A spirited performance where we pushed the hosts to the limit, ultimately ended in our second away defeat of the season at Gloucester on Saturday. Gloucester will almost certainly be there or there abouts at the end of the campaign so it was good to see just how far we have come that we pushed them so hard.
We remain in 3rd place in the table (P12 W7 D3 L2 24 points) and 5th place in the form table P6 W3 D2 L1. We now put that behind us and move on to the away fixture at Taunton Town on Wednesday evening ko 7.45pm.
Taunton started the season well but have run into problems recently as they slipped to 18th in the form table (P6 W1 D1 L4) including losing their last four league matches. They were well in contention for a play-off place last season until they lost valuable points on the run in. They drew 9 of the last 14 matches which saw them finish in 9th place on 57 points. The honours were even between us in the league; we won 1-0 at The Black Gold in August but lost at the Cygnet Health Care Stadium 2-0.
The Peacocks moved to strengthen their strike force during the close season by bringing in the extremely experienced Kane Simpson. He won back-to-back promotions with Frome Town and Merthyr Town, so was hopeful of securing three in a row. No doubt Taunton considered him a vital part of their promotion push after scoring 20 goals for Merthyr last season.
Taunton boss Richard Luffman has managed over 500 games, boasting a win percentage of nearly 70%, and has secured 8 trophies during his career. He previously managed Otterbourne, Alresford, and Cribbs – where he led the team to a Hellenic League Title and a League Cup. ‘Luffers’ left Cribbs in February 2024 with the team sitting 3rd in the Southern League Division One.
Pat & Joe recalled Kris Campbell to the starting line on Saturday for his 18 appearance this season. Born in Croydon, the 31-year-old started his career at nearby Bromley, initially as a goalkeeper before making the switch to defence at 17 years old. After short spells at Merstham and Dulwich Hamlet, Campbell re-signed for Bromley when the Ravens were in the National League. For the start of the 2018/19 season, Campbell joined Eastbourne Borough and made 66 appearances at Priory Lane in a two-year span. After short spells at Tonbridge Angels, Bognor Regis and Welling United, Campbell signed for Kent Rivals Dartford. He played a significant role in the push for the National League South playoffs for the Darts in which they were defeated in the Quarter Final to Chippenham after finishing in 4th place. Following Dartford, Campbell went on to play for Chatham Town and then Gosport Borough in the Southern Premier Division South before signing for National League South outfit Hampton & Richmond.
In the 2024/25 season, he made 29 appearances for the Beavers and scored on three occasions and secured eight assists and joined Poole in February and went on to have an instant impact becoming a significant part of why we stayed up. To the delight of Poole fans, Campbell decided to remain with the club until the conclusion of the 2025/26 season.
The Dolphins will be eager to get back to winning ways and keep pressure on the top sides in the league. There is bound to be a good following to Wordsworth Drive to give the lads the support that they love so much.
Enjoy the game
Neil Wellington.
