BOSS Tom Killick was "very pleased" with the "response" of his charges as they returned to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 win over strugglers Walton Casuals.

With postponements and poor performances limiting Poole to no wins in the league since September, Killick elected for a much-changed Dolphins side.

And the switches paid off with a Harry Baker brace and Will Spetch strike sealing a comfortable victory.

Killick told the Daily Echo: “I felt we were really good, very improved from Tuesday night (a 3-0 loss at Hartley Wintney). I was very pleased with the performance as a response.

“Walton are a decent side who like to play it out from the back, which we used to our advantage. They had a fair share of the ball, but we limited them to very few chances."

Killick opted to shift the aerial presence of Marvin Brooks to the wing, allowing Josh Carmichael to take up a more advanced role.

Jamie Whisken was withdrawn through injury early on, but Dolphins didn’t have to wait too long to get in front. Striker Baker continued his hot streak, latching onto Brooks’ knockdown to fire home after just 21 minutes.

Baker was back on the scoresheet just six minutes later, using his left foot to catch out goalkeeper Joseph Wright and double his tally.

That effectively ended the game as a contest, with stalwart Will Spetch tapping home in a crowded box on 53 minutes to ensure Dolphins returned home with all three points.

“We thought deploying Carmichael higher up the pitch would allow him to show off his attacking capabilities, and that proved to be the case," said Killick.

“Marvin may not have played on the wing much before, and has a natural tendency to come in narrower, but that didn’t matter too much. He offered us something different out on the right.

“Harry Baker looked sharp up front and took his goals well. I felt the whole team had a good performance – individually as well as a collective. I don’t think anyone put a foot wrong, despite how comfortable it was."

Killick added: “We were under a bit of pressure to come away with three points.

“I was pleased that we were able to do it with little fuss, but it is imperative we focus on our next few fixtures.

"Whether we play our next few fixtures is in the lap of the gods and down to the weather, but we have to be prepared to put in the hard work and earn points."

Poole creep back up the table to sixth place, with five games in hand on some of the sides above them.

They are back in league action on Tuesday night (7.45pm) when they entertain Beaconsfield at the Black Gold Stadium.

Dolphins: Childs, Dickson, Leslie-Smith, Spetch, Whisken (Jackson, 4), Smeeton, Carmichael, Moore, Baker (Dennett, 70), Brooks, Carmichael (Tavares, 77).

Unused subs: Phillips, Grange.