Torquay United V Eastbourne 20th September 2008

Football, isn't it?

Saturday afternoons. Three o'clock. Marvelous!

I thought the formation worked well. Sills played the target man role brilliantly. The wingers were able to stay wide more, partly because Eastbourne were poor but partly because Thompson made up the third midfielder when needed. Wroe looked good. It was a definite 4-2-3-1 formation. Thompson worked his socks off and has the engine to get up and down, so added to the midfield without really sacrificing the second striker.

We've got games coming up against better teams than Eastbourne, but it is a great relief to see the confidence and self-belief returning to the players. So much of this game is in the head, and we are entering a tricky run of fixtures in a far more positive frame of mind than seemed possible 94 minutes into the Northwich game.

Onwards and upwards. Come on you Yellows!

Thanks Jon and ohtobeatplainmoor for you views on the game. It is good to have things so more positive than Of late, we all can enjoy the rest Of our weekend and really be looking forward to the next game on Tuesday.

Have to say, I expected us to win today.

I think Forest Green away on Tuesday evening will be a much sterner test but if we can win there then I really will believe that we have a chance of getting back among the promotion contenders.

Thought Wroe had a good game and building a good relationship with Greasvie.

For me this was a very pleasing performance. The first half was one of the best i have seen from us for ages. We passed the ball superbly, looked sharp, up for it, confident and threatening.

I'm not sure what more the boys have to do to get a bit more praise than what i have read so far. Not Bad!!! come on, we were better than that.

Whilst Eastbourne were not really that good, i thought it was a good example of how some people perceive the way the game should be played. They tried to play football, tried to pass it around, however the players themselves were just not good enough, which then made them look worse then they really were. So credit to them for 'attempting' to play football, when they could have come down, got 11 men behind the ball and hoofed it upfield every time they got the ball.

I know Bhamgul has already given the players marks out of 10, but i thought i would also do the same to give another perspective, its much easier than trying to give a ball by ball attempt.

Poke 7: Did everything he was asked to do, beaten by that 35 yarder that hit the bar, but not a keeper in the world who would have stopped that if it was a couple of inches lower.

Hodges 7: Not one of his better games, but i still prefer him to Nico. Won the headers, but looked a bit slow and out of position at times.

Todd 7: Solid as usual but looked like he is still carrying his injury. There were times when i thought he might be about to go off.

Woods 5: For every good thing he does, he then does 3 bad things. Was VERY lucky today that he didn't give even more free kicks away. He pushed his opponent EVERY SINGLE time. PB needs to fine him every time he pushes or gives away a free kick, until he learns to defend, not push. He is a penalty waiting to happen. Get Ellis back in there.

Mansell 9: My MoM, instead of Hargreaves. We don't need a right back, Manse will do thank you. Defended brilliantly, covers so much ground I'm surprised he can last 90 mins. Overlapped really well on several occasions and was always available and willing to have the ball. Fantastic cross for Hargreaves goal. Always plays with passion as well.

Carayol 8: Impressed me, ive not always been enamored by him but today he was superb. Beat his man nearly every time, got to the by line several times and whipped in some good crosses. Played with a renewed confidence and i feel he can now play an important part in our season. Although ive said a few times on here before that PB was right to sub him for Danny Stevens after about an hour, today he was wrong.I would have left him on, maybe take off Carlisle instead??

Wroe 9: Another player who i thought hadn't shown enough so far this season. Today he had a great game. Great vision, some quality passes, looked comfortable on the ball and controlled the midfield really well. And just as importantly, didn't give the ball away at all.

Hargreaves 8: Good game, not MoM sort of game, more solid. Took his goal well. Started to look tired towards the end,understandably. I would have been tempted to give Adams a run for the last 15 minutes.

Carlisle 6: Not his best game, but he still found lots of space and delivered some good crosses. Gave the ball away a couple of times. Links up well with Mansell and his ball to Manse for him to cross was quality.

Thompson 8: What a transformation, he looks a different player now that he is playing in front of the midfield. Worked well, looked good on the ball and had a couple of shots well saved.

Sills 7: Won EVERYTHING in the air. Just needed some one to get on the end of it. Also held the ball up well to let the midfield to get forward. Unlucky not to score, but for a superb save from their keeper.

Subs: Stevens 5: Only on for 15/20 minutes but after watching Carayol beat his man at will, was disappointing to see Stevens lack of penetration.

Formation looked to be 4-4-1-1, with the midfield 4 playing as a diamond, with Hargreaves playing in front of Wroe and linking up with Thompson, whilst Wroe helped out the defence and then got forward. Some people around me saw the formation as a negative formation and were slagging PB off before the game had even started (some people, and their agenda, never change). I thought the formation (whatever it was) worked. It stopped any temptation there was to 'hoof' it forward. The wide men saw much more of the ball and we also looked penetrative going through the middle.

I enjoyed the game and felt we were comfortable throughout. I feel sorry for those that chose, for whatever reason, not to go to the game.

A plus side is that the summer signings of Wroe, Carayol and Thompson are starting look like they were very good choices. So now that they are starting to settle in, things are looking more promising each game.

I look forward to Tuesdays game at Forest Green, where if we play like we did today we should get 3 points. The sterner test will be the 2 after that, Wrexham & Stevenage. If we get something out of those 2 games, even the most pessimistic doom mongers will have to admit that we are back in the running.