TOM Killick urged Poole Town to take the positives from another point on the road – and hailed the improved quality at his disposal.

The Dolphins boss said his team had faced a “tough” Beaconsfield Town side after the hosts fought back to earn a 1-1 draw.

Striker Luke Roberts netted inside four minutes on his return from injury.

The Poole marksman tried his luck from distance and a deflection sent the ball past keeper Ravan Constable.

Loan signing James Constable squandered an opportunity to extend the lead and score in his first game back with Dolphins.

Four minutes before the break, Rams striker Brendan Matthew drove into the box from the left and fired across keeper Luke Cairney to equalise.

That meant Poole had to travel back to Dorset with a point in Southern League South for the second weekend in a row.

Despite losing the lead, boss Killick said the result should not be viewed as a disappointment.

“Picking up points and not losing games is important,” said Killick. “Beaconsfield are a good side and they had a good win in midweek. I can see them picking up a lot more good results between now and the end of the season.

“You have to take the opposition into account. It wasn’t only an away game, it was against a tough Beaconsfield side.

“We have been starting well in games but we have not been doing as well in the second half. It is something we are aware of and we have to find a way to change that.

“It is strange because earlier in the season it was the other way round – we did not start games particularly well and did better in the second half.

“Sometimes it is just the way games pan out, particularly away from home, when you are going to go through phases where the home side has the better of it.”

The draw left Dolphins ninth in the division, five points outside the top five.

James Constable had taken his place in the starting XI after signing on loan from Eastleigh on Friday, while Roberts had been recalled after missing the past seven weeks due to a broken toe.

“We took a bit of risk because James hasn’t played many games,” said Killick. “He is not match fit but we knew he had the quality and experience to come straight in and do well, which was the case.

“He will just get better and better as his match fitness improves and it is the same with Luke Roberts. He has been out for seven weeks but I felt throwing him back in was the right thing to do because of the quality he has got.

“The squad is getting more powerful. I looked at the starting XI on Saturday and it was very strong. I then looked at the substitutes and we have people of the calibre of Richard Gillespie, Sam House, Jez Bedford, Carl Pettefer and Jake Smeeton.

“It bodes well because we did not have that strength available from the bench earlier in the season.”

Dolphins: Cairney, Alawode-Williams, Leslie-Smith, Spetch, Whisken, Dickson (Bedford, 66), Griffin, Moore, Constable (Gillespie, 74), Brooks, Roberts (House, 85). Unused subs: Smeeton, Pettefer.