Captain Jamie Whisken against Tiverton earlier this season (Photo Credit: Jon Ashworth / Side of the World)
Tom Killick lead the tributes to club captain Jamie Whisken – with the stalwart
defender reaching 350 games in Poole colours.
Speaking to All Poole Aren’t We, Killick detailed his captain’s
contribution and the sacrifices the former Cherries youngster has made.
“Jamie has been an absolutely integral part of our club,” began Killick.
“He’s been captain for a long time, he’s made an immense contribution. He’s
made a lot of sacrifices in terms of what he has given to the club.
“Inevitably, at our level, if you’re going to commit yourself in a way
that someone like Jamie has to a club, there’s going to be sacrifices you have
to make in terms of your personal life and your professional life.”
“He’s done that over a long time, and we feel very lucky to have had him,
and hopefully, to continue to have him.”
Whisken, a summer signing way back in 2013/14, was absent at the weekend – a
rare occurrence for a near ever-present name on Poole’s teamsheet.
An injury picked up in Poole’s derby win over Dorchester Town has continued
to plague the 32 year old, leaving Killick with the difficult task of nursing
Whisken back to full health without weakening his side.
“It’s a tricky one with Whisk, because he’s playing whilst struggling
with his groin,” continued Killick. “You could say that he was playing at
probably 80 or 90%.
“We wanted to try and give him a bit of recovery time so he could
potentially shake off the problem, and be playing at his full level.
“That was the thinking behind Saturday. If we had done well and got a really
good result, it would have been a lot easier to then give him Tuesday off, and
give him even more time.”
Dolphins slumped to a 3-0 defeat without their talisman, leading to Killick contemplating bringing Whisken back into the side ahead of their tasty clash with Salisbury.
“I think we missed him on Saturday, he is our captain, so it is a difficult one. I’m going to have a conversation with him, and we’ll see what the best decision is for Tuesday.
Whisken is one of five current Dolphins players to have hit triple digits for the club – with Killick praising the loyalty of his charges, and the benefits that it brings.
“I’ve said it many times – when you get longevity with players, you get a
sort of affinity towards the club, an affinity towards each other, and that a
big deal to me,” explained Killick.
“People talk about these clubs that go on about how they’ve got a great team
spirit, there’s a really strong bond between the players, then at the end of
the season seven of them go, and seven new ones come.
“Then, six months later, they get rid of another two or three – but we try do
it a different way, where once we’ve got players and we’re happy with them, we
try and make sure that they’re happy at the club.
“To be blunt, we try and keep them as long as possible, unless they’re young
lads that want to progress and move on, up the leagues.
“We’re keen for young players to progress, but we try and keep players
together so there is an attachment between them, and that affinity towards the
club.”
All Poole Aren't We 