FL2: Torquay Utd v Northampton - 15 Dec 12

What a day to pick to go and watch my first match up at Plainmoor for such a long time. The Bay took a good soaking yesterday and its very wet and damp again this morning.

It will be a great opportunity for me to meet up and have a chat with so many of the TFF members who have become friends as a result of the TFF coming into existence. I'm sure today it will feel like I have come back home to a place that holds a lifetime of memories for me.

Not sure what sort of game I'm expecting to see, I just hope I see plenty of effort and hard work and if I do them the result might not be so important in the end. I'm still suffering the effects of the accident I had at work so I hope I will be able to stand on the popside for that long without enduring to much pain. Lets hope the game itself is not a cause of nay pain as well.

Just over three years ago we played Northampton at home, it happened to be on a day we held a TFF carvery and while I can't remember the result that day, I sure have very fond memories of the TFF get together that day.

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Not sure we will be able to handle the physicality of our former striker who has scored in four of his last five games. With Saah out and Angus Mac Donald presumably his direct replacement we may be a little vulnerable in that area today. Mansell and Oastler are back in contention which gives the manager more options but Im not sure that's a good thing as the attacking set up we have been adopting of late has looked easier on the eye and more effective.
Predict a low scoring draw with our own front line and Rene Howes goals drying up of late.

Pretty good defensively once again and I thought Angus and Aaron Downes were superb today but up front and in midfield it was the same old story with just not enough threat to cause the opposition enough problems. They did OK with plenty off effort and some stout defending though if we have any thoughts on sneaking into a play off position think again. Howe although working hard again looked short of something and struggled to hold the ball up or threaten all afternoon and I lost count of how many times he was caught offside when through. Poor timing of runs and just not looking across the line.
In the end I thought a a draw was a fair result for both sides who I felt will both fail to have any impact on the top seven and were quite similar in ability and style. Unfortunate we conceded in the final minutes but it was on the cards when Northampton just kept slinging balls into the box chances were it would eventually fall to one of there's to knock it in. It was also pouring with rain at times which made it a bit of a lottery second half.
Credit to Angus Mac Donald who did far better than I expected and handled Bayo and Platt well along with the outstanding Aaron Downes.
Lack of creativity and a bit of the unexpected is doing for us at the moment Nial Thompson was a threat but there's just to little imaginative play from the midfield and Howe as usual expected to carry the burden going forward though Jarvis worked hard and deserved his goal.

Think it might be a cracked rib judging by the way he got landed on. A shame for the lad cos he looked pretty good today. It was a bit of a battling game with plenty of end to end stuff. Our goal was really well worked with a ball out to Danny on the wing, a nice jinking run and a wicked powerful ball into the area which just needed a contact from someone to stick it in the back of the net. Jarvis was that man

As Pete says, the defence coped admirably with Bayo and Platt all afternoon without looking particularly troubled. Both keepers had saves to make and I dont think the game was helped by the playing surface which looks more like an early March pitch after a long hard winter.

We had stuck to what seems to be a reasonably effective 4-2-3-1 with Mansell partnering Easton and Craig alongside Jarvis and Stevens. Seemed to work quite well but I was somewhat perplexed by Danny coming off for Thompson who, to be honest, doesnt quite look ready for matches in heavy conditions. It seemed to disturb the balance with Craig having to swap sides, as did replacing Jarvis with Lathrope. There is a ready made player who would fit perfectly into the Jarvis role in Yeoman, and keep the opposition a bit deeper rather than letting them press us back so much. I know it seems to be the prevailing trend to bring on a defensive style player in the closing minutes to defend a lead but I dont remember us having much success doing that in recent seasons. It used to annoy me when Buckle did it and it still annoys me when Ling does it...

From a feeling of looking forward to my first match, to the joy of seeing and chatting to so many old friends, to that wonderful feeling when that ball hits the back of the net, to that gut wrenching disappointment feeling that is nothing new to any of us. So the big question is. am I glad I went to Plainmoor today? And the answer is a very big yes.

Hard to believe the last time I was there the old main stand was still standing and in use, what an eyesore it was and how wonderful the Bristow Bench looks, Made me feel really proud just looking at it and if that was only a part of the reason the first team might not have had much money spent on it, then in my book it’s a price well worth paying.

The only downside for me was the lack of any noise that could be heard coming from that side of the ground and I do feel having the away end closed, does nothing to add to any atmosphere inside the ground. In saying that I thought the whole ground seemed more like a morgue until we scored and it was only then it started to feel more like the Plainmoor I know and love.

Had a good chat with Aussie before the match, it does disappoint me at times how people who do not know him judge him and only see him in some bad light, he is a very good bloke who does have a heart of gold. Lovely to see the Rev and Mrs Wills, Timbo, Jon, Cheslstongull, Petef, Tufc01 and Emma and my great mate Stuartb, not forgetting Jamesb. Also a good many others and I want to thank you all for the very warm welcome I received from each and every one of you.

So on to the game itself and I thought for the first five minutes we were never going to get out of our own half, the Northampton players were in my opinion far to over physical and did seem far more up to the game than we did. During those opening minutes, old fat boy got his head on the ball facing the wrong way and his header only just went over the bar and landed on the net behind.

But we started to get in the game and when we played the ball on the floor we looked good, our only problem was failing to pull the trigger when the chance was there and so often looking for that extra pass instead. When we knocked it high and long we looked poor and it was a tactic that clearly was not working for us.

I thought Joe was doing well out wide on the right and went on a number of good runs, one very good run saw him break into the box and shoot just wide off the right hand post. Nico was also doing well getting forward on the left hand side of the pitch, while he did put in a number of good crosses, he always looked to shoot from to far out when he could have taken the ball closer to goal.

I thought we were going to score after taking a corner from the left hand side, Jarvis got a good head on the ball but failed to beat the keeper. It was interesting to note that Northampton brought all the ten outfield players into the box to defend any set pieces.
The game at this stage was fairly evens stevens with both teams having the odd chance or two, Poke did well to tip over a dipping volley that was taken from just outside of the Torquay box.

Up the other end and Howe just failed to make contact with the ball after it had been played in hard and low, if he had of done then I’m sure we would have taken a first half lead. Up the other end again and Poke made what looked a very difficult save and I can only think the ball must have been swerving like hell as it almost went under his body

So a very pleasing first half and there was much to be happy about, its clear we have a good number of good hard working players who can play neat and tidy football as long as they keep it on the ground. Our defence does look rock solid and we are not afraid to get those tackles in as and when required.

I went to the loo right at the end of the halftime break and thought a new team had taken to the pitch for the second half, yes we had changed to our black away kit, I guess the ref had been finding it hard during the first half with us in yellow and Northampton in that horrible lime green colour.

Right from the off we went on attack and if only Howe had been where Danny was standing in the Northampton box, then we would have scored. Joe put in a delightful cross but Danny could not get high enough off the ground to head the ball home.

The popside fans were not happy with the throw-ins being taken by Northampton, they sure looked one handed judging by the spin being put onto the ball. One such throw-in saw us fail to clear the ball around the six yard line and old fat boy turned and got a shot at goal, only he only managed to scoop the ball over the crossbar.

Have to say I really enjoyed our goal, some great work from Craig that started on the halfway line followed by an inch perfect pass to Danny who then from out wide got his head down and ran into the box. He passed the ball low and hard and what a great run by Jarvis to get on the end of the pass and rocket the ball into the net. That’s how you play football and that’s how you score goals against a big physical side.

After we had scored I said to the Rev it was good to see that we were still going forward at every opportunity and not sitting back deep on the ball as I have seen us do so many times in the past when we have taken the lead. At this stage I thought we would need that second goal, but try as we might it would not come. A good number of balls played into the box, but no one in the right place to turn them into the goal.

Not knowing the players that well I’m not sure it the two changes we made ended up changing the game for us. I heard fans around me complaining the changes had made us to defensive and were not to happy with Martin Ling for making them. We did end up sitting far too deep in my opinion and as the pressure started building on our goal, you felt it was only a matter of time before Northampton scored.

We got lucky a number of times as we just managed to keep the ball out of the net, but right at the death almost they went and got the goal their pressure might have deserved. Not one, or two but three attempts on goal, the first one blocked, the second one I thought might have crossed the line but was not given and in the goal mouth scramble as we failed to clear the ball out of our box, the third effort found its way into our net.

The rain was coming down in bucket loads and I don’t think we can blame any of our players, but while I thought Poke did well in goal, I do feel he fails at times to come out and claim those balls that are high in the air.

So after what was a very good workman like display by our players in a game I thought we did well to overcome the very physical Northampton players, I did feel we were worthy of a win and am a bit disappointed we let them score right at the end of the match. I do feel we have a good side of very hard working players and all that is lacking is a few extra players who could add a bit more to our midfield and up front for us.

Will I be going back for more? Yes but can’t make it until the New Years Day game, so see you all again then dear fellow TFF members.







































Well I got soaked leaving the ground, boy was that rain coming down and as its near Xmas, just had to take this photo on the way home

A hard fought encounter against a physical side and if we had held on to that lead, would have seen us pip Exeter to that final play off spot. Their number 12, Ben Tozer, certainly makes Nico's throw ins seem a bit limp wrist-ed as the conditions in the second half were ideal for this type of delivery.

Ling got around the thorny issue of reintegrating Manse by pushing Nathan out to the right wing instead of the injured Bodin. Although not a fan of him out wide, I thought he had one of his better games here, making a lot of space to receive Nico's long diagonal balls and combined well with the recalled Oastler, ironically freeing him more to make several runs forward. I think Craig was the sponsors man of the match?

Northampton certainly penned us back in the initials stages and it was from the first throw in, that Bayo managed to loop a header that just went over the bar with Poke beaten. We did get back into the match with several dangerous balls played in that we could not get on the end or had long range shots that didn't really trouble Nichols. A Jarvis header from a corner may have been our best chance in a half where I thought the visitors shaded it.

So onto the second half where we were attacking towards the Ellacombe end. About a third of the way through the half the goal came from the best move of the match. We got possession of the ball just inside our half and Nathan came infield and struck a lovely ball across to Danny on the far wing with accuracy and pace which gave him time to get forward and into the area adjacent to the by-line where his firm cross was met first time by Jarvis to score!

I thought Jarvis was excellent today and will be a blow if he is out injured. We were lucky with injuries last year and wouldn't have coped nearly as well with what has been suffered so far this season but having more to call upon will no doubt aid us going into the new year.

After the goal, we seemed to step up a gear and made Northampton look poor and for ten minutes really dominated and it was a pity that we didn't score again during this period. As time went on we did become more defensive, not helped by the substitution and Northampton peppered our box with a variety of long throws, long balls and corners, not easy to defend against in the conditions. When their keeper was put under pressure, his clearance corkscrewed and just went out for a throw by the corner flag, From this throw in the ball was worked well and Manse had a great opportunity from just inside the area but his effort went wide. It was shortly after, that the goal mouth scramble saw us concede the equalizer in injury time.

What we need is an experienced defender who can play out the final minutes of a game and stop us losing so many points by conceding late goals.

Is Mo Camara doing anything these days?