Torquay Utd v Oxford FA Cup 2nd Round 29th Nov 08

Not so much a match report, more my views and thoughts on the game. Plainmoor was a very cold place today, so glad I put on some extra layers of clothes, but the walk back to the car in the cold, did not seem to matter after today’s win.

I thought the first half an hour was poor, we just lumped it from the back, to where it was hoped a player was, rather than trying to look up and see where the ball needed to go. Carayol seemed to struggle to get into the game for a while, but then went on some good runs, only to fail to deliver any good balls into the box.

Dsane also never got going for me and I do wonder why Danny was not started, as he has been playing well in the games he has started lately. I do also question why Benyon did not start; it seems Bucks just wants to stick with Sills up front with Thompson playing behind. I felt at the last home game that Thompson had a very poor game and while he was a bit better today, I’m glad Bucks had the balls to change things around, with about 12 Min's to go. On came Benyon and off went Thompson and Benyon got himself straight into the game.

It was not long before Sills knocked down his header to Benyon, who hit a good shot into the net, as it turned out a few minutes later, a very good time to get a goal. Just after that I had one eye on the players in the box and the other one a group of Oxford fans, who were looking like they might kick off in the popside corner of the away stand. I looked back into the box; saw some pushing and then the Oxford keeper holding his face.

I could not believe it when Dsane was shown the red card and speaking to some who were up that end of the pitch, it seemed that it was not the correct decision. Still we had the lead and Oxford had not really troubled our defence that much.

The second half was what you would expect of a team playing with ten men. We were pinned back into our own half for most of it, but still gave Oxford few real chances to score a goal. We often had to just clear the ball up field to no one, but there were times it fell to Sills and we were able to still create the better chances.

Benyons second goal was a top draw one, great play out wide by Wroe and Mansell and a ball played in Benyon on the edge of the box, he hit high into the far corner a better goal you may not see this season. I said after our game against Newton in the preseason, that Benyon. Looked a different class, some felt I should not get carried away and should remember who the team we were playing against that day.

Well this young man knows where the goal is and unlike some strikers, he can finish and that is what I saw at the Newton game. I felt the ref was the worst I have seem for a long time, he got it wrong over Dsane and seemed to get so many other decisions wrong,

Very poor crowd, just over 2600, for a second round FA Cup, just what do our team need to do, to get the support it deserves. Singing was not up to much first half but was much better in the second half, until the same lot felt the need to start singing the F words. It got worse today as songs directed at the ref and linesman ended with the C word, this really needs to be stopped, there is no need for it, even more so when we are winning a game like today’s.


Still the team battled well against an often too physical Oxford side and fully deserve to be in the hat for the next round, well done boys and Bucks for making the changes.

Fantastic. It was a fantastic feeling walking out of the ground after that and reflecting on a great team effort.

There was a great reception for Toddy at half-time - probably the loudest cheer of the day.

Not pretty at times and I wondered whether we were varying from the gameplan that Bucks would have set at halftime - but we showed remarkable resolve to prevent Oxford having a meaningful effort on goal in the entire second half.

I couldn't single anyone out today - when I think I could have given MOTM to Hargreaves for holding his discipline (positionally and not getting the "2nd yellow"), I think that Benyon could have won it for his work in holding the right hand side and supporting Sills, Bevan's saves that kept us level when Ox looked likely to score, Woods and Hodges were so solid and Carayol showed fantastic maturity in the second half and changed his style.

I was furious at Dsane for raising his hands to Turley - everyone knows what happens when a player does that. The ref had no choice but to send him off - even though Turley is a wind-up merchant threre is just no excuse. I've supported Dsane all through the season but do not back him 1% after that momentus act of stupidity and indiscipline.

Anyways. To finish on a high note, I cant wait for the draw tomorrow and the trip to FGR on Tuesday.
Let us not forget that despite the FA Cup is a magical competiton, the big issue is the money - we really needed that prize money today to help minimise the tangible slump in attendances. We'll almost certainly get Carlisle or Hartlepool away in Round 3, but every extra £££ is vital to the cause!

I was in the Grandstand Dave and saw it reasonably clearly. I thought that the ref had a good first half (maybe not the best second half) he communicated his decisions well, he wasn't card happy and he handled a VERY compeitive match generally well IMHO. At times it threatend to boil-over with two commited and it was sporadically niggly.

I was genuinely bewildered when there were some people APPLAUDING Dsane when he came-off - that was barking mad, he was an idiot and at best there should have been quiet disdain!!
Even Buckle admitted that if you raise your hands then there will only be one outcome - especially when Paul Durkin (I guess he was the referee Assessor rather than just fancying a Cup Classic!!) was sat with clear view of the incident as well.

Still, all's well that ends well and I'm looking forward to a typically unkind FA Cup draw tomorrow! The real talking points today are (thankfully!) a great result, a gutsy perfomance , a brave and fruitful subsitution and a wonderful strike to seal the match.

Here is Buckles post match interview

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p001j7zd/Extra_Time_29_11_2008/

Go about 34mins into it and 36 for the interview.

It sounds like Buckle won't be making anything of the sending off apart from a fine for the player. He deserves it. His arrogant and laid back attitude on the pitch could have cost us if it wasn't for the other 10 players determination.

In truth we were practically playing with 10 men anyway and if anyone was going to be sent off I'm glad it was him. He is the most frustrating player in our squad.

Sorry for the D'sane rant but I wouldn't be sorry to see him go.

Well done the boys and I throughly enjoyed the game to day. Let's hope the draw is kind. Big team Big payday or another winnable game and prize money and progression? It's over to you Soho Square.

PS Turley is a w*nker, Turley is a w*nker Lah la la lah, lah la la lah

First of all what a FANTASTIC result.

A very 'entertaining' game, not just for the football but for the antics of Turley, the crowd, the Oxford numpties fans, the 2 goals and obviously the result.

I would find it difficult to write a decent match report on this game and i will tip my hat to anyone who can get all of that game down in a logical and impartial match report.

My observations are;

Didn’t understand why Stevens was dropped and replaced by Dsane & would have preferred to see Benyon on at start.
Bevans save after 10 minutes was as good as you will see at Plainmoor all season. How he managed to get down, push the ball away from the attackers toe without bringing him down was phenomenal and i would have given him MoM there and then. What made it more amazing was that, bearing in mind the sort of game the ref had (atrocious) he would have loved to give them a penalty and send Bevan off. A real possible match changing moment.

I didn’t think we were very good in the First half. A bit like the first 20 minutes at Woking. Bevan kept us in the game with the save mentioned above and another one mid way through the half. I’m not saying Oxford were great, they had 2 speedy wingers and just about edged it up to our goal.

The substitution was once again a tactical masterclass, it wasn’t working, so change it, which he did. The only surprise was Thompson going off. Up until then Dsane had been woeful , without wishing to face the wrath of his admirers on here, he just wasn’t at the game, at all, again. I would have taken him off, rather than Thompson. He appeared off the pace and didn’t seem to anticipate/or get into any decent positions when we tried to get forward, didn’t defend or tackle. He also gave the ball away a few times. That said, i didn’t get a clear look at the incident but i don’t think he deserved to get sent off? He did no worse than that cheating scumbag Turley, did he??

Benyons first goal, against the run of play, was superbly taken. An assist from Sills again and a well worked goal in all.

I thought Carayol was also a bit off the pace in the first half, a few miss controls, a couple of missing the ball completely and lost the ball a couple of times, However today i thought his defensive duties and tracking back were superb. His pace when defending is even more blistering than when he is attacking.

Constable is a real handful, but Woods and Hodges didn’t give him an inch. I was hoping that Ellis would be recalled to counter his pace, but It just goes to show that pace isn’t everything and a good head on old shoulders works more often then not. Hodges was outstanding.

Talking of a wise head on old shoulders, Hargreaves was up there in my voting for MoM. Second half in particular, some of his challenges and tackle were awesome and he appeared to be everywhere. He also did well to keep calm in the face of that woeful display from the Ref.

Wroe was quiet but still reasonably effective. Last weeks game seems to have either knocked his confidence a bit or he is carrying a knock.

Sills is a work horse, he covered so much ground. In the first half chasing stuff that Dsane should have been chasing, then in the second half whilst he had to play the lone striker role. I know to some he looks slow and cumbersome, but he still puts in a tremendous amount of work. He also got both assists, i think.

Benyon, another who puts himself around. At one point he chased down 3 defenders and then got a challenge in to stop the ball being knocked forward. He also looks a predator in the box and his second goal was class, can’t wait to watch that tonight. He should be a starter now. I’d like to see 4-4-2 with him and Sills up front.

Nicholson was another who had a relatively quiet game and some of his dead ball deliveries were not up to their normal standard.

Mansell was well up for it, some crunching tackles, good overlaps, boundless energy, we don’t need another right back, the only complaint i do have is sometimes he gets caught out of position and this leaves us vulnerable to attack down that side as no-one seems to take the responsibility for covering for him, so not only his fault.

We must be doing something right, because i don’t know about you guys but in previous years after if we had gone down to 10 men i’d have been expecting to lose 2-1. However, today strangely enough, i never EVER felt that we were going to do anything but win.

The officials were just about the worst i have seen this season. Even if we don’t take into account the Dsane sending off. 2 minutes later their bald guy wrestled Sills to the floor before pushing him in the face, not only does he get away with it, but Hargreaves gets booked, go figure!!

Crowd were superb, sorry Dave i didn’t hear any swear words from where i was standing. Not sure what got the Oxford fans so riled up??

Overall a fantastic result, a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and must rate as one of my favourite games this season. Bring on Stoke away in Tomorrows draw.

I think thats how I saw the game tufc1.

The game experience always starts well with a chat with Dave. It was hard to believe that Oxford with all their talent - Constable, Trainer (was he playing), both wingers and Halsane (or whatever he's called) are doing so badly. Not being able to beat 10 men would explain why.

I thought the sending off was a bit of handbags between Dsane and Billy the cheat who (IMO) deserved all the boos and "cheat cheat" and "Wan*ker" chants he got in the second half.

It was a master class by Sills as a centre forward who took so many knocks, sandwiched between their 3 and 5, pulls, knocks, elbows and a classic knock down for Benyon to score. How the inept (and possibly blind) ref and popside lino couldn't pick one of these fouls is beyond me.

Cracking second goal by Benyon to put the game beyond Oxford.

Good to see the crowd get behind the team today and lets hope the draw is good to us tomorrow..... (Man Utd away).