FL2: Burton Albion v Torquay United - 12 Jan 13

Just checked scores and what a surprise another late goal.

We are now getting worringly close to the trap door.

We need a win desperately.

milber

Is this Private Fraser? ;D

I fear we are slowly slipping into a phase where we assume in advance that we are going to lose any game and anything which comes out of it is a pleasant surprise. I can´t see us picking up much on Tuesday evening against our friends from Exeter.

It's getting to the point where injuries can't be used as an excuse either. Only Macklin and Morris were unavailable today. Granted, perhaps one or two weren't 100% but they were available to play so they should be scrutinised like the rest

I don't understand how anyone can think we can get out of this with the current bunch of players now. If there are no reinforcements soon, we are at serious risk of slipping into the relegation battle. Virtually all the teams below us got something today

You had to be there, guys. This was the fifth time I have seen Torquay play this season and I thought it was the best performance of the five. It was actually a cracking end to end match and for most of it United were the better side.

Ryan Jarvis missed a couple of early chances before Burton got going and when they did so Michael Poke pulled off a terrific save to keep the score at 0-0. It didn't take Burton long to suss that Torquay's right winger was left footed and the left winger right footed and so both wanted to cut inside whenever they got the ball. Not allowing Stevens to do that meant he tended to run into players and lose the ball but Craig adapted his game very intelligently. Any road, there was nothing the home defence could do when he sent over an inswinging corner to the far post where Downes headed it back into the box and Jarvis poached a well-deserved goal.

Burton were fired up at the start of the second half but were still, in my opinion, second best till one of our men, Lathrope, I think, was caught in possession 30 yards or so out. The ball was fed to Calvin Zola who turned and hit a fine shot into the corner to equalise.

Either sde could have won it after this. Rene Howe nearly scored what would have been the goal of the season but for the keeper pulling off a heroic save. Rene was also deservedly booked for treading on Zander Diamond's ankle after the ball had gone, but Diamond was later guilty of appalling sportsmanship when the two players again chased a long ball and he jumped into the air and rolled around pretending Rene had done him again. Fortunately the linesman saw everything and wasn't fooled but it seemed ridiculous that the ref (who had a very good match, actually) couldn't adequately punish such blatant cheating.

With 10 minutes to go Burton got on top for the first time. The United players began to look tired and to concede too much space in midfield. The winning goal was a strange one, though. It was certainly a decent shot from out on the left but I expected Pokey, whose goalkeeping had been exemplary apart from one early flap at a cross, to save it. He didn't though, and it landed just inside the far post.

So it's another defeat but, believe me, comrades, on this evidence there is no chance at all of Torquay being relegated. The Poke/Saah/Downes triumvirate looked (apart from that goal and I might be being harsh) looked as solid as ever, Nicholson is a good left back, Mansell, Craig and Jarvis ran their hearts out this afternoon and Rene Howe is obviously a top class centre forward at this level.

I still believe this side is more likely to finish in the top 7 than the bottom 2 although the most likely outcome of all is that it isn't going to be a promotion or a relegation season and that, for once, there might not be much to play for by the middle of April. It's still worth turning up to watch them, though, because a side that can play as well as they did for 90% of today's match should pull off a few surprises yet.

Thanks for the report wildebeest, encouraging to hear something positive from somebody who actually saw the game!!