Poole Town rocked as joint-managers Joe Lea and Pat Suraci step down

Poole Town have been rocked by the departure of joint-managers Joe Lea and Pat Suraci.

The pair informed the club late on Monday evening that they wished to resign from their positions, having decided it was time to move on.

Their departure comes with Poole sitting in the Southern League Premier South play-off places and just two points off top spot.

It also brings an unexpected end to a near two-year spell in charge which has seen the Dolphins make significant progress.

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A message from Joe Lea & Pat Suraci⬇️ “After discussions with the club, we’ve reflected and decided it’s best for us to move on. We’re extremely proud of the journey the club has been on during the last 2 years. We leave the club 2 points off the top of the table, having taking over when the club was 18th two seasons ago. Last years play off campaign is one of our proudest achievements since we started coaching. Obviously it wasn’t part of our plans to depart the club at this time and we’re gutted we can’t see the journey through. We’d like to thank our staff and players for all their hard work and contributions during our time at Poole. Thank you to the fans for coming with us on what has been a memorable journey. We’re grateful for your outstanding support. Lastly, thank you to the board for giving us the opportunity to manage the Dolphins.” – Pat & Joe #COYD🐬

— Poole Town FC 🐬 (@PooleTownFC) October 6, 2026

Time to move on

Lea and Suraci revealed they had not planned to leave the club at this stage of the season but felt it was the right time to move on.

“After discussions with the club, we’ve reflected and decided it’s best for us to move on,” they said in a statement released via the club’s socials.

“We’re extremely proud of the journey the club has been on during the last two years.

“We leave the club two points off the top of the table, having taken over when the club was 18th two seasons ago.

“Last year’s play-off campaign is one of our proudest achievements since we started coaching.

“Obviously it wasn’t part of our plans to depart the club at this time and we’re gutted we can’t see the journey through.”

The young management duo took over midway through the 2024-25 campaign with the club just above the relegation zone.

Lea and Suraci steered the club to a 14th-placed finish before securing a play-off place in their first full season in charge.

Massive shock

A loss to Gloucester dented their promotion hopes, but they carried that impressive form into this term, with Poole winning six of their first nine games under their stewardship.

They added: “We’d like to thank our staff and players for all their hard work and contributions during our time at Poole.

“Thank you to the fans for coming with us on what has been a memorable journey. We’re grateful for your outstanding support.

“Lastly, thank you to the board for giving us the opportunity to manage the Dolphins.”

The club said their resignation had come as a “massive shock”, with the board having been holding discussions with the pair over a new contract.

Despite their disappointment, Poole said their ambition remains unchanged and have already appointed Josh Staunton and Jamie Whisken to take interim control while the club assesses its options.

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