PARKWAY PUNISHED AS POOLE RUN RIOT IN TATNAM ROUT
Poole Town v Parkway | Match ReportPlymouth Parkway arrived in Dorset looking to start 2026 in positive fashion after a disappointing end to 2025, but were met by a Poole Town side full of confidence and ruthless intent as the Dolphins delivered a sobering afternoon in the winter sun.
 Poole TownPlymouth Parkway 
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Team news prior to kick-off saw Shane White return to the starting XI for the first time this season, with injury having plagued the experienced defender throughout much of 2025. There were also starts for Rocky Neal and Jack Endacott, as Parkway prepared to execute a game plan designed to stifle an in-form and potent Poole Town side currently sitting third in the table with their eyes firmly set on promotion.
Rio Garside remained on the bench as he continues his recovery, while Mikey Williams missed out through suspension. Tylor Love-Holmes and Jack Veale were ruled out through injury.
After a host of non-league games being postponed across the morning, Tatnam looked resplendent in the afternoon winter sunshine, and credit must go to the voluntary groundstaff at Poole Town for getting the surface ready. A strong travelling contingent made the relatively short trip from Devon as both sides went in search of three points, for polar opposite reasons.
Parkway were given an immediate warning.
With the game just 10 seconds old, Gwengwe got the wrong side of the Parkway defence and his attempted chip drifted wide of a stranded Isaac Finch, underlining the threat the Poole number nine holds. The minutes that followed saw an attacking and fluent Dolphins side cause Parkway early problems, with the away side camped in their own half for the opening exchanges.
Salim Saied looked impressive in a busy midfield for a Poole Town side brimming with confidence, and Parkway were forced to dig in early. Poole added the gloss to a fine opening eight minutes when Saied found space and, from 25 yards, unleashed an unstoppable dipping curling effort that flicked the underside of the bar to give the hosts a deserved lead.
Poole continued to impose their quick passing football and moments later there was a shout for a penalty as Shane White clashed with Gwengwe, only for referee Thomas Farr to wave away the protests.
Parkway tried to build into the game and found potential moments of promise, but a succession of crosses failed to clear the first defender. Cayless and Brett looked good when given time on the ball as Parkway attempted to inch their way back into the contest.
As Parkway pushed for a foothold, Poole worked the turnover well. Diaz found space and forced a fine save from Finch, and the Parkway keeper was busy again minutes later as Saied danced through the defence, only for Finch to stand tall and deny what would have been a picture-book second.
There was plenty of hard work from Parkway, who fashioned a half-chance on 25 minutes when Rocky intelligently worked space for Callum Hall, but his effort was closed down well by a Dolphins defence that remained compact and disciplined.
Poole looked dangerous and doubled their advantage on 27 minutes. Ik Hill’s fine run into the box saw the number 10 lay it on a plate for Gwengwe, who finished clinically to notch his 27th goal in 27 games.
Despite the two goals, Parkway’s passion to do better was evident. Continuous balls into the box were met by Taylor Scarff, who defended with his heart on his sleeve and demanded more from his players. Hill almost added his own name to the scoresheet as he turned inside and unleashed a 20-yard effort, only for Finch to tip over at full stretch.
Diaz should have done better after working space in the box, choosing to shoot instead of teeing up Gwengwe in space, and the number nine almost added to the tally two minutes later, again denied by another strong save from Finch.
Parkway enjoyed their first sustained spell of ball rotation and pressure late in the half, looking for Watts-Barciela to work some magic in the final third, but the Poole Town defence ensured Adam Parkes remained untroubled. Poole would head into the break with a commanding lead, and perhaps a little frustrated not to be further ahead.
McPhee made one change at half-time, with Rio Garside replacing Shane White at the break. Garside dropped into midfield and Louie Cayless moved alongside Taylor Scarff in the heart of defence.
But it would be more of the same in the early stages of the second half, as Poole enjoyed the bulk of possession and tested the Parkway backline straight from the referee’s whistle. Parkway continued to work hard and tried to build patterns in midfield, but struggled to make inroads, and the contest slipped further out of reach just after the hour.
Poole added a third on 53 minutes as Ik Hill found space in the area and was gifted a simple finish. If the third was simple, the fourth was gift-wrapped: a corner from the home side and a free header from Ada Olumuyiwa summed up the ever-growing frustration in the away end.
Parkway kept working diligently despite the increasing scoreline, but Poole had the bit between their teeth, the extra quality, the confidence, and the sharpness. Gwengwe epitomised it, twisting and turning inside the box before forcing Finch into another superb save. Saied almost added a fifth following fine build-up play on the edge of the area, as the temperature dropped and Poole continued to impress.
McPhee made his third change on 66 minutes as Will Sullivan replaced James Watts-Barciela, as Parkway searched for something, anything, to stem the tide.
In earnest, the Parkway players did well to keep their heads up amid the frustration of how the afternoon had unfolded in front of the 718 in attendance, while the referee also played his part, allowing little to pass as the man with the whistle impressed throughout.
With a picturesque full moon appearing in the distance and the game long out of sight for Parkway, it became a case of playing for pride in the remaining 15 minutes. But that pride was tainted further when, after 75 minutes, a simple long ball over the top was pounced upon by the in-form Gwengwe, who finished with aplomb to leave Finch helpless.
Six minutes later, Gwengwe completed his hat-trick to cap a fine afternoon for the Dolphins, before Diaz added a seventh late on following a fumble from Finch to complete the rout.
The first two goals were of real quality from the home side, but the second-half collapse underlined the recent run of results that this hard-working Parkway side are currently experiencing. That is in no way an excuse to hide from the disappointing scoreline, and it is clear that solutions are needed to stem the tide, and soon, as the Yellows head into a very difficult month against teams who still have much to play for.
Full credit to Poole and a seven-of-the-best performance. Parkway have the talent and ability within the squad to go into these games, but with confidence in short supply and frustration high, they will need to find something from somewhere as they prepare for a big fixture next Saturday at home to Gosport Borough.
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