TWENTY years after being relegated from the Southern League Premier Division, there is something fitting about Poole Town’s promotion battle being played out on home soil.

Crashing through the levels without anywhere to call home was the most barren spell in the club’s illustrious history, but the Dolphins’ charge back through the leagues has been as impressive as their fall from grace was spectacular.

Now, Tom Killick’s men have deservedly earned the chance to regain their place back at the Southern League’s top table in front of bumper home crowds at Tatnam.

Saturday’s team selection was always going to be a real stick or twist moment for Killick – play a full squad against league champions Bideford and go all out for second place, or rest players ahead of the play-offs, risking the loss of momentum and home advantage should they get to the final.

He stuck with his first-choice players and it paid off with interest as the Dolphins cruised to victory, unscathed and raring to go for the end of season lottery.

In truth, the match itself was a low key affair.

Bideford boss Sean Joyce said it had “felt like a testimonial” and he wasn’t far off with his assessment.

But, even without being at their sparkling best, there was something about Poole’s play that always seemed set to shine through.

Despite being struck down with a stomach bug, Killick climbed off his sick bed to take his place in the dugout and injected much needed life into the game from the sidelines. He was meant to be keeping “a low profile”, but Town’s inspirational leader couldn’t resist barking out instructions to his charges from the outset.

Two moments of gobsmacking quality sandwiched another open mouthed moment for the Tatnam crowd as an uncharacteristic error from home skipper Michael Walker gave Bideford their only glimmer of hope in the match.

The home support were brimming with confidence after the Dolphins took a seventh-minute lead.

Carl Preston’s quick thinking after Will Spetch’s penalty appeal had been waved away saw Poole’s wonder winger centre for Dan Cann, who timed his run perfectly to deftly flick a header out of the reach of Bideford goalkeeper Paul Hider.

The expected onslaught never arrived, though.

Flashes of brilliance, mainly down the left through Preston and Keith Emmerson, were too often punctuated by stray passes and rash decisions, and the hosts were made to pay on 18 minutes.

Walker was caught in possession at the back with Sean Downing nipping in to steal the ball.

Downing cut the ball back to Steve Orchard who finished easily, bursting Poole’s buoyant bubble.

The game became scrappy, niggly and lacked momentum, with the home side vulnerable to simple high balls into the channels, but a second moment of class two minutes before the interval turned the tide back in the Dolphins’ favour.

Walker collected a half-cleared corner and set off on a little jinking run that defied his mammoth stature.

The captain rolled the ball to Preston who swerved a couple of challenges to blast across goal and find the top corner. The home crowd were suddenly purring again.

The second half was a non-event, other than some good humour shared between visiting skipper Matt Hockley and the Poole Town crowd.

Taffy Richardson nearly handed Bideford a lifeline, but Downing’s centre skipped away from Kevin Squire at the vital moment before an Emmerson free kick, headed into his own net by substitute Richard Groves, sealed the deal for the hosts.

Dolphins now face a tough test against the dogs of war from Hungerford, who won 1-0 at Tatnam earlier in the season.

But this gritty, rather than polished display will stand Poole in good stead for tomorrow night, with the winners of tonight’s semi-final between Gosport Borough and Sholing lying in wait.

With their home, or, at times lack of HQ, holding them back since their last Premier stint, it is all in Poole’s hands on home turf now.