NL: Torquay United v Yeovil 3pm 26th December 2021

A tough game against in form Yeovil who this time last season looked poor against our rampant attacking play in a humiliating 6-1 defeat. Our free flowing football that day I thought was the pinnacle of our season as far as complete performances are concerned. Injuries to key players followed one after the other and hit us hard as our form deserted us predictably losing the return fixture 1-2 just a week later when we looked a shadow of the team that had stuffed just a few days previous.

This will be a tough encounter, the Glovers have recovered well this season despite a stumbling start and are looking on course to challenge for a play off place if recent form is anything to go by. We however have seen our squad weakened considerably from last seasons high quality and standard with the manager trying desperately to steer the ship back on course with a couple of new additions in recent weeks.
GJ still doesn't have a settled team he can rely on and continues to shuffle pack the which in itself creates more inconsistency. With a number of players Im personally still not entirely convinced about its gonna be a tough one to call and reckon GJ will shuffle once again maybe giving new signing Felix some pitch time.

Our last league victory over high riding Stockport looked like a corner turned but as ever the performance that followed against lesser opposition had many of us wondering who the real TUFC are right now. In all honesty Stockport, I thought were well below par on the day and missing some key players while we raised our game to scrape the win.
Still believe we're no better than a mid table side and will hover above the danger zone for the remainder of the season.
Inconsistency reigns at TQ12.

Well im not going to Newton Abbot or Kingsteignton for a home game......bollocks to it !

I never quite know what to make of Yeovil.

For a start, I’ve never really understood why they are Somerset’s premier team (excluding Bristol when it sometimes appears as part of Somerset) when it’s not the biggest town or city and it’s not even that easy to get to. I could sort of understand it if Taunton Town had been the bigger club; it certainly would have made more sense. And then because basically forever until 2005, Yeovil were non-league and we only played them if we met in the cup. Even at our worst with the likes of Benny Laryea up front, we managed to beat them, although Paul Compton did manage to contrive a heavy home defeat against them in the FA Cup in 1992.

Since 1927, I would guess there have only been 6 league meetings us winning 2, them 3 and a draw, although last season’s defeat was beyond frustrating when we were still winning with moments to go.

I don’t particularly like Yeovil. I’ve no rational explanation for feeling this way but I never really liked them before they became a league club even though we never really had anything to do with them. A strange case of them being one the geographically closest teams to us but because we have played them so rarely, I’m not sure much animosity or rivalry exists. Do their fans mark us as a fixture they really want to win?

They were always capable of getting some decent crowds and during their rise under our current manager they got crowds we would have been happy to have had but now even though they are doing better than us, their crowds are smaller. So have things reverted to their “natural order”?

I fear defeat tomorrow simply because it’s hard to feel confident in our side at the moment and it’s safer - if betting - to assume the worst and I’d probably take a draw but under their current manager, I seem to like Yeovil even less than I used to so a defeat would be hard to take.

Free cider link - while something to be commended in normal times not sure the timing of this is ideal…..

Hall on bench. No sign of Armstrong. Little and Lemon both in - one alongside Lapslie, one behind Lolos and Wright. Which way round?

Armstrong - Covid related I believe along with a couple of others ☹️