Saturday 15th March 2025. Southern League, Premier Division South.
Walton & Hersham 2 Poole Town 0.
Swans returned home after three weeks away and picked up another win, extending their unbeaten run and maintaining third spot in the table. Although they played a side struggling to get out of the relegation places, the win was in no way straightforward. The Dorset side proved determined opponents, their performance belying their low place in the table. With Swans only showing flashes of their recent good form, the visitors had arguably the best of the chances, dominating spells of the match, and they will feel disappointed they left having not helped towards their survival fight.
Apart from Jos Barker returning in goal following his mild case of concussion, Swans starting line-up was unchanged. It was an eventful return for the keeper, as he was kept busy by the Dolphins, making several fine saves. Among the substitutes was Wayne Ridgley, who has joined from neighbours Chertsey Town for a second spell at the club. The midfielder, who first played for Swans in the 2018-19 season while a member of the club’s U18s, came on in the second-half and helped steady the ship.
Both sides had chances with just two minutes played. Swans’ Ralph Vigrass dispossessed his marker on the left and cut into the box, but his shot was blocked.
Poole immediately got forward, and when Selim Saied was found on the left he played the ball through to get Ezio Touray clear to the edge of the box, but Barker came out to make a great block. A loose clearance led to the ball coming out to Tyrique Clarke, but he sent a wild shot high and wide of the right post.
Poole continued to have the better of the opening exchanges, pressing high and denying Swans much opportunity to get forward. Vigrass was a good outlet on the left however, his pace and trickery causing problems, and a terrific cross-field ball from Bobby-Joe Taylor deep on the right picked out his run to the corner of the box. Vigrass brought the ball down superbly to drive into the box, and his shot brought a fine save from Poole keeper Ben Taylor at his near-post. The corner from the left, taken by Mason Obeng, was met by the head of a Poole defender at the near-post, and the ball looped into the 6 yard-box. Eoin Bolger got in a header, but he was under pressure and the ball bounced wide of the far-post. Vigrass continued to be Swans’ main threat, and when he was again found on the left by Obeng, he drove into the box. He appeared to have his heels clipped, but did not go down and was closed out.
The visitors did not look a relegation threatened side, and they had another fine chance to take the lead after a quarter of an hour. They broke through the middle and Saied was played clear into the right of the box, but he sent a low shot wide of the far-post.
It was Swans however who took the lead after 21 minutes with a fine goal. Thabo Kuaho’s throw-in on the left found Dawid Rogalski inside his own half on the touchline, and he stroked a great pass with the outside of his right foot to send Taylor driving forward from the centre-circle. After being forced wide, Taylor cut back inside across the front of the box past both Christos Batzelis and Charlie Davis, before striking a terrific, left foot shot past his namesake in the Poole goal.
The visitors had an opportunity to hit back with a free-kick awarded 25 yards out, but Davis drove the ball straight through to Barker.
Swans almost scored a second goal out of nothing when Poole keeper Taylor dwelt on a back-pass on the left edge of the box, and Rogalski nipped in to nick the ball off him. The ball did not run kindly for the Swans’ striker however, and by the time he turned to get in a low shot, the keeper had recovered and made a fine save.
After an uncertain start Swans had settled, but the visitors again went close. Saied did well just inside the box on the right before sending Clarke in to the corner of the 6 yard-box, but Barker made a fine save at his near-post, keeping the ball safely in his grasp.
With ten minutes remaining of the half Kuaho was played clear into the left of the box to play the ball low across, but there were no Swans’ teammates backing up. Obeng forced a corner on the left, and when he swung the kick in the ball appeared to be kept out of the far corner by Taylor tipping it over, but the referee awarded a goal-kick.
Poole made a good start to the second-half, looking determined to get back into the game, and they won free-kicks in quick succession just inside Swans’ half. The first, delivered into the box from the right by Davis, was well claimed by Barker coming out. Davis sent the second in from the left to the far-post, where Josh Staunton got in a looping header that Barker kept out of the top, left corner with a great tip-over save, but the flag went up for offside anyway. The Swans’ keeper was soon going down to save a low shot from the left edge of the box from Saied. Chances continued to come in quick succession for Poole, and Clarke sent another shot wide of the left post from the edge of the box, before Barker went down to save another shot from a similar position.
Swans were finding it difficult to deal with Poole’s high press, being pinned deep in their own half. They tried to settle things down by playing it out from the back, but a stray pass led to Kristian Campbell having a chance on the edge of the box, his shot bringing a fine tip-over save from Barker. Davis’s corner from the right was punched behind at his near-post by Barker, the second kick being headed away by Taylor. The visitors looked fortunate to be awarded a free-kick on the left, just a yard outside the box, and when Davis whipped the ball in it deflected off the head of Kuaho at the near-post and was blocked away. Harvey Slade followed up with a shot into the pitch, and Barker made a superb grab, going to his right to keep the ball out of the top, left corner. Poole continued to press, and the ball was driven across Swans’ goal-face, taking a deflection for another corner on the left.
Swans’ then brought on Ridgley for his first appearance since 2018 to replace Vigrass, and they began to wrest some control back. Rogalski was fouled on the right, giving them a free-kick, but Taylor’s delivery into the box ran through to the Poole keeper. A second goal was needed to see off the visitors’ challenge, and it almost came midway through the half. Kuaho’s ball down the left found Ridgley, and when Obeng took over to lay inside to Rogalski 25 yards out, he struck a terrific shot that keeper Taylor just got a touch on to deflect the ball onto the right post.
Ridgley was then in the centre-circle to play the ball through to Taylor, who laid off for Rogalski to play Obeng into the left of the box, but under pressure from Harry Thomas he shot into the side-netting.
Poole were still a threat, and after they forced a corner on the right Barker had to save again from a shot close-in at the far-post. Keeper Taylor then came out of his area to send a long kick down the left, and Slade’s pressure led to Touray getting in a shot from the corner of the 6 yard-box that Barker again did well to turn round his near-post. A dangerous cross from the right was well headed clear at the far-post, and Davis drove a long range effort wide of the left post.
The second goal Swans needed came with ten minutes remaining. Ridgley won the ball just outside his own box and got forward to the centre-circle before releasing Johl Powell. Powell drove into the box, and after initially looking to have lost the ball to Batzelis just inside the edge on the right, he was pulled down by the Poole left-back and a penalty was awarded. It looked for a moment that Taylor would take the kick, but it was Rogalski who took responsibility, driving the ball firmly down the middle.
Poole forced a corner on the right, but wasted the opportunity by sending the ball straight behind. They then had a free-kick outside the left of the box, but Campbell drove over. Another free-kick followed, out on the left touchline, but the ball was cleared.
Swans were then able to keep the ball mainly in the visitors’ half in added-on time to see out the win.
Swans’ Team: Jos Barker, Elliott Bolton, Thabo Kuaho, Joey Jones, Junior Eccleston, Eoin Bolger, Bobby-Joe Taylor, Mason Obeng (Anis Nuur 88’), Dawid Rogalski, Johl Powell (Alex Body 88’), Ralph Vigrass (Wayne Ridgley 66’). Subs. not used: Lucas Defise, Kyron Horsley-McKay. Scorers: Taylor (21’), Rogalski, penalty (80’).
Poole Town Team: Taylor, Batzelis, Staunton, Whisken, Davis, Touray (Ashton 83’), Campbell, Thomas (Hanger 72’), Saied (Lowes 86’), Slade, Clarke (Stevens 72’). Sub. not used: Smith.
