By James Gray
Dorchester Town welcome Dorset neighbours Poole Town to the Avenue Stadium on Saturday (3pm KO) for our latest clash in the Southern League Premier South.
Both teams will be looking to bounce back to winning ways, with Dorchester's recent unbeaten run ended midweek by Chertsey Town while Poole lost 2-1 at home to second placed Gloucester City last weekend.
Poole won the reverse league fixture 2-0 back in October, and Dorchester interim boss Wes Fogden will be all too aware of the threat posed by the promotion-chasing visitors.
It's all set up to be another bumper occasion at the Avenue so, if you can, please do make your way down and help cheer on the lads in black and white!
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the visit of Poole.
Poole In Brief
Founded: 1890
Nickname: The Dolphins
Stadium: Tatnam Stadium
Capacity: 3,100
Playing Surface: Grass
League Position: 3rd
Ones To Watch
Former Magpie Shaquille Gwengwe has enjoyed a standout debut season at Poole, currently topping the Southern League Premier South goalscoring charts with 34 strikes to his name.
Elsewhere, full back Ryan Campbell has been a ever present member of the Dolphins backline this campaign, proving equally adept at linking up attacks and snuffing out danger from opposition wingers.
The Gaffers
Joe Lea and Pat Suraci were appointed joint-managers of Poole in January 2025, 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
Earlier this season, goals from former Dorchester pair Antonio Diaz and Gwengwe were enough for Poole to dispatch the Magpies 2-0 under the lights at Tatnam.
Diaz opened the scoring midway through a competitive first half, with a delicate finish past the onrushing Joe Besant in the Magpies goal.
Dorchester enjoyed a fast start, after the half time break, but it was the Dolphins who grabbed the contest's decisive second goal amidst controversial circumstances.
As Poole attacked down Dorchester's left flank, Ollie Haste looked to have made a superb last-ditch tackle on Diaz only for the match referee to take a different view and award a penalty.
Gwengwe stepped up and calmly slotted his spot kick home to give his side a lead which would prove too much for the Magpies to recover from.
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Form Guide
Magpies - WDWWL
Fogden's unbeaten run as Dorchester interim manager was ended midweek at playoff chasing Chertsey, with the Surrey-based side winning 2-1. The Magpies had previously enjoyed a near perfect run of results in February, which included wins over Yate Town, Evesham United, Tiverton Town and Wimborne Town.
Dolphins - LWWWL
Poole have lost only twice in the league since the turn of the year and, prior to losing 2-1 at home to Gloucester last weekend, had won three games on the bounce, defeating Hungerford Town, Basingstoke Town and Berkhamsted.
Magpies Mind-Boggler
1.) The last time these two sides met at the Avenue Stadium saw a bumper crowd bear witness to a thrilling 3-2 win for the Magpies in April 2025. Can you name all three goalscorers for Dorchester in that victory?
2.) Our interim boss Fogden has represented both Poole and Dorchester in his playing career, but who has he made more appearances for?
See answers at the bottom of page
Team News
Harvey Wright could be set for a return to the matchday squad, after nursing an injury picked up during the draw with Gosport. Otherwise, Fogden is largely expected to select from the players who were available for the midweek trip to Chertsey.
From The Dugout
Magpies
Dorchester interim boss Fogden, speaking ahead of Saturday's game, said: "The lads trained extremely well tonight [Thursday] and the attitude in the group is excellent.
"We’re now looking forward to Saturday's match, which will be another fantastic challenge and one we're really excited about."
Dolphins
Joint-manager Pat Suraci, speaking to Poole's media team after last weekend's defeat to Gloucester City, said: "I think it will be really, really tough.
"They've obviously come into some really good form since they've changed management. I don't think there's any point in anyone looking at the league table.
"I think [in] derby games a lot of context sort of goes out of the window. We're going to go there, they'll be right up for it, they're in a relegation scrap, but, like I said, they're probably a bit more confident than they were a month or so ago.
"So we've got to pick ourselves up. It will be a different type of game than when we went there last year. We were fighting for our lives last year and they were trying to win to get in the playoffs and I think those roles are reversed."
Admission Prices
Tickets for the visit of Poole can be purchased in advance via the Fanbase app here. Prices are as follows:
Adults: £12 in advance online /£14 on the turnstiles
Concessions: £10 in advance online / £12 on the turnstiles
Students: £9 in advance online / £11 on the turnstiles
Aged 12 to 16: £4 in advance online / £6 on the turnstiles
Under 12s: £1 in advance online / £3 on the turnstiles
Travel Information
Full travel information on how to reach the Avenue Stadium can be found here.
Matchday Information
Please note that this match will be segregated, with away fans allocated the Tesco End and half of the Railway side of the ground only.
We are expecting a big crowd so recommend buying tickets in advance to save time and avoid queues on the day.
Turnstiles will open at 1pm. We recommend getting to the ground early to help avoid large queues nearer kick off.
More information can be found here.
Live Coverage
Can’t attend the game in-person. Make sure to drop us a follow on our official X account for live updates once the match action gets underway!
Magpies Mind-Boggler Answers:
1.) Matt Buse, Marcus Daws & Olaf Koszela.
2.) Dorchester: 95 appearances. Poole: 74 appearances. *According to Wikipedia!