Next up is another away trip, this time into Devon to visit the Ian Moorcroft Stadium to take on Tiverton Town. They are currently in 19^th place in the table (P12 W2 D3 L7 9 points) but come into the match on the back of a thrilling 3-3 draw at home to Sholing. They led this match three times but were unable to hold on for all three points. The Yellows have won just one home match, that was the 2-1 over Winchester City and play in front of an average crowd of a little under 300.

Last season we beat them at home 2-0 but surprisingly went down 4-2 away in late January. In that defeat Tiverton’s Joe Parker was making his debut and scored two goals to get his Yellows career off to a flying start. This was at a time when both teams were looking for points to keep clear of the relegation zone. Tiverton did pull clear and finish in 14^th place but only four points ahead of the relegated teams.

The board of directors took the difficult decision to replace their management team of Leigh Robinson and Ben Gerring ahead of last weekend’s home match against Sholing. They have asked Asa Hall who joined Tivvy from Torquay United in the summer, to take temporary charge. He will be assisted by another established dressing-room figure in Niall Thompson, a popular part of Town life for several seasons.

The pair have wasted no time in recruiting a player who we faced when we played Taunton in the FA Cup in September at The Black Gold, Evander Grubb. The 20-year-old has made eight appearances for the Peacocks this season, starting the campaign with a bang when he netted twice against current Pitching In, Southern League Premier Division South leaders Gloucester City. Evander was with Bristol Rovers and Newport County as a youth player before joining Manor Farm, where his performances earned him a scholarship at Huddersfield Town, with whom he progressed through the ranks. He immediately opened his Tiverton account with two goals on Saturday in the draw with Sholing.

After Saturdays win, we sit just outside of the play-off places in 6^th (P12 W5 D4 L3 19 points) and look to build on our good away record, we have had two wins on the road, Marlow 2-1 and Frome 3-2 so another win on Saturday will keep the pressure on those leading clubs.

It’s going to be a fascinating match with Tiverton’s temporary management team eager to impress and move the club out of the relegation zone against a Poole Town side who are showing positive signs of improvement in nearly every game. Jamie Whisken and Josh Staunton have been solid in defence and have encouraged strong performances from those around them and hopefully Toby Holmes’s confidence will improve as he gets the goals that we know he is capable of.

Enjoy the game,

Neil Wellington.