TOM Killick lauded Poole Town’s siege mentality in wresting the Southern League title initiative from Corby – even if he had hoped for a greater spectacle at Weymouth.

Dolphins withstood a late surge of Terras pressure in a 0-0 draw that took them back to the Premier Division summit on goal difference ahead of the Steelmen, the team they face in Saturday’s mouth-watering championship decider at Tatnam.

Killick bemoaned assistant referee Joanna Stimpson’s borderline offside decision which saw Poole captain Jamie Whisken denied a 63rd-minute goal at the Wessex Stadium.

But at the end of a scrappy contest of few chances, the Tatnam boss declared himself content with the result, if not the fluidity of the contest.

Killick told the Daily Echo: “It was end-to-end to a degree but neither side created that many chances.

“We felt aggrieved to have what we felt was a legitimate goal chalked off for offside. That would have made life far more comfortable for us but having not had the benefit of that decision, things remained very much in the balance.

“Weymouth’s situation meant they had to throw caution to the wind and they had five attacking players pushed right up towards the end. They threw everything at it and I thought we did well to withstand that.

“I would have preferred a quality game of football and for us to play to our full potential but in reality, which so much riding on it, things don’t always pan out that way.

“These games often degenerate into a war of attrition. At that stage you have to show mental strength and resilience and that was how it was.”

Meanwhile, Killick reserved special praise for last-minute stand-in keeper Jordan Seabright after Nick Hutchings had sustained a hip injury.

Seabright, who retired from the full-time game with Torquay United to pursue a career as a car salesman in March, registered on non-contract terms with the Dolphins after his Plainmoor exit.

Killick explained: “Having been inactive in match situations for quite a long time, we felt it would be sensible to play Jordan and he took to it remarkably well. It was an exceptional effort to step up in the manner he did.

“We had Ryan Thorpe, who has been a brilliant number two for us, but it would have been a big ask for him to play with such little experience.

“If Hutch had played and aggravated his injury, we might have needed to throw Jordan into a massive game on Saturday without any minutes under his belt.

“Hopefully, Hutch will be okay for Saturday but if not, Jordan goes into it having played 90 minutes in a competitive environment.”

Dolphins: Seabright, Tallack, Spetch, Butcher, Whisken, Pettefer, Burbidge, Devlin, Whelan (Roberts, 57), Gillespie (Quigley, 80), Gilkes (Walsh, 73). Unused subs: Emmerson, Lindsay.