Poole Town

Poole Town FC is a non-league football club from the Dorset coastal town of the same name that was formed after two local clubs; Poole Hornets and Poole Rovers who’d both been formed in 1880, decided to merge as Poole FC.

The club became members of the Dorset League in 1896 as early matches were played on a pitch at Sterte nearby to Poole Harbour before the club joined the Hampshire League West Division in 1903 before returning to Dorset League in 1910-11 before another spell of Hampshire League football.

Following World War One Poole took up residence on Breakheart Lane which is now Linthorpe Road, while using changing rooms in the Shah of Persia pub under the name of Poole & St. Marys before reverting to Poole FC a year later.

Poole moved to the Western League in 1923 before becoming members of the Southern League and turning semi-professional in 1926. The following season Poole went on a run all the way to the third round of the FA Cup after defeating Newport County 1-0 at home and then Nunhead 2-1 away.

The run ended at Goodison Park as Everton won 3-1. The following season Pool went out in a first round replay away to Norwich City before falling at the same stage in 1928-29 in a 4-1 home derby defeat to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic.

The following season Poole pulled out of the Southern League with four games remaining owing to financial troubles before going into voluntary liquidation in May 1930. A new club, Poole Town was introduced within two weeks, joining the Western League.

The club moved into Poole Stadium on Wimborne Road in 1933 before going out of the FA Cup in 1946-47 to Queens Park Rangers 6-0 away from home in a replay after a 2-2 draw as well as finishing as league runners-up.

Further runners-up berths came in 1953-54 and 1955-56 before ‘The Dolphins’ were crowned as Western League champions in 1956-57 before joining the Southern League. The team were relegated from the Premier Division to the Southern Division in 1959-60.

Promotion was achieved in 1961-62 before another FA Cup first round appearance the next season ended in a 2-1 home defeat after Watford had been held 2-2 at Vicarage Road. However, Poole were relegated once again in 1962-63 before regaining their Premier Division status in 1964-65.

The 1966-67 season saw Queens Park Rangers visit Poole Stadium and leave with a 3-2 win in the first round of the Cup. Poole continued struggling near the drop zone of the Premier Division before being relegated to Division One South in 1972-73.

Town were runners-up in the Anglo Italian Cup in 1981 to Modena as members of the Southern Division of the restructured Southern League. In 1983-84 Newport County defeated Town 3-1 at Somerton Park in an FA Cup first round replay.

In 1988-89 the club was promoted as Southern Division runners-up before being relegated from the Premier Division in 1991-92. Town were forced to move out of Poole Stadium in 1994 after the widening of the greyhound track meant that the pitch didn’t meet the required size.

The club moved in as tenants with Hamworthy United, finishing bottom of the league winning just one game in 1995-96 and being relegated to the Hampshire League Division One and sharing grounds with Holt United.

Poole were unable to join the newly formed Premier Division in 2000-01 as the Petersham Lane ground didn’t reach the grading requirements so they moved to play at Tatnam in Poole at the Oakdale Junior School where an adequate venue was created.

The club moved forward into the Division Two Wessex League in 2004-05 finishing as runners-up and winning promotion to Division One from where they went up to the Premier Division in 2005-06 with Tom Killick as manager.

Plans were submitted but turned down by the Poole Borough Council Planning Committee for a new ground at Branksome Recreation Ground. Attention was turned to a Plan B of a ground at Canford Magna including a 3G pitch.

Town became Wessex League champions in 2008-09 before retaining the title the following season. The club sold leading scorer Charlie Austin to Swindon Town before making it three league titles in succession 2010-11.

Poole also reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase seeing off the likes of St Ives Town and Spennymoor Town along the way before going out 5-2 on aggregate to eventual winners Whitley Bay with the home leg drawing a crowd of 1,652 to Tatnam.

The league successes along with ground improvements allowed Poole to take promotion to Division One South West of the Southern League where they finished as runners-up in 2011-12 from where they lost the home play-off final to Gosport Borough after defeating Hungerford Town.

The Dolphins weren’t to miss out in 2012-13 as they were crowned as champions to win promotion to the Premier Division. In 2014-15 Town reached the play-offs but were defeated 1-0 by St Neots Town at Tatnam in the semi-final.

Once again Poole went one better after a second place finish as they lifted the Premier Division title to win promotion to National League South. Despite ending in fifth place in 2016-17 the club were not permitted to compete in the play-offs owing to a lack of seating accommodation at Tatnam.

Despite the goals of Warren Bentley, Town were relegated in 2017-18 to join the Southern League Premier Division South after the competition was restructured. The team again reached the play-offs defeating Taunton Town away on penalties before losing to Metropolitan Police at Imber Court.

The heavy rain throughout the 2019-20 season left the Tatnam pitch waterlogged for much of the campaign. Poole had only completed seven home games when the COVID-19 virus struck in March.

Poole Town FC will play in the Southern League Premier Division South in the 2020-21 season.

My visits

Poole Town P Hendon P (Tuesday 18^th February 2020) Southern League Premier Division South

My set of night shifts were done at work which offered me the opportunity to head to Dorset for a game that had originally been scheduled on a Saturday in December when I was meant to be going by car with Lee Cousins and Bob.

We’d endured a storm the previous Saturday which had seen the referee controversially call off the Hendon v Hayes & Yeading United match as the players stood in the tunnel waiting to come out as he considered the wind too much because a corner flag blew over.

It hadn’t massively impressed those of us present, but the weather seemed to have improved over the next few days. Poole put off their pitch inspection to 1pm but confirmed that the local ref said that it was good to go.

Despite this I set off to join the team coach in North Watford with a sense of trepidation. Poole had already called two matches off at the last minute earlier in the season. The rumour was that they were desperate to get a game on as their money was running out.

I must admit to having slightly negative thoughts towards our hosts before arrival. On their first visit to Silver Jubilee Park a couple of years previously when their manager decided it was below him for his players to wait for their post match food so he grabbed what grub was on the bar and marched out with it without paying for it after a 1-0 defeat.

It was good to meet up with friends who were also boarding the luxury vehicle for the trip as we joined directors, players and management. We had a good chat and catch up as I sat next to Trust board man and drinking pal John Rogers.

Talk was of the weather, with many expecting a phone call to postpone the game. Twitter was being checked with alarming regularity. Lee phoned to tell me a Poole based mate of his had said they’d had a heavy shower. He was about an hour behind us in his car.

We had a bit of rain on the windows but nothing too severe. The traffic was horrendous meaning that there was no time for a stop. One of our pair of drivers just about got us down the narrow lane to the ground entrance.

Tatnam was yet to be opened for spectators as the team went in with their gear. We were waiting to gain access as a couple of home players came from the pitch. It didn’t auger well when one said that the puddled car park was drier than the pitch.

A lady steward came down the lane to tell us that the game was off. It’s fair to say that we were not very happy. We were let through and I took the opportunity to go inside and take some photos of the ground, which had a long cover for the standing fans behind the far goal and a long low modern seated stand down the far touchline with open standing elsewhere.

Dons manager Lee Allinson was in talks with the ref trying to get him to give the groundstaff a chance to fork the waterlogged areas. Lee had told us on the journey that he wanted the game played. One old gent was doing his best with one fork to make a difference.

The players came off and said that the bottom end was really bad and couldn’t believe that it would ever have been fit when it was earlier inspected. The Poole players weren’t hanging about to offer it a second chance as they quickly departed.

The clubhouse remained closed along with the refreshment facilities. The visiting directors weren’t even offered a cup of tea. We used the gent’s toilets in darkness before making our way back to the coach with a disgruntled set of footballers.

There were too many games being called off after passing inspections, and not just at Poole. It was far too easy for local refs to stay onside with their club before the match officials could then make the postponement and still pick up some expenses, knowing full well that they or their colleagues would be required for the rearranged game. In my view anyway.

These things happen in football, but it leaves a bitter taste when often it is avoidable. My pals who I’d kept informed throughout couldn’t believe it. At least Lee could turn back an hour short of Poole in his car.

To me the situation was best summed up in a Tweet by midfielder Sam Corcoran who said, “This is the reason people give up playing non-league because of the shambles of making people take half day and travel 4 hours when it was always going to be off.”

The journey back was truncated with a stop at the services so that the players could grab food and drink. Unfortunately, no alcohol was on sale anywhere. As someone noted; “seven hours on a bus for a McDonalds.”

One of the erratic drivers had a prang in the virtually empty car park which livened things up as the driver of the other car naturally offered his opinion. It was around 9.45 when we returned to the coach depot.

Young Jatin Guntupalli, a student who’d adopted the Dons and was doing some amazing work as a volunteer for the club was kind enough to give me a lift all the way back to Kingsbury meaning that at least I could grab a couple of hours in the pub.

Poole Town 1 Hendon 0 (Saturday 17^th October 2020) Southern League Premier Division South (att: 476)

Our return to the south coast a few months after the previous wasted journey saw a compelling well competed game of football decided by a solitary goal, once again leaving this Dons fan heading home with a bit of a sour taste in the mouth.

Lee picked Bob and I up at Harrow-on-the-Hill before we headed to Carpenders Park to collect Chris Rogers. Chat of local interest and football was soon in full swing. I always try to take in new places and my fellow passengers had plenty of information.

Being a decent forgiving chap, I was determined to wipe the slate clean of previous memories of Poole Town to go with a clear mind. The journey down was good as we arrived at the outskirts of town at around 1.20.

I’d done my online research and noted down The New Inn on Wimborne Road on the way into town, chosen because it advertised football on TV, food and two cask ales. There was no TV or food though the one ale on offer, Ringwood Boondoggle was pretty good.

One of our party thought the pub to be like the one from Shameless though I didn’t mind it. Waiting for table service was a bind like in all establishments during the Coronavirus pandemic, but it was obviously difficult times for pubs not knowing what to spend cash on or to employ staff.

We had been forewarned that there would be no food or drink available inside the ground, but the Centenary Club, further down the same road would be welcoming away fans. I phoned Tom Stockman who confirmed that’s where he was with several other Hendon fans.

We parked for free outside Poole Stadium, a venue that would be perfect for the football club if common sense prevailed, despite it looking like desperately in need of plenty of TLC from an outside glance.

Crossing the road, I saw the entrance to the Centenary Club, a nice shiny archetypal sort of place. The keg IPA was OK, but it was a bit of a shock and what I consider a bloody liberty to enter at 2pm and each of us to be charged £2 membership. Hey ho.

It was around a 15 walk back up to Tatnum. My three pals went to a chippy as they wouldn't be able to get food at the ground. I walked on with a large group of local lads who were very friendly and chilled.

Perhaps it may have been because I was with them that I encountered some pretty abrupt and panicky customer service from stewards at the gate, one of whom reminded me of Jack Ellis’s role in Bad Girls.

Maybe they were off duty from the local Football League scene, desperate to offer their full range of attitude on unsuspecting non-league fans? I appreciate that we are in unprecedented times but there are ways of talking to customers and people in general.

They say that you shouldn’t let first impressions cloud your mind, but some of the group in orange jackets did me the favour of eliminating any further doubt throughout our brief stay. Admission was £12 by advanced ticket only, while programmes were available to download online.

The Black Gold Stadium as Tatnum had been renamed in a sponsors deal was a decent enough venue, at least in daylight, if a little hemmed in and lacking some facilities. Ironically it had two concessions selling hot food and drink which would have saved my pals missing the first couple of minutes of the match had they known!

Portaloos were the order of the day as the permanent toilets by the clubhouse were out of bounds. It was while I queued and used one of only three by the main entrance, that I missed the turning point of the game.

Sam Corcoran put his complaints from his previous visit into context when he was sent off for an alleged show of petulance within a minute of the match starting, by young referee Craig Scriven who looked like an MP’s researcher on work placement.

I found a gaggle of regular visiting fans on the open terrace near to the seats and heard similar stories of a lack of hospitality. To be fair the local fans were fair. Tom said the chips were cold but the pies nice.

The Dons put on a superb showing in the first half, limiting a very decent Dolphins side to minimal chances on a pitch which was hard and bumpy. Jonathan North made a decent stop while Joe White had a header cleared off the line at the other end by Will Spetch.

Joe Howe chased back to make a tackle on a Christian Saydee who was clean through that had our group purring with appreciation. I was maybe slightly over the top but compared it to Booby Moore’s famous challenge on Pele in Guadalajara.

We were really happy with the way things were going and it was mentioned that the Dons needed to hang on until the interval. Famous last words. Hendon’s delivery from set pieces throughout the afternoon were poor. It was a pet hate of mine in football to see the ball failing to get past the first defender.

It raised its head to devastating effect in added on time as Poole cleared a free kick and broke away. The visitors raced back and slowed things down before a Saydee effort was blocked with the ball falling into the patch of Carmichael, whose well drilled low shot from the edge of the box gave Jonathan North no chance.

The second half was like a modern bag of Walkers crisps. There was not a lot in it. Luke Burbidge volleyed over for the hosts which was followed by a similar effort from Tony Lee. Poole looked dangerous on the break, but Hendon had lots of possession.

Lee Allinson rung the changes trying to inject extra pace. Home full back Declan Rose was sent off for two soft yellow cards by Mr Scriven who gave the impression of trying to even things up. He was obviously a fan of Saturday night administration if the sporadic manner of his showing of yellow cards was anything to go by.

White missed a good chance when he lobbed wide over advancing keeper Mark Childs. Our venerable secretary Daz Bloor suggested bringing on Tommy Smith and sending him up front. Obviously carrying some previously unnoticed telepathic understanding, the gaffer did just that and it immediately caused problems.

It created a chance for Shaun Lucien, but he dallied just long enough for a defender to get a block in. After that it was hardly lumped forward again. No Hendon fan could fault any of the lads for effort. They couldn’t have given more.

The frustration was probably best summed up with the final play of the game. Everyone, keeper North included, went up for a corner. Huseyin Biler’s kick went out before reaching the box. I was fizzing.

It wasn’t to be for Hendon. Fair play to Poole who are a good outfit. I left hoping that some of the stewards who I had come across had miserable winters. At least they reminded me why I had fallen out of love of going to matches higher up the food chain.

We walked back down the hill and were soon on the road. I was between night shifts and was soon nodding before waking up approaching Fleet. Lee drove expertly as ever allowing me a brief siesta before heading off to work.