The curse of the Western Premier League struck again as Bitton dumped the Dolphins out of the Vase in this 2nd Round tie. In recent years both the FA Cup and FA Vase have ended at the Premier sides of Willand Rovers, Dawlish, Bideford and Frome. Now Bitton can be added to the list as the current Western League leaders proved to have the cutting edge in this match.

Grant Porter continued in goal for Poole with injured Harvell and recovering Adam Tong both in the crowd to cheer the lads on. Mike Walker was again preferred to Bailey-Pearce on the left and Stuart Brown returned to partner Austin up front once more.

On a heavy pitch both sides set out to try and play football on what was a difficult surface. Poole has the better of the opening twenty minutes but found themselves 2-0 down and with a mountain to climb! The Dolphins had far more possession than the home side and looked threatening on the break. On 14 minutes a good passing move eventually saw a Stu Brown shot deflected into the path of Charlie Austin and his first time effort was well saved by the keeper at point blank range. Within a minute, and with their first attack of the game Bitton scored. A defensive error down the centre allowed ex QPR player Michael Meaker to round the keeper and fire in from a tight angle.

Six minutes later and with practically their second attack Meaker(?) took advantage again of some slack defending to find his way past three players and fire past Porter who was able to get a hand to the ball but could not prevent it from sneaking in the corner.

Poole hit back immediately a minute later when a Gill cross from the right wasn't dealt with and the ball dropped to Mike Walker to thump home at the far post. 2-1 - game on. With the amount of possession that Poole had and the chances they were creating there was every reason to believe they would complete the comeback and go on to win the game.

Good work again on 28 minutes ended with a Stu Brown volley just over the bar and on 35 minutes it was Brown again who had a glorious chance to equalise when good pressure saw the ball flicked into his path and with only the goalie to beat his shot was hit tamely into the keeper's arms. It was a great chance.

Disaster struck again for Poole on 39 minutes when Lamin Dibba made a rare error and a Bitton striker nipped in to finish and make it 3-1. As the half ended the game always looked like having more goals in it and Poole supporters certainly did not feel that their side was out of it.

Half time: 3-1.

Hopes were pretty much extinguished on 54 minutes when Bitton got their final goal. A brilliant move down the left saw a superb cross into the box and after Meaker's header crashed back off the bar it bounced up and caught Dibba on the arm. The referee had no hesitation in giving the penalty and to be fair if it had been the other end we would have been screaming for the penalty also. The move leading up to it deserved a goal and the penalty was dispatched - justice was done.

Michael Meaker's class was evident throughout the match. A bit too verbal with the referee but he was the biggest difference between the two sides and was a danger every time he went near the ball. It was him again on 57 minutes who crossed dangerously from the right and Whitely did well to get anything on the ball, his clearance looping up and bouncing off the top of the bar and going to safety.

Bailey-Pearce replaced Hubbard on the hour and hopes were raised shortly afterwards when the ball dropped to Austin in the box and he drilled home to make the score 4-2.

A Gill pile driver from 30 yards was tipped over on 68 minutes and from the resulting corner Dibba's header crashed back off the Bitton bar. At the other end Porter pulled off a brilliant save on 75 minutes and the Bitton player missed a fairly easy chance from the rebound.

Steve Smith and Dave Sturgess replaced Taffy Richardson and Michael White late on but time ran out for Poole and the Vase dream ended at their first attempt for this season.