TOM Killick lauded his Wessex wonders for putting Poole Town in the promotion picture – but warned that the biggest challenge was still to come.

The Dolphins boss says he has been pleased to see a number of the club’s Wessex Premier title-winners prosper at Southern League level this season.

No fewer than nine of Poole’s championship heroes started their most recent game and 10 are named in the squad for tomorrow’s home showdown with Mangotsfield United at Tatnam (3pm).

Boosted by that continuity, Dolphins are pushing for back-to-back promotions and are two points outside the Division One South & West play-off zone.

But despite praising his players, Killick thinks he needs to strengthen his squad if Poole are to succeed in their next – and most difficult – task.

The Dolphins manager told the Daily Echo: “We had a bit of a sticky spell at the start of the season. Early on, I was questioning whether a few of them were going to be able to make the step up.

“But since then, the majority have done really well. We are in a position we are with, largely, the players we had last season.

“We got promotion at the third time of asking and some of the players had been loyal throughout that period, so I was always keen to see them have the chance to make the step.

“It has been pleasing that the majority have been able to do it.

“But we are still constantly looking to improve and know that we need to be stronger, in terms of personnel, than we are if we are going to be a force in this league.

“I am finding it increasingly difficult to get people locally who are going to improve us.

“So then you start looking at loan players and that is not ideal because of the temporary nature of it.

“To get us to the next stage is probably the biggest challenge we have had because we have exhausted a lot of the resources locally.”

Dolphins’ eight-match unbeaten run ended at Clevedon on Tuesday but a win against Mangotsfield could lift them into the top five, depending on results elsewhere.

Killick is set to welcome back Pete Smith, Michael Walker and Glenn Howes after the influential trio missed the midweek defeat.

Dolphins: (from) Hutchings, Gill, Baggridge, Spetch, Emmerson, Preston, Brooks, Richardson, Hubbard, S Smith, Cann, Clarke, Joyce, Beasley, Daysh, P Smith, Walker, Howes.