FA Trophy Round 1 Torquay Utd V Bath 13th Dec 2008

Job well done I thought. Crowd 1,176, about 100 good band of vocal supporters from Bath, no sponsors MOTM announced (perhaps they did not have one ?).

When I entered the ground at 2.45pm. I was shocked how sparse the Pop side was, let's just say it wouldn't take long to count them. It did not look like it would reach 1,000 and I started to question if I made the right decision to go. As for our line-up, Dsane was back on the left wing and Green replaced the injured Benyon, the rest was the same as at Eastbourne.

The first 15 minutes we looked good and created several half decent chances. One was kicked off the line, a couple of shots from Hargreaves and Carlisle just went over etc. Bath, playing just one up front, kept things tight and Torquay had to work hard to find space. I can't remember Bath threatening at all in the first half but Torquay's bright opening fizzled out, and the last 25 minutes was quite a drab affair. 0-0 half-time.

Bath started the second half brightly and created the clearest chance of the match. Bevan brilliantly palmed out their shot from close range after a cross from the right found their man clear on goal. Torquay upped their game and our 2 goals were well worked moves. The first, Sills turned his man about 30 yards out, fed it to Dsane, then to Carlisle whose shot rebounded off a defender into the path of Mansell to side foot in from short range. The second was really thanks to Green who beat his man on the right and was closing in on goal. Green intellingently looked up, passed the ball to the unmarked Dsane to comfortably plant the ball into the net.

I thought Green really shone in the second half who has plenty of pace to burn. I was really disappointed when Green was substituted with 15 minutes to go for Stevens. Stevens went to left wing with Dsane pushing up front. Torquay had a few more chances near the end for a third, their keeper had to parry a Sills header, Carlisle had a shot etc. There were some really good well worked moves involving spreading the ball around and some one-touch passing. Bath missed another close range shot, and Bevan near the end made a good diving save.

2-0 full-time and about the right score-line I would say. The players who stood out best today I thought were Hodges in defence, Green in attack, and it was good to see Dsane and Carlisle back in the team and they both played their part in today's win.

The draw is on Monday.

Thanks for the matchreport Swangull!

Good result, let's hope we can keep another run going.

Only five South Devon League games were on today out of forty plus games that were due to be played. With a gate today of not much more than 1100, I think any hopes of getting SDL players to games, when theirs are called off are simply not hopeful. At only £10 for today’s game the gate was very poor.

Not so long ago fans were asking when they were going to get a Saturday home game, but with next week’s game, it will make it four on the trot. The plain facts are that wages are low here in South Devon and people can’t find the money to watch so many games in one month, so no surprise many choose this match as one to miss.

The highlight today for me was not the game, but the 300yd race from the ground towards St Marychurch Rd, it featured tufc01, chipnicker1 and chipnicker2, as they rounded to corner on the St Marychurch Road I can report that tufc01 was in second place. Sure he will confirm the results of the race to us later.

I was pleased to see Green starting, but disappointed that Ellis did not even make the bench, he is fit and raring to go and this was a game I feel he should have been starting. With Green, Dsane and Sills, I thought before the whistle blew, I was going to see a good attacking game. How wrong I was, yes we had a few chances early in the first half, but not much more.

Carlisle hit a great shot from outside the box and I was shouting what a great goal, I did feel a fool for a second or two, but then others around me also felt it had gone in, so thank god for that. We ended up just playing hoof ball for most of the first half, just hitting aimless balls to no one. I watched Nico, very closely and when the ball comes to him, he does not look up the line, but only where the line is where he is, the result he was hitting the ball, not knowing if any player was down the line or not.

One ball played like this did see Green appear from nowhere when it look as if the defender would have time to deal with the ball. Green got there in front of the defender and then put a nice pass to Dsane, who was on the edge of the box, Dsanes shot was very poor .While Bath did not worry Bevan in goal in the first half, they did try and play the passing game, just failing far to often to give their centre forward the sort of passes he needed.

One ball into the box from out on the right, saw the Bath forward try a spectacular scissor kick, he got it all wrong, but it would have been a great goal had he got it right. The second half Bath started the better team and were happy to run at our defence. One move out on the right saw a great ball played into the box, the forward flicked it at goal and Bevan made a really great save.

Bath had one more good chance, also from the right that ended with a shot played across Bevan and it went just wide of his right hand post. Our first goal was a bit lucky in my view, a shot that hit a defender and then went across the box to Mansell, who did it the ball well, low and hard into the corner.

Green made our second goal with a real classy turn and put in a great ball to Dsane who was unmarked in the Bath box. Due to some mistakes in the Bath defence we could have scored one or two more goals, but I think that would have been hard on Bath, who did work hard in the game.
Carlisle needs to shoot first time when the ball comes to him at times, one ball that came to him was there to be hit first time, but he wanted a touch when there was no need and the defender took it of him. He did have another great chance to score, but blasted it over the bar. I do think he played very well today and really like him as a player, he just needs to try and not give the ball away like he does at times.

Not a great game, but a job done, nice to speak with Phil, Jon, tufc01 and the two chips, sorry to StuartB for not getting to chat, blame Phil who wanted to hog me all for himself today.

You will have to start a thread on Palermo Road Barton, there must be a reason one would expect. Yes not much noise at the game, but with such a small gate it was no real surprise.

The only thing that got the fans going was the third official, just what was he on in the first half. Ever time a ball went out of the ground, he would not throw on a new one, it looked like he was only prepared to do so, when the ref gave him a sign.

After a few jeers directed at him, he got the message and then just threw on a new ball when needed. Every time he did that he was greeted with claps of approval.

Their goal keeper looked liked a Sunday league keeper, due mainly to his shape, you know the bear belly look, he was also not very tall, but he did pull of a great save in the second half and on the whole was not to bad.

We can only hope so stewart, lets hope we put out a good attacking line up for the Histon game, I'll put up the match thread tomorrow on this game.

I can confirm that Chips 2 won, by a distance. Chips 1 and I were, in racing terms, pulled up.

The reason for the sprint from the ground wasn't due to the performance, but the fact that Chips 1 had to start work at 5.30 in Honiton. And I had the pleasure of a night out with several Exeter City fans and I can tell you they have NOT forgotten last season and took great pleasure in telling me over and over again.