Wardle or Omoto, Matty Lovell moved back into defence and Mike McDonnell returned to the club to partner Keith Middleton up front.

As is usual Poole dominated the match from the start and quickly won the midfield battle with both Paul Maloney and Louic Rocher playing well in the middle. It was a corner by Maloney on 17 minutes which led to the opening goal as Keith Middleton slammed home from close range for his first goal since rejoining the club. The same two combined brilliantly again ten minutes later when a terrific through ball sent Middleton clear down the right. As he cut in he unleashed a fierce shot which the keeper did well to push round the post. The rest of the first half saw corner after corner as Poole piled on the pressure but the crucial second goal proved elusive. Half-Time: 0-1.

The second half followed the same pattern as Poole spurned chance after chance in front of the Aldermaston goal. On 65 minutes Rocher broke clear and his cross was met by an Aldermaston defender who scooped the ball over his own keeper into the top corner of the net for an own goal - a quality strike! Shots rained in from Lovell, Rocher, Middleton and Maloney and the score could easily have reached 7 or 8 by the end of the match. Substitute Matty Homer missed an open goal close to the end when his header managed to go in completely the wrong direction when it looked easier to score.

In a match where Aldermaston failed to create even a half chance Poole put in a workmanlike performance to secure the points. Louic Rocher proved to be man-of-the-match in undoubtedly his best performance of the season as time and again he tormented the home players with his running and flair.

Poole: Hubbard, Pratt, Gater, Lovell, Bailey-Pearce, White, Rocher, Maloney, Elmes, Middleton (James), McDonnell (Homer)
Unused Sub: Phillips

Manager News

There have been some strong candidates for the vacant post and two individuals in particular have had lengthy discussions with the Poole Town directors. Chris Reeves confirmed today that he is hoping to announce the new manager within 24 hours and definitely wants the manager installed prior to Wednesday's clash at Esso (Fawley). More news here asap.

Peter Moore Leaves Poole Town

Following the draw at Vosper Thornycroft on Tuesday evening Peter Moore announced his resignation as Poole Town manager in order to take over the hot seat at Bashley. The full article, courtesy of the Bournemouth Echo, can be found here.

Peter Moore's record since taking over fully as manager at the start of the 1999/00 season has been superb with 71 wins, 15 draws and 19 defeats from a total of 105 competitive matches.  He led the Dolphins to the Hampshire
Division 1 championship in May 2000 and runners-up spot in the Hampshire Premier Division this year.

Although not a total shock that Peter would want a crack at the Bashley job it is still a blow to Poole Town to lose a manager of his quality. Peter has been a terrific asset to the club and a great character as well. His commitment and dedication to the Dolphins over the years has been top class and fans have taken him to their hearts - no question.

Poole Town's loss is Bashley's gain.

This website would like to wish Peter all the very best in his new role and truly hopes he brings the same success to Bashley as he did to Poole Town.

Website News

Due to holiday the website will not be updated until Saturday 29th December.

Poole Town travelled to Vosper Thornycroft with neither side in their usual top form based on recent results. With Vospers failing to win at home in any of their previous three league matches it was seen as a chance for The Dolphins to try and nick three points from their long time rivals. With both Colin Randall and Paul Spillane injured Paul Hubbard made his first appearance in goal for Poole this season. With no Andy Culliford,Martin Jones or Taku Omoto, there were welcome returns for Darren Elmes and Andy Gater with Tommy Killick on the bench.

The pattern of the match was made clear from the start as both midfields got stuck in making it a very tight and physical game. The first real chance came after 12 minutes when Poole broke quickly from the halfway line. Jamie Holland robbed a Vospers player and sent Keith Middleton away down the right. The eventual cross flashed across the face of the goalmouth, just too quickly for Bailey-Pearce to latch on to at the far post. Two minutes later and the home side nearly took the lead - a shot / cross from the left leaving Hubbard stranded but the ball coming back off the bar to safety.

A major blow followed on 20 minutes when James Wood had to leave the pitch injured and Poole were forced to reshuffle at the back. Paul Maloney came on and Gary Fletcher dropped into the back three. There were few chances before half time although Poole slowly took control of the game. The Dolphins did all the simple things well, defending
confidently and attacking quickly on the break. However, when they needed to convert the pressure into goals the final ball was always missing and the half finished goalless. Half-Time: 0-0.

If the first half promised much for Poole Town the second half served up something of an anti climax. Both defences looked shaky for much of the time and unfortunately neither attack looked capable of exploiting the opportunities presented to them. Vospers did take the lead on 68 minutes when a direct freekick just outside the box was placed into the far corner. Changes followed for Poole as first Louic Rocher and then Tommy Killick came on to replace Matty Lovell and Gary Fletcher respectively. With Poole pushing forward Vospers looked to kill the game off and time and again they
found themselves outnumbering the visiting defence. However, poor decisions and finishing enabled Poole to stay in the game and an unlikely equaliser eventually came with just two minutes remaining. Paul Maloney swung in a deep corner from the right and with several bodies crammed into the goalmouth the ball seemed to elude everyone and finished up in the corner of the net.

Before the game it is likely that Poole would have settled for a draw but there was a general feeling of disappointment with the result since it looked as though Vospers were there for the taking. However, despite Poole shading the first half, Vospers had the best of the second half and a draw was probably the right result.

Poole: Hubbard, Pratt, Wood (Maloney), Gater, Lovell (Rocher), Fletcher (Killick), Bailey-Pearce, Holland, White, Elmes, Middleton

The match at Amesbury Town was postponed due to a frozen pitch. (Note: Unaware of the postponement several Poole supporters, myself included, travelled to Amesbury. I can also confirm that at 2.00pm the pitch was perfectly playable........)

Merchandise News!

As well as the beeney hats (reported below) there are now a number of baseball caps available in the same colour / design. Again the Price is £10 with all profits going back into the Football Club.

After a run of poor performances and relatively poor results Poole Town finally resumed normal service with a convincing win against Pirelli which saw The Dolphins move back to the top of the table. Keith Middleton returned up front with Louic Rocher dropping to the bench. Martin Jones, back from injury, also appeared on the subs bench alongside Taku Omoto.

From the start Poole produced a crispness of passing which has been missing for a while and they immediately took control of the game. Top scorer Jamie Holland popped up in the box on 14 minutes and when the ball dropped he rifled home his 10th of the season to give Poole the lead. Poole continued to push for more goals and shots flew in from all areas; Bailey-Pearce, Maloney and Matty Lovell all going close. Andy Culliford had a superb first half producing a number of great runs and crosses from the left wing.

Despite the dominance Pirelli equalised with practically their first attack of the first half. On 32 minutes the Poole defence made an error, gave the ball away and with Spillane off his line the Pirelli player chipped the keeper from 25 yards. Yet again 30 minutes of good football had been erased by a single mistake at the back. Poole roared back however and continued to search for more goals. On 40 minutes a great ball was lobbed over the Pirelli defence - Bailey-Pearce running in headed home after the ball had bounced between him and the keeper. With Poole players celebrating the referee blew for a freekick to Poole after a player had been fouled near the half-way line! After allowing the advantage to be played why pull the game back after a goal had been scored? Justice followed a couple of minutes later when a Holland shot was turned into the goal by Keith Middleton.

The second half followed a similar pattern with Poole controlling the game and the Pirelli keeper leading a charmed life in the visitor's goal. On 55 minutes Chris Pratt hit a sweet free-kick which was tipped away for a corner. Warning bells sounded on 66 minutes when Paul Spillane was carried from the pitch after a collision in the box. Keith Middleton bravely stepped forward to take over the keeper's jersey and the rest of the team worked doubly hard to keep the ball from the Poole goalmouth. A scramble in the Pirelli box near the end saw three Poole shots denied, one by the keeper, one by the post and one hacked off the line. Holland produced a scintillating second half performance producing a string of superb crosses from the right hand side.

Despite not increasing the goal tally Poole produced a much better performance and it was great to see the players creating so many chances again. The Dolphins now face a tricky trip to Amesbury Town on Saturday in a bid to retain their place at the top of the Premier Division.

Poole: Spillane (Omoto), Pratt, Wood, Fletcher, Lovell (Jones), Culliford (Rocher), Maloney, White, Bailey-Pearce, Holland, Middleton

Merchandise News!

Poole Town supporter Steve Creech has had a number of fantastic Poole Town winter beeney hats produced! Anyone at recent matches would have seen a number of them being worn - a good quality hat in navy blue and depicting the Union Flag and St Georges Cross Flag above 'Poole Town FC'. From personal experience I can thoroughly recommend them!!
With stocks running out if anyone would like one please ask at the next few Poole matches or alternatively send me an email here. Price is £10 with all profits going back into the Football Club.

Reminder.

I would like to remind readers of this website that, as per the disclaimer lower on this page, this is my personal website containing my own personal views about all things Poole Town. It is NOT an official Football Club site and there can be no comeback on Poole Town Football Club because of views I have expressed here.

After the saga of the Lymington game last week (see below for latest on that!) Poole Town returned to Tatnam to take on Brading Town who they had beaten on the Isle of Wight just 3 weeks before. With Colin Randall injured Paul Spillane made only his second league appearance of the season. Other changes saw Gary Fletcher make his first full start of the season with Andy Gater dropping to the bench.

Like the game at Lymington (and fortunately there the similarity ended!) the first half produced few chances as both sides fought hard to gain supremacy in midfield. Any shots that Poole did manage all went wide with the Brading keeper left untroubled for the first 45 minutes. Half-Time: 0-0.

Poole's first real chance came immediately on the restart when Andy Culliford headed wide at the far post after a superb left wing cross from Chris Pratt. However it was another case of Poole gifting a goal to their opponents when on 53 minutes a poor back pass left Spillane helpless and a Brading striker nipped in to score into an empty net. Darren Elmes came on for Louic Rocher on 67 minutes and Poole began to put some pressure on the visitors. Eventually the equaliser arrived on 71 minutes when a corner on the right was flicked on and Pratt rose to head the ball into the back of the net. This capped a fine game for Pratt who is beginning to recapture his form of last season which saw him voted Player of the Year. The last quarter of an hour turned into a siege as Poole piled on the pressure searching for the winner. Shots rained in from Holland, Culliford and Maloney but the Brading defence held firm to the end. In the dying minutes Matt White headed a corner towards the top corner but the Brading keeper pulled out a superb save to tip the ball over the bar.

With Vospers losing at home again (to Stockbridge 1-0) it is now very tight at the top of the table and Poole need to start putting a run together if they are to challenge for the title come May.

Poole: Spillane, Pratt, Wood, Fletcher, Lovell, Culliford, Maloney, White, Bailey-Pearce, Holland, Rocher (Elmes)
Unused Subs: Homer, Gater, Omoto

Friendly News

Last Tuesday night saw Poole take on Southern Premier Salisbury City at Tatnam. Poole produced some outstanding football on the night and outplayed City for much of the game. Despite this City went in 3-0 up at half time but goals from Matt James and Louic Rocher saw Poole fight back before finally going down 4-2.
Question: How can Darren Mooney (arguably Poole's best player this season) appear in a meaningless midweek friendly yet not be deemed good enough to play in the league? Although still a Poole player he is regularly appearing for Lymington & New Milton in the Wessex League. If ever Poole needed his grit and determination it is now..............

Referee News!

In the Bournemouth Echo on Monday 3rd December Poole Town manager Peter Moore launched a scathing attack on the standard of refereeing. In particular he singled out referee Bob Marchant and assistant linesman Kevin McCart for their 'disgraceful' performance in the match at Lymington. The Dolphins manager said "One of the linesmen did everything right and the other one cheated from start to finish. I have never seen anything like it before in my life. He was giving our players offside when they were clearly five or six yards onside. It wasn't even subtle; it was just blatant cheating. The same linesman accused Andy Gater of flicking the corner flag at him just before he took a corner and after calling the referee over he decided to give him a straight red card. He was also involved in Paul Maloney's sending off. We had a free-kick and he told Paul to move the ball back five yards. Paul said 'you're having a laugh' so the linesman called the referee over and he gave Paul a straight red card as well."

Apparently the referee has now sent a letter to the Dorset FA and the yellow card which he gave to Andy Culliford has been discounted. So maybe the referee did listen when everyone told him he had the wrong man..........
Comments have also come to light which were made by the referee at the game. Towards the end of the match Lymington Town supporters were jeering the Poole fans claiming that Poole were rubbish and were about to lose to the bottom team. Mr Marchant turned to the supporters and said "My sentiments exactly. They (Poole) are crap and I've no idea how they can be at the top of the league." This was overheard by Poole supporters and players alike and is another indication of just how poor an official Mr Marchant is. Absolutely disgraceful.

Poole Town are not prepared to allow this 'performance' to go unchallenged and are set to pursue it to the limit. Interestingly the Bournemouth Echo have received several letters of support for Peter Moore backing up what occurred in the Lymington match. Rumours have it that Peter Moore, Dave Hukin and Paul Maloney have been charged with bringing the game into disrepute and Andy Gater has been charged with assaulting a match official! This is absolutely farcical and the whole situation looks set to run for a while yet.

Poole Town travelled to neighbours Lymington Town in the Hampshire League looking to secure the three points which would send them back to the top of the league. On a quite unbelievable afternoon the trip proved a fruitless one for all concerned with The Dolphins.

In a dire first half there was absolutely nothing worthy of note! Neither side fashioned any chances at all and the whole game seemed (literally) bogged down in the middle of the park. Jamie Holland, having a rare poor game, got himself booked on 20 minutes after reacting to being brought down and coach Dave Hukin was sent from the dug-out for comments made. Half-Time: 0-0.

Manager Peter Moore and Dave Hukin allowed the players only a couple of minutes in the dressing room at half time before hauling them out on to the pitch for an impromptu training session. If the first half lacked incident then the second half certainly made up for it, but for all the wrong reasons. Poole initially started the half well when a great cross from Holland on the right was narrowly headed over by Darren Elmes. On 57 minutes Andy Gater kicked out at a Lymington player by the corner flag. The referee allowed the game to go on only to suddenly decide that it should be stopped. After consultation with the linesman the ref proceeded to book Andy Culliford by mistake!! With players and supporters from both sides pointing out that the wrong player had been booked the referee carried on regardless.

A minute later Lymington earnt themselves a free kick on the edge of the Poole penalty area and the resulting shot was hit sweetly into the top left corner to give the home side the lead. Four minutes later and Lymington broke clear again but the striker ballooned the ball over the bar when one on one with keeper Colin Randall. Gary Fletcher and Taku Omoto replaced Matt White and Jamie Holland respectively but still Poole looked incapable of breaking down a determined home defence. On 75 minutes Poole received a freekick by the Lymington corner flag. Suddenly the linesman flagged and after consultation with the referee Paul Maloney received a straight red card and was sent off.

On 82 minutes Omoto was adjudged to have been brought down in the Lymington box (and in all honesty this looked like yet another poor decision) and having picked himself up, despatched the spot kick to bring the game level. A minute later and another Lymington freekick cannoned back off the post before being scrambled clear. Suddenly the linesman was flagging again (yes, the same one) and after discussions with the ref Andy Gater was given a straight red card and Poole were reduced to nine men. In the dying seconds both Chris Pratt and Matty Lovell(?) were booked for comments to the referee (no difference between those and the two red card offences??) and to complete matters the ref then gave a penalty to Lymington in the last minute for a foul (which most certainly was not) by keeper Randall. This after the ref had awarded a corner which was plainly a goal kick! Needless to say Lymington scored from the spot and that finished the game.

This was a poor performance by Poole and although they certainly didn't deserve to win the game they also did not deserve to lose. The officials however dominated the match in an arrogant display of poor decision making and downright stupidity. The refereeing at this level is, at best, poor but the officials today were disgraceful. Throws were awarded the wrong way, corners given instead of goal kicks, goal kicks given instead of corners, two incorrect penalty decisions and approximately 10 cards shown when there was not a single bad foul in the game. Rumour has it that an assessor was at the game to judge the officials' performance. The only hope is that appropriate action will be taken and idiots like these will not be allowed to run around a pitch for very much longer.

Poole: Randall, Gater, Pratt, Lovell, Culliford, Maloney, White (Fletcher), Bailey-Pearce, Holland (Omoto), Elmes