2014/2015 Fixtures

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2014/2015 Fixtures

Post by Colorado Gull »

Sat 09-Aug-14 GATESHEAD (A) 3-1 L - 22nd - Att: 1,765 (161 Gulls)
Tue 12-Aug-14 WELLING UNITED (H) 3-0 W - 12th - Att: 1,895 (49 Welling)
Sat 16-Aug-14 SOUTHPORT (H) 0-0 D - 11th - Att: 1,997 (63 Southport)
Sat 23-Aug-14 DARTFORD (A) 0-0 D - 13th - Att: 1,163 (Est; 100 Gulls)
Mon 25-Aug-14 ALDERSHOT TOWN (H) 1-1 D - 14th - Att: 2,135 (293 Aldershot)
Sat 30-Aug-14 LINCOLN CITY (A) 1-3 W - 14th - Att: 2,373 (135 Gulls)

Sat 06-Sep-14 NUNEATON TOWN (H) 4-0 W - 9th - Att: 2,177 (50 Nuneaton)
Tue 09-Sep-14 CHESTER (A) 0-2 W - 5th - Att: 1,954 (107 Gulls)
Sat 13-Sep-14 GRIMSBY TOWN (A) 0-2 W - 5th - Att: 3,300 (103 Gulls)
Tue 16-Sep-14 WOKING (H) 1-0 W - 2nd - Att: 2,144 (81 Woking)
Sat 20-Sep-14 DOVER ATHLETIC (H) 2-0 W - 2nd - Att: 2,363 (96 Dover)
Sat 27-Sep-14 AFC TELFORD UNITED (A) 4-3 L - 3rd - Att: 1,669 (314 Gulls)
Tue 30-Sep-14 FOREST GREEN ROVERS (A) 2-1 L - 4th - Att: 1,365 (400 Gulls)

Sat 04-Oct-14 WREXHAM (H) 2-1 W - 3rd - Att: 2,350 (205 Wrexham)
Sat 11-Oct-14 ALFRETON TOWN (A) 4-2 L - 6th - Att: 736 (128 Gulls)
Sat 18-Oct-14 GRIMSBY TOWN (H) 2-3 L - 9th - Att: 2,353 (281 Grimsby)
Sat 25-Oct-14 FA CUP 4th QUALIFYING ROUND - ALDERSHOT TOWN (A) 2-0 L - Att:1,368 (258 Gulls)

Sat 01-Nov-14 KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS (A) 2-1 L - 12th - Att: 2,081 (296 Gulls)
Tue 11-Nov-14 BARNET (A) 2-3 W - 9th - Att: 1,745 (Est; 300 Gulls)
Sat 15-Nov-14 FOREST GREEN ROVERS (H) 3-3 D - 9th - Att: 2,117 (168 FGR)
Sat 22-Nov-14 GATESHEAD (H) 2-2 D - 10th - Att: 1,947 (50 Gateshead)
Tue 25-Nov-14 MACCLESFIELD TOWN (A) 1-0 L - 10th - Att: 1,234 (85 Gulls)
Sat 29-Nov-14 EASTLEIGH (H) 2-0 W - 7th - Att: 1,862 (80 Eastleigh)

Tue 02-Dec-14 DOVER ATHLETIC (A) 2-2 D - 10th - Att: 795 (100 Gulls)
Sat 06-Dec-14 BARNET (H) 0-2 L - 10th - Att: 1,933 (115 Barnet)
Tue 09-Dec-14 FC HALIFAX TOWN (H) 2-1 W - 7th - Att: 1,476 (64 Halifax)
Sat 13-Dec-14 FA TROPHY 1st ROUND BISHOPS STORTFORD (A) 0-5 W Att: 500 (90 Gulls)
Sat 20-Dec-14 BRAINTREE TOWN (A) 2-0 L - 9th - Att: 818 (137 Gulls)
Fri 26-Dec-14 BRISTOL ROVERS (H) 1-2 L - 10th - Att: 3,755 (1,124 Rovers)
Sun 28-Dec-14 WELLING UNITED (A) 0-0 D - 9th - Att: TBC

Thu 01-Jan-15 BRISTOL ROVERS (A) 1-1 D - 9th - Att: 8,044 (447 Gulls)
Sun 04-Jan-15 ALFRETON TOWN (H) 1-1 D - 10th - Att: 2,028 (47 Alfreton)
Sat 10-Jan-15 FA TROPHY 2nd ROUND BROMLEY (H) 4-0 W - Att: 1,200 (100 Bromley)
Sat 17-Jan-15 ALTRINCHAM (A) 2-1 L - 13th - Att: 1,233 (190 Gulls)
Sat 24-Jan-15 FA TROPHY 3RD ROUND HEMEL HEMPSTEAD (A) 0-2 W Att: ??
Sat 31-Jan-15 WREXHAM (A) 0-0 D - 14th - Att: 2,655 (?)

Sat 07-Feb-15 FA TROPHY QUARTER FINALS FC UNITED OF MANCHESTER (H) 1-0 W Att: 3,805 (1,365 FC)
Sat 14-Feb-15 EASTLEIGH (A) 1-2 W - 14th - Att: 1,844 (?)
Sat 21-Feb-15 FA TROPHY SEMI-FINAL FIRST LEG WREXHAM (A) 2-1 L Att: ??
Sat 28-Feb-15 FA TROPHY SEMI-FINAL SECOND LEG WREXHAM (H) 0-3 L (5-1 AGG) Att:

Sat 07-Mar-15 AFC TELFORD UNITED (H) 0-1 L - 15th - Att: 1,647 (? Telford)
Tues 10-Mar-15 CHESTER (H) 0-1 L - 15th - Att: 1,221 (61 Chester)
Sat 14-Mar-15 NUNEATON TOWN (A) 0-0 D - 15th - Att: 862 (? Gulls)
Tue 17-Mar-15 BRAINTREE TOWN (H) 1-5 L - 17th - Att: 1,100 (16 Braintree)
Sat 21-Mar-15 KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS (H) 2-1 W - 15th - Att: 1,607 (200+ Kiddy)
Tues 24-Mar-15 WOKING (A) 3-2 L - 15th - Att: 1,506 (? Gulls)
Sat 28-Mar-15 SOUTHPORT (A) 2-1 L - 16th - Att: 1,021 (?Gulls)

Sat 04-Apr-15 DARTFORD (H) 1-1 D - 16th - Att: 1,754 (160 Dartford)
Mon 06-Apr-15 ALDERSHOT TOWN (A) 2-0 L - 17th - Att: 2,033 (? Gulls)
Sat 11-Apr-15 ALTRINCHAM (H) 2-0 W - 16th - Att: 1,462 (84 Altrincham)
Tues 14-Apr-15 LINCOLN (H) 1-0 W - 12th - Att: 1,249 (? Lincoln)
Sat 18-Apr-15 FC HALIFAX TOWN (A) 0-2 W - 12th - Att: 1,175 (? Gulls)
Sat 25-Apr-15 MACCLESFIELD TOWN (H) 1-1 D - 13th - Att: 2,260 (? Town)
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Post by Colorado Gull »

I've put the Ladies fixtures with the same format.

http://forum.torquayfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7447

I'll post the best report from a certain member on different games (mens). I'll record the scores, attendance, league position etc. I will do the same for the ladies games. Maybe we could get a report by a member who went to a ladies game as well (Matt possibly).

TUFC TULFC :scarf:
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Thanks to RoyalGull for this match report.

Gateshead 3 v 1 Torquay United.
royalgull wrote:Saturday was all a bit obvious wasn't it? Maybe it's hammered home just how bad we are and how our new signings maybe actually aren't that good? Can't write anything off after 1 measly game and it was always going to be a tough one against a Gateshead side you'd expect to be in the top 5, however if we are wishing to compete on that level then on the evidence of those who saw, plus the commentary and highlights I've seen then we are MILES away.

It was all so predictable as well, start ok, miss a sitter, concede, lose. It's what we did all of last season, nothings changed and like others the moment I heard our side we were doomed. Not like we can field much else though unfortunately, it's impossible for us to achieve anything with that back 4 literally impossible. I wouldn't have 3 of them at Didcot Town, for part of that I can't blame Hargreaves but what on Earth inspired or convinced him to offer Cruise a deal is mind boggling. I would sooner have kept Nicholson, Cruise is one of the very worst players I have ever seen for us, he has absolutely no stand out qualities, is a liability of a defender with no pace or positional sense. with him on one side and Tonge the other, I bet every winger in the league can't wait to play us, no surprise to see theirs rip us to pieces.

I see elsewhere in this thread we're questioning why our 'best player' isn't playing because of a few pre season games, rightly shot down by others but haven't some of you learnt anything from Nathan Craig? Pre season games and reserve team games mean precisely NOTHING. There are no tackles, the games are played at one pace you can not judge players in this arena. Whereas Ajala maybe a promising young player, his role to start with with almost certainly be as an impact sub, in fact the two wingers are two of our only decent players.

I worry about nearly all of our squad in all honesty, especially in the key areas, I would say centre back but that's not completely true because our ENTIRE defence is absolutely horrendous, with or without Pearce. He makes a difference but not a big enough one to say once he's back it'll be ok, we have 2 of the very worst full backs in professional football and no reliable partner for Pearce. Our midfield is powderpuff and will get bullied in this league by a lot of sides, Harding hasn't impressed me consistently and while I don't doubt Luke Young's ability as a footballer he's rarely played as one of a 2 for any length of time in his career. Again we have no viable alternative, Richards young player who like Ajala I don't feel is ready to play regularly in a side where we actually hope of trying to do something. We lack experience, we lack strength and we lack quality in these two major areas.

Up front Bowman I think will be good for us, he'll get some goals and despite having a finishing day to forget the bits I saw apart from that I liked, he looks a good hold up player who gets in good areas and his goal record is reasonable at the level so you'd hope he'll do alright for us over the course of the season but again he lacks a playing partner. Benyon I dunno maybe we're all sat around hoping he might just rediscover the form of when he first joined us but that pacey on the shoulder brave finisher that he perhaps once was hasn't been evident for so long now, he's like a non league Torres. Now he's a shadow of that running around aimlessly for an hour contributing nothing to the cause. Again though what's the alternative? yeoman perhaps? I was surprised he wasn't involved but I suppose with 5 subs it makes it tougher, O'Achie? Like Ajala and Richards just so raw and unproven it's a gamble to play them so again there is very little. He may be unhappy at TUFC and he may want out but the omission of Jordan Chapell continues to amaze me, he's one of our few players that when his head is right can play in the football league, he's the only player in our squad who is on the transfer list that when he leaves will actually make a career for himself. I wouldn't be against giving him a run up front, he's pacey, direct and got an eye for a goal but it seems doubtful we'll see him again.

Gateshead was always going to be our toughest game from the first 6 or 7 but having said that we need to bounce back really quickly, these players have let us down so much over the least year I have little or no faith in them doing what's needed to make us a decent side at this level. The inability to move the transfer listed lot speaks volumes and the fact they continue to make our starting XI makes our plight that much harder and shows where the rest of our squad are.
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Thanks to Swanny for this match report.

Torquay United 3 v 0 Welling United.
Swanny wrote:So at last I saw the Gulls win a match! The scoreline suggested it was a comfortable win but Welling can feel hard done by losing by 3 goals. Some real positives for me tonight. I think Hargreaves has made some cracking signings and addressed some major weaknesses from last season. At last we have a target man again in Bowman, a creative midfielder in Luke Young and exciting talent like Briscoe and Ajala. When you add these to players we already had like Cameron,it's quite a mouth watering prospect going forward. In short we look like there's goals in our team this season, however there are still big concerns at the back. We just about coped at the back tonight but better teams will surely exploit it. Crowd tonight 1,895, 40 odd from Welling, sponsors MOTM Cameron.

Tonight's goals came at crucial times tonight and our first on 15 minutes was real quality. Cameron threaded a ball through to Bowman who took the ball around their keeper and slotted into an empty net - something our forwards could not do last season! The Gulls at times played some great stuff in the first half with some lovely interchanging of passing with Luke Young impressing. Young also took a lovely free-kick that was just tipped over. Torquay won a soft penalty when Cameron was tripped running away from goal, and Cameron himself blasted the penalty kick past the keeper.

In the second half Welling showed good character and took the game to Torquay. Torquay had some chances like when Bowman just headed over. But Welling had good sustained pressure at times hitting the post, having a stonewall penalty turned down etc. Just when things were looking increasingly uncomfortable, substitute Ajala (who replaced Briscoe) pounced on a defensive mistake and lobbed their keeper with a deft finish. Still Welling tried and only a couple of sharp saves by Rice kept a clean sheet for the Gulls. 3-0 flattered Torquay but it was a win nonetheless and just what the doctored ordered. Our new kit looks very good and very yellow.
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Thanks to portugull for this match report.

Torquay United 0-0 Southport.
portugull wrote:Ryan Bowman rose to the bait and got sent off for a simulated head butt because the Southport player Kay trod on him deliberately after fowling him.

Kay knew exactly what he was doing because he knew that Bowman has a short fuse and if fouled and then trod on under the nose of the referee Bowman would react. Any professional footballer must surely understand that a head butt even if simulated will result in a red card. I watched Chris Hargreaves very carefully when Bowman left the pitch and CH ignored him. He was obviously fuming. Such a shame as the stupidity of Bowman cost us 3 points.

The 10 men battled for 70 minutes and very nearly won the match. Downes was outstanding in defence and with the exception of Cruise who was frequently outpaced the defence held firm against a Southport team who were clinical cheats. The one thing I have noticed in the last two or three seasons is more and more teams are cheating in all sorts of ways and the officials just do not seem to be up to the job.

Big positives from the match were Courtney Cameron who was excellent, Luke Young who is an absolute dream signing and the tremendous team spirit which Chris and Lee Hodges have created. Hargreaves has got to talk to Bowman about his temper because he is a classic striker in some ways like Rene Howe who has everything that we need in a striker except for the fact that he possesses a self destruction button.

With Harding injured and Bowman out for 3 matches it will be interesting to see how Chris responds with his team selection for the next game.

Finally there was some real passion and support from the crowd today, 3 short of 2000.
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Thanks to drummergull90 for this match report.

Dartford 0-0 Torquay.
drummergull90 wrote:Well that was appalling. A terrible game between two terrible sides. Where to start!

I've now seen Welling, Southport and Dartford and all three have been atrocious. We played well in the other two games and were unlucky. Today we were shocking.

Defensively we were ok, thought Downes was fairly solid and Rice made some good saves. Cruise was ok. Tonge's distribution was woeful, wasted the ball every time he came forward. Dartford were atrocious, no quality at all in 90 minutes.

Midfield did well, Young and Richards look a decent combination. Young especially good, always has time on the ball and has a habit of picking the right pass at the right time. Would like to see him in a more advanced role. Wingers were poor. Cameron looked a shadow of the player we have seen in the past two games. Briscoe was terrible, he is overweight and too slow to play on the wing. Bring Chapell back please.

Up front we were pretty poor. O'Achie does his job well and started brightly but faded. Not a goalscorer. Ajala is not a striker. We desperately miss Bowman, which is a concern. Decent loan signing needed.

Still, nice afternoon and I really liked their ground. Eco-friendly, nice idea. Very friendly too. Need to segregate fans though, that was a bit awkward.

Onward and upward, much better performance needed on Monday.
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Torquay United 1-1 Aldershot Town

We are just cannot score without Ryan Bowman. You can’t say that Cameron’s goal counts; it was a looping cross that ended up in the back of the net. We created so many chances, from Chappell and Cameron on the wing, Ajala in the holding position, Ofori-Acheampong and Briscoe as the holding strikers, but we cannot score without Bowman. This is completely unacceptable. If we are reliant on one man to win games, we are screwed.

Ricey, he’s a great shot stopper and does well in his box, but his kicking is atrocious. Time and time again he just hoofs it up front and it either goes out or goes to the opposing keeper. Its things like this that makes me so angry, sloppiness and wasteful play giving the ball away. When he finally decides to play it short, he passes it to Richards, who was marked, gave the ball away in the centre of defence and luckily the Referee gave a free kick (it probably wasn’t the right decision).

Tonge, very average. Did okay at times, linking up with Chappell and clearing well. Other times he wastes the possession and looks like a complete numpty at the back. Not comfortable watching him.

Downes, different class. A terrific performance, did everything right, never put a foot wrong. Won every header, no nonsense defending.

MacDonald, he was the same as Downes just not as good.

Ives, a superb debut. Great ball control and awareness, linked up with Young well. I much prefer him instead of Cruise. He WASN’T at fault for their goal. It was a clear, clear foul on Ives and it shouldn’t have been 1-1. The officials were absolutely abysmal all game. The linesman down the popside didn’t make one correct decision. Appalling.

Young, a very good performance. He made a couple of mistakes, but he looked very strong and has a brilliant footballing brain. Linked up with the wingers well and even had to play the role as winger, because Cameron/Chappell were too slow!
Richards, average. Sloppy at times but made up for it mostly. He looked okay, but was quiet.

Cameron/Chappell, both were average. Gave us pace and an option on the wing from time to time, but other than that was very frustrating. We were so slow going forward, hardly ever turned and faced the ball when Rice had the ball. It looked like we didn’t want to win the game.

Ofori-Acheampong, hard work but no end product. He did alright laying the ball off from time to time and chasing balls, but that isn’t his job. He can’t jump and can’t win headers. A real waste of space really? Very frustrating.

Ajala, was very lazy today. Little skill, didn’t make a lot of effort getting forward with pace. Didn’t get back enough to defend, Hargeaves shouted at him so many times to get back.

Briscoe, waste of time playing him with Ofori, no point having two laying off strikers. When Sullivan came on, he looked a little better, but nothing brilliant.

Wakefield/Sullivan, didn’t do anything.

The best thing about the day at Plainmoor, was that they played ‘Don’t look back in Anger’ by Oasis at the end of the game.
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Thanks to tommyg for this match report.

Lincoln City 1-3 Torquay United.
tommyg wrote:Well deserved win. We dominated the game although that was due to the early red card. Lincoln didn't create a chance after the penalty and as soon as we equalised there was only ever going to be one winner. Very impressed by the character and patience of a very young team. I wasn't sure how we'd react after conceding against 10 men but we didn't panic or rush our football. I can't remember the last time we had that much possession. We should have probably won by a larger margin and some fans were unhappy towards the end when we were just playing keep-ball in defence instead of really going for the jugular but I didn't have a problem with that.

The big talking point was obviously the sending off. O'Achie chased a Richards ball over the top and tried to knock it past Brown, who appeared to block it with his hand a few yards outside his own box. The referee didn't give it but the lino flagged furiously and as Brown was last man the ref had to issue a red card. I'm not sure if it was deliberate handball as he didn't have much time to react so will wait for the highlights. As for the penalty, Tonge looked to have been shoved over before Downes committed the foul so thought we should have had a free-kick but we were housed in the opposite end so was tricky to see.

O'Achie was a real handful. His first goal was prodded in at the near post after an excellent cross from Cameron and his second which wrapped up the points was put on a plate by the selfless Young who could have shot himself. O'Achie should have had a hat-trick but missed a sitter with his head just before half-time. Richards' strike was a beauty - hard and low into the corner from 25 yards at a point in the game where we were struggling to break Lincoln down. Ajala also struck the bar and Cameron headed over from close range late doors.

There were a handful of nominees for MOTM. Lincoln's depleted defence couldn't cope with O'Achie or Cameron. Both were superb. Young fantastic again rarely wasted a pass and always seems to find so much time on the ball. MacDonald didn't put a foot wrong at the back but my pick for the bubbly was the tireless Richards. He can do the dirty stuff and loves a tackle but is also composed on the ball and full of beans. He's got a great engine and showed he can strike a ball. As for the others, Rice had nothing to do, Tonge and Cruise did well but weren't tested much. Downes solid apart from conceding another penalty. Wakefield was pushed wide after we went 1-0 down as we switched to 4-4-2 and he looked a bit lost out of position. Briscoe was our most disappointing player and hobbled off with a hamstring injury. Ajala and Chapell were ok when they came in but lacked end product. Yeoman was only on for a few minutes.

Quite excited by the future of this team if we can keep the players together but tough to say how good a performance this was because we played with an extra man for practically the whole match.
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Torquay United 4-0 Nuneaton Town.

It was a result that should be expected (and that is said with the greatest of respect to Nuneaton's supporters, who were very good today) but it was a fantastic performance by the Gulls. It's fair to say that the visitors weren't tough opposition, but at the beginning of the first and second half, they looked adventurous. Martin Rice made a good save early on in the game, that may have been a crucial part. A part from that, the closet they got from scoring was when Aaron Downes passed the ball back to Martin Rice in the second half.

It was all Torquay. Really strong at the back, passing and moving with the midfield and using Bowman and Ofori very well with their strength holding up the ball. The first goal came from clever play by Ofori and Richards setting up Luke Young who scored from 20 yards out, bottom corner. The second goal was simply outstanding, out of this world! If it was Chelsea, the media would be talking about it for months! One of the best goals I have ever seen at TQ1. The ball was in our half, right by our box. Ajala cleverly won the ball back and made an incredible long ball to Ofori. While he ran down the wing beating two players, Luke Young was storming his way forward down the middle. Duane picked out Young with a perfect cross and the skipper back-healed the ball while airborne into the net. Superb. Luke with another goal on the 29th minute. The next goal came in the 39th minute from Aaron Downes. Jordan Chappell (who came on for Cameron due to an injury) with a fantastic corner, straight to Downes with a brilliant header at the far post. The Torquay United fans sung loud and proud (as they did all game) as the players went in for the half time break, 3-0.

In the second half, we had many chances from Ofori and Ajala, along with Bowman and Chappell attacking forward. On the 58th minute, it was 4-0. Toby Ajala went round his marker and shot for goal. It was deflected and came to Ryan Bowman to finish from close range. From then on, it seemed as if Nuneaton had given up. It was all Torquay, keeping the ball very well. Dale Tonge had a great time today, joking with the fans and performing very well. Everyone played very well and you could see the confidence shining through every Torquay player.

We're now in 9th position and one point off the Play Off's. We go on to play Chester away on Tuesday night and it is definitely a game that we can win. Keep going United, it's looking good.
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Chester 0-2 Torquay United

A great win for United. The 100 or so Gulls fans witnessed another dominant performance by the boys in yellow, especially in the second half where it was all TUFC. A big moment of the game was when referee seemed to send off the wrong player for a blatant foul on Ryan Bowman and the defender was the last man! However, the ref then communicated with the linesman and 'corrected' the decision by booking the defender instead! Madness.

Chester caused some pressure in the first half and made Ricey make one or maybe two easy saves, but the defence held out very well. As for the Gulls, it was chance after chance after chance and should have been about 4-0 up by half time. It was all Torquay in the second 45, near missing chances constantly. It seemed as if we were never going to score, but finally after a Luke Young corner, Aaron Downes scored. A few minutes later, we struck again with Ryan Bowman again by a Young corner. 2-0, 9 points in 3 games, on to play Grimsby away on Saturday!
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Thanks to tommyg for this match report.

Grimsby 0-2 Torquay United.
tommyg wrote:That was an excellent first-half performance. Passed the ball well, pressed the opposition, looked dangerous on the attack and solid in defence. Bowman should have scored the first goal but missed a sitter after we carved open the Grimsby backline. We didn't have long to wait for the breakthrough, though. Tonge played a clever ball into the feet of O'Achie, who held off his marker with his back to goal and laid the ball off for the onrushing Richards to squeeze his finish past the keeper from close range.

O'Achie was again instrumental for the second goal, tackling his opponent on the halfway line to set up a counter attack. His through ball found Bowman, who went past a defender before trying to cut back inside him on the edge of the box. He was tackled but Young arrived on queue, darted into the left-hand side of the area and fired in a deflected shot before cupping his ears right in front of the home supporters. Chapell nearly made it three moments later after a deft one-two with O'Achie, but his shot across goal just rolled wide. Grimsby were restricted to attempts from outside the box at the other end, with Rice making a couple of routine stops.

However, after threatening to run away with the game, the second half was a completely different story. Grimsby piled on the pressure and we were sitting too deep. Unlike the first half, we surrendered possession far too easily and were just hoofing it aimlessly forward. We were starting to get stretched and looked tired, which is hardly surprising given our efforts on the road this week. Grimsby created four or five chances, but they were wasteful in front of goal and denied by a couple of superb Rice saves. We didn't come close to scoring after the break but in the end it didn't matter. I do think if Grimsby had scored one, a second would have quickly followed and we definitely rode our luck at times.

Rice pulled off some outstanding saves and the whole back four played well. I noticed they were working together as a unit in the warm-up with Hodges and they certainly looked on the same wavelength today. Tonge and Cruise have stepped up their games, while Downes and MacDonald are forming a strong partnership. In midfield, Richards and Young dominated a first half in which they both scored, but they were overrun after the interval and their passing went astray. It was a Jekyll and Hyde performance from that pair. Chapell used possession well and drifted in and out of the game. Ajala was impressive - not just with his attacking play but also his tracking back and tackling. I've not seen a winger work as hard defensively since Zebroski. Bowman was disappointing in the first half and missed a gilt-edged chance before heading off injured. Yeoman struggled to make an impact when he replaced him but we did spend the second half on the back foot and he ended the game on the right wing. O'Achie was instrumental in both goals and my pick for MOTM. Wakefield added a bit of steel in midfield but didn't see much of the ball and Pearce had a five-minute cameo up front at the end.

It's a fantastic result and our first half was a pleasure to watch. Just a shame that we struggled after that but it was a magnificent effort from all the players. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lacklustre performance on Tuesday because I think these last two games have taken a lot out of us.
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Thanks to tommyg for this match report.

Torquay United 1-0 Woking
tommyg wrote:A+ for effort but we struggled in the final third. I can't remember us creating too many clear chances and thought our front six were some way off their best. Defensively we were fantastic, though. Magnificent free-kick from Young. I was thinking 'don't shoot' because he was a long way out but he caught it perfectly. Great celebration too from all the players.

I'm surprised Woking changed their tactics at half-time. In the first half, they were popping the ball about, firing in shots and looked the better team. But they sat back after the break, wasted time and were playing for the draw. If they had played at the same tempo as the first half they could have walked away with all three points because we weren't at our best going forward.

Rice made a few routine stops but had a fairly quiet game; the back four were excellent. Cruise got caught out once in the second half, but that was the only mistake between the quartet. I think Richards has been excellent this season but tonight he had a poor game. Young wasn't at his best before scoring his screamer, but he was still better than most. Ajala was hit and miss but was our most lively attacker; Chappell lost the ball too many times but did almost score at the start of the second half. Cameron didn't do much when he came on. Thought the front two were well marshalled by Woking's defence. Bowman improved as the game wore on but didn't look 100% fit. O'Achie struggled to impose himself on the match. I was surprised he played the full 90.

Well done to the crowd. The Pop was bouncing at the end and the fans did their best to lift the team when things weren't going our way. It may not have been a classic but there's something special about this team and the feel-good factor is definitely back at the Launa Window... no can't say it. The feel-good factor is definitely back at Plainmoor!
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Thanks tommyg for this match report. Thank you to Swanny for a very detailed report as well. I will post both on the main site.

Torquay United 2-0 Dover Athletic.
tommyg wrote:Not the goal-fest most predicted and a pretty dire second half but what do they say about a side winning games when not playing well? We were slow out of the blocks but dominated the first half. We had to be patient before Young hit the post with a thunderbolt from the edge of the box and Bowman forced a save after some good link-up play between Cruise and Ajala down the left. We were knocking on the door and were rewarded after Downes scored a trademark header from a Young corner, with the ball squirming over the line. Dover rarely threatened but did create one opportunity which resulted in a fairly comfortable Rice save.

Unfortunately, our second-half performance was woeful and we were lucky to hold onto our lead. Dover had a couple of gilt-edged chances, but failed to capitalise when Rice was caught in no man's land before being rounded, but the Dover player sliced over from an angle with the goal gaping. We just couldn't keep hold of the ball and were very static in the final third. Bowman should have wrapped the game up after being put clean through by Richards but he was again denied by the keeper and smashed his rebound against the post. A second goal in injury-time flattered us. O'Achie looked like he was going to hold the ball up after we forced a corner, but instead he flicked it through to Cameron, whose low cross into the six-yard area deflected in off a Dover shin. It was actually a poor cross because there was no yellow shirt near the ball. But they all count and a win is a win, although against a better side we would have been punished in the second half.

Rice was laughably given the sponsors' MOTM. He barely had a save to make and almost gifted Dover an equaliser so who knows what game they were watching. A much better selection was Cruise, who topped the Twitter vote after an excellent performance. He was a real threat in the first half going forward and Dover couldn't cope down that side. Downes and MacDonald were rocks as usual and Tonge performed well again. In midfield, Richards was better without the ball than with it, nicking back possession regularly. His passing was a bit astray at times, although he did play Bowman through on goal with a delicate ball. Young was superb in the first half before wilting. That said, he never panicked on the ball and was a calming presence when others around him were scrambling.

Out wide, Chapell was quite ineffective, losing control of the ball and over-hitting crosses. He also doesn't have the pace to beat the full-back on the outside. Ajala does possess speed but he's so hit and miss you never know what he's going to do. Hargreaves probably tears his hair out watching him play. He has the ability but sometimes lacks a footballing brain, which is probably why he's at this level. I was frustrated with the front two, particularly O'Achie who too often waited for the ball to come to him rather than moving towards the ball. He can be a real handful but wasn't involved enough today and rarely jumps for the ball. Bowman worked harder and tried his best to stretch the defenders, but his primary role is to score goals and he missed two great chances. Cameron obviously came on and assisted the own goal, but as previously mentioned, it wasn't a very good cross. I'd rather he started ahead of Chapell now he's fit again. Wakefield did ok out of position on the right and put himself about a bit.

Relief probably best sums it up and with a full week now until our next game, hopefully our players can recharge their batteries and keep the run going. On a side note, I wouldn't mind Hargreaves bringing in another striker because we were crying out for a change up top in the second half and clearly he doesn't fancy Yeoman. Maybe Briscoe will add extra depth when he's fully fit, but I think he'll be used more out wide.
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Thanks to Brentwoodgull for this match report.

AFC Telford United 4-3 Torquay United.
brentwoodgull wrote:My first viewing of the new look team today. Slightly underwhelmed tbh by performance and result but I can live with it being an 'off day'. Telford were direct, physical and set out to rattle us - successfully, as it happens. They worked the ref pretty well but I can't argue with either sending off. A bit naive from both players. Like Downes, I also wanted to kick their right back in to Row Z with his frustrating ball-ushering but he was only doing what you'd hope your right back would do if you were a goal to the good with little time remaining.

Their goals were helped by poor defending all round. Downes seemed to be our only defender who can meet the first ball with any conviction and even then some of his attempted clearances were a tad pathetic. Cruise clearly doesn't like heading the ball at all but I thought he looked decent in possession and I'm a fan of the beard. I thought Tonge was alright in the first half but the whole back four were turned and dragged apart far too easily. They also looked shaky on most set pieces.

The midfield played their part in our defensive atrocities. They were a bit guilty of trying to play the ball in the wrong parts of the pitch and as a result putting us on the back foot defensively. Chappell lost the ball too often trying to take the ball past his oppo. Up front, I thought Bowman was quite anonymous. O'Achie was in the thick of it most of the time and is a right menace but some of his 'tricks' were laughable - he's one of those players where the last place you want him with the ball is in wide open spaces!

All that said, I am not in the state of despondency that perhaps I should be after losing to bottom of the league side while conceding 4 goals. We were the better football team by miles (albeit inconsistently today) and when our tails were up, our one-touch game looked great and left them for dead. I love our ambition. Everyone looked happy to have the ball and were always looking to attack. The movement and build up play was impressive even if the end product was lacking - but (reality check) this is the Vanarama conference and we can't expect it to work every time. Enough evidence to suggest it will happen a lot of the time though and presumably, we will get better over time. Every player looks totally up for it and subs made a positive contribution. I think a good season awaits. We'll probably play worse than that and win.

Odd mood in the crowd. Partly in response to an odd game but also partly as a result of the spotty knobs and their antics. I wonder if they did get the fight they so desperately wanted outside and how they got on? Mmmm.
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Post by Colorado Gull »

Thanks to Kernowgull for this match report.

Forest Green Rovers 2-1 Torquay United.
Kernowgull wrote:Sadly, we did not lose that because of the ref, we lost because we were dreadful after we went ahead. I do think the first was offside, but would need to see it again to be sure, but the second we gifted to them. Tonge gave the ball away dreadfully in a dangerous area with a poor header. The first, as I said, may have been offside, but we had ample chances to clear.

Every clearance in the second half was panicked, we didn't string one move together second half. I think Bowman touched the ball twice second half. O' Achie was clearly struggling for a while before he went off. Rice's kicking was poor, Young was barely at the races, bar one thunder bolt that their keeper made a great save from. Richards was our best player until he got sent off. I didn't see the incident that well, so can't comment on the second yellow.

Pearce did ok, as did Gus, but Gus looks like a booking waiting to happen.

our goal was lovely, but the lack of depth in the squad is being stretched already, and I think some of our lads are knackered, which is worrying.

not sure if Gus is now suspended, but if we are to compete in the play offs, we need another cb, and another forward.

Thought Briscoe did well, but he needs to shed a few pounds.

Disappointing all in all today, but FGR could bring Hughes off the bench. I wouldn't want that pillock here, but that calibre of player on the bench shows how weak our squad is.

Sorry about the jumbled report. Long day!!
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