Match Preview - Poole Town (A)
Dorchester Town make the short trip along the A35 to face Dorset neighbours Poole Town on Tuesday (7:45pm KO) in the Southern League Premier South.
The match will be the first of two local derbies for the Magpies in a matter of days, and will also see Dorchester boss Tom Killick plus a number of his squad return to face their previous club.
Both teams come into the match on the back of positive weekend results, which saw the Magpies win 2-0 away at Hanwell Town and Poole dish out a 6-0 home thrashing to Weymouth. It doesn't get much bigger than a derby fixture under the lights, so, if you can, please do get yourself down to the game to support the Magpies!
Here's everything you need to know ahead of Dorchester's visit to Poole.
Poole In Brief
Founded: 1890
Nickname: The Dolphins
Stadium: The BlackGold Stadium
Capacity: 3,100
Playing Surface: Grass
Ones To Watch
Former Magpie Shaquille Gwengwe has made an excellent start to his time at the BlackGold Stadium, where he is currently Poole's leading goalscorer (eight) in the league.
Harvey Slade is another name for Dorchester fans to keep a close eye on, with the midfielder delivering some imperious performances for the Dolphins this term. This includes last Saturday, when he was named man of the match in Poole's 6-0 drubbing of Weymouth.
The Gaffers
Joe Lea and Pat Suraci were appointed joint-managers of Poole last January, steering the Dolphins to safety from relegation in their first season. The duo had previously enjoyed successful management spells at Petersfield Town and Gosport Borough, taking the latter to the Southern League Premier South playoffs.
Previous Meeting
Last April, Dorchester beat Poole 3-2 in front of a bumper crowd of 2,644 at the Avenue Stadium - a result that would prove pivotal to the Magpies finishing the season in the playoff positions.
Matt Buse had given Dorchester an early lead, only for Ezio Touray to score either side of half-time to turn the game on its head. However, Dorchester equalised shortly afterwards, courtesy of a Marcus Daws header, before Olaf Koszela drove home a penalty to seal a memorable derby win.
Read Neil Walton's full match report from that day here!
