POOLE Town’s season continued to peter out with a last minute 3-2 defeat away at Chesham.

Both sides came into the game with hopes of a playoff finish, with Chesham far better poised in sixth place with 62 points, whilst Poole arrived at The Meadow in ninth place, seven points behind Chesham with 55 points.

It was a tale of set-pieces for the goals, with the hosts taking the lead after a flicked on free-kick fell to Bradley Clayton midway through the second half, before Poole replied minutes later when top goalscorer Tony Lee sent a looping header into the net from a Corby Moore corner.

Poole were then gifted the lead when Cherries youngster Marcus Daws was taken out in the area by emergency goalkeeper Graham Stack. Lee stepped up to hand Poole a lead that only lasted ten minutes.

Substitute Malachy McGovern finished off a devastating counter attack to restore parity, before Jordan Edwards snatched all three points in added time.

Harry Hutchinson was drafted in for his first league start after spending most of the campaign dual registered with Wessex Premier Portland United, with Declan Rose dropping to the bench.

However, Rose would find himself back in the Poole defence just 25 minutes into the game, after Will Spetch could not continue with a foot injury.

The opening stages were cagey and low on quality, with the bumper crowd of 592 hardly entertained.

After the substitution of Spetch, the game sparked to life in terms of goalmouth action.

Throughout the opening half an hour both sides looked mist dangerous at set pieces, and that proved to be true of the game’s opening goal.

Chesham captain and centre-half Mark Kirby flicked on a deep free-kick to the back post, where the awaiting Bradley Clayton sent the ball past Mark Childs to open the score.

Undeterred by the setback, some consistent pressure on the Chesham goal led to successive corners.

Dolphins eventually turned the set-pieces into a goal, with Tony Lee sending a floating header beyond a stranded Strack.

With the scores level, the game returned to a poor affair that neither side took control of.

Chesham should have taken the lead early in the second half when Jno-Baptiste smacked his close-range shot onto the underside of the bar, but despite the early attacking threat, it was Poole who grab the game’s second goal.

AFCB loanee Daws was sent through with a ball over the top, only to be felled right on the edge of the box by goalkeeper Stack. A penalty was awarded, with Stack only shown yellow.

Lee stepped up to overpower Stack, with the Watford goalkeeping coach getting something but not enough to deny the former Eastleigh striker.

Poole began to natural sit back after taking the lead, eventually leading to Chesham second and third goals.

Jordan Gibbons drove down the right-flank before delivering a low cross into the box, allowing substitute McGovern to stab the ball home.

Deep into injury-time, Poole remained under pressure, and eventually that pressure told, when another substitute Edwards squeezed the ball home on his home debut.

The defeat leaves Poole 11 points off the playoffs, with five games to go.

Poole: Childs, Dickson, Whisken, Spetch (Rose, 26), Hutchinson, Moore, Wright, Holmes, Pardoe, Daws, Lee (Fletcher, 88)

Unused subs: Butler (g/k), Boutin, Mayo