POOLE boss Tom Killick admitted his side were “inferior” to Totton during their 1-0 defeat to the Stags, stating that his side have to improve mentally if they are to live up to their pre-season tags as title favourites.

Former Dolphin and Cherry Jake Scrimshaw popped up midway through the second period to grab the game’s only goal, Totton having missed a penalty through Scott Rendell in the first half.

Poole came close to finding an equaliser in the closing stages, but after the dismissal of Wes Fogden for a second yellow their chances faded to a first defeat of the campaign.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, Killick shared: “I thought we were sort of inferior, really, on balance.

“I didn't really think we deserved anything.

“We could have got something, but not sure whether it would have been deserved.

“I think it’s important to allow that to sink in.

“We face up to the fact that we weren't very good again.

“We weren't very good on Saturday and we managed to get a draw that we barely deserved.

“(A draw against Totton) probably would have papered over cracks if we got something.

“Because we weren’t anywhere near the levels that I would expect.

“And fair play to Totton.

“I thought they were good on the night and as I said, I thought on balance, they did deserve it.

“Because although there wasn’t much in the game, I felt certainly they had the better chances. “Missed a penalty, looked to have a bit more control than us.”

Poole have made no bones about their promotions aims this campaign following an unsuccessful foray into the play-offs last term.

But with only four points from their opening three fixtures, there is concern that another poor start could damage their title chances.

“I think there's a bit of a perception at the moment where obviously Weston-super-Mare and Truro have gone out the league,” continued Killick.

“We ran them quite close last year, certainly in terms of our form at the back end of the season.

“So suddenly we were a little bit under the radar our last year, perhaps, and towards the end we became stronger and there was a bigger awareness of our capabilities.

“Perhaps this year there is a perception, and at the moment it doesn't look like it's a justified one, that we are one of the best sides in the league.

“I am seeing performance levels from opposition certainly in the last two games, that it'll be interesting to see whether on their part that's sustained.

“But that's the nature of the beast in terms of if you'd set your stall out to try and say you're going to get promoted, you have to be strong enough mentally to deal with teams raising their game.

“And I hope I'm not being disrespectful to Totton.

“They may say that they're confident they're going to play like that most of the season, and it may well be they do.

“But I do think that there is an element that you have to acknowledge that teams are going to be very motivated.

“So your levels have to be even better, particularly early on.

“Because early on, sometimes when the belief that a team has against you is tested and if you start strongly, then suddenly the belief can drain away from teams.

“But if you don't, it's the opposite.

"And they suddenly think, ‘hang on a minute, they're meant to be one of the best teams and it's there for us.’

“So suddenly all their levels go up, and then you have a hard time.

“They're just mental things that you have to deal with.

“At the moment, we're not dealing with them.”