BOSS Tom Killick knows Poole Town can ill-afford another blip as they look to make up ground in the Southern League promotion race.

Dolphins were thumped 3-0 at Shortwood United on Saturday, but were dealt a lucky hand when leaders Hungerford slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Cirencester.

Those results left second-placed Dolphins eight points adrift of the Crusaders in Division One South & West, but with SIX games in hand.

And with North Leigh arriving at Tatnam tomorrow with a double in mind, having thrashed Killick’s side 4-0 at Eynsham Park in October, the Dolphins boss is aware another result like that could put a big dent in the Dorset side’s Division One South & West title challenge.

Killick told the Echo: “I feel that every point is going to be unbelievably precious. It’s not like the Wessex League days where we wound down at the end of the season because we were so far clear.

“Every dropped point could end up being fatal. Every goal we concede could be the difference between winning and losing and that could be the difference between promotion and staying where we are.

“You have to break it down like that and the players need to be aware that one lapse in concentration could spark that process. We could draw a game due to a mistake and lose the league by two points – they need to be aware that could happen.”

Reflecting on the 3-0 defeat at Shortwood, Killick added: “Saturday knocked us, but if you can cope with defeat in isolation, you can bounce back. We can’t afford to have runs of defeats and that increases the pressure a bit.

“We always try and use the pain of defeat to spur us on. I look back at the losses we have had and I want to maximise how the players feel after those results. You can’t gloss over it because, if you feel it and it hurts, it gives you renewed determination to avoid it happening again.

“There’s no ‘let’s take the positives’. We focus on the unpleasantness of being beaten.

“It’s a harsh environment to be in at our level because the enjoyment factor can be reduced.

“But we want to be promoted so we can’t lose many games. If we do, it’s a disaster and therefore everyone needs to know it is unacceptable.”

Keith Emmerson is unavailable, but Killick welcomes Steve Brown back into his squad ahead of tomorrow’s clash at Tatnam.

Dolphins: (from) Hutchings, Baggridge, Spetch, Walker, Howes, Brooks, Burbidge, Kelly, Devlin, Dibba, Byerley, Preston, Charles, Richardson, Clarke, S Brown.