;D ;D ;D
Thanks Steve. I had a horrible moment and accessed an old bbc report from two yrs ago which was 0-1 for the Poppies!!
UP THE TOWN!!!!!

Arguably, the best overall home performance since the DSC win over Wimborne 4-3 in November. The team had a bit of bite and fight about it and against probably the hardest team to beat in the league. Nice one.

Bournemouth came to Tatnam looking to build on their good run of results that has taken them to fifth and within 7 points of the peak. They had lost only twice in the league, with the last league loss going back as far as mid October last year, and if Poole were going to carry on their recent good run then the Dolphins would have to find that extra something to take them up to the next gear.

The team saw ex - Gosport keeper Simon Arthur come into cover for Jase Harvell. In also was Charles Culliford to cover for the departing gifted youngster Karl Yelland so the back four lined up with Whitley, Culliford, Rico and Cann.
The middle lined up with Gill, Skelts, Saadi and Trefor Smith. Up front was Stuart Brown and Steve Smith.
With Ayres, Holmes, Osborne, Hogan and Tong on the bench.

The game got under way and the first half continued much like two boxers testing each other in the middle of the ring, not much of any credence to shout about other than the back four acquitting them selves very well. I was looking out for Gilly and Trefor to take the game by the scruff as these two lads, when on a run are exciting to watch. One thing that did stand out though was the safe hands and good distribution of the stand in keeper who, along with Tommy on the sidelines, was being very verbal and helping organise things. Tommy was more verbal than the norm but to be honest if the team was going to make the step up then he would also play apart. The half finished 0-0 and with TK striding to the dressing room you got the feeling he wasn't happy and was going to give the lads a slight rocket ;D

The second half started much the same as the first, and as Poole pressed the Poppies back, Tommy continued his verbal coaching, screaming for players to get the ball to specific players. In the first minute Poole won a corner and from it Culliford, who found himself with a free header but unfortunately the keeper claimed the ball. Then on 53 minutes Poole who had upped the tempo saw some good passing in the poppies half with Trefor taking a pass and going on a run into the area, about a yard in he was upended by a clumsy challenge and the ref had no hessitation in pointing to the spot, Yes!. Up stepped Captain Rico, the penalty specialist and he smashed the ball into the net to give Poole an early lead 1-0.

At this point I need to stray and make a special mention of the Captain, Ian 'Rico' Richardson. One thing you notice about Rico is along with Luke Whitley, his usual centre back pairing they always hold and conduct themselves with extreme professionalism and a high level of positive mental attitude, Rico can often be seen before and after a game going through his own physical work outs.

With Rico Leading the charge and Browner, Cann etc making some excellent touch's, Poole were now in command and foraging for a second, Gilly was getting stuck in as usual and they had trouble keeping tabs on him. This was better and the all important extra gear, under the coaching guidance of Tommy had been found. It was good to watch but my only concern was if the poppies caught us on the break which they nearly did half way through the second half when their striker blazed over the bar.
One thing I found unusual was that there were no early subs that usually take place, this I put down to TK wanting to keep the tempo going, although on 85 mins the youngster Hogan replaced another youngster, Stevo Smith to inject some fresh pace into the forward line. With seconds ticking down Trefor who was enjoying himself went on another run across the fornt of the penalty area and as the space opened up he let fly with a powerful shot only for the keeper to parry to Browner, who made no mistake firing the rebound low into the net. 2-0 ,Cue great celebrations
A great performance by the lads but man of the match for me goes to TK for his inspirational performance from the sidelines, which played a large part in finding that extra gear.
And off I went with a spring in my step, mumbling "excellent stuff". ;D

Next up this Tuesday is the Dorset Senior Cup Semi Final v Portland Utd (at Dorchester).

It certainly is "a close run"! All we need to do now is beat Wimborne (again), VTFC (again) and Totton whilst not having any slip-ups!
We can do it! UP THE DOLPHINS!

any word fro dorchester