By Pete Martin
A crazy Tuesday night under the lights saw Salisbury FC win a 9 goal thriller 5-4 away at Poole Town. Following Saturday’s victory at home to Sholing, Brian Dutton made just 1 change to his starting lineup; James Harding coming in up front for Dan Fitchett.
It was the home side who started brightly, and after an early scare when former White’s striker Toby Holmes saw a shot blocked for a corner, they took the lead on 6 minutes; Harvey Slade feeding in Kyran Samadi who calmly finished into the back of the net. They threatened a second 3 minutes later but Kaya Tshaka could only shoot into the side netting following a quick break down the left hand side and it took until the 20th minute for Salisbury to threaten; Noah Coppin flashing an effort across goal from an acute angle. Poole were looking the more dangerous side and on 23 minutes Luke Pardoe drew a good save from Whites keeper Josh Gould as the away side struggled to get any sort of foothold in the game.
The lead was doubled on 36 minutes and it came after Aaron Simpson’s crossfield ball was intercepted by Samadi and he strode forward and coolly slotted home his, and his side’s second goal. There was another scare for Salisbury on 40 minutes when Holmes lashed the ball high over the bar, before a minute later they pulled a goal back with Sam Perry firing home his first goal for the club at the back post following a flick on from Charlie Gunson’s corner. It took just 4 minutes for Poole to fire back; Pardoe getting his name on the scoresheet with a controlled finish from just inside the area to send the home team in 2 goals to the good at the break.
Salisbury made 2 changes at the break; both Fitchett and new signing Jaden Perez coming on as they looked to turn the game around and within 5 minutes of the restart they had a goal back. Fitchett won the ball and cleverly flicked it into the path of Josh Hedges who came forward down the right and put the ball perfectly in the path of Gunson to sweep it home from 8 yards out. As had been the case when they got the first goal back, it took Poole no time at all to respond. A long ball was misjudged by Perry and it allowed Holmes to run in on goal and round Gould before sliding the ball home. The home side were continuing to look more likely and on the hour mark, a fine save from Gould was needed to deny Samadi his hat-trick, before the Whites started to get a foothold in the game as it entered the last 25 minutes.
On 75 minutes they should have pulled a third back but Fitchett managed to put the ball wide from 3 yards out when in space at the back post, but 2 minutes later he made no mistake from a similar position to reduce the deficit to just a single goal. Salisbury were buoyed by the possibility of snatching something from the game and they were handed the opportunity to level the game when Fitchett was tripped from behind in the box with 5 minutes left of normal time. Coppin stepped up to take the penalty and he gave keeper Lloyd Thomas no chance as he fired the ball down the centre of the goal. In a frantic end to the game Poole could have gone back in front on 89 minutes but substitute Tony Lee was desperately unlucky to see his curling shot from outside the box come back off the bar before, in the first of 8 additional minutes, the Whites completed the comeback as Coppin swept the ball home following a fine ball in from Simpson after a sharp break down the right hand side. The drama wasn’t over though as on 94 minutes Poole were awarded a penalty, Gould adjudged to have taken down an attacker in the box, but Lee’s effort was smashed high over the crossbar and Salisbury were able to see out the game and come away with all 3 points at the end of a classic encounter.
The Whites are back on the road this Saturday 3rd February as they travel to Bracknell Town for a 3pm kick off.
Team: Gould, Simpson, Smith(McIntyre), Jombati, Perry, Penny(Perez), Leggett, Gunson, Hedges, Coppin, Harding(Fitchett) Unused Subs: Took-Oxley, Robinson
