NL: Torquay United v Chorley 3pm 29 February 2020

Think 1992 was the last time.

Well, the rain had stopped, sun is out and the strong winds should combine to help dry the pitch so think there is very good chance this will be on. Bit more rain forecast around lunchtime but it will be dry during the match, of course with a strong easterly wind so need to wrap up warm!

Would expect Andrews for Little with Lewington added to the bench.

Great to see Wynter return, but as neither Lewis nor Cundy let us down last week we can have the luxury of easing Ben back gently rather than rushing him into the starting XI.

The expected XI could equally easily turn out in last week's 3-5-2 or switch to 4-4-2 with Lewis at right back and Whitfield and Andrews wide.

I would repeat the 3-5-2. As long as Whitfield and Longridge keep pushed well up, the formation gives us one more forward player rather than one less. They should be able to do this as Lewis and Cameron are able to pull out into a full back spot and Hall can drop back to help out if needed. Three at the back not five!

McDonald between the sticks - no back up on the bench

Cheers Rob 👍

A deserved win for the Gulls today against bottom of the league Chorley but Torquay made it hard for themselves by missing 3 second half clear 1-on-1 chances in quick succession. Only when Reid scored our second at the far post into an empty net about a yard out with 10 minutes to go, Torquay had finally killed the game off. For much of the match it was a stuttering performance by the Gulls, they never really got into a proper rhythm. Too often good approach play was let down by a poor final pass. Chorley put in a decent effort and like last week's game Torquay struggled to break down a resolute defence. Too often Torquay's last man was caught offside as Chorley defended with a high line. From a neutral view point the match was not much of a spectacle, it was mainly a scrappy affair not helped by a strong swirling wind. There was a decent away turn out considering the distance and conditions of 92 from Chorley huddled in the top half of the Bristow Bench so hats off to them. The total crowd was 2,126 so the home support has dipped in the last 2 home games. Sponsors MOTM went to central defender and goal scorer Cundy.

Torquay kicked towards the Family Stand first half against the strong wind. It was a sluggish start by the Gulls and Chorley took the initiative. In truth there was little goal mouth excitement in the first half and Torquay hardly tested their keeper. I can only recall one save he made and that was a routine one. Torquay showed good skill at times in beating their man but time and time again Torquay did not pull the trigger, tried an intricate pass into a crowded penalty box and lost possession. It was frustrating to watch and Chorley looked the livelier side. MacDonald was back in goal for the injured Covolan and had one of his mad moments dashing out of goal and not getting to the ball in time. We held our breath as it looked like Macdonald would clip their player in the penalty box but we somehow survived the scare. Apart from that MacDonald had little to do. Chorley seemed quite content at 0-0 and their keeper was running down the clock taking an age at goal kicks. One minute of added time was flashed up and I was resigning myself to have a miserable half time reflection of the match. Then Torquay had a free kick a long way out. Longbridge floated the ball into the box, Chorley's keeper went rushing out but Cundy got there first and headed the ball into an empty net. Torquay hardly deserved a lead but went in at half time winning. It was a bit of a gift.

Torquay had the wind in their favour in the second half and Chorley had to come out and attack. I am not sure what happened to Chorley's defence in the second half they went awol. Reid found himself with a free run on goal with just the keeper to beat. Unselfishly when approaching their keeper Reid squared the ball to Azeez to stroke the ball into an empty net. Somehow Azeez missed! Never mind, shortly afterwards Reid was through again. This time with the keeper to beat he shot himself but skewed this shot horribly wide - it was not even close! Third time lucky we thought. Reid had the goal gaping again and this time blasted the ball over the bar. Torquay should have put the game to bed and we should have been enjoying a comfortable win. Instead every time Chorley attacked we feared the worse.

In fairness Torquay defended resolutely all game and playing three at the back is proving a success as it did against Halifax last week. So well done to Cameron, Cundy and Lewis for that. It is also impressive how midfielders like Hall help out covering the defence. After the missed chances Torquay lost their rhythm again and a better team may have punished Torquay. Finally Whitfield got to the byline on our right, passed the ball across the goal and Reid finally did not miss. Near the end MacDonald dropped a cross and Longbridge cleared the ball off the line. Shortly afterwards MacDonald went for a cross and did not get there but again Torquay somehow survived. It was erratic goal keeping by MacDonald and could have let Chorley back into the game. Nemane replaced Lemonheigh-Evans near the end who had been hobbling for some time.

So a second home win in a row and another clean sheet. I think having the clean sheet is the key. Our new look back 3 is working very well and is looking solid. Both performances have been inconsistent in an attacking sense with too many moves breaking down and not testing their keeper enough. Our set pieces rarely threaten either. There is a lot of skill and flair in our team but our play is too inconsistent. Reid and Azeez did have chances today but both were wasteful today. Left wing back Longbridge seems to be our most consistent player recently and right wing back Whitfield never gives up and gave an assist for our crucial second goal. Hopefully Torquay will gain some confidence from these two wins but they look a long way off to me to able to challenge for the play-offs. I think their current midtable position is a fair reflection of their season.