Four games to go and this one against Alton and the next against Horndean could be considered the easier of the quartet. Alton have had a poor season by their own standards this term but are safe from the drop to Division One and will remain in the Premier next year.

Their team applauded our Champions onto the pitch as Hamworthy had done, which was much appreciated . They also gave us a good run during the game and despite the horrendous scoreline never collapsed or looked downhearted. Their goal late in the second half was well taken and executed and deserved. However Poole are not unbeaten in the league for nothing and the visitors were outplayed across the vast Tatnam turf for almost the entirety of this game.

It took just 3 minutes for Poole to break them down and open the scoring with Steve Smith, starting as centre-forward, grabbing the early strike. Taffy Richardson netted the second on 10 minutes slotting home Smith’s cross from the right that had been intended for Billy Pearce to head home at the near post, but Smith lofted it just too high and it evaded both JBP and the Alton keeper’s leaps before falling in Taffy’s path in front of an open goal. 2-0.

Taffy was substituted by Dave Sturgess on 19 minutes and two minutes later Smithy grabbed his second to put Poole 3-0 ahead on 21 minutes with a header from close range with Alton’s defence all over the place.. Smith got his hat-trick on 28 minutes latching onto a long ball that caught the Alton back line way up the field and left their keeper Marc Cole with no option but to charge out to try to get to the ball first. But he was never going to make it and Smithy’s deft chip over his desperate lunge rolled into an empty net from 35 yards. Had Cole made contact he’d have had to have walked anyway. Charlie Austin got the fifth on 32 minutes, to help in his pursuit of VT’s Warren Hunt for the Golden Boot award, running on to Lamin’s long ball and beating Cole from 12 yards with ease. He almost had a second before the break but his header from Gilly’s cross went just wide of the post.

Half-time 5-0

With hopes of double-figures being reached emanating around the ground, Tom switched Russell Cook for Carl Poore with Gilly dropping back to allow Cookie to join the strike force and Jason Havell was given a sit down for the second half while Adam Tong, complete with Petr Cech helmet took the field for the first time this season. The chances at Cole’s goal kept coming but the marksmanship was now off for the Dolphins and the game was now beginning to lose it’s edge.

Russell Cook failed to get on the scoresheet, try as he might and even Austin’s prowess seemed to desert him as the pace of the game fell away. Alton’s lads though kept at it and on 66 minutes Dave Wing’s header beat Tong, but came back off the crossbar and was hammered to safety by Smith. It was a wake up call and Poole picked up the pace once again, but still got no closer to scoring. Simba Mlambo got the well deserved goal for the visitors on 76 minutes, when a cleared ball rebounded off of Luke Whitley into the path of the charging Alton lad. He took two paces and hit the sweetest of strikes that streamed past Tong beyond his fingertips to make it 5-1. However the scorers reward was to be immediately substituted, with Steve Graham also going to make way for Alton’s only two player subs.

That really kicked Poole into gear and Austin claimed his second goal on 82 minutes, coming in behind Sean Burton who merely headed on Skelton’s long ball to the back post into the path of Big Charlie, to bury under Cole’s diving form. 6-1. The seventh goal came in time added on and Captain Fantastic doubled his tally for the season heading in a free kick from the edge of the area out wide on the left that could have seen a penalty awarded. Browner was naturally delighted and the 7-1 win looked and was comfortable. But no discredit to Alton, who fought to the last despite the mountain they had to climb to even get a point.