FACQ3: Torquay United v Hungerford town, 3pm 30/09/23

link - TUFC match preview

Jenkins Davies missing from squad.

Just the "Ivybridge six" on the bench.

That will mean a more conventional 4-4-2.

Or maybe not. Collins is playing the Jenkins Davies role rather than wide left.

Might as well give Moxey, Lapslie and Jarvis a rest and let Craske, Hanson and Pearce get some pitch time.

Job done. Spectacularly well in the first half. Second half an anti-climax as we all knew it would be. Glad we kept a clean sheet - even with Dan Martin at left back.

Really surprised at our last sub. Jarvis off for a rest, a great chance chance for Pearce to show us what he can do. We bring on Ryan Hanson instead. Why? Cannot see any sense at all in that. A defensive midfielder for a centre forward when you are 5-0 up is strange. When that defensive midfielder is Ryan Hanson it beggars believe. Is there something going on that we don’t know about? When is Pearce’s loan up?

A decent performance today and a comfortable win as the score line would suggest. Once Stobbs got the vital breakthrough Torquay took control and goals kept coming. Stobbs opener was mainly thanks to Collins mazy run which put the defence on the back foot. Eventually the ball broke loose to Stobbs free just inside the penalty box and Stobbs finished well thumping the ball past ex-Gulls keeper Ryan Clarke. Poor ol' Clarke was a decent keeper in his day but looked past it when he played for us a few years ago. I cannot recall him saving anything today? There were big gaps in Hungerford's defence as the first half wore on and Torquay just picked them off. There were 2 penalties so everything went wrong in the first half for Hungerford as they crumbled. It was a throwback to our Conference South winning season when the opposition were simply too inferior and Torquay took advantage.

The second half was pretty flat on the whole. Halstead finally had a save or two to make. Jarvis headed against the post from a lovely cross from Stobbs. Torquay had the bulk of possession in the second half and a lot of the time passed the ball around confidently. It probably suited both sides a s Hungerford did not concede anymore and Torquay were comfortable and this was a good confidence building exercise.

The biggest plus for me today was seeing McGavin in his new role just in front of the back four. It works a treat as McGavin is excellent at finding a pass and getting moves started. His passes always seem to be perfectly weighted and he is a calm influence as well. On the other hand the likes of Marshall have a tendency just to hoof the ball up aimlessly losing possession cheaply. He reminds me of what McGinty used to do. I think Tomlinson is a very tidy player in central defence with a decent future. He looks very young and physically I worry how he might handle a strong physical centre forward. He probably needs a big physical ideally experienced centre half alongside him. Marshall is physical but lacks general football intelligence on the ball. Tomlinson looks comfortable on the ball.

Torquay eventually used all their 3 subs in the second half. At 5-0 up I would have preferred the subs to have been made earlier and to try out players who have had little opportunities. I was really disappointed Southampton's loan player Pearce was not used at all. Well what is the point in having him then? Martin replaced the aging Moxey. I liked the look of Craske in midfield when he came - he looked lively and had a nice bit of skill about him. As for Hanson when he came on, did he do anything right? Oh dear, oh dear. Even at the death of the match he had a good shooting opportunity but instead passed the ball to the opposition!

Still, I can't complain about a rare 5-0 home win and the likes of Collins, Stobbs, Ash and Jarvis had too much for the opposition when we attacked in the first half with McGavin typically getting the moves going with his precision passing. Job done and well done!

Does that mean Pearce is not cup tied?

Maybe Johnson has someone else in mind if he is on the way out?