WHEN it comes to winning football matches, Tom Killick knows what he is doing.
In terms of analysing the game, it appears the Poole Town manager is equally adept.
“We started ever so well but from them on, the game was just awful,” said the Dolphins boss.
As soaked punters headed for a well-deserved lunchtime pint, few would have disagreed with Killick’s frank assessment of this damp squib.
But for those wearing the red and white of Poole, it mattered little as Dolphins closed in on a play-off place.
If winning ugly is the sign of a good team, then Killick’s men look a decent bet for promotion on this evidence.
This was far from vintage stuff but as Killick rightly pointed out, the need for results outweighs any desire for silky football.
He said: “We didn’t play but everyone keeps telling me that results are the be-all and end-all at this stage of the season. It was comfortable in the end.
“Unfortunately for us, we haven’t played particularly well in front of some of the best crowds we have had this season.
“First-time watchers would have probably gone home very unimpressed but, in some ways, we have to look beyond that.
“It was just such an important game for us that we had to do what was necessary and we did that.”
The derby showdown had promised much in the build-up, with former team-mates preparing to lock horns in a potentially feisty affair.
But, unfortunately for the 792-strong crowd, the battle failed to meet fiery expectations on a dank Dorset day.
In mitigation, the playing conditions were difficult, while referee Anton Beavis should take his share of the blame after awarding needless free-kicks and continually taking an age to restart the game.
But, in truth, the most telling problem was that the match was over as a genuine contest almost before it had even started.
Wimborne had apparently not been keen on an evening kick off in this Easter Monday clash.
However, Magpies might have wished they had taken the initial offer – as their defence looked sleepy during the defining moments of this 11am starter.
The alarm bells were ringing when Dan Cann capitalised on a weak clearance to fire home from 15 yards with his trusty left foot.
It became clear Wimborne had only pressed the snooze button when Scott Joyce punished his former club moments later, pouncing on a loose ball after impressive Poole skipper Michael Walker had created havoc deep in enemy territory.
“We were disappointed that we gave ourselves a mountain to climb,” admitted Wimborne manager Steve Cuss.
“If you concede two goals in the first five minutes, away from home, against a team in the play-off positions, it is always going to be hard.
“At 2-0 after five minutes, it was a totally different game. If we had kept it tight for 20 to 25 minutes and tried to frustrate them, it would have become a different game.
“But they got what they needed. They got the two goals early and were able to relax and play behind that.”
Magpies had gone into the game with a clear game-plan. Matching Poole’s five-man midfield, they intended to compete and frustrate the hosts. But within five minutes, an immediate re-think was required.
Things would have been even worse for Wimborne had Cann not mis-placed his shooting boots having raced clear in the 18th minute.
Magpies kept battling and tried to mount a comeback after the break, introducing a second striker, Matt Kemble, to help the isolated Tom Jeffes.
But the visitors never really looked like building the necessary pressure to unsettle Poole.
The hosts were way short of their best, too, but they did enough.
After Cann had been fortunate to escape censure for appearing to slap Jamie Davidson, Dolphins put the verdict beyond doubt in the 69th minute.
A comedy of errors would not have been a laughing matter for Cuss as Will Spetch bundled home after Steve Devlin’s cross had caused Magpies major problems, with the visitors appealing in vain for a foul on unfortunate keeper Jason Harvell.
“It was disappointing that we did not play as well as we had in recent weeks,” reflected Cuss.
Magpies’ mood was lifted when Nathan Peprah-Annan scored the best goal of the game, his excellent header converting a pin-point delivery from Poole old boy Micky Hubbard for a 72nd-minute consolation.
But it was too little, too late, and the bragging rights stayed at Tatnam.
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