Torquay v Macclesfield Town-season opener.

Dave_Pougher · Post by **Dave_Pougher** » 09 Aug 2015, 09:59

Will reply more fully later but enjoyed yesterday more than I have enjoyed a TQY match for a very long time. There were things happening that made more feel it was a good place to be and spirit I haven't experienced for even longer.

2066 a bad crowd ? A little bit maybe but when you consider around 2000 of them were die hard TUFC fans even that pleased me. Even a few of the away fans provided some "during match" entertainment!

yellowforever · Post by **yellowforever** » 09 Aug 2015, 14:08

Yep can only echo what others have said. We started poorly but grew into the game second half. We won't concede many goals this year, I'm certain of that and our success may well be dependent on whether we can find the winning formula up front. Playing Fisher on the wing is not that, and if this formation is going to be continued we need more genuine wide players at the club, as only Sheppard and maybe Briscoe offer this. Quigley I thought did ok up front, he won a few headers and will be a menace with his strength, but the problem is we needed to get a few players closer to him.

Overall, good game. Crowd a little disappointing but the atmosphere inside was the best we've had for a while - you get the feeling that everyone at the club is pulling together and that translated to the players; I think that's more valuable than an extra 200/300 on the gate. These players at the club now seem to be playing with far more heart and determination than most I've seen before, and that is refreshing seeing these young players working hard and trying to improve rather than some of Knill's dross waltzing around with their final payday. They'll get better, and so will we. I'm confident in Cox, we just need to give him and this young squad time.

Macclesfield will be alright this season. They have a few in the forward areas that can play, Holroyd, Dennis and Whittaker will be a handful for most teams.

Just a quick note to acknowledge Smith and his man of the match award - fully deserved and although ExoGus (that will catch on) were imperious in the centre, Smith dealt with the very pacy winger with ease.

lucy6lucy · Post by **lucy6lucy** » 09 Aug 2015, 16:30

J

Swanny wrote:A hard fought win by the Gulls today in a game in which we got stronger as the game went on. That's something I have not witnessed for a long time. Under Hargreaves and Knill Torquay tended to start lively and fade out. Today Torquay in the first half were very much second best and should have gone in at half time a goal or two down. Goalkeeper Spiess saved a clear 1-on-1 with his legs and was alert to other dangerous moments.

The crowd of 2,066 (103) from Macclesfield created a good atmosphere and I was proud of the chanting from all 3 home sides. You feel our supporters are really trying to do their bit to lift the club from its current predicament. Our current plight is indeed very concerning when you hear rumours of how low the players wages are and our manager and assistant are getting paid for their expenses only. It made today's win a big achievement especially for our manager, Paul Cox.

Torquay nearly scored in the first minute but our shot went across the goal from a tight angle. Torquay failed to clear their lines early on but just survived each time and we looked there for the taking. MacDonald and man mountain Geohaghon looked a good pairing in central defence and keeper Speiss was vocal. Torquay created very little in midfield and our front man Quigley had little impact. We really seem to be missing Young and we were looking like a bunch of strangers.

But we hung in there and came out in the second half with more purpose and intent. Macclesfield cleared the ball off the line in quick succession and finally Torquay were looking a bit dangerous, none more so from Geohaghon's long throws right into Macclesfield's goalmouth. Substitute Lavelle-Moore really had something about him in attack and shortly after his arrival, Torquay took the lead. Following a corner, the ball broke loose and Fisher swivelled and drove the ball into the corner of the net. Torquay grew in confidence and Macclesfield fizzled out.

There were huge celebrations at the final whistle from players and fans alike and it was a pivotal win in Torquay's history. It's a long, hard road ahead for the club and it was some achievement in winning today after all the troubles off the pitch. Well done to all concerned from the directors, management team to the players - you did the club proud today!

Cox is only being paid for expenses and not being paid a wage? Surely this is not the case

tomogull · Post by **tomogull** » 09 Aug 2015, 16:34

Not much to add to Yellowforever's good post. The pitch looked fantastic - well done to the groundsmen. Yesterday's match was well refereed - one or two dodgy decisions for both sides, but overall I thought the ref had a good game. It was a solid, workmanlike performance - there were no passengers. There was no player who you could say had a poor game - unlike last season when you could pick out three or four each match who didn't perform. And when you consider that three players (Young, Hurst and Briscoe) who would have automatically been in the side were missing, it was a damn good performance.

Quigley looked rather isolated up front but he never gave up chasing. This was partly due, I think, to Fenwick being asked to play a more forward role than he's probably used to. Fenwick hasn't been mentioned much on this thread but he got through a lot of unnoticed 'donkey work'. I reckon he's going to prove to be a good signing.

On yesterday's showing, we're going to be much harder to beat this season and it's obvious that Paul Cox is going to demand 100% every match, nothing less. The fans played their part as well. As Yellowforever posted, there was somehow a greater feeling of togetherness between players, fans and Board members. You could see the delight on the players faces at the end, especially Angus when he ran over to the pop side. Long may it last. Fair 'do's' to Waide Fairhurst when he ran to the away end at the final whistle to shake hands with Macc supporters. Macclesfield were a neat passing side as they were last season. They'll do okay again but don't look strong enough to get in the play offs.

I know we're a couple of old farts, but Samuel and I have seen the good, the bad and even worse times at Plainmoor. Like Samuel, I have a good feeling about this season. We-ve turned a corner. Paul Cox has put together a young side (has anyone worked out the average age of yesterday's team?) and if he can keep the nucleus of these players next season, who knows where it could lead us? Final word (honest !) - yes, the gate was disappointing, but it was the sixth highest in the league and the 'gate' just above us (Boreham Wood/Wrexham - no doubt boosted by expectant Wrexham fans) was just 17 more than ours.

ROADRUNNER · Post by **ROADRUNNER** » 09 Aug 2015, 19:10

yes cox is being payed a wage, dont know where the rumour came from but i can assure everyone that they are both being payed a wage.

Post by **Dave** » 09 Aug 2015, 21:44

ROADRUNNER wrote:yes cox is being payed a wage, dont know where the rumour came from but i can assure everyone that they are both being payed a wage.

I don't know if I should post this out on the forum or not, so forgive me if I shouldn't. The suggestion I heard yesterday was Paul Cox was indeed being paid a wage, but not by us, by his previous club, are you saying that's not the case, if so fair enough, as it's really no concern of us fans, if the club couldn't afford PC, he wouldn't be here.

Post by **Louis** » 09 Aug 2015, 22:27

Swanny wrote:Torquay nearly scored in the first minute but our shot went across the goal from a tight angle.

Hi Swanny. Forgot about that shot, was a very good start to the game. All the long shots and loss of possessions got a tad boring but nethertheless a win is a win. I'm sure the more the team play together the better we will be over the season.

Oh and if anyone from the club is reading this the tannoy speaker in the pop side closest to the family stand is broken.

Neal · Post by **Neal** » 10 Aug 2015, 06:34

Does anyone know why the match day screen wasn't working?

RussianGull · Post by **RussianGull** » 10 Aug 2015, 08:58

Neal wrote:Does anyone know why the match day screen wasn't working?

Deano forgot to put 50p in the meter.

Bloggy · Post by **Bloggy** » 10 Aug 2015, 10:53

Is there likely to be an official match report on the OS anytime soon?

Gullscorer · Post by **Gullscorer** » 10 Aug 2015, 13:17

Bloggy wrote:Is there likely to be an official match report on the OS anytime soon?

http://www.torquayunited.com/fixtures-r ... ch-report/

Bloggy · Post by **Bloggy** » 10 Aug 2015, 13:26

Cheers Gullscorer, thought they just popped up in the News section... will be more diligent in future.

brooker · Post by **brooker** » 10 Aug 2015, 15:07

Does anyone know what's happening with highlights this year? I'm hoping some from the Macc game will be up soon!

Added in 5 minutes 37 seconds:
Own question answered, crowd sounds great!

Gullscorer · Post by **Gullscorer** » 10 Aug 2015, 15:22

brooker wrote:Does anyone know what's happening with highlights this year? I'm hoping some from the Macc game will be up soon!
Added in 5 minutes 37 seconds:
Own question answered, crowd sounds great!

Or this: Not what you'd call highlights; they just show the goal, and that's about it. Hoping for more extended highlights in the future..

Markh84 · Post by **Markh84** » 10 Aug 2015, 19:27

If you have a Gullsplayer subscription you can login and view over 4 minutes of highlights from Saturday's game.

http://www.player.torquayunited.com/last-match

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