On 23rd August 2008 Poole Town won their fourth consecutive league match to hit the top of the table for the first time with 12 points. They were never caught. A comprehensive demolition of Hayling Utd today saw them win their fourth consecutive league game again, reaching the top for the first time this season with 12 maximum points. And it's only the 22nd..............!

Ross Lloyd and Dave Sturgess made their first full starts for the Dolphins this season. Carl Poore and Mickey Hubbard were rested for this game.

Poole controlled this game from start to finish. On 13 minutes Cook fed the ball to Austin and he fired home to give Poole the lead. Ten minutes later and a Preston corner was headed superbly by Whitley and despite the clearance and protestations of Hayling defenders and management the referee and linesman both felt the ball had gone over the line and the goal stood.

On 37 minutes Cook turned in the box and saw his shot take a cruel deflection past the keeper to make it three and it was really then a case of how many Poole would get. On 38 minutes Trefor Smith went on a typical run and when it looked like a shot was on he slid the ball to Austin only for the young marksman to place the ball just wide of the post. Just before half time Sturgess clipped a nice pass into Austin and he produced a deft lob which bounced just wide with the keeper beaten. A minute later, however, and another Preston corner found Austin unmarked at the far post and he applied the finish.

Half time: 4-0.

The second half carried on in a similar fashion although, as often happens when a side is being completely outplayed, they tend to get over physical in an attempt to get the ball and there were a number of rash challenges as the game progressed - most aimed at the two tricky wingers Trefor Smith and Carl Preston.

On 55 minutes the best move of the game saw Austin produce a superb run before releasing Trefor down the right. His perfect low cross found Cook racing in and he finished well to maintain his personal battle with Austin for top goalscoring accolades.

Triple substitution for Poole followed as Hubbard, Steve Smith and debutant Robbie Woolner replaced Taffy Richardson, Charlie Austin and Russell Cook. Poole conceded a sloppy goal on 70 minutes when a left sided corner was not cleared allowing a Hayling player to poke the ball home at the far post.

With urgings from the Hayling bench to 'target' Trefor Smith he was still able to hobble past a couple of players on 77 minutes before firing home a bullet shot into the top right corner. Still Poole went for goals and Sturgess turned and set up Steve Smith brilliantly on 89 minutes before Smith's shot curled round the keeper and came back off the far post.

He got his deserved goal in injury time however when a great cross from Hubbard found Smith unmarked and he rose to thump a header pas the despairing Hayling keeper.

Much harder battles to come.