Declan Rose

Ex-Poole Town defender Declan Rose joined AFC Totton ahead of the 2024/25 Southern League Premier Division South campaign.

After being part of AFC Bournemouth’s youth set-up between the ages of 10 and 15 years-old, Rose then came through the ranks at Yeovil Town where he played predominantly as a centre-back, going on to make his senior men’s football debut as a late substitute in The Glovers’ FA Trophy victory over Hampton & Richmond Borough in January 2020.

After joining Poole Town in the summer of 2021, his then-manager Tom Killick had Rose play in every defensive position before he settled into the right-back role.

A composed, hard-working and committed defender who likes to get forward and cross the ball, Rose quickly established himself as a firm fans’ favourite among The Dolphins faithful, going on to make a total of 137 appearances and score four goals across three seasons with the Dorset-based club.

He was an integral part of the Poole sides that lifted the Dorset Senior Cup in 2021/22 and retained the trophy the following year. But persistent rain over the winter and early-spring period left the club in the unenviable position of having to withdraw from the competition at the Semi-Final stage in 2023/24 to protect their Tatnam Ground pitch from further wear-and-tear, preventing the players from making it three-in-a-row county cup successes.

Online newspaper reports state that Rose was offered a new deal at Poole this summer, despite the arrival of fellow right-back Oakley Hangar from newly-appointed Wimborne Town, but the 22-year-old Rose felt the time was right for a new challenge elsewhere.

Impressed on his competitive Stags debut in the 1-0 home win over Walton & Hersham, in which Totton played more than half the match reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Josh Owers.