BOSS Tom Killick watched Poole Town bow out of the FA Trophy and then admitted an indifferent start to the season had highlighted their shortcomings.

Defeat in the second qualifying round replay at the Loop Meadow Stadium on Tuesday extended to four games Poole’s winless run and cost them a lucrative home tie with neighbours Dorchester in the next round.

The Dolphins, thumped 5-0 by Yate in the FA Cup earlier this season, headed to Didcot just a day after Southern League rivals Hungerford had replaced them at the top of Division One South & West.

Despite their lofty league perch, Killick believes exiting the FA Trophy in a replay against the Railwaymen needs to prove a watershed for the Tatnam outfit.

He told the Daily Echo: “I think we have reached a point where we have got to acknowledge that perhaps we are not quite as good as we thought we were. We have got to try to improve and it remains to be seen whether that means with the same personnel or by changing.

“Our performances have been indifferent since the start of the season and it is catching up with us now in terms of results. Previously, we had still been managing to get positive results without playing particularly well.

“I don’t know whether that was disguising our inadequacies a bit but we need to think carefully now about how we are going to go forward. If we carry on as we are, it is patently obvious that we are not good enough so something has got to change.”

Poole were on the back foot after Lance Williams had opened the scoring for the hosts in the 29th minute before Brian Bowles doubled their lead with an effort from near the halfway line in stoppage time. Didcot were reduced to 10 men following the dismissal late on of Morgan Williams for a second yellow card.

Killick added: “We were a little unfortunate not to get an equaliser when it was 1-0 but that was only after we had committed everyone forward. Until then, they had been the better side and that was the worry. It was an inspired performance.”

Dolphins: Hutchings, Baines, Spetch, Clarke, Dibba, Howes (Brown, 80), Kelly, Devlin (Emmerson, 43), Lamalli, Preston, Brooks (Wilson, 60). Unused subs: Richardson, Sturgess.