At last the defence commenced!

The droves returned to the Tatnam to witness the start of the new season proper and It was the Linnets of New Milton who were the first to visit ‘Fortress Tatnam’. Those who had witnessed the pre-season could have guessed the starting line up for the Dolphins with Trefor coming in on the right wing for Kevin Gill who needs an operation for a hernia and Pete Smith dropping in at left back in place of Carl Poore who needs a groin operation. As Carl’s absence leaves the hole on the right and Pete is most definitely a left side player, the rest of the backline all moved over one with Luke dropping in at right back. Otherwise as you were last year, in front of new keeper Nic Jones , who gets the call ahead of the equally capable Dan Ackerman.

New Milton’s squad is for the most part unchanged from the end of last year but they have found another super keeper in Rory Anderson to replace our own Nic Jones . He was to be the hero for the visitors, stopping at least three absolute sitters and a score of good chances that could have seen Poole rack up a healthy win to start the new campaign. Instead the lad was only beaten once, on 50 minutes by a header from veteran Steve Richardson and that from a rebound and performed miracles to keep his team in the game.

Poole attacked from the very start, Lamin Dibba’s looping header from the first corner on 2 minutes looked to be goal bound but grazed over the bar. Charlie Austin’s cross, two minutes later was met by Stu Brown just a few yards from goal but Anderson bravely dived on the shot as it left the big south African’s boot. New Milton recovered and settled and some stern defending denied the Dolphins a further real chance until the quarter hour mark when Trefor Smith’s cross from the right was turned in by Austin and Anderson was at full stretch to finger it around the post. Two minutes on and Bailey-Pearce had a point blank header saved by Anderson from a cross again supplied by Trefor Smith whose own shot was caught by the Milton keeper on 22 minutes.

Poole continued to challenge the Linnet’s back line but again the visitors defended well and threatening chances to score were mostly denied, until just before the break. On 41 minutes, Austin started a move to Pete Smith out wide, whose shot was parried by Anderson but fell to Luke Whitley, who sent the ball back in and found Austin in space, but the normally sure footed marksman fired over. On 43 minutes, Bailey-Pearce picked up Austin’s pass and threaded his way past three Milton defenders but then fired straight into Andersons arms.

Half time 0-0

The pattern continued after the break with Trefor Smith heading wide from brother Pete’s cross on 47 minutes. Then came the breakthrough on 50 minutes, when a rebounded shot fell to Steve Richardson to head home from 6 yards. His 41st in Poole colours in his 248th appearance for the club. New Milton immediately replaced Ryan Lock with Simon Quick but still failed to make any impression on the Poole goal, being denied even a single shot to trouble their ex keeper now at the Poole end. However, as Poole went looking for a second goal to kill the game off they were guilty of leaving themselves wide open at the back with veteran skipper Simon Browne their only line of defense on more than one occasion. But New Milton failed to capitalise on this lapse and while there was the prospect of the visitors getting a goal back on a quick break, the opportunity never arose and Poole got away with it.

Gareth Byers was cautioned on 70 minutes for going agricultural on Trefor Smith and tired legs and the heat of the sunny summer day took its toll on the work rate of both sides as the second half wore on. Charlie Austin had three clear chances to put Poole two up, the first on 57 minutes, when he blazed past three defenders then tried to chip the advancing Anderson, but the Milton keeper read the intention and parried the attempt, which fell to Bailey-Pearce who then headed wide of a gaping net from 10 yards.
After Russell Cook had replaced Stuart Brown on 78 minutes, Austin fired a shot just over from 20 yards out from a move starting from Pete Smith’s corner. Then with two minutes left he sold the keeper into an early dive and set up Steve Richardson to shoot in a single move, but Taffy blew the ball over the bar and the gaping goal from 15 yards out. Final score 1-0.