TorquayFans.com | Torquay United Fans Forum

According to a status from Dan Bell on the Vanarama National League wall, Torquay United vs Gateshead has been rearranged from 23/12/2017 to 12/12/2017 following a request from Gateshead Football Club.

Ray

It is confirmed on the TUFC Website.

I'm not sure what I'd prefer. A 14 hour round trip two days before Christmas or on a Tuesday night. Either way, not many away fans for that one me thinks!

I suggested that this is of benefit to both clubs due to the longer rest period before the busy Boxing Day to NYD run of fixtures.

Ray

Ray Johnstone wrote: ↑09 Aug 2017, 20:04 I suggested that this is of benefit to both clubs due to the longer rest period before the busy Boxing Day to NYD run of fixtures.

Ray

Didn't realise that and thought that Gateshead had probably thought about it themselves and felt that such a long trip 2 days before Christmas Day was a ridiculous blip in the National League fixtures calendar. Not easy to get fixtures changed mind so nice to know that they took notice of you

This is a poor decision IMHO. We traditionally get bigger gates over Christmas when our exiles are back which provides much needed extra income and the advtange of more support for the lads.

There won't be nearly as many on a Tuesday night during school term. Bad decision from our apparently more business minded owners.

DevonYellow wrote: ↑13 Aug 2017, 08:06 This is a poor decision IMHO. We traditionally get bigger gates over Christmas when our exiles are back which provides much needed extra income and the advtange of more support for the lads.

There won't be nearly as many on a Tuesday night during school term. Bad decision from our apparently more business minded owners.

Gateshead made the request, and the club agreed to move it to an alternative date, which incidentally is of no benefit or advantage to Gateshead. I mean a 7.45 on a Tuesday is only a bonus for us. If we had been due to play away at Gateshead on the 23rd December we would have done the same. What ever anyone's thoughts are with GI, on this occasion common sense has prevailed.

How exactly is a 7.45 on cold Tuesday night in December a bonus to us? There will be about 1,600 people there. A game on a Saturday when a lot of people are home for Christmas and kids not at school the following day could see an extra 500 on the gate. Doesn't make any business sense to me.

DevonYellow wrote: ↑13 Aug 2017, 18:22 How exactly is a 7.45 on cold Tuesday night in December a bonus to us? There will be about 1,600 people there. A game on a Saturday when a lot of people are home for Christmas and kids not at school the following day could see an extra 500 on the gate. Doesn't make any business sense to me.

Purely Based on getting 3 points. An away fixture for Gateshead on a December Tuesday night is hardly motivational for them. i really don't see the issue. With Gateshead being the opposition, common sense has won, as you said it's Christmas.

The "bumper attendance in run up to Xmas" theory is flannel anyway. Pretty sure the last few years the attendance has been down as people get dragged out doing their last minute Xmas shopping.

Attendance will be rubbish whether it's on Tuesday or Saturday

I think 23rd December is close enough to count as 'Christmas' rather than the run up though. For example, I finish work on the Friday afternoon and could have flown home to attend on the 23rd, but I won't be there on the 12th and there's probably a reasonable number of exiles in the same boat that come home for Christmas, which was DevonYellow's point.

They might both be in the 1000s rather than 2000s, but a Saturday will always be a few hundred higher, even without the above factor. We've obviously weighed that against when we'd rather play the game from a fixture list point of view and opted for the 12th. If we get 3 points, it's worth it.

That's exactly my point. This is our home Christmas game. The only other is New Year's Day when a lot of exiled fans may well have left the bay.

I know this isn't necessarily representative, but to use my family as an example, my sister and Uncle would both be down for this game as they are every Christmas but always return home for New Year.

Lucy, I'm genuinely interested as to why you think Gateshead would be less motivated to win on Tuesday 12 compared to Saturday 23rd?