NL: Torquay United v Welling 3pm 21 October 2023

A win would tell us a lot less than a defeat.

There are teams in this league that we should be able to beat even with the self-imposed handicap of failed recruitment.

There will be nothing on the bench to tip an even game in our favour, so let’s hope that Welling are poor enough to have lost the game before changes are made.

Sounds like De Silva is still out so expect Marshall to replace Thomas in the sixteen.

Hall will not be ready to play 90 minutes but might he start and play 60-70 rather than come on and play 20-30?

No clarity on what is our preferred formation.

We were settling into a wonky 4-4-2 / 4-3-3 with Jenkins Davies intelligently drifting and Ash up front occasionally drifting wide left. Collins was never suited to filling the Jenkins Davies role and we went more 4-3-3 with both Collins and Ash looking lost and out of position. Then we went three at the back but with Craske wide left and Collins still lost in centre midfield.

If we are going three at the back, we should go back to how we ended last season with Stobbs and Collins wide.

If Hall is fit, he can join Lapslie and McGavin in centre midfield. Am still not convinced by McGavin. If you have a Maradona, a Best or a Loram you build your team around them. McGavin is not that good. He is not solid enough defensively to play holding midfield. He would be a bit of a luxury in front of Lapslie and Hall - but he is better than Ryan Hanson.

If Hall not fit, I would slot Donnellan into midfield and play Marshall in the back three. If he is fit, a toss up between Marshall and Donnellan to play alongside Tomlinson and Moxey. Or bin McGavin and give Lapslie more room to roam with Donnellan and Hall in midfield.

So that leaves Lovett, Craske, Martin and Hanson on the bench with one of Hall, Marshall, Donnellan or McGavin. Not a striker in sight!

link - Hall starts on bench along with Marshall.

I would agree with Gateman49 that it was a bland start with shades of the Maidstone match and we got caught out with Welling getting a bit of space and possession to fire a low shot from outside the area that just squeezed into the left hand corner of our goal for them to take the lead. I think that was their first chance. The match clearly changed upon the penalty decision where their keeper slipped allowing Jarvis to get to the ball first where he was then caught by the keeper just inside the area. Only a yellow as Jarvis was travelling away from goal and there was another defender back, however, that came back to haunt the keeper later. As usual. Jarvis took the penalty, albeit somewhat gingerly after the foul, sent the keeper the wrong way and this very much changed the whole complexion of the game.

We then started to get possession and pressurise the Welling goal with a second coming shortly after when the ball was cleared out to McGavin, who fired home from outside the area. To be honest, it looked slightly better than his September goal of the month effort, although talking to people behind the goal after the game, it did take a slight deflection. Ash was very close to getting a third just before half-time when he was able to round the keeper and from a tight angle should have scored but snatched at it slightly and it just went wide of the near post. Perhaps should have rolled it towards the far post, where Stobbs was waiting for a tap in if off target but easy to say from the stands when a split-second decision has to be made.

It took until just before the hour mark for us to score the third, when Donnellan was able to get on the end of a diagonal ball and lobbed the keeper into the far corner to score. Just a few minutes later, we won another free kick about 10 yards outside the area and from the resulting free kick, it was clear that McGavin had been pushed as he went to head the ball and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot again and brandishing, another yellow card. Once again Jarvis was able to majestically stroke the ball home.

It all kicked off on the 75th minute, where we completed a flurry of goals from a Stobbs corner which dropped down to the base of the far post with it being unclear at first sight whether it hit the base of the post and rolled in or if Marshall got some form of touch on it. Whatever the result, their keeper was not happy and said something to the ref who produced another yellow before Moxey reminded him that he was already on a yellow from the first half after which he had no choice but to get his marching orders with Welling already having used 3 subs by this time…..

We therefore had an ideal opportunity to increase our goal difference and Moxey almost did that straight away just with a shot from inside his own half that only just went over the crossbar with their stand in keeper, who was at times hopelessly out of position, just a spectator. Unfortunately, despite our numerical superiority we were unable to make it count with the game getting somewhat scrappy, partly due to our substitutions with Lapslie, Moxey and Donollan being rested for the mid week game and the only shots on target went straight to and at a nice height for their keeper to save.

We did alright today, but would only rate our performance 6 out of 10 which does seem somewhat harsh considering the score line. I thought the referee did well and tried to let the game flow. Obviously forgot about the yellow card in the first half and if I was being critical, adjudged fouls later on in the game, which would have been fine in the first half.