TOM Killick admitted he had been “a little bit apprehensive” about Poole Town’s final-day trip to rock-bottom Staines Town before watching his side romp to a 7-0 victory to book their place in the Southern League South play-offs.

Ahead of the match, Dolphins knew a win against the Surrey outfit, who had conceded 161 league goals, would cement fifth spot. And they were well on their way after just 10 minutes when Marvin Brooks nodded home after finding space in the box.

Brooks made it a brace after 28 minutes before Poole turned on the style to claim a 5-0 half-time lead.

Veteran striker James Constable had been denied by the crossbar but he put his name on the scoresheet with a tidy lob over Louis Dixon. Jez Bedford and Sam Griffin finished off the first-half rout with a pair of smart finishes.

Adam Grange came off the bench to grab a double in a second half as Dolphins started to take their foot off the pedal.

Boss Killick told the Daily Echo: “I was a little bit apprehensive because everyone was saying it was a formality – we know they don’t really exist in football.

"It proved to be relatively straightforward, although I felt we were quite sloppy throughout the game.

“It wasn’t an awfully sharp performance and we will have to be a lot better on Wednesday night. It’s mission accomplished in terms of qualifying for the play-offs. To get ahead of Kings Langley, whose results have been strong, we had to have a powerful end to the season in order to retain that spot.”

Killick took the decision to substitute Brooks at half-time despite the midfielder being on the cusp of a hat-trick. The Dolphins manager confirmed the move was geared towards preparing the side for Wednesday, where they will face league runners-up Taunton in the play-offs.

“We took off Marvin Brooks and Jake Smeeton, because we wanted them to be nice and fresh for Wednesday,” said Killick. “We looked quite comfortable, and I also wanted to give some lads on the bench some pitch time too, as much as possible.

“We don’t seem to have picked up any injuries, so that is a positive going into Wednesday.”

Poole’s old adversaries Weymouth managed to maintain their nerve and seal the title, meaning Dolphins travel to Somerset against a Taunton side they recently lost to.

“We knew we would be facing either Weymouth or Taunton,” added Killick. “We’re quite knowledgeable about both, so it doesn’t make a huge difference. All we know is that it will be a tough game.”

Dolphins: Cairney, Leslie-Smith, Hanfrey, Spetch, Whisken, Smeeton (Clarke, h-t), Griffin, Dickson, Constable (Sampson, 60), Brooks (Grange, h-t), Bedford. Unused subs: House, Rolleston (g/k).