BOSS Tom Killick admitted Dolphins must “be a lot better” if they are to get a result at Chippenham Town in National South tonight (7.45pm).

Beaten at home by East Thurrock 3-2 on Saturday, Poole Town make the trip to face the Bluebirds having picked up just one point from their previous two league outings.

Coupled with the fact that Chippenham hammered Killick’s men 4-1 in the FA Cup last September, the Poole manager is fully aware his side are in for a difficult test against last season’s Southern Premier League champions.

He told the Daily Echo: “We are going to have to be a lot better than we were on Saturday.

“We need to bounce back and Chippenham, in some ways, is an ideal game.

“They are a powerful side, we are away from home and everyone will know immediately that, if we are fragile in any way, then we might as well not bother travelling there.

“Straight away the players must have the mentality that it’s going to have to be a stronger performance.”

Poole, who have shipped five goals in their previous two games, will be wary of the threat posed by strikers Andy Sandell and David Pratt, who both scored against them in the cup last term.

Former Newport County man Sandell has been a huge hit at Hardenhuish Park since signing for Chippenham in 2015.

He scored 27 goals in the Southern League, as the Bluebirds romped to the title last term with 103 points.

Also boosted by frontman Pratt, the pair both found the net in their side’s 5-2 win at Bath City last week.

“Those front two are formidable. They work really well together as a pair and compliment each other in terms of the qualities they have,” Killick added.

Poole defender Will Spetch is a doubt for the encounter having picked up a dead leg at the weekend.

Dolphins: Hutchings, Moore, Spetch, Lindsay, Whisken, Smeeton, Baggie, Bedford, Cooper, Devlin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Burbidge, Lee, Dickson, Pettefer, Rees.