Appalling weather overnight and throughout the day threatened to call this fixture off but the pitch inspection at 4 pm and the sudden clearing of the skies allowed the game to get the go ahead and Tom the chance to give some of our ‘bench warmers’ in the squad a start against the lowly rated Laverstock & Ford.
Tom’s dilemma was that his season’s starting eleven had begun to pick themselves after turning in some solid and astounding performances. To risk breaking that cohesion by introducing the ‘rotation’ theory that receives so much press ink when practiced by the big boys, and possibly wrecking the season's great start . On the other hand, some very talented individuals are losing their match fitness through not playing and could be starting to wonder if playing somewhere else would be better for them personally. It has happened in the past but I’m glad to say that does not appear to be the case with this happy bunch, at least when viewed from the terraces. However I don’t envy Tom his job and he made the choice to go for a bit of rotation and rest some for what is undoubtedly going to be our biggest game of the season (so far) against Merthyr Tydfil on Saturday.
So the changes were :- Skipper Simon Browne replaced by Michael White in the back line, with Luke making the forward runs instead of Carl Poore. All change in the middle with Micky Hubbard and Taffy replaced by Dave Sturgess and Aaron Skelton while Jack Swann and Leigh Philips made the strike partnership fed by the usual wide pairing of Kev Gill and Billy Pearce.
It took a while for some understanding to develop with the new look team and Laverstock were allowed to settle into a scrappy game as a result. Darren Crook had their first test for Harvell to deal with on 5 minutes with a cannon that Jason batted away which he followed a couple of minutes later by another shot turned aside from Graham Mankin. Poole’s normally solid defence looked a tad shaky and was caught napping several times, allowing the visitors some good chances throughout the game. Attack wise, while winning some early corners Poole missed the direct approach that has served them so well and there were some goalmouth scrambles that the Laverstock defence managed to scurry clear.
Inevitably the breakthrough came from a set play and another 6 yard box melee ( How many players can you get in the 6- yard box anyway!) Billy Pearce’s free kick from way out near the side line pinged around before winding up in the net amid a mass of flailing arms and legs. It was a judged that the keeperPayne had punched the ball into the roof of his own net, but Poole were glad of it and took the 1-0 lead on 14 minutes.
The goal seemed to settle the Dolphins and now they began to get a grip on the game, but the lads from Laverstock looked still capable of causing an upset and Darren Crook’s long shot effort on 21 minutes kept Harvell on his toes as he pushed the rocket wide. However, on 25 minutes Leigh Philips lobbed the entire Laverstock defence with a ball for Billy Pearce to run onto and he slotted it past Payne’s dive as the keeper rushed out in a last ditch effort and Poole led 2-0. On the next attack Philips and Laverstock Skipper Ben Smith had a bit of argy-bargy off the ball and both were rightly cautioned from a very intolerant Mr Gilbert.
With a two-goal cushion Poole relaxed a bit and the ‘flow’ started to show. Pearce had a low driven shot saved on 28 minutes and Gill put a header just over on the half hour. From a corner, Poole scored a third, Billy Pearce having bent the shot in direct from the corner but Mr Gilbert ruled it out for pushing ( again in a well stuffed 6 - yard box) and awarded a free kick to the visitors. Five minutes later and Pearce tried the same shot from the corner flag, this time ricocheting the ball off the crossbar. The visitors tried their own luck just before the break after Matt Chant had got around the Poole back line wide on the right. He fired across goal to Crooks whose lob goalward had Jason ‘s beady eye on it all the way, as it flopped into the top netting.
Half-Time 2-0
Second half started a bit scrappy again but Poole grabbed the third to make the game safe on 57 minutes. Gill blasted Philips overhead kick back across goal from the byeline, straight through the remains of Laverstock’s defence, drilling its way into the back of the net to make it 3-0.
Jack Swann had a spin and shoot attempt headed off the line twice within a few seconds, and Mankin fired wide at the other end having evaded the Poole back line again and Matt Chant had his shot saved by Harvell as the substitutions began around the 60 minute mark.
For Poole Steve Smith replaced Philips and Swann stepped aside for Keith Middleton while Taffy made a late appearance for Carl Poore who seemed to have a very quiet game. The new strike duo had their own attempt on 77 minutes with Middleton supplying a cross which Smithy headed just wide. But the Goalhunter got his ‘ goal a game from the bench’ from Billy Pearce’s free kick on the edge of Laverstock’s box, won once again by the sheer persistence of Gill’s desire to possess the ball. Pearce’s in-swinger was headed past the flailing dive of Payne for a rather flattering 4-0 on the night on 81 minutes. Mr Gilbert gave the visitors two more cautions for dissent, one each to McGregor and Chant before handing the second of the night and marching orders to Ben Smith on 89 minutes.
It wasn’t a classic by any standards, but three points and no goals conceded was the objective on the night and satisfactorily achieved. But one can’t help wondering what the result would have been if Tom had stuck with the familiar line-up? A few more goals? Yes , but with other considerations? Who knows?? Like I said, I don’t envy him his job.
Oh!, and the fox?. He sat down by the corner flag, watching bits of the first half, nipping off for a worm snack now and then before returning to watch some more, but obviously had another pressing engagement as he didn’t stick around for the second half.
