FL2: Torquay United v Burton 23rd Jan 2010

Being at the game - it's a good job we are playing the Burton 2nd team. Burton on top - both our goals against the run of play.

Looking forward to the match reports later cos sounds like they have seen some action!!
5 mins to go and all I can do is hope and prepare!!!!!.....knives will being sharpened in the UK and elsewhere ;D
Pleased I am going out later so can keep away from the normal ramblings....no doubt will be all the questions but none of the answers

Just about to drive home, should have set-off when they equalised (so should half of the team!)!
Dreadful performance, although perhaps if we'd have gone 3-0 up.
I think the'social networkers' will be livid after that........

2-0 up, 2-3 down. Bloody hell.

Not good, not good at all. Still 6 points from the dropzone after a very poor performance. Spirits must be lifted before tuesdaynight.

Did anyone call for Buckle's resignation?

For anyone not at the game, my verdict .
It was awful.
No desire - started slowly which is a recipe for disaster as we all know, and Burton dominating from the start . Then surprise surprise we go up the other end and score.
Ok thought I we should be able to go on from this and improve, guess what we were still second best all over the pitch but once again break from the back and score another.
Now once that one went in my usual thoughts are we can get more from this game and perhaps get a hat full against a side fielding their reserves and a keeper who will soon be queuing up for his pension but no after going 2 up my my only thoughts were that we'd be lucky to scrape a draw. And so it proved to be.
From the back line through midfield to the front line we were second best from start to finish whether that has anything to do with recent events I am not so sure but one things is certain and that is Burton were hungrier and wanted it more than us and that's been a rare event in our recent history.
Even the dependable Poke was very average today and for their goals the way the back line and midfield backed of was ridiculous. When Nicky Wroe isn't at the races and a certain Wayne Carlisle is injured the middle of the park we simply get outgunned and over run and that's what happened today.
All of there goals were easily preventable for the first the midfield and defence allowed Penn so much room he had time and space to pick his spot from over 25 yards a good hit though.
The second was similar backing off the edge of the area again allowed Harrod in and the third was when there right winger left Hargreaves for dead in midfield waltzed down our left and cut and again had to much time to hit a low cross shot easily beating Poke.
One bright spot was the introduction of Danny Stevens who made an impression immediately he was introduced and we had chances to get back in the game but in all honesty when you start a game like we did today you just know your in trouble, the pattern is set for the ninety minutes and going 2-0 up simply added to our problems and the players thought they were going to stroll it. Disappointed with so many of the players today non more so than Thomson who I thought would be our saviour but the shortcomings in his game are becoming more and more apparent. He cant head a ball and doesn't know ho to defend and may be at this level he may just be a bit of a luxury. Greavsy was MOM and yes he put himself about and gave his usual 110% but on this showing we need much more than an old head with no pace.

So its official, Burton reserves are a better team than Buckles first eleven and today I witnessed the very worst display I have even seen a Buckle team produce. Soulless, heartless, lacking any will to win and so disjointed with every player so guilty of constantly giving the ball away.

Did Buckle start with Hargreaves because he felt he was the best he had to play along side Wroe? Or was it because it was felt should we lose, then he would not come under any pressure and get the blame if he had not started Hargreaves. Who knows and the questions will be asked if what has been going on at Plainmoor this week, are the reason for such a poor performance.

It did not look like the players were playing for their manager, but if that was the case they should have been playing for their captain, who while was not outstanding, was our best player today and deserved to be the man of the match.

Wroe looked so uninterested and was woeful with his passing; Mansell gave the ball away so many times, our defence was nonexistent and apart from Hargreaves not one player can feel they played well or tried that hard to win a game that should never have been lost.

With no Carlisle Buckle went with Zebs on the left wing who looked as poor out there as he did in games he played when last on loan here in the second half of the season. Thomson on the right wing as he was against Brighton and once again on that side of the pitch he could not get passed anyone. Benyon upfront with Rendell who did his best and won a few headers while Benyon himself ran around and made the runs with little or no effect at all.

I drove over and thought what a nice sunny afternoon for a change and felt I would be driving home with a smile on my face as we would surely beat a Burton side with so many first choice players missing. I was talking with Jon and sundayref near the toilets under the popside when sundayref asked if we knew or not if Hargreaves was playing. We soon had our answer as we could hear the clapping and singing “There’s only one Chris Hargreaves”

The best part today was the PERFECT minutes silence before the kick-off for Mr Brad, a big pat on the back for all fans today, made me feel proud to see such respect shown by our fans.

We started like we were half asleep and I was thinking to myself if this is Burton reserves, thank god they did not bring their fist team. Young Smith was getting turned and beat with so much ease by the Burton winger and we conceded two early corners and got lucky on the second one as the low ball into the box just beat everyone and all it needed was just a boot stuck on it and we would have been a goal behind.

We ended up having to give away another corner as we simply kept failing to clear the ball out of our box and you just felt it was only a matter of time before we went behind.

Then on 10 minutes we go and take the lead and it was good gaol it must be said, Zebs had run into the Burton box but his ball aimed toward the middle got blocked and fell to Hargreaves on the edge of the box, he played it to his left back to Zebs who stood up his cross to the back post and there was Rendell to win his header and plant the ball into the net.

Benyon was still trying to make some good runs while Zebs was failing to go past anyone and was losing the ball on the left wing for fun and Wroe could not find another Torquay player with any of his passes and yet he could have got a second goal soon after our first one. Thomson sent in a free kick from just outside the box and Robertson headed over, a corner was given so a defender mush had got a touch on the ball as well.

Then on 15 minutes we did get a second goal, Thomson took a free kick wide out on the right, it looked far to long and Zebs did well to get to the ball and lay it back to Smith who was steaming toward the box, he hit a low and hard shot that would not have beaten the Burton keeper, but Robertson who must have standing close to the penalty spot, stuck out his boot and redirected the ball past the Burton keeper.

I felt at this stage that Burton would just collapse and we would go on and score more goals, but we either lost the midfield battle or simply gave the ball to Burton who always seemed to win every 50/50 ball. Before Burton got one back we nearly got a third goal, a ball that was meant as a cross by Thomson went high into the sky and looked like it was going to drop in under the Burton bar, but their veteran keeper managed to push the ball over the crossbar.

Just a minute later Rendell got his head onto a Thomson cross and forced a good save out of the Burton keeper, but just two minutes later Burton got their first goal back. The ball was played up to Penn who was given so much space, he just took the ball on a bit further and hit a cracking shot with his right foot from 25 yards that gave Poke had no chance of saving.

On forty minutes Hargreave battled to win the ball with his head on the half way line, not one TUFC reacted to it or went to the ball, a Burton player picked up the ball up with ease and played a pass to a Burton player just standing on his own on the edge of our box, fortunately his shot sailed high over Pokes bar.

So we went in at halftime lucky to still be winning the game and we did not start the second half any better than we started the first half. But we did produce a good move early on, a good ball was played out to Thomson on the right and for once he beat his man by pushing the ball past him and using his pace to get past the player and back on the ball. He send on a deep cross that Zebs headed down and toward the middle of the edge of the Burton box to Rendell, but his shot went well over the bar.

Then out of the blue Burton when and scored again, I really could see no danger of anything happening, but the ball was at the feet of Harrods who just belted it from outside the box, I thought it would go wide or Poke would save it and could not believe it when I saw the ball hit the back of the net.

Buckle then took of Benyon and put Zebs upfront with Rendell and Stevens on the right wing, Stevens at least played well and we looked a bit better, but Zebs did not seem to get into the game now he was playing upfront.

We then had another chance to try and get the lead back, across was sent into the Burton box and Thomson headed the ball to Wroe on the edge of the box, but it summed up his day when he blasted the ball well wide of the Burton goal.

Then Buckle took off Thomson and sent on Eunan O'Kane, I can’t really give my views on him as he did not get the ball that much, but his first touch of the ball nearly resulted in him scoring. Smith went on a great run, played the ball to Stevens who sent in a cross that looked far too long, but there running in at the back post was O'Kane who hit the ball first time and the Burton keeper did well to block the shot with his body.

Poke’s kicking was getting worse and worse as the game wore on and he nearly cost us a goal as he raced out of his box to get to a ball and then passed it to a Burton player, he looked up and saw the empty net, but his shot went wide of the right hand post.


I thought Robertson had scored as after Zebs was fouled the resulting free kick was sent into the Burton box and Robertson got a powerful header on the ball, it beat the keeper but was somehow cleared off the line and away to safety.Hargreaves then got a half chance on the edge of the box, a ball floated in found Zebs who headed it down to Hargreaves, but he blasted the ball over the bar.

Just when you thought a point would be better than nothing, Taylor just runs past our defence with so much ease, gets into our box and fires a shot across Poke and into the right hand side of the goal, boy after being two nil up, that goal sure hurt.

Not sure why when we were losing and with hardly anytime left, Buckle takes off Robertson and brings on Ellis, makes you wish even more that Tim Sills was still at our club and we had him to bring on.

If fans were not angry on the popside they were with just five minutes to go, a mass army of stewards went and stood pitch side, maybe they were expecting a riot? No one could see what was happening on the pitch and despite shouts for them to at least sit down or something, they just ignored everyone. I pay to watch a whole game, not have the last five minutes blocked from my view, we are after all little Torquay United and not some club with real hooligans.