2014/2015 Fixtures

[Colorado Gull]

Torquay United 2-1 Wrexham.

(Super) Luke Young scored an absolutely sensational strike from 35 yards out into the top corner to get Torquay back to winning ways after two very frustrating away defeats. The home side had a very poor first half, not really in the game at all, it was all Wrexham. The away side created several chances but couldn't put them away. It had to come from a silly goalkeeping mistake by Martin Rice, kicking the ball straight into Moult for him to go round Rice and put it in the back of the net. Striker Ryan Bowman had a glorious chance to equalise just before half time, a through ball to Bowman for him to be one-on-one with the keeper, but the United front man's shot was straight at him. The referee blew his whistle for the 15 minute break and the feeling around the ground was as bleak as the atmosphere was in the first half.

In the second 45, Torquay were a completely different side. Much quicker clearing the danger, getting up the pitch much better with the help of Luke Young. Some very clever play by the skipper, along with Bowman and Cameron set up Louis Briscoe to equalise in the 62nd minute, game on. The Gulls fans found their voices and got behind the players for every attack. Then....magic. Luke Young picked up the ball from 40 yards out, controlled it as it was still bouncing and in the air, then swung at it. Volleyed from 35 yards out straight into the top corner, the goalkeeper had absolutely no chance. The crowd went mental! What a fantastic goal, one of the best ever seen at TQ1! Louis Bricoe went off in the 90th minute replaced by Yeoman as 6 minutes were added on! Thankfully, the defence held their own and Wrexham didn't really attack...at all in the second half!

Well done United, back to winning ways (hopefully) as we play Alfreton Town away, Karl Hawley's new side live on BT Sport. For the game on Saturday, we will be without Angus MacDonald as he now has 5 yellow cards to his name. Let's hope that doesn't cause us too much trouble.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks to Keith Malone for this match report.

Alfreton Town 4-2 Torquay United.

I've sat down and thought about this as I did not want it to be a kneejerk reaction to game. It's difficult as after a defeat we as fans feel like we are the worst team in the world and when we win we forge/forgive a lot of mistakes.

Tonight we were beaten by a very average Alfreton side. If the game was played on paper we win but it's not and tonight showed that. I've gone through each of the players performances below:

Rice - 5 - Although not directly at fault for any of the goals, he does not command confidence from his defence (the disallowed goal showed this as you see Briscoe's head sink as if to say the keeper's at fault for that one, albeit the ref ruled it out and saved Rice) and he should not get beat at the near post for the first goal.

Tonge - 5 - Outmuscled for the 3rd goal but did ok given Ajala did nothing to protect him, having said that it isn't as if Alfreton had a winger to bother him

Richards - 3 - Played out of position, at fault for 3 of the goals, here's hoping this doesn't damage his confidence

Pearce - 5 - Do wonder why he didn't just go man for man with Hawley the whole game as it is only when Hawley drifted onto Richards (as any wise old pro would knowing he is inexperienced) that resulted in goals

Cruise - 6 - Thought he got forward well and helped to provide threat as Cameron 1 on 1 with his full back did not seem to deliver

Young - 6 - Easily the best player on the pitch ability wise but at times tries to make things come off that players with greater ability than his would struggle with

Ajala - 6 - Looked lively and a threat when found wide and had his full back on toast, shame his delivery isn't as good as his approach play

Cameron - 5 - Fairly anonymous for me, certainly didn't have the impact on the game that Ajala did

Wakefield - 5 - See Cameron

Briscoe - 6 - Took the first goal well and was in the right place for the second. Doesn't seem to go in behind the opposition defence or be the target man which can make him ineffective for large parts

Bowman - 5 - Poor in that nothing seemed to stick/work off him. However sense if given O'Achie's chance in the 2nd half he would have buried it

O'Achie (subbed on) - 5 - Worked hard but given the chance he had he has to score and it proved costly when he didn't

When we get the ball into the middle third and play we can play some good stuff but defensively on dead balls we look tripe and I hope Downes is let know by the rest of the team just how costly that red card has proven to be

We go again next week. COYY

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks to Swanny for this match report.

Torquay United 2-3 Grimsby Town.

Another self inflicted defeat I'm afraid in a match that Torquay played very well for long periods but came away with nothing. Last week it was the central defence at fault and the bizarre selection of Richards as centre half. This week it was Martin Rice's turn who is now making a habit of handing goals to the opposition. Even the Grimsby supporters were signing "nice one Ricey....let's have another one". A great game for the neutral but another frustrating giveaway from a Gulls perspective. Crowd 2,353, 250+ from Grimsby, sponsors and Twitter MOTM deservedly going to Luke Young who added another stunner to his collection.

Torquay started fantastically and had chances galore in the first 10 minutes. I lost count of the times Torquay had decent efforts pushed over the bar by their keeper. Bowman had a close range effort kicked off the line. Grimsby had one effort from a header that was parried well from Rice but it was virtually all Torquay but no goal to count for all their early efforts. The game evened out more as the half wore on and on 38 minutes Grimsby took the lead from a quality volley just inside our penalty box that gave Rice no chance. This clearly annoyed Rice and a few minutes later Rice had a verbal at a home supporter for having a go at him for a poor clearance into touch. Young equalized curling a free-kick over the wall into the far corner of the net - another amazing effort. Just when it seemed Torquay had the impetus, Rice had a rush of blood right on half-time rushing to the edge of his area to gather a Grimsby through ball. He did not get there in time and it gave the Grimsby striker an easy task of slotting the ball into an unguarded net. A needless giveaway. It was quite ridiculous that Torquay went in at half-time losing bearing in mind all the chances and corners they had.The referee did not help matters in the first half by not spotting a couple of blatant Grimsby hand balls in their box, not booking any Grimsby players for rash challenges and then booking Torquay players Young and Tonge for trivial challenges - Young is now suspended next week.

Torquay had a very good attitude in the second half and got into Grimsby again. O'Archie replaced the quiet Cameron. O'Archie won a corner and Downes scored heading downwards from a Young delivery on 61 minutes. It was the least Torquay deserved. Again just when Torquay were building up a good head of steam for a winner, Rice again made a hash of things. A Grimsby header was saved low down however Rice carried the ball over his own line. This time there was no coming back. Chapell came on late for Ajala but there was not enough left in the tank for Torquay to pose much of a threat. If anything, Grimsby looked the more likely in the closing stages. There was still plenty of effort to the final whistle but Torquay's countless chances had already come and gone. It was a game Torquay should have comfortably won but instead lost. Sadly this is becoming a habit. There was stunned silence at the final whistle and then a decent applause for the Torquay players by the home support. In many respects it was an excellent performance.

Most outfield players put in very good performances. There was plenty of good movement and skills and plenty of chances created. Our central midfield pairing of Young and Richards looked very strong. Our defence looked solid and our full-backs had decent games. Ajala and Briscoe had their moments of skill. Sadly we did not convert enough chances and Rice's form is now very suspect again. You feel he will give away a soft goal at least one a game. Well today it looked like he was at fault for 2 goals that rocked Troquay out of their rhythm both times and in the end cost us 3 vital points. Surely it is time to give Seabright a chance in goal.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks to Neal for this match report.

Aldershot Town 2-0 Torquay United.

Just got back. That was dire!!!

2 poor teams, but we had little desire, creativity, accuracy, confidence, skill.

If that had been Rice playing he would have been blamed for both goals by the usual people on here. First one, down the other end but looked like the ball went across the 6 yard area way too easily. 2nd, mmmmmm a hard shot but parried straight to their player. Otherwise he did ok, but 2 goals which would have been blamed on Rice if he had done the same.

Well, is this another bad day at the office, a blip, or was it the refs fault. No... we are an average conference side who went on a good run early in the season.

We have 1 very good player at this level and that's it! A number of decent players and some very average players AT THIS LEVEL! The rest are conference south level and that's being polite.

Can we sneak into a play off place, well yes we could, but that is going to depend on CH getting every ounce out of this squad. Is he up to it, I don't know to be honest, and none of you do either.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks tommyg for this match report.

Kidderminster Harries 2-0 Torquay United.

It's funny how quickly football can change. A few weeks ago, Hargreaves was being labelled as the club's saviour and up on Tyneside, Alan Pardew was on the verge of being lynched... I do think talk of sacking Hargreaves is premature (besides I doubt we can actually afford to pay off another manager). We're on a rotten run and our rookie boss has made mistakes, but if we win our game in hand (admittedly a rather large if on current form), we'll be on the brink of a play-off spot. I expect us to be heavy underdogs against Barnet, although we do have the 'advantage' of a free weekend, while the Bees are in FA Cup action against the Chairboys. Win that game and this forum will be littered with feel-good posts again.

What were the expectations for this season? Hand on heart, did anybody actually think we'd mount a serious promotion challenge at the first attempt? I think most fans expected a lower-half finish in the top half of the table, with perhaps one eye on the play-offs to keep the season interesting. That's exactly where we are right now. A few of us got carried away by the six straight wins. That gave us hope that perhaps we could buck the trend of relegated Football League clubs struggling to adjust to life in the Conference. And it's the hope that kills you. If somebody told me that after 17 games we would be six points off second with a game in hand, I'd have taken it. And I suspect many other fans would agree, especially with a new team still finding its feet.

That doesn't mean we can't complain or be angry about recent events. I think Hargreaves' biggest mistakes have not been addressing the weak areas of the team over the summer, particularly at full-back. I understand that the budget is tight, but going into the season with only one recognised right-back on the transfer list and one recognised left-back on a month-to-month contract was always a recipe for disaster. Tonge and Cruise were out of their depth last season, and while their have been improvements (expectedly so given they are now playing at a lower level), neither are good enough. Hargreaves has at least has signed Berry, who will surely walk straight into the team, and I hope Ives is given a run on the opposite flank.

As for our goalkeepers, Rice did well last season and performed beyond expectations. But he has always been a limited goalkeeper. Starting the season with Rice as No.1 and a rookie as back-up was always a risky strategy and it's already starting to backfire. I have a feeling Seabright isn't the answer, but it's harsh to judge him when he's only played a couple of games.

Another problem is the squad lacks leadership and experience, with one or two exceptions. Hargreaves should know from his time as a player here that you need a few wily old pros who have tasted success at this level. Look at the key cogs from our promotion-winning team - Hargreaves, Sills, Todd, Mansell, Nicholson, Carlisle etc. I think Harding is the only player over 30 in our current squad (and he's only just become a member of the 30s club). We have a very young - and at times naive - group of players at the start of their careers and sometimes you need a few older and wiser headers to steer them in the right direction.

Finally, we need a new striker. I have desperately wanted Yeoman to succeed but it's not going to happen. He might pinch a few goals off the bench but every time he starts a game he struggles. Bowman needs a rest and kick up the backside. I would guess he probably made the biggest dent in the budget this summer, along with Young and Briscoe, and he simply isn't justifying his place in the team. O'Achie is very raw and needs to work on his finishing, but there's something there. I haven't got a clue what Benyon is doing these days. What exactly is his injury or is that just a smokescreen? Right now, I'd play a fit Benyon ahead of both Bowman and Yeoman, which shows how desperate we really are up front (sorry Hector). Surely there must be a striker available on loan who won't cost the club too many pennies. It's always a bit of a lottery with these young kids, but we need to try something different because our strikers are being outscored by Downes for a second straight season.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks to tommyg for this match report.

Barnet 2-3 Torquay United.

Cracking result. I was very impressed with the first half. Didn't create too many chances but we were clinical in front of goal and looked comfortable at the back. Kept Akinde and MacDonald quiet, although our defence, particularly Downes, copes better against slower forwards. Thought we controlled the half and while Barnet caused more problems in the second period, we stood up well and should have really finished them off with the chances we created at the end.

I was surprised Rice was recalled but thought he did well. Handling was good and dealt well with corners which is usually the glaring weakness in his game. Needs to learn to keep his legs closed and shouldn't have been beaten for the second goal, but Pearce must take a large portion of blame for that one. Having said that, I would actually keep Pearce and Downes together. I think they are a more dominant pairing and give us a bit more extra steel. Harsh on MacDonald because he hasn't done anything wrong but I wouldn't change a winning team, especially one which has just beaten the runaway league leaders away from home.

Downs was immense - he loves a battle and Barnet's direct tactics suited him to a tee. Cruise struggled a bit in the first half and had to be careful after he was booked early doors, but I thought he recovered well and was much stronger after the break. Berry was fantastic on his debut. The only mistake he made was giving a free-kick away on the edge of our box in the first half. We didn't see much of him going forward which is to be expected given the opposition we were playing, but defensively he was superb and covered a few times for the centre-backs by making some vital interceptions.

Young was one of the best players on the pitch. Delightful cross for the first goal and I think he should be credited with the second. Bowman didn't touch the ball - it deflected in off Stack but was already on target so should be given to our captain. He's a calming presence in midfield and always looks up before playing a pass. Richards also played well, made some useful tackles and kept it simple. Ajala was lucky not to be sent off and should have scored towards the end, but he was more lively than Cameron who has lost his swagger. He doesn't look fully fit and his confidence is low.

I actually thought Bowman was poor for 80 minutes and excellent in the final 10. Unlucky not to score in injury-time but Hargreaves did the right thing in keeping him on because he is fitter than Briscoe and puts defenders under more pressure. Briscoe, though, was my MOTM. Right place right time for the first goal and his second was a great strike, although Stack should have saved it. He looks far more effective up front and is our best finisher. I thought O'Achie did well when he came on and should have walked off with an assist, while Thompson also went on a couple of marauding runs but did show his inexperience by not taking the ball into the corner at the end (something Bowman did really well).

Hopefully we will carry this momentum into another tough game against FGR on Saturday. Same XI for me.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks Swanny for this match report.

Torquay United 3-3 Forest Green Rovers.

So frustrating we did not win that one after an outstanding team performance for much of the game. It was pleasing to see so many of our players on top of their game again after our recent barren run. Downes and Pearce were a tower of strength at the centre of defence and Berry was very impressive at right back. Going forward Ajala and Briscoe were excellent with their running and shooting, Cameron looked dangerous again on the wing and Bowman held the ball up very well and turned and beat his defenders more than once but sadly later went off injured. Crowd 2,117, 168 from Forest Green, sponsors MOTM Downes, Twitter MOTM Ajala.

My first impression today was to notice our new yellow and blue goal nets and how the pitch still looked in good nick considering all the recent rain. It cut up a bit during the game but nothing drastic. Torquay made a great start and Forest Greeen could not handle us. There was plenty of movement and invention from Torquay and after a Cameron shot got blocked, Bowman headed over their keeper into the net. Things got even better on 19 minutes as Ajala pounced and robbed the ball off their defender and raced clear to slipped the ball past their keeper into the net. 2-0 and Torquay were well in control. The game was played at a frantic pace and both teams went for it in an attacking sense. One minute we looked dangerous using our skill and pace, then before you knew it Forest Green were running at us and we were having to defend from a lively looking forest Green. Forest Green got 1 back following a free-kick on our right. The ball came into the box, 2 Forest Green attackers were unmarked and the ball was headed in with Rice rooted on his line. Torquay created some fantastic moves using some great passing and movement but sadly our players did not made the best of their chances opting to pass rather than shooting when clear on goal. Torquay went in at half-time deservedly 2-1 up.

Torquay had a good spell of pressure with their keeper making a great tip over save from a Young "special" that was just dipping in under the crossbar. Ajala got his second on 63 minutes following a Young corner the ball fell loose and Ajala slotted the ball home. At this stage there seemed little threat of a comeback but the match turned on a free-kick decision about 25 yards out central to goal. Pearce appeared to win his tackle but the referee gave a free-kick to Forest Green. The ball went through our wall and even more alarmingly through Rice into the goal. Torquay were struggling to clear their lines and Forest Green Green took the initiative. 4 minutes later it was 3-3 with a well worked move down our left.

With Bowman off injured. O'Archie struggled to hold the ball up and it was left to Ajala and Briscoe to be our main threat up front. Briscoe showed many aspects to his game, he was unlucky when a goal bound shot was just blocked by a defender and later showed great vision and laid a beautiful low cross for a waiting O'Archie but a defender just managed to get a toe on the ball to prevent a goal. In injury time Young burst through and unleashed a powerful shot that brought another great diving save from their keeper.

So 3-3 at full-time, there was great entertainment, some lovely skill and flair on show, some great team moves, a great team spirit but alas no 3 points. A friend of mine after the match suggested that if we had swapped keepers today, Torquay would have won comfortably. It's such a shame that so much of our good work has not been properly rewarded. Berry at right back is a big improvement for that problematic area but there are still 1 or 2 weak areas that need to be addressed. Our excellent performers today deserved better and there was good appreciation for the team as they left the field.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks to Swanny for this match report.

Torquay United 2-2 Gateshead.

I was disappointed with today's performance and Torquay were very lucky to get away with a point. I did not like Torquay's ultra defensive line up today especially in the second half. It was very Ling like and it was unlikely Torquay could hold out. Torquay rode their luck so much in the second half and it was so predictable when Gateshead finally equalized and then took the load. Luckily only a goalkeeping mistake saved our blushes and rescued a point. I thought today Hargreaves made the wrong decisions and handed the intiiative to Gateshead. There were one or two outstanding peformances today for Torquay today, most notably Bowman in attack. Poor old Bowman in the second half even had to do a Rene Howe job as he was so isolated up front - but he did a manful job. Sponsors MOTM Briscoe, twitter MOTM Bowman, crowd a disappointing 1,900+ with 50 from Gateshead.

The first half had very few clear chances and there were 2 notable taliking points. On 8 minutes after a threaded Luke Young pass to Bowman in the penalty box, Bowman turned and beat the defender magnificently who then chopped down Bowman. It was an obvious penalty and the defender, who was the last defender, was very lucky to stay on the pitch. Bowman himself chipped the keeper confidently from the penalty spot to put Torquay 1-0 up. Most of the first half was played in midfield and Torquay were generally containing Gateshead who were neat in their build up. I thought Bowman and Briscoe formed a good partnership in attack and both had their dangerous moments but our wingers Ajala and especially Cameron were disappointing and generally gave away possession. I was amazed Hargreaves did not switch Cameron and Ajala to their preferred wings, left and right respectively. Downes and Pearce were a tower of strength in the middle of defence and Berry was outstanding at right back and covered very well at times from potentially dangerous situations. It was like Torquay were playing like the away side, trying to contain Gateshead and catch them on the counter. Gateshead had several dangerous looking set pieces and from one free-kick Rice saved very well low down to his left. Rice saved even better from the rebound and when Gateshead finally put the ball into the net at the third attempt, it was ruled out for offside.

The second half opened up more in terms of chances, Ajala had a decent run and shot from outside the box that was well saved. The new boy McQuilkin replaced for the disappointing Cameron who it has to be said did very little right all afternoon on the right wing. McQuilkin is pretty short and slightly built so I am concerned what he may offer in the physical side of the game. He generally showed neat ball control and played the simple short pass but is he what we need in midfield? With Briscoe moving to the right wing, this only left Bowman in attack. It was a question if Torquay could stifle Gateshead and win 1-0. Gateshead hit the post and scored the rebound but again it was ruled out for off-side. Torquay were seriously riding their luck and Gateshead were playing well and well on top. With 5 minutes to go Downes tripped their player in the box and Gateshead were awarded a penalty which they dispatched. Then worse was to follow. A free-kick was glanced in with Rice rooted to his line and stood and watched to ball go in. Out poured Gulls fans in the Bristow Bench (where I was sat today) and disaster loomed. In truth Gateshead fully deserved their lead and Torquay had ridden their luck for too long. Then in added time a Luke Young low shot from outside the box was badly fumbled by Bartlett, Bowman pounced and rescued Torquay. In the fifth minute of added time, Young amazingly nearly won it for Torquay with a free-kick special from about 30 yards out. Bartlett got his body behind it but sadly Torquay could not get to the rebound and the ball was cleared.

So a strange game in which Torquay appeared to set out to contain Gateshead to protect their 1-0 lead and were not their normal attacking self. It was pretty dull stuff to watch from a Torquay perspective for most of the game and it was only a fortunate last gasp goalkeeping mistake that prevented Torquay from deservedly losing.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks to Swanny for this match report.

Torquay United 2-0 Eastleigh.

A very pleasing performance today against strong opposition. It was arguably the best all round performance I have seen this season. We carved out some decent chances through good build up play and just as importantly looked solid today. It's been a long time since I've witnessed a home win with a clean sheet. Sponsors MOTM going to a commanding performance by Downes who won so many important headers in defence, Twitter MOTM going to Ajala who was our most dangerous offensive player today by some distance. Crowd a worrying 1,862 with around 100 from Eastleigh in the Bristow Bench.

The game was barely 30 seconds old when Bowman found himself clean through with just the keeper to beat. Bowman struck the ball at a good height for the keeper to parry out and it was a big chance missed. But 5 minutes later Bowman fed the ball to Ajala on the left just outside the penalty box who cut inside and beat a defender and let rip with a strong low shot that beat their keeper in the far corner. Eastleigh did have good spells of pressure in the first half and Ives had to make 2 crucial last ditch tackles to prevent clear chances for Eastleigh in the penalty box. Richards was careless in possession at times but our defence was holding strong. Rice had his best performance for a long time and showed some good decisive action in dealing with danger - on 1 occasion he raced outside his box to clear which is most unlike Rice normally. But Torquay created the clearer chances in the first half and Bowman near half-time was through on goal again at close range with the keeper to beat and had a lot of the goal to aim at. Sadly Bowman badly miscued his shot horribly and the ball went wide.

The second half went in a similiar fashion. Eastleigh had some good pressure but Torquay were handling it well and also had their dangerous moments. Briscoe put a dangerous low cross in from the right but Bowman got a touch to the ball with Ajala about to pull the trigger behind him and the chance went begging. Rice pulled off a diving save low down to his left. As the half wore on Eastleigh were cranking up the pressure. The turning point of the match was when a header crashed off the Torquay crossbar. At times it was a case of all hands on deck and all Torquay players were putting in a great shift in keeping out Eastleigh. MacDonald came on for the lively Chappel to shore things up at the back. I thought Chappel in his first match back from injury looked lively today on the right wing and it was just a shame his final ball was often wasted. Then on 86 minutes Briscoe robbed the ball off a Eastleigh player just inside their half on the right and raced towards goal. Briscoe unleashed a powerful shot that the keeper parried the ball into the air to a waiting Bowman who nodded into an empty net. The referee did not help Torquay's cause during the match by booking no less than 5 Torquay players for such trivial matters and yet let off Eastleigh players for more serious offences.

So it was a game that Torquay's back 4 finally looked solid throughout the match with Rice taking good command of his area. There was none of those horrible mix ups today. Ives and Berry seem decent full-backs, it's good to see full-backs who can defend and are mobile going forward. I thought Richards and Young by his very high standards were not at their best today. Young's shooting did not have the usual accuracy. Ajala was brilliant on the ball typically beating players, scored a great goal and tracked back and won some great tackles. Bowman's finishing was poor but worked hard in holding the ball up front. Briscoe had his dangerous moments and was brilliant creating Torquay's second goal late on which proved those supporters wrong who doubted his fitness to last a match. Both Torquay's goal today were quality and I look forward to seeing them on video.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks to Rjc70 for this match report.

Dover Athletic 2-2 Torquay United.

All those behind the goal we were attacking in the first half switched ends at half time as did the Dover fans, so I can't offer too much insight into fault for either of their goals. Their first looked like a good headed finish from their skipper who out jumped his man, and didn't look like something to blame Rice for. The second, I really couldn't see, but there was no thumping header this time, more of a scramble.

The delivery of their corner taker was very good every time in a second half that Dover dominated after Bowman, earlier in the half did all the hard work rounding the keeper and having his shot blocked on (ish) the line. A chance resulting from decent build up play that was missed and later rued. There was one other potential breakaway in that half where Ives sent Ajala clear from half way, but he ended up falling over his own feet, unfortunately. He didn't back himself, as they say.

They seemed to have a lot of corners in that second half. They were a team of giants and we only looked any good when we got the ball on the floor. They won aerial battles all over the park. To say Yeoman's goal to put us 2-1 up was unexpected and against the run of play would be an understatement. But no sooner had we scored it was straight back to inviting pressure and conceding corners, with an almost inevitable conclusion. That it happened after 90+3 when it looked like we had nicked 3 points made the journey home a bit longer.

First half and in patches going forward we looked very slick, but with no trigger pulled by either Briscoe or Bowman when they should. Our goal was rank bad defending by Dover from a corner and the keeper was static as Pearce nodded home. Our second, Yeoman was put through one on one with the keeper from a decent ball, should have done better with the shot but we got the luck of the rebound off the keeper that fell with the keeper stranded and Yeoman between the ball and goal. He got back to it before either keeper or non existent cover could and stuck it into the empty net.

A very friendly clubhouse and set of fans. Miserable weather on the drive there and back and for the first half. I enjoyed the evening and would say a draw was the fairest result, albeit we had more clear cut chances not seized upon.

My attempt at player ratings need to be considered in view of me freezing my bollocks off,'now being knackered and not being at my most observant tonight:-

Rice 5 (one very good save following an error. Query re fault for second goal. Looked like feck all he could do about the first goal)
Berry 6 (he remains better than Tonge by some distance)
Pearce 5 (defending from corners not his strong point)
Downes 6 (using his head is his strong point)
Ives 6.5 (little fella, but lively and inspires more confidence than Cruise on this showing)
Ajala 6.5 (flashes of brilliance. Flashes of cringe. Worked hard)
Richards 6 (worked hard)
Young 6.5 (good in first half = TUFC good in first half)
Chapell 4.5 (not sure he did anything)
Briscoe 6.5 (prefer him behind Bowman, as clever passer and needs space to run into. Fine figure of a man)
Bowman 7 (shot shy yet worked incredibly hard throughout)

I won't score the subs as I seem to be giving everyone 6, but McQuilkin as per Chapell, Angus done good and Yeoman scored. I can see what people mean by entertainment levels. We seem capable of scoring every time we click, but for the killer finish, and we look suspect at set pieces and when teams break against us. All provides for a bit of excitement, I guess.

Verdict: Should've closed it out when we got the extreme good fortune of Yeoman's goal. Didnt.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks to arcadia for this match report.

Torquay United 0-2 Barnet.

We played for about ten minute then Barnet sorted out the men from the boys they were more physical and Pearce nor Downes could hack it. They were to slow to cope with their strikers and did not show them who was boss. McDonald came on and showed them how to do it.

Martin Allen ran the game from the line five minutes before the game and the referee the who had a very bad game got sucked into it.

Whoever sorts the kit out for colour clashes should make sure that the keeper does not have the same colour as the opposition on ever again as this set the trend all afternoon. We spotted this as soon as the players came out. The fourth official was to soft and should have booked Allen for touching the linesman an joking with him whilst the game was going on, with his gamesmanship trying to get them onside.
Yes Allen is a cheat and his dirty tricks won him the game but when they played Barnet were a good team. I wish we had the same will to win all over the pitch even in the dug out.

It was a sad day all round and I thougreaves should have waited when Bowman got injured making the substitution with Briscoe coming off as I could see from the stand that Bowman was going
to come off.

Ives another outstanding game for a seventeen year old and had more guts than several of his senior players.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks to portugull for this match report.

Torquay United 2-1 FC Halifax.

A horrible night contributed to a very poor gate.

Playing against a howling wind I thought after 10 minutes if we can go in at half time 0-0 we will have done well.

However a lovely move involving the ever improving Toby Ajala and Ryan Bowman set up a goal for Ryan which he took well.

The second goal was purely down to Bowman who would not give up got to the bi line and pulled the ball back for Big Duane who had made up a lot of ground to be in the right place at the right time.

Martin Rice had a good game handling well in awful conditions.

Second half the Halifax keeper made 2 stunning saves first from Ajala and the second I think was Luke Young.

A battling effort by all the team. Young Levi Ives was again excellent. Very compact player with great balance.

Pearce was at fault for Halifax goal which led to a very nervous final 12 minutes but we held on. Up to 7th and 2 points off the play offs.

McQuilkin came in at RB for Berry who is injured and did OK.

Well done the lads.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks Jeff for this match report.

Bishops Stortford 0-5 Torquay United.

Just got back. Wasn't really a 5-0 game to be fair as Ricey has had to pull off a few good saves. But we never had to get out of second gear, were always too strong for them.

Wasn't an easy game by any stretch, but I think the early goal set the tone for the game. Quite a nice goal too - worked the ball on the right to Briscoe, but didn't really have a lot to aim at in the box but Bowman made a great run across the near post and neatly tucked the cross away.

We always had this air of not taking the game seriously - taking far too many touches at the back and not closing down well enough. This caused us a few problems as Rice had to make a couple of smart stops and a few crosses flashed across the goal without a key touch. We also managed to carve out a few openings, which McDonald, O'Achie and Young all forcing good stops from the home keeper.

Just before half time we turn on the quality to make the game safe. Slick passing, right to left sees a square ball played into Bowman and he rolls it home.

Second half and we absorb a bit of pressure and hit them on the break a little more. Bowman had already spurned one chance for his hat-trick, forcing a save at the near post from the keeper, when Young made it three. A bit of penalty box pinball, Young takes control, cuts across the box and fires in low with his left foot.

For much of the rest of the game the ball was down the other end, as the home side forced a few corners and tested Ricey with a few shots. Fortunately Ricey's handling was faultless today.

As the game petered out, we snatched two late goals to make it emphatic. For the fourth, Bowman was played onside by a slow-to-retreat defence, and unselfishly squared the ball to O'Achie to slot home. And right at the death, O'Achie attempted to return the favour to Bowman by playing him in to a near open goal, but Bowman fluffed the shot. Fortunately Chappell was on hand to slam the ball home from a tight angle high at the near post.

A couple of positives to draw from today. Bowman looks in great form and real handful. McQuilkin - for someone who isn't a right back - looks pretty good there. Quick, and strong in the tackle for a small guy. And it was handy to give Odofin some game time.

Negatives - overran in midfield too much, which is a worry given the strength of the opposition. And the potential injury to McDonald - Odofin came on and looked a bit shaky so I'd fear for him at Conference level.

All in all, a job done without ever really extending ourselves. And it means I can wear my Gulls shirt around town with pride!!

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks to Jeff for this match report.

Braintree 2-0 Torquay United.

A truly astonishing performance. Astonishingly bad. In years to come I'll certainly look back on today as one of the low points of supporting Torquay. Totally outclassed.

Even in the disaster of last season, I struggle to recall ever going to a game when we failed to have a single clear cut chance or shot on target. Their keeper barely even touched the ball, let alone warm his gloves.

The game, as a spectacle, was pathetic. Aside from a couple of chances at the death, Braintree didn't actually create much else aside from the goals. Ricey also didn't make a save of note.

Both goals were shocking. First goal, floated cross from the right heading to around the penalty spot; Ricey feels the need to come for it, despite quite a few bodies ahead of him. The thuggish Braintree number 9 gets across the front of Pearce and heads it into the empty net. Ricey stays at home and it's a routine catch.

Second goal, questionable free kick on the right is played into a good area across the 6yd box low down, lots of boots fly in and the Braintree Number 15 gets the most contact: not a lot of contact, the ball is straight at Ricey who can only parry it weakly into the net. To be fair it was right at him from point blank range but as he got hands too it you'd expect him to do better.

Our only chances (not best - ONLY!) were a free kick over the top from Ajala and McDonald heading well wide. And also Richards managed to get a shot off at goal but skewed it into the side netting.

Nobody can really come out of the game with any credit. I suppose McDonald didn't do much obviously wrong, and Ajala gave it a good go in the last 15 but otherwise nothing raised a cheer.

Bowman and O'Achie were awful up front - no movement or link up at all. Bowman barely had a kick and Duane was hopeless, barely managing to control the ball. Midfield could barely string two passes together - without Young we are screwed. McQuilkin got injured and neither Cruise or Ives looked comfortable whether they played left or right back.

All in all, it could only have got worse if we'd had someone sent off.

[Colorado Gull]

Thanks to Jeff for this match report.

Welling United 0-0 Torquay United.

Well that was pretty uninspiring. Not a terrible point given Wellings strong form at home, but you definitely get the impression that If we really were top 5 contenders we'd have ground out a 1-0 win.

First half was really poor. We started OK and created a couple of half chances ourselves, hitting the side netting and forcing a parry from their keeper with angled shots from Bowman. But from about 10mins in our passing went to pieces - we resorted to aimless long ball, whilst Welling passed it around neatly without ever looking like carving us open. Most of the play was at the opposite end, but despite a shot across the face of goal and a header right at Seabright, none of the chanes were any major threat.

Second half we came out a very different side, and first 15mins or so we were well on top. Twice Bowman pulled the ball back across goal, but nobody was able to make any telling contact. Chappell had a shot cleared off the line, as was a Downes header from a corner. But just as we really seemed to be building up a head of steam, Youngy went down injured and the minute or two we played with 10 men allowed Welling to regain composure and create chances of their own. From that point on, we never looked the same again and despite some Welling pressure the game petered out into a scoreless draw.

There was, however, the one moment of controversy after Young went off with the disallowed goal. Briscoe broke down the left, and "squared" the ball to Bowman. Bowman neatly turned his man and rolled the ball into the corner via a slight deflection. By this time though, the flag had already gone up and the whistle blown. It must have been a tight call, and if it was correct Bowman really had no excuse not to hold his run.

Much improved second half showing, but still some way short of where we need to be for a playoff challenge. Chappell was probably our strongest threat, and the oft-maligned Cruise, Harding and Seabright all had decent games. Young's injury is obviously a concern, as is the fact our passing game had gone awry anyway (even with Young on the pitch) and a massive lack of cutting edge up front. As I said, a playoff challenging side would have made today a 1-0 win. We are still short of that, and I fear the business end of the season will see us slip to a 10th-12th place finish.