BOSS Tom Killick saw Poole Town extend their lead at the Premier Division summit and then praised his players for their defensive resolve.

Steve Devlin’s 80th-minute penalty earned Dolphins a 1-0 victory at Redditch United yesterday – with a sixth successive win taking them five points clear.

Poole have conceded just twice in their opening eight league games and a clean sheet against the Reds made it almost six hours since their defence was last breached.

Killick told the Daily Echo: “We work very hard as a team when the other team has the ball. Defenders as individuals have done well but the whole team is very industrious and determined not to concede. We are looking strong in that department.”

Poole were forced into a late reshuffle as in-form striker Josh O’Hanlon was ruled out due to a dead leg sustaining playing for Cherries development squad on Thursday, while Mike Gosney became unavailable at the 11th hour and Luke Roberts was away. Keith Emmerson was pressed into service as an emergency striker.

“To describe it as a hard-fought win would be an understatement,” added Killick. “I got a lot more satisfaction from the result than I did from a lot of our other victories because we really had to push ourselves to the limit.

“Redditch are a good side with some very good attacking players so to keep a clean sheet was an excellent achievement. We are defending very well at the moment and I would like to think we had the better of the chances even if they were fairly even numerically.

“We were eventually rewarded when we won a penalty 10 minutes from time. We thought we should have had one earlier for handball and then we got one. We thought it was bizarre that the lad didn’t get sent off but we got the goal and the other team had no complaints.

“Keith Emmerson plays up front for his regiment but it is unheard for him to play there for us. There isn’t an awful lot of finesse there but he was a powerful and physical presence which was just what we needed in this game.”

Dolphins: Hutchings, Tallack, Walker, Whisken, Martin, Preston (Munday, 75), Burbidge (Davis, 81), Pettefer, Devlin (Lindsay, 81), Jermyn, Emmerson. Unused subs: Dickson, Manley (g/k).

  • Mark Gamble maintained his rich vein of goalscoring form as Wimborne came from behind to register a 1-1 draw with Division One South & West rivals Evesham at Cuthbury.

Striker Gamble, who hit 30 league goals for the Magpies last season, has quickly made up for lost time after missing the first three games of the season due to an ankle injury.

The Ulsterman followed up his hat-trick in Wimborne’s FA Cup win over St Austell by netting his fifth goal in three games to restore parity for the hosts on the stroke of half-time.

A disastrous opening spell for the Magpies had seen Harry Williams open the scoring for the visitors and linchpin midfielder Jon Blake succumb to a hamstring injury.

Blake was replaced by Andy Powell midway through the first half and is a major doubt for tomorrow’s trip to Yate.

Evesham were reduced to 10 men when midfielder Nathan Jackson was sent off after receiving two yellow cards but Wimborne were unable to find a winner.

Magpies: Harvell, Arnold, Maybury, Oliver, Costello, Davidson, Griffin, Blake, Webb, Gamble, Stokoe. Subs: Brimson, Biles, Powell.