TOM Killick reckons Weymouth supporters should be more concerned with their club’s on-field fortunes instead of bashing Poole Town’s facilities.

Killick’s men claimed the Dorset bragging rights with a 2-0 victory over the Terras at Tatnam on Tuesday, despite a 40-minute delay after the floodlights failed.

Online barbs from the away fans soon turned towards Poole’s modest headquarters, while the stoppage was labelled “embarrassing” in a post on Weymouth’s official Twitter feed.

 


But having guided his side back to the Southern League summit with a win that put Poole 10 points clear of Jason Matthews’s men, Killick gave short shrift to the detractors.

Killick, who insisted no remarks had been made by Weymouth’s players or management, told the Daily Echo: “We don’t try to pretend our facilities are as good as we would like them to be.

“It has been a constant struggle and we probably have to understand and accept criticism for that but the comments don’t bother me too much, we are used to it.

“We would like better facilities but from a manager’s point of view, if your surroundings are not particularly palatial then it can help you in terms of the motivation felt by your opponents.

“We want to be judged on the pitch. We won the game and are higher in the table and I think that’s what I would want to concentrate on. Perhaps people need to consider that.

“Weymouth have a big history as a top club and very good facilities. When they come to a place like Poole and lose, they’re not going to be happy about it. I understand that.

“It is a natural assumption to gauge a club’s size and standing by its ground but I think that is a dangerous misconception to have.

“We are just concentrating on doing as well as we can in the league and perhaps that’s what they should be doing.”

Killick conceded the match had been dull prior to the stoppage but Poole did not look back once Marvin Brooks scored shortly after the dismissal of Weymouth’s Shane Krac in the second half. Luke Roberts ended the contest with 14 minutes to go.

“It was vital for us with the results we have had,” he added.

“Some people might say the lights going out was the most entertaining part of the evening. It wasn’t much of a game, although it did get better as it went on.

“The pitch was extremely heavy so it was hard for the teams to string anything together which affected the game as a spectacle and in turn, that affected the crowd.

"But things picked up and there seemed to be quite a bit of passion once everyone got going. Eventually, it livened up all round.

“We were on top in the second half and I was confident we would make the breakthrough. The sending off was an advantage but I think we would have got the result even if it had stayed 11 against 11.”

Dolphins: Hutchings, Lindsay, Spetch (Tallack, 89), Walker, Whisken, Pettefer, Burbidge, Devlin, Gillespie (Roberts, 53), M Brooks, Dickson (Gleeson, 84). Subs not used: Connell, Rees (g/k).