MANAGER Tom Killick has revealed one of the secret weapons in Poole Town’s armoury – assistant boss James Wood.

Killick highlighted the work of his number two in helping to make Dolphins play-off contenders in their first season back in the Southern League.

The former Bournemouth Poppies boss joined Poole in the summer as the replacement for Steve Cuss, who departed following a successful stint at Tatnam to fill the Wimborne Town managerial vacancy.

And Killick has been delighted with the input Wood has provided.

He told the Daily Echo: “Woodsy has been a revelation for me this season.

“The players have the utmost respect for him and he always plays a huge role in what we do.

“Sometimes, people have different set-ups but because he has been a manager himself, he has got strong opinions and ideas and is not afraid to put them forward.

“He always has a strong influence on what we do.

“It would be wrong to have someone of his calibre and not allow him to have a significant input.

“I want to give credit where it is due and he is very good at what he does.

“As a club, we have got a lot to be thankful for that we have him.”

Having been elevated to step four as Wessex League champions, Dolphins have given themselves an outside chance of back-to-back promotions with a solid first half of the season.

Following Monday’s 3-0 win over play-off rivals Gosport Borough, Poole moved to within five points of the top five.

• Former Poole striker Tom Jeffes was expected to complete a permanent move to Southern League rivals Wimborne Town last night. The frontman had a spell on loan with Magpies earlier in the season.