Match Preview: Evo Stick South Premier Division South
Poole Town v Basingstoke Town
When: Saturday 13th April 2019 Kick-off 3.00pm
Where: The Black Gold Stadium, (Off) School Lane, Oakdale, Poole, Dorset BH15 3JR
Unbeaten in our last three league games, four including the Hants Cup Semi Final success, we travel back into Dorset for the final time this season, as we take on promotion chasers Poole Town.
You have to go back as far as August for the reverse fixture when we had one of the worst refereeing performances by Tristan Greaves and a linesman who seemed to have his flag caught in his shorts.
Mr Greaves and the linesman firstly decide to bring back a perfectly good Argent goal to give us a free-kick 50 yards back just inside our own half the box. He then compounds this by booking Charlie Kennedy and a red card, only to have to retracted it a minute later when he finds out he has not booked Kennedy the first time.
Then 20 minutes later the same linesman then refuses to flag the Poole forward who is so offside he is in a different post code on the pitch.
Stoke fight back through a Stow penalty but go down 1-2.
Poole Town, nicknamed the Dolphins are managed by Thomas Killick with well-known Taffy Richardson as Head Coach.
They currently sit in 6th place just 3 points behind Kings Langley in the final playoff spot. They do have a better goal difference than the Kings as well.
Their last 3 league games have brought just one win, that was a decent 1-2 win at Farnborough and two losses, 1-0 at Taunton and 0-2 home defeat to Hendon.
Their overall record sits at PLD 38 WON 17 DRAWN 9 LOST 12 with 60pts. They have scored a decent 71 goals this season and conceded 55.
Remember saying this last week, but the Dolphins leading goal-scorer is 18 year-old Jake Scrimshaw with 16 league goals (so can someone mark him for 90 mins?). He is ably supported by forwards Luke Roberts with 12 goals and 34-year-old James Constable with 11 goals.
After last weeks disappointing point which should have honestly been three, Martin Kuhl will set his line-up, knowing Poole need all three points if they are to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Will he go more defensive with both Charlie Kennedy & Michael Atkinson in the line-up or, will he go with the more attacking line-up that creates more chances, but leaves space for teams to break on us, which is what Tiverton did second-half last week.
With just the four league games left, our record sits at Played 38 Won 13 Drawn 7 Lost 18 with 46pts.
Our Away record is surprisingly one of the best of the bottom teams and stands at W 5 D 3 L 11 and have scored 33 goals on the road.
I am expecting the return of Tom McGill along with the same back four as the last couple of weeks. Thus, expect Stow, Wakely, Bayliss & Everiss to be in the line-up.
In midfield as stated above it will depend on how adventurous Martin wants to go, but whoever it is, they will need to put in a performance for 90 minutes up and down the pitch.
Assuming it is Sam Smart in that wing role, and Sam Argent up top, will we go with Yvan Jourdan or start Ben Wright. Again, without knowing how we set-up, it is difficult to predict.
in the line-up with Sam Argent.
I stated last week that the Tiverton game was a huge game for both teams, but with us failing to secure all three points that same scenario applies tomorrow, and I would love us to come away with our 6th win of the season, but would gladly settle for a point at this time.
The weather is expected to be dry and sunny and let’s hope we are the team celebrating down in Dorset at 5pm tomorrow.
Don’t’ forget for those traveling that the game will be segregated, and we need to enter via the Fleetsbridge turnstiles.
Odds please Ian, when you get a chance.
Match Preview by Martin French..
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