On a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon (10 January 2026) in West London, Hanwell Town did well to rescue a point against Poole Town and grind out a 1-1 draw.
With Poole pushing for promotion and Hanwell lingering in the relegation zone, the home side will be delighted to have something to show from what turned out to be a somewhat attritional affair.
Fresh from their emphatic 7-0 win against Plymouth Parkway last week, the visitors wasted no time in continuing their scoring form when they struck in the third minute. Shaquille Gwengwe – Poole’s top scorer – bagged his 27th goal of the season, coolly lifting the ball over Sam Beasant in the Hanwell net.
For the remainder of the first half, the Dolphins were dominant and had the lion’s share of possession, territory and chances created. Their attacking trio of Ik Hill, Selim Saied and Antonio Diaz proved a constant headache for Hanwell.
But the Geordies did well to dig in and prevent Poole from inflicting further scoreboard damage. Captain, Beasant, made several solid stops and defender, Dwayne Duncan, pulled off an impressive goalmouth clearance.
After the break, the Geordies were much more front footed though and having narrowly missed with a header in the 51st minute, Duncan finally found the net on 74 minutes. Joe Wilson delivered a brilliantly flighted free kick which Duncan converted with a lovely clipped header.
With the score level, the last twenty minutes saw the game open up as both sides looked for a winner. Kam English and Mo Bettamer went close for Hanwell; whilst Gwengwe and Ayo could have won it for Poole.
Hanwell manager, Chris Moore, credited his side for “rolling their sleeves up” and delivering “a resolute defensive display” to secure a point from “a really good Poole side who are absolutely flying at the minute”.
Meanwhile, Poole Town joint manager, Pat Suraci, said he was “disappointed” that his team lacked a “clinical edge” to make the most out of their first half domination.
Hanwell’s attention now turns to their home game against Farnham Town on Tuesday – tickets can be found here.
Hanwell Town: Beasant (c), Wilson, Oladunjoye, Seabrook, Duncan, Hall, Nditi, Hoath, Bettamer, O’brien, Waight (73′ English). Unused subs: Carr, Krasniqi, Rice, Cooper.
Poole Town: Parkes, Campbell (c) (67′ Davis), Olumuyiwa, Lowes, Campbell, Gwengwe, Hill (73′ Ayo), Saied, Slade, Dore, Diaz (78′ Spalding). Unused subs: Rowles, Jordan.
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