Poole Town Boss Reacts to 2-1 Loss to Havant and Waterlooville

“It probably felt like a draw would’ve been a fair result,” said joint Poole Town manager, Pat Suraci, following the Dolphins 2-1 loss to Havant and Waterlooville.

Despite talking the lead through an Antonio Diaz goal, a brace from Ryan Seager completed the comeback for Havant and Waterlooville.

“The difference was they have a striker, in Seager, that scores any half chance he gets – and of course he scored two today,” said Suraci.

The Dolphins won their first game in 10 league matches with a 1-0 win againse Basingstoke last time out.

With Havant and Waterlooville competing for promotion, this game was a bit of a free hit for manager duo, Pat Suraci and Joe Lea.

“A game where we probably didn’t expect too much, because they’ve been in the top four all season. They don’t lose many at home.”

“We feel really positive about the performance. I thought we defended really well. We were really organised and created some good chances.”

A major positve for Poole Town was the debut of Keelan O’Connell. The winger signed from Weymouth on Thursday and looked lively throughout the game.

“It was a really positive performance. It was as we expected from Keelan. He’s got quality, he’s lively, he’s nimble.”

“Really positive start for him and a good assist for Antonio Diaz’s goal.”

Suraci expects more to come from the 25-year-old, who has experience of playing at a higher level.

“I think him and Christos worked really well together down the left. Hopefully that is a partnership that is going to form over the next couple of months.”

Poole Town will now look ahead to their home clash against Frome Town.

In a game that could be seen as a relegation six pointer, Suraci wants his side to build upon a postive performance.

“I think we need to be a bit less naïve in certain areas. Those naiveties probably cost us a goal today.”

“We need to take a lot of the positives from today. We need to make sure we are resolute, organised and ready to defend direct play. Then we need to be a bit more ruthless in the final third.”