Match Report | Poole Town

Tiverton Town 1 

Hall 51 

Poole Town 2 

Gwengwe 13 Hill 28 

Tuesday 7^th October   

The Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium 

Attendance: 258 

When a team is struggling to get results, nothing or very little seems to go for them. Poole's opening goal definitely had a massive bearing on the outcome as video footage showed a clear mistake from the match officials. Let's hope that the old adage of things evening out in football rings true. 

An injury hit Yellows with a schedule of three games in seven days, including the previous FA Trophy match at Havant & Waterlooville, made four changes. A precautionary and sensible team selection saw Toby Down, Tor Swann, Zack Williams and Louis Jagger Cane start with Dean Moxey, Corey Koerner, Gabe Billington and Dan Koita, the majority injured in the FA Trophy game, not named in Asa Hall and Steve Orchard’s matchday eleven. 

Poole are having a bit of a resurgence this season and are very much in the early play-off picture. This was always going to be a testing evening, with many established players at this level in the Dolphins line up. It was not surprising given their recent setbacks that Tiverton were not particularly fluent in the early stages of this game and it was the visitors who looked more convincing in their forays into the opposing half and the alert Brooklyn Wilkins had already cleared off the line after five minutes, before the award of a penalty for the Dolphins’. 

Sustained pressure forced a corner in the eleventh minute and when centre back Josh Staunton headed in the area, the ball hit a Tivvy hand. Striker Shaquille Gwengwe's powerfully struck and well directed effort from the spot, produced an absolutely stunning reflex save from George Burton, whose fully outstretched arm parried away, although, seconds after Tivvy fans were marvelling at Burton’s brilliance, the penalty taker fell to the ground, barely touched in the box, under the close attention of Brooklyn Wilkins, but over went Gwengwe, whose theatrics were enough to fool the referee, who again pointed to the spot.  

Mistakes are made on a football field and that was a clear one. A second penalty was put away by Gwengwe and once again a little way into a game, the Yellows were trailing. Tivvy brushed off that disappointment and Finn Rooke made good contact on a Tor Swann cross but over went his header. It was a spirited reaction in adversity and the Yellows settled into a better groove. They were playing with good poise. 

But in the 28^th minute, what is becoming a worrying trait was replicated once again by the Yellows. Careless in possession, the ball was easily intercepted, and Tiverton were cut open with a few slick passes, and the cultured IK Hill supplied a second goal for the Dolphins. Undeterred by their predicament, the rest of the half saw Tiverton having the lion's share of possession and made some inroads into Poole’s defence. Louis Jagger Cane using the ball wisely in the final third and Tor Swann teasing and tormenting on the wing. 

A fine piece of forward play from Jagger Cane, who controlled neatly before expertly setting up Toby Stephens on the edge of the box, resulted in the talented midfielder skidding a shot just wide of the left upright. A couple of corners were won on the edge of half time and then Zack Williams nimbly shifted the ball past the Dolphins last defender. A moment's hesitation though allowed Adam Parkes to come off his line and get there first. His clearance however landed at the feet of Finn Rooke. He was unable though to find an unguarded net and 2-0 in arrears it remained at the break. 

When going behind further at 2-0, the effort couldn’t be faulted and Tivvy were quickly back on the front foot when the game resumed. Poole were reduced to playing mainly on the break and Burton made another decent stop low down in the 49^th minute. Tiverton then increased the intensity and when they recycled the ball after winning a corner, an eye-catching piece of wing play from Swann ended with him crossing to Asa Hall and his headed attempt was successful and Parkes was emphatically beaten. 

Continuing to press with confidence and with some attractive build up play, with Toby Stephens becoming more influential, Hall fired shots that although didn’t trouble Parkes, signalled the Yellows intent. A Dolphins player aggressively pushed Brooklyn Wilkins’ to the ground when he tried to prevent a quickly taken free kick, but a card of neither colour was forthcoming.  A good attempt from Jagger Cane was a fraction too high and Aiden Horne replaced Zack Williams in the 73^rd minute, who’d had a decent return to the side. 

Some excellent covering round on a couple of occasions from Brooklyn Wilkins and a crucial tackle from the same player, kept Tivvy’s determined hunt for an equaliser on course. The heavily grassed pitch came to our rescue as the ball held up on Kris Campbell who had been played through by Poole’s best player on the night IK Hill. That happened in the 76^th minute and Tiverton then threw all they could at the Dolphins, who defended well. Their backline often closing the door with last-ditch blocks and tackles. 

Tiverton were relentless and in the seven minutes added time Finn Rooke came close to rescuing a deserved leveller. His low driven shot went agonisingly just the other side of the post. Poole held on and this was a result that was difficult to take, for all Yellows present. Like most of the season, there was plenty to encourage on Tuesday night and we were very unfortunate with the second penalty award, but we need to start turning promising performances into points winning ones. We go again and hope again, away at Evesham on Saturday. 

Tiverton: George Burton, Brooklyn Wilkins, Matt Wood, Toby Down, Tor Swann, Asa Hall, Toby Stephens, Zack Williams (73), Jacob Wellington, Finley Rooke, Louis Jagger Cane. 

Substitutes: John Ross, Aiden Horne (73), Dean Moxey, Dan Koita, Sergui Lungu.