Dorchester Town vs Poole Town – Match Preview
Although the inclement weather was against us, the Dolphins put in a comprehensive display to win their fourth consecutive match at the BlackGold on Good Friday. Following on from the amazing 2-1 win at Merthyr last Saturday, Poole Town took all three points in a 4-0 victory over Swindon Supermarine who beat us 5-0 earlier in the season. We have now won 5 of our last 7 fixtures.
The win moves us up to 16th place (P40 W12 D10 L18 46 points) and gives us a terrific boost in our bid to avoid relegation. We are not quite there yet, but a return of 17 points from the last 9 matches has certainly changed the outlook dramatically. Two games to go of course, starting with the trip to The Avenue on Bank Holiday Monday.
Dorchester Town (P40 W17 D18 L5 69 points) are battling it out to earn that play-off place and join already confirmed AFC Totton and Walton & Hersham. Dorchester did their chances no harm at Badgers Hill on Good Friday by beating Frome Town 3-2 thanks to a Brett Pitman 89th minute winner. However, he was shown a straight red shortly afterwards for a dangerous challenge. They went into a 2-1 half-time lead but were pegged back with a Frome Town equaliser on 77 minutes. With the match looking like heading for a draw Pitman popped up to earn the Magpies the points.
The Magpies have lost just two of their 20 home matches; these were the 3-0 defeat by Hanwell Town in October and the 2-0 reverse at the hands of Gosport Borough in March.
It is clear to see the improvement in the performance of the team since the arrival of Pat & Joe. There is so much more attacking intent which has resulted in us applying greater pressure on the opponents defences.
One player who has benefitted from this approach is our popular striker Enzo Touray who was at Weymouth last season scoring 13 goals for them. He started his footballing career in the academy of professional Italian side Chievo Verona, before moving to England as a teenager in Reading’s academy. After impressing for Reading City in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North, he signed for Basingstoke where he continued to excel. Touray was Invited to trial with Watford, before the Hornets signed him on a permanent deal in the 2022 January transfer window. During last season, he was picked up by Weymouth and finished the season as their second top scorer with 13 goals in all competitions. He has scored 9 goals for us to date.
The weather forecast is for more rain over the weekend so conditions may be similar to Good Friday, although Dorchester play on an artificial pitch. We didn’t seem to pick up any injuries on Good Friday so Pat & Joe look to have a full squad to choose from.
With just this away trip and the home fixture with Chertsey Town to come next Saturday, the season is coming to an exciting end. A couple more points will surely keep us away from the relegation zone, so let’s continue the fantastic support for these last two fixtures before we head into the summer break.
Enjoy the game,
Neil Wellington.