INTERIM boss James Ellis is fully focused on helping Poole Town win football games rather than his own job prospects.

After the departure of manager Matt Tubbs on Monday, Ellis was appointed as interim boss at Tatnam Farm.

Whilst Dolphins are open to applications for the vacant role, a club statement announcing Ellis as interim implied that a strong end to the campaign would leave him well placed as a candidate.

But thoughts of next season are the last thing on Ellis’ mind as he plots another three points against Walton & Hersham on Saturday (3pm).

In his first game in charge, Poole ended a run of seven defeats with a 2-1 victory away at Gosport.

That match also represented Ellis’ first as manager of a senior team, with the former Cherries academy coach unfazed by suggestions that he is inexperienced for the role.

He told the Daily Echo: “I've been involved in football for a very long time, the last 12 years I've been in many different roles.

“You can single it down to an individual title.

“That doesn't necessarily mean that I haven't got the experience because I've been there in the different environments that have all sort of collated to where I'm at now.

“I'm certainly not worried about my perceived lack of experience.

“All I have absolutely promised the group is that they will have every ounce of my energy, commitment and time across the next eight weeks.

“The fans can expect and demand a group, that every single game, will apply themselves to the best of their ability, and they will go out there and they will fight.

“That is all I will promise.

“I'm certainly not giving a second thought to anything beyond the game on Saturday.”

Walton & Hersham are in sixth, just outside the Southern League Premier South play-offs, with Poole eight points behind in 11th place.

After securing a first win since January, Ellis says Poole will be looking to take momentum into the weekend.

He continued: “We will apply ourselves in exactly the same way we did (against Gosport).

“We'll go into it full of optimism and confidence and we concentrate on our performance, make sure our standards are at the very highest.

“We need to back up (the win against Gosport).

“It was great, but it was one fixture, and we now need to go back that up and put in another positive performance Saturday.”