You could not ask for anything more from the first game of a new season than a three nil win could you? A game that was won by hard work, effort and a real will to win the game and it was a game when he did play the ball on the floor we looked a very good side indeed.
I won’t kid myself it was the perfect performance because it wasn’t and there is room for improvement, but if the lads play with the same sprit and togetherness I saw today, then there is no reason what so ever why this team can’t enjoy a good season where it will achieve plenty along the way.
I never leave home until around 1.20pm but when the clock was showing just 12.55pm I knew I could wait no longer to be outside my beloved Plainmoor even if it meant I would have to walk around the whole ground a few times before it opened. I walked the 300 yards to the lockup I rent and got in my car and selected ELO The Eldorado Overture CD and turned up the volume until the bass was vibrating the floor under my feet, perfect for a drive over to Torquay.
Before I come onto the game a few points well worth mentioning, firstly a big well done to our club for having a minutes applause for Paul Bristow, a real chance to show how grateful we all are for all he did for our club and it was just as if not more emotional (yes as expected Dave had tears in his eyes) than a minutes silence where you end up getting angry at the fools who think its funny to make a noise during it.
Secondly a big well done to all on the popside and even more so the group of singers I have often complained about. OK having that great drummer back on the popside was a real bonus and like drums or not with him banging out some great rhythms we were treated to some great yellow army chants. There was the odd who the f*****g hell are you at the very early part of the game but they soon moved on to the sort of chants that encourage on OUR players and lets hope it continues that way as it was a pleasure for a change to stand on the popside.
Thirdly, NO Junior Gulls guard of honour when our players came out onto the pitch, the only Junior gull in sight was led around the ground by Gilbert and the macot man as the Junior gull just happened to be the mascot as well for the game. I really hope this was just a one off as the Junior gulls have already missed out on many activity’s Lou had planed for them for the summer months and for them to miss out and not feature in someway at our home games is not really acceptable.
Fourthly. Good to see all our youth team players from all the age groups do a lap of honour before the start of the game.
A gate of 3567 at Plainmoor today and while down on last seasons opening game I feel the club will be happy with the gate and if the team get results as they did today then surely the Torbay public will wake up and get up to the ground and play their part in helping to keep league football alive and well here in Torbay.
Northampton started the game better than we did just like Yeovil did for a short while and we were guilty early on in giving the ball away by carless passing and sometimes not playing the simple ball when it was on. Danny Stevens kept wanting to drift into the middle with the result when Nico had the ball there was plenty of space to play the ball down the line, only there was no TUFC player there. When Danny did stay out wide he had so much more impact on the game and on the whole he played well and justified the faith Paul Buckle put in him by starting him.
I felt before the game I would rather see Kee start up front with Gritton and while Benyon worked hard and took his goal very well, he had a poor first half and lost the ball far to many times in promising positions only one such time turned very fortunate for us and resulted in our opening goal.
Zebs was first class and deserved to be named man of the match and our defenders all played well and the only thing they did wrong was to let a few balls go over the top of them and straight to a Northampton players who had run in behind. They will need to work on that and tighten things up a bit more, but they were brave when they needed to be and with a very assured Scott Bevan behind them, they never looked like they would concede any goals.
Gritton was unable to win as many headers as he has been doing in the preseason games and while the ref was very poor at times and did not give Gritts some of the free kicks he should have been awarded, Gritts needs to stop his moaning and pick himself up and just get on with the game. In saying that on the whole Gritts had a good enough game and went off to a good round of applause when he was taken off, he had been getting treatment for a gashed knee? Just before Bucks made the change.
The first real effort on goal fell to Northampton’s Liam Davis who hit a good hard shot from the edge of our box, but it went high and wide over Scott Bevans bar. They then won a free kick out on the left hand side and everyone missed the ball completely in the box and Ellis did well to get his head to the ball as it bounced up but was unable to clear it very far. It got knocked back in to a Northampton player standing just a few yards out from goal and he put the ball in the net passed Bevan but he was flagged off side.
Robertson found himself in the book and to be honest the tackle was not worthy of a booking so early on in the game and then Nico clearly won the ball and came close to getting a card himself for what was a perfectly timed tackle. From the resulting free kick the ball went out the other side for a throw-in and when it was taken the ball was headed on and Guy Branston did well to get his head on it and get the ball out for a corner.
We started to play the ball on the floor a bit more and a good passing move saw the ball played up to Benyon on the edge of the Northampton box, he played a perfect ball to Zebs who was bursting into the right-hand side of the box, he took a shot that just went past the left hand post but it must have got a touch on the way from a Northampton player as the ref gave us a corner.
From the corner Ellis rose above everyone with a bullet header that hit the top of the bar and over for a goal kick, shame as it would have been nice for Mark to get a goal as he played well today and never really made that mistakes.
He did make one by letting the ball bounce over him and a Northampton play was quickly onto the ball and laid it back to the edge of our box and a good hard shot was fired at Bevan who had to beat the ball down with his hands and then grab hold of the ball before anyone could get on the end of it.
We then were treated to a goal that saw a very class finish by Nico and I was glad it fell to him as I would have put money on him putting it past their keeper. Just a quick note on their keeper, he looked very shaky in my view and lacked any confidence and I’m not sure the Northampton defenders had any in him. Nico had the ball at his feet just inside the Northampton half, he looked up and played a good ball to Benyons feet and just kept running forward himself. Benyon once again failed to control the ball and just when you felt another move was about to break down, somehow the ball came back to Nico who poked it into the box and ran past the last man to face the keeper. He hit the ball hard and straight down the middle with his right foot giving the keeper no chance what so ever to make the save.
So not a bad first half and you expected Northampton to come out and try and dominate the early part of the second half to try and get back on level terms, but they were soon to find themselves two goals behind.
The ball was played up to Benyon in the air completely unmarked and unchallenged and he guided down a simple header to Danny Stevens who was just outside the centre of their box, he looked up and saw Zebs on his left moving toward the edge of the box and played another simple pass to him. Zebs took the ball on a few yards and hit a poor shot straight at the keeper who fumbled the ball and failed to hold it and it dropped back at Zebs feet who hocked the ball with his right foot just inside the right hand post.
We then went three up after some wonderful tight controlled one touch passing involving zebs and Wroe and I did not see who played the great ball up to benyon who saw the keeper coming racing off his line and just as was about level with the edge of the Northampton box, placed the ball to the right of the keeper and I have to say it was a very good finish by young Elliot.
As expect Northampton tried hard to get back into the game and for a while were clearly on top and looking dangerous with every attack. Ellis gave away a needless foul just outside our box and Bevan had to be alert and did well to push the shot around the post and out for a corner.
So off when Gritton and on came Billy Kee who sure made the Northampton defenders know he was on the pitch and showed plenty of good skill and while never having a chance to shoot at goal himself, set up a number of opportunities for other players.
Northampton won another free kick just outside our box and Michael Jacobs took his shot crashed against the crossbar and back into play for another shot to come in and once again Scott did well to push over his bar. From the resulting corner in a very packed box a shot was scoped up high close in and there was that man Scott Bevan to once again get the ball over the ball to safety.
Northampton had another good chance when that man Jacobs beat Robertson with a bit too much ease and fired in a great cross to Courtney Herbert who was complexly unmarked and only needed to get his header on target, only he put the ball well wide of the goal.
We then started to get back on top of the game and there only looked one winner yes us, Nico took a free kick that was a bit too central and the keeper was able to push the ball over his bar with ease. Nacklin came on for a very worn out looking Benyon and some found himself on the end of the best clever flick seen at Plainmoor for a while by Kee that saw Macklin get into the box and his ball over to Stevens was a good one, only Danny was not quite strong enough to make it his.
So all in all a good game and a great result and one that will please all Torquay United fans and one that will make the journey home to Northampton feel like a very long one for the Northampton fans. It’s only the first game and we should not get too carried away, but my gut feeling is on what I saw today this is going to be a very enjoyable season for us all.
Thankyou for describing that goal Dave.
Once again a good performance from Branston and am really glad that we signed him. Kee impressed when he came on and will keep the other two strikers on their toes. Right, off to finish that cider! 
