Back home again and back to cup action and our start in this season's Wessex league Cup - ‘the one that got away’ last year. We were given a bye in the first round and we welcomed Wessex Division one side Warminster Town for their first ever visit to the Tatnam in this second round tie.
Warminster have had a mixed season in the highly unpredictable Div one so far this campaign with huge wins and big thumpings on the score sheet to date. Poole’s injury wracked squad, that saw just two subs making the trip to the island last weekend were supplemented tonight by the return of James Bailey-Pearce from injury and his travels, and season debuts for recent re-signings, Andy Culliford (starting) and the old favourite Leigh Philips (on the bench). Yep they are back again! Lamin was rested after playing with a groin strain on Saturday and Taffy just plain rested. Russell Cook and Carl Preston took their turn on the bench in a much changed line up.
Potential banana skin this one and Warminster came out of the gate like a rocket. Poole’s defence was caught still in the changing room and the visitors went 1-0 up inside 4 minutes. The right winger got behind the home back line and the cross fell to a totally unmarked Tom Welch just 4 yards out in front of goal who shot straight under Ackerman as he tried in vain to cover his entire goalline. Just two minutes later, an almost copycat move almost gifted the visitors an easy second but Louis Sparey put the ball just wide of the gaping goal at the far post. Poole were getting cut open with Warminster’s quick breaks and the midfield was going completely AWOL allowing bags of room for the visitors to keep the pressure on.
It took a full 13 minutes for Poole to get back in the game and get their first shot on goal and were really fortunate at this point to be just a single goal down; Steve Smith sending in a bye line cross which Stu Brown headed over from 4 yards. Slowly the Dolphins began to get something going and a minute later Carl Poore, proved his worth as a Captain and led by example, blasting a shot from 30 yards out that went just wide. Steve Smith had a header saved on the quarter hour as Poole increased the pressure and the equalising goal looked to be finally on the cards. It came on 21 minutes Billy Pearce floated a ball down the right that Brown ran onto and took past his man to the byeline. A top draw cross found Steve Smith back to goal 8 yards out with a defender at his back. He spun and shot and the ball curled gracefully inside the far post with the keeper rooted. A stunning goal with which to level the game up.
On 24 minutes, Brown had a cracking shot deflected wide and another way over the bar soon after but Poole’s defence was still looking shaky and on 25 minutes, Louis Spacey scythed through the midfield and into clear air beyond on a solo run with Lloyd in hot pursuit. But luckily the shot went just wide. One minute on and again another drive towards the Poole end and Ackerman was at his best to stop the shot from James Vincent. Poole answered with a rare Trefor Smith rocket that was parried wide for a corner by the able Warminster keeper Kitley. But the visitors would not lie down and the Poole defence was stretched again and then sent into panic on the half hour as the ball ping-ponged around the Poole area. Four shots resulted in two brilliant blocked saves by Ackerman from close range and two clearances by defenders on the line before the Dolphins finally cleared the ball away.
To and fro the game went on and another goal was in the offing at one end of the other before the break. But fortune fell on the home side and Luke Whitley’s towering leap for a corner on 44 minutes ensured his header was down and unchallenged into the Warminster goal for the lead. Half-time Poole lead 2-1.
Warminster started the second half at the rush again. Vincent fired over the bar on 47 minutes and Welch had a smash from 20 yards denied by Ackerman on 50 minutes. The visitors again looking lethal on the break, with seemingly no answer still from the Poole back line.
Carl Preston replaced Captain Carl on 55 minutes as Poole seemed to have lost the edge on both wings. In fact the Dolphins looked tired across the pitch, the zip of the early season gone missing for the most part and there was maybe a touch of a crisis of confidence after the Wimborne loss and the subsequent harsh and unwarranted criticism from some quarters.
Preston’s injection of pace seemed to do the trick and he hit Warminster’s defence like a cruise missile. The answer, as always, was cynical and Mark Breffitt earned a caution for derailing the Preston Express on one of his early runs. There could have been a handful more, for similar crude challenges on Trefor and Gilly, but our man in black seemed reluctant on that score, (until later!)
On 60 minutes, it was the visitors goal mouth’s turn for some ping-pong defending and Poole were finally gaining the upper hand, with shots near or saved from Steve Smith, Brown and Hubbard. On 68 minutes, the pacy Louis Sparey picked up an injury and was replaced by Ashley Caws , who soon proved to be as quick as his team mate, running through into space and firing wide of the far post within just two minutes of coming on. Poole put the game to bed on 72 minutes with Steve Smith smashing home from 2 yards out after another case of ping-pong initiated by Hubbard’s corner. Three minutes on and it was nearly four, Steve Smith's shot was pushed away by Kitley and Brown’s side swipe at the rebound was cleared off the line by a defender.
On 84 minutes. ‘Old blues eyes was back’. With more comebacks to his name than Frank Sinatra, Leigh Phillips replaced Stuart Brown for Poole and commenced his familiar role as ‘centre-half for Warminster’. Three long balls lofted forward were ’cleared’ by the Poole front man, who obviously not been briefed as to which way we were shooting, were looking like his main contribution to the game having entered the fray with just six minutes to play. But that was never going to be enough for Leo - One tackle on a Warminster lad and our Referee, who had been reticent with the card flashing all evening, banged out a straight red!. Steve Smith ended the game a few second later with a 25 yards piledriver that flew just over the bar and that was it.
Well played Warminster, but Poole on to the next round and a confidence boosting win after a trying week.
