Life without Charlie Austin began at the home of the Dolphins bogey team, namely any led by John Pyett, and currently Brockenhurst. With Charlie’s transfer to League one Swindon Town under serious negotiation making him unavailable, the recent departure of Robbie Woolner to Christchurch (the lad scored three goals in two games, both off the bench last week for his new club) and Stu Brown not able to make this midweek fixture, Tom’s strike options were cut to two, namely Russell Cook and Steve Smith and time for Smugger to prove he can fill some big shoes.
Poole got of to the worst possible start, in fact safe to say they gave Brock a five minute head start. With just 40 seconds on the clock Ben Kneller was gifted a clear run at Jone's goal when Taffy blocked Luke’s path to clear the ball and Kneller buried it into the far corner to put the home side one up. It was to be the first of a number of occasions where Taffy seemed to be in the way of a team mate throughout the evening, for the life of me I cannot understand his roaming role, when it works it looks inspired , but tonight he was all over the shop. Brock went 2-0 ahead on 5 minutes from a free kick some 25 yards out, Pete Smith had fouled the lively Kneller, and Badgers captain Liam Crook fired the dead ball round the wall into the far corner beyond Jones’ dive. Poole were just left on the starting blocks while Brock had done a whole lap and the home fans were buzzing.
Poole finally got going and Preston fired the Dolphins first shot from range which Frampton did well to tip over the bar. From here on in, even at 2 goals down, there was only going to be one winner - provided Poole could find the back of the net, as early on the last ball from either side was the only lacking element in what was a frantic and fine, fast flowing game of football. Poole’s sustained pressure around the Badgers area on 14 minutes brought three shots, two fine saves and a corner from which Steve Smith headed just over. Poole attacked again and from another corner were awarded a penalty for a push in the box which no one on the pitch remotely contested, although not many in the crowd appeared to have spotted the infringement. Steve Smith sent Frampton the wrong way and Poole were on the scoreboard at last. With 15 minutes gone the fight back was on.
Brock were still dangerous though and on 19 minutes, Jones saved from an unmarked Kevin James at point blank range when Poole’s back line was caught napping. On 22 minutes, Taffy fed Cook, whose run beat the offside and Frampton again fingered the ball away for a corner from which Lamin headed just inches over. Five minutes later Preston, Hubbard and Pete Smith played some pacy one-touch combinations that ripped open the Brock right wing and Preston’s shot from an acute angle was cleared of the line by Dave Marden with Frampton beaten.
Poole got caught again on the half-hour and having waltzed past all four of the Poole back line James Thompson fluffed the final shot and ‘back-passed’ it to Jones. He did it again having got clean through on 41 minutes , fluffing the shot to the derision of the home fans. But most of the flow was increasingly heading towards the Brock goal and they looked to have levelled the score just before the break as Hubbard’s free kick cannoned down off the bar and Taffy’s header was cleared off the line.
Half-time 2-1.
The second half was all Poole and what a display they put on again, Lamin Dibba headed over after just two minutes , then on 50 minutes, Pete Smith turned Sam Carter inside out on the left wing and sent a cross through the box that Steve Smith headed home at the far post to level the scores at 2-2. A minute later, Cook headed over Dibba’s cross and on 55 minutes, Smith got his hat-trick to prove he can fill Charlie’s boots. Cook’s scintillating run down the right turned goalward near the bye-line, skipped past two Brock defenders and delivered a perfectly weighted ball to the waiting Smith at the far post, Easy 3-2.
The attacks and shots kept coming and on 60 minutes Cook got his just rewards for all his efforts. The Brock defence fell asleep and a lazy pass across the back was picked up by Cook, Poole swarmed forward, stretching the already depleted defence but Cook went alone and slotted past Frampton from 18 yards, in off the post for 4-2. He almost had a second five minutes later, Frampton making the supreme effort to push Cook’s volleyed lob around the post from 25 yards out. On 75 minutes, Gill and Skelton replaced Trefor Smith and Preston for Poole and Richard Morse came on for Steve Marwood for the Badgers, and as happens, the nature of the game changed and the pace slowed a little. Sam Carter pulled a hamstring chasing down a ball with Pete Smith and was replaced on 79 minutes by Simon Young and that was about it.
Thompson was denied by the far post from a shot from a very acute angle on 88 minutes and Gill’s cross two minutes into injury time brought a final save from Frampton to deny Smith a fourth goal at the far post. A terrific game of football , well officiated too by the man in the middle, in my opinion.
