POOLE Town skipper Jamie Whisken is calling upon his side to “come back fighting” against Walton Casuals after their humiliation away at Hayes & Yeading last weekend.

Dolphins shipped six goals for the first time in eleven years as they lost 6-1 to the league leaders, highlighting just how far Poole were from their pre-season ambitions of a promotion hunt.

With the playoffs slowly looking unattainable, leader Whisken believes that Poole need to rectify their mistakes quickly as the season comes to a close.

In combination with a hopeful playoff push that will restart tomorrow against Walton (3pm kick-off), Poole also have a cup final with town rivals Hamworthy United on Tuesday.

Whisken told the Daily Echo: “It’s very tough to pick ourselves up from something like that, but we have no other choice than to come back fighting straight away.

“We’ve got tomorrow's game to rectify last week, and then we’ve got the Dorset Senior Cup final on Tuesday.

So, within a quick state of time, we’d like to think we can turn things back around again, but obviously it’s going to take an almighty push after last week, with people's confidence levels being where they are.

“But still, we’ve definitely got enough to do it.”

Since arriving from AFC Totton in 2013, Whisken and Poole have largely been involved at the top of end of the table, with the former Cherries youngster frustrated over how the season has panned out.

“We put the same expectations on ourselves that we have in previous years, we went into this season wanting to be up amongst it.

“Fair enough, we probably didn’t have the same budget we've had in previous years, but the players that have been there for a while still expect to be amongst it come the end of the season.

“That obviously is a tough one to take, but we're not (amongst it).

“I've said previously, it’s the first time I have been involved with the club in nine years that we've not had some of the fight for coming into the season.

“And that is tough to take, but we have to take it.

“We have to be ready, fingers crossed, to be at the right end of the table.”

In the aftermath of last weekend’s thumping, director Andy Rossiter told the Daily Echo that players at the club were “looking to play for their future at Poole Town”.

When asked how the dressing room reacted to the comments, captain Whisken revealed that he agreed with the sentiment behind Rossitor’s words.

“I found it quite refreshing to read to be honest,” he added.

“It might be fairly ruthless, but the people that it’ll effect are the people that maybe feel like their place is in doubt, and if they feel like that, then obviously they're not performing to a certain level that they need to at this club.

“I think we've had high standards over the years.

“Certain levels have been set.

“If you can’t come to those levels, maybe you shouldn’t be at the club.”