Allen is focused on Bash's play-off bid (From Bournemouth Echo)

Allen is focused on Bash's play-off bid

7:00am Thursday 11th March 2010 in

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HOTSHOT Dave Allen admits he doesn’t mind who hits the target for Bashley as long as they don’t let a Southern Premier play-off berth slip away.

The in-form forward cracked his fifth brace in their past 12 games as the New Forest outfit crushed Brackley 5-2 to take his season’s goal tally to 19.

Then Bash’s leading marksman said: “The hat-trick still eludes me, but I’m not fussed who scores as long as we stay where we are in the table.”

Joe Maxwell, Matt Parnell and Mark Gamble also scored at the Recreation Ground as this midweek victory lifted Steve Riley’s outfit up to second in the Zamaretto League.

It means with 12 games to go, a play-off place is theirs to throw away.

Allen said: “We know we’re still not there yet. There’s more work to do. It’s quite tight below us. Six or seven teams can all make the play-offs, but we’ve put ourselves in a good position.

“But we only have to slip up twice and it opens the door. That’s something we don’t want to happen.”

Gamble, who has netted 16 this term, and Allen have notched 35 between them.

Allen said: “It’s fantastic to see Mark scoring those goals, especially after being released by Farnborough.

“Coming from there, he didn’t really have a point to prove, but he’s scoring for us, which is great. Brackley are a really good team and came at us for 15-20 minutes before we settled down.

“We got a bit lucky with them hitting the bar, but once we scored it all went our way.”

Allen, who picked up his 11th booking of the campaign against Brackley, added: “After scoring two goals, it’s a bit of a shame I’m suspended for our next two games, Didcot away on Saturday and Evesham on Tuesday.

“I’m sure, though, even with our small squad, we have enough good players to step in and do a great job.”

Bashley: Elm, Smith, Ferrett, Middleton, Parnell, Knowles, Kelly (Mason, 81), Allen, Maxwell (Keeler, 72), Gamble (Cream, 76), Knight. Unused subs: Gazzard, Prodomo.

<•>Christchurch lost 3-0 at Totton to bow out of the Hampshire Senior Cup at the semi-final stage.

Christchurch: Kearn, Dand (Costello, ht), Legg, Crutchley, Linpow, Taylor (Burden, ht), Smith, Bernard, Fairbrother, Jeffes (Osborne, 70), Price. Unused subs: Lucas, Rideout.

<•>Poole Town won 3-1 at Blackfield & Langley in the Sydenhams Wessex Premier with strikes from Carl Preston, Steve Smith and an own goal.

Poole Town: Jones, Dibba (Cook, 60), Walker, Lloyd, Whitley, Richardson, Gill, Dovell, Smith (Beale, 88), Brown (Robinson, 75), Preston. Unused subs: Sturgess, Ackerman.

<•>Andy Culliford grabbed Poppies’ equaliser in a 1-1 home draw against Romsey.

Poppies: Harvell, Arnold, D Wilson, Culliford, Blake, Saadi, Mansell, Phillipson-Masters, Bates, Glenister, Roberts. Used subs: Wrixton, Sanderson, Prior. Unused subs: Webb, Vaughan.