Change on the agenda at Poole Town after frustrating campaign

Despite lifting the Dorset Senior Cup in mid-week, there remains a lingering discontent around the club, from the fans, the players, and the boardroom over how Dolphins have faded away from the playoff race.

A 6-1 thumping to league leaders Hayes & Yeading two weeks ago was the first time under Killick Poole have conceded six in a league game, whilst also serving to highlight just how far from promotion they currently are.

With the exception of the 2017/18 campaign that ended in relegation from the National South, it is very rare that Dolphins have nothing to play for by the start of March.

Of course, behind on the pitch frustrations there are the growing questions marks regarding the club’s long term future. Poole fans grow frustrated by the lack of news regarding a new home, with an announcement promised pre-pandemic.

For Poole Town’s board, there is not much that can be said. A non-disclosure agreement means their mouths are sealed, and with the pandemic causing inevitable delays, they have been left catching the ire of fans who combine the poor form on the field with the perceived inaction off it.

Whilst there is an air of disappointment amongst the management and playing staff at the Black Gold Stadium, it would be unfair to say that they have given up completely – but there is a recognition that breaking into the top five come May will be a massive undertaking for a side currently 10th in the Southern Premier League South.

There have been mitigating factors. The amount of well-resourced sides in this year’s league meant there were always going to be strong sides that will miss out on a playoff position.

But whilst finishing say, sixth, and narrowly missing the playoffs would not have been a huge disaster, the fashion in which Poole have drifted away from the playoff picture is cause for concern.

One of the few bright spots in an inconsistent season was striker Tony Lee, who drew comparisons from a fellow prolific Poole marksman Charlie Austin with his early-season form.

By the time a collarbone snap paused his season, Lee had plundered 25 league goals in just 21 appearances.

Expectations were perhaps raised due to Poole’s flying form in the last season’s curtailed campaign. Dolphins were undefeated in seven, winning six and drawing once to top the table.

But that all counted for nothing, with Poole unable to recreate that form this season.

It is not as if the personnel have drastically changed from last campaign, or even the last time Poole won the Southern Premier League in 2016.

Stalwarts Will Spetch, Jamie Whisken and Corby Moore have racked up over 1000 appearances between them. Striker Lee was a fresh-faced loanee when Poole last won the title. Still in his early 20s, Jack Dickson was another member of that title-winning side.

Ex-Cherries talent Josh Carmichael may not have been involved in the Poole side that earnt promotion to the National South, but he was a part of the Weymouth side that achieved the same feat in 2019.

There is pedigree, experience and quality throughout the Dolphins side, leaving many to question why they have floundered this campaign.

No one asks that question more than boss Killick, who has been searching for consistency since August.

In a season where critique has been given out freely, fans have questioned whether Killick’s loyalty to long-standing members of the side has been to the team’s detriment.

When I put the question to him, Killick didn’t agree. He responded: “I don't think (that he has been too loyal to players.)

“I feel that the one thing that I would acknowledge is that in the past, where we’ve always pretty much always got into the playoffs, narrowly missed out in the last two or three years, then we've had the curtailed seasons, where we've been right at the top of things, the tendency is to think, well, it's not a lot that needs changing.

“When you have a season like we've had, where it's clear cut at the end that there's quite a gulf between us and the teams in the top four and five, then you start to accept that probably perhaps more significant changes are needed.

“You can't paper over cracks if there's been a gulf between us and some of the best teams in the league, we need to try and bridge it, and that will probably involve a certain change of personnel.

"You can't paper over cracks if there's been a gulf between us and some of the best teams in the league"

“But some of the problems this year - without making excuses - is just volume, in terms of players.

“But when I say volume, we played Gosport - they had five players on the bench that are real powerful, senior, well-financed players and probably then two or three in the stand.

“Then you go to Hayes and Yeading and they’ve got their top goalscorer on the bench.

“With the firepower and the squad they've got, they can put their top scorer on the bench. We couldn't dream of doing that.

“So it's not just about changing players. Sometimes it's about trying to add players, but I think it will be a combination of the two.

“There's going to have to be some changes. You can't just carry on the same and hope for a different outcome, as they say.

“So it focuses my mind on trying to be better.”

In a bid to sort out inconsistent form, there has been experimentation with different formations.

During a spell in January and February when Poole had no fit senior forwards, Killick opted to deploy two up-top – making stand-in strikers out of centre-back Spetch and winger Luke Burbidge.

“I think the constant change in a formation shows that we're searching for something."

However, despite a few decent results with the tactic, Killick has switched back to his trademark shape of four defenders, five midfielders and a striker.

When asked why he had swapped back, Killick revealed: “I think the constant change in a formation shows that we're searching for something.

“We've been searching for it all season, so I've tried three at the back and two up top and at times it's worked, but at times we've looked dreadful.

“Then you change it, and at times we've looked good - Saturday (against Walton) I thought we were reasonably good and we played 4-3-3, 4-5-1.

“So you suddenly think, well, perhaps that is, the old tried and tested, what I've sort of stuck by over the years, perhaps that is the way forward and then you put in a performance like that (against Hamworthy United).

“But I honestly feel, and I think the players will accept it, that you can no longer really talk about formations. The fact is, individually we're clearly not good enough.

“I hate to say it, but you've got players in the side who are just not performing a consistent level. If you were marking players out of ten (against Hamworthy), it would probably be three of our team, that will get three or four.

“Well, how can you play a team two leagues below and be that poor? It shouldn't be happening.

“So, it just emphasises really what I already knew. We need to improve significantly.

“You can't just keep us sending the same group of players out and expecting different results.

“You have to accept that things are going to change. I've known that for a little while, but (Tuesday night) reinforces it.”