FAC4: Torquay v Crawley 29th January 2011

''Pictures provided courtesy of Torquay United FC & Pinnacle Photo Agency UK. Not to be copied or reproduced.''

Well the nightmare of this match was as true as when the draw was made. Anyone but Crawley. If the match had kicked off on time Tubbs wouldn't have scored that goal as it would have been the half-time break!!

Even by Crawley's standards the dirty tricks started early with Raynor in the thick of it during the warm ups. Thought by Evan's standard he had a quiet and reserved game.

Huge great lines of fans wanting to get in but having got a ticket went through the 'Ticket Only' turnstile and took my place with Jon, Stu and Chris H.

Not sure why there is such a fuss with standing on the yellow steps as it was enforced (like at the Coventry game), in fact the stewards just look at the folk on the steps and even the guys in the Orange jackets couldn't be bothered - what a waste of space these guys are. You can bet your bottom dollar that if you stand on the yellow step on Tuesday you will be spoken to and forced to move.

The match kicked off and it was soon apparent that we weren't up for it against the Manchester City of the Conference. (I would imagine that Crawley have spent more on players this season than we have in the past 30 years). Perhaps this is why we went 4 - 5 - 1 so early as we seemed to be overun in midfield.

A strong ref was required to keep an eye of the antics of Raynor and the constant falling of players falling down like they have been shot by a sniper. Why of why did the clown of a ref not clamp down on the constant 'head clutching' by the Crawley players when fouled. Someone did warn us that Deadman was a dangerous and how right he was.

It was only a matter of when Crawley would score and 6 minutes before half-time they did with a well taken goal by Matt Tubbs. Happy that my plan of letting them get the first goal was working

Zebs had one of his off days, perhaps it was the oversize clown shoes he was wearing but in the space of 3 minutes or so had been booked twice and Bevs had saved the penalty.

Thought the Crawley player hooked his leg round Mansell for the second penalty which Bevan again saved.

Thought things did improve when Kee came on, not sure if Halpin did much (apart from hitting the bar), a chance for Stevens and a great shot from Nico. Not sure in the game that their 'keeper had a save to make.

I think on the day that Crawley deserved the win but it's shame that they have to resort to dirty and cheating tactics throughout the game. Lets hope they are away to Orient and have to fight their way out of the Conference via the play-off's.

Nice drink and a curry afterwards at the London Inn and Curry Ocean - not quite Prem Cru but still very enjoyable!

Just watched the hightlights on the TV and well done to Chris Coleman for bring the cheating tactics to the nation.

I will be there on Tuesday but how many of the players will be

I hate it on forums when someone quotes and entire post by another poster and says "spot on" - so I won't do that with Stefano's post - but I will just say that I agree with it entirely.

I don't know why the season deteriorated so badly, but our home form is dismal and I think it is down to the way the team are set-out to approach the opposition. Benyon isn't a striker that can play a lone role - not due to his physical attributes but with the build-up play from the rest of the team and his awareness of where any team-mates are to pick-up anything that he wins. That isn't a critisism of a striker that probably woud overtake David Graham's tally in the promotion season is he stays (I happen to think that he will do) - but a critisism of how he is used.

I'll be going on Tuesday - driving down from Bristol hopefully making it in time but I can see why many will not be bothering because we are not a team that puts the opposition to the sword at home. Look at the tally of home wins to date - I would imagine that we would have won more this time last season? It is just so frustrating when we are so difficult to beat away but at home so often we come-off the buffers.
Yesterday Crawley had Craig McAllister, a big man with fairly good feet, movement and decent awareness. IF we have an offer for Benyon that is acceptable then playing Kee with a striker with these attributes (doesn't have to be prolific - just someone that can bring his team-mates into play) then I wouldn't be too gutted to see this change to our squad tomorrow.

I think it's time to see the season out to a satisfactory conclusion and not get embroiled in a relegation battle and perhaps see the likes of Halpin (who I think can be some player) and perhaps Rowe-Turner see a bit of action. Usually around this time of year we see Bucks inform individual players as to where they figure in his plans - maybe we will see a "shock" and see Wroe, Nicholson, Bevan or Branston move-on (hopefully not with the latter three).

I've no doubt that the players will be really disappointed and it is going to be very hard to pick themselves up for Tuesday and Saturday against two teams that we should have beated in reasonably recent away games but we failed to show enough ruthlessness and came away with two points. To re-establish our slipping play-off credentials we need to get six points, but on recent form I'd be surprised if we even got four.....

Otobe, I also fully agree with every word in Stefano’s post. I walked out and away from the ground very slowly after the game as I wanted to hear what our fans were saying as they walked past me. Every single one were on about the very negative way we lined up to play the game and I’m afraid I heard so many say they won’t be bothering to go up on Tuesday night.

There was only going to be one set of fans singing long after the match ended and as I opened my car door, I could still hear so very loudly the Crawley fans celebrating their win over us. Make no mistake about it, yesterday for a good number of reasons has damaged the club, its relationship with its supporters and as a direct result, will find things are going to be much harder for the remainder of this season that they would have been.

I’m not the sort to say I’m alright Jack as I got a ticket; I was very vocal about the ticket arrangements because I was mad that fans like Crooky came down for the Gillingham game from London and had to watch those who were able to get to the Tuesday night game buy tickets, while he was not able too. Is that the way fans should be treated just because they no longer live in the area?

We will never know how many decided not to travel down to the Bay in fear of not being able to get in, but it is a fact that some fans read what the club were saying and were not prepared to take the chance. Why if you think its going to be a sell out not make it all ticket, why make fans believe its going to be by telling them to get there early or miss the game.

If we had won the game, or at least looked liked we wanted to, many fans would have forgiven the fact they were made to queue for hours to get into the ground. But I’m afraid many feel they made the effort and the players they paid to watch didn’t and you can’t blame any fan for saying they wished they had not bothered going in the first place.

On the one hand you have to feel for our board as the money would have made such a big difference to our club, but on the other hand you have to blame them for the very poor arrangements they put in place for this game.

The big question is how do they go about repairing the real damage that was done yesterday? I have said it before on here it was never any good just putting a game on at Plainmoor and hoping people turn up to watch it, but when they do you have to make it a good enough experience they will want to come back again.

Our board has looked very closely at how clubs like Shrewsbury make the match day experience for the fans something really special, but with all the goodwill and best intensions in the world, they can never be replicated up at Plainmoor.

I felt very sorry for a very talented young female singer before the start of yesterdays match, I’m so surprised anyone with any talent would want to exposé their voice to the crap PA system we have at Plainmoor. We are trying to do things other clubs might do, but only have second grade everything to do it with and there lies the big problem.

I could hardly hear her singing on the popside, but what I did hear was very tinny and so poor quality and that was not her fault but the poor equipment she had to sing through. As someone who knows and understands the real difference getting the best quality sound, you would never see me ever being prepared to perform at Plainmoor . Steve is doing a good job before the games out on the pitch using a radio mike, but even he is battling against the odds using a PA system that’s not even fit for a village fate.

I’m not trying to be critical of our board, they look over a club on its knees and saved it and have tried their very best to take it forward. The simple facts are everything at Plainmoor is past its sell by date and there really is not a lot that can be done up there to come anyway close to what clubs like Shrewsbury are able to offer their fans.

I do not know what the answers are, other than move to a brand new ground etc, what I do know is that when you get games like yesterday happen, there is not enough to make fans feel drawn back to Plainmoor to part with even more hard earned money.

Yesterday was such a crying shame and in the space of a few hours not only did our clubs fortunes turn around so dramatically, the feel good factor was lost along with so much goodwill.

Even the sun refused to shine on Plainmoor yesterday and look what a wonderful sunny day it is here today. Ant went out far to early for me as his team the Plainmoor Ladies are playing down at Saltash, so I think I’ll go and watch the Stoke Gabriel Ladies play this afternoon as I know I will enjoy the game and the result won’t matter to me one way or the other and it won’t cost me a single penny.

Well Dave - you are normally the club's staunchest supporter but I have noticed a real difference in the tone of your threads in the last day or so. I will in fact give you a quick account of my day out yesterday.
I planned to leave Bideford at 1200 in order to get to the ground at 1330. My sons local match failed a pitch inspection at the same time so a quick diversion to Barnstaple to pick them up, both still in their club tracksuits.
My 20 year old had to be back in Barnstaple for work at 1830 so it was going to be a tight run back up the M5 after the game.
Anyway we arrived about 1340 to be greeted by a huge queue and we were dismayed to see that the queue to the main entrance did not seem to be moving.
After queueing in the freezing cold for what seemed like ages we approached the main entrance near the swimming pool. There was a piece of paper above the five entrances whcih you could hardly read until you were about 10 yards away from the front of the queue. It seems as though there was a separate turnstile for the home enlcosure,the grandstand and the family stand and we were issued with a ticket on purchase which seemed to slow down the whole process.
We went into the grandstand - one old boy was refused entry because he had mistakenly gone in through the family stand turnstile.
"But I always sit here" was his response to the steward but he was turned away. Absolutely awful.
We were dismayed, but not unsuprised to hear the announcemnent that the kick off was delayed - which meant that we would have to leave before the end of the match (the first time ever) in order that my son could get back for work.
We got to our seats and there was Raynor lambasting the groundstaff on the pitch - I am suprised one of them didn't go for him with their pitchforks the amount of stick they were getting.
Anyway we all know how the match went but we left our seats just before five and walked to the edge of the pitch through the grandstand by the corner flag.
Torquay were attacking and we actually stood on the two bottom steps of the grandstand by the female steward at the top of the steps so we did.
At that point Nico hit the bar and rather stupidly it seems I encroached back on to the two bottom steps in order to get a better view as Torquay were still pressing.
The response from the woman steward at the top of the steps was to walk down the steps and push me in the chest saying "I told you four times to get off the steps" and then waved her gloved hand right in front of my face counting out the numbers "one,two three four".
I retorted that she was not allowed to actually push me as this could constitute a common assault.
She then went down the steps and spoke to a second female steward who was stood near the refreshment hut.
Thinking that this steward was her superior I walked across to them and suggested that she might like to tell the first steward that she was not allowed to push people. With this the first steward again raised her hand towards me and the second steward actually held caught hold of her hand so presumably even she thought that she was actually acting aggresively.
However the other steward then started to lecture me and pointed her finger at me.
I said that I could not believe the way I was being spoken to so turned and went back to watch the match (making sure that I did not stand on the steps this time).
About a minute or so later I was approached by a male steward. (Now I did not know this at the time but it seems that a load of stewards had rushed from two sides of the ground to the vicinity of where I was standing)
Now I must reiterate that my "crime" was to stand on the two bottom steps leading to the grandstand. I had challenged the stewards behaviour towards me bu tthat was it - I was just stood watching the end of the game.
I was then invited through the outside gate when I was surrounded by eight or more stewards. My sons had followed me out but had taken absolutely no part in the conversation with the two female stewards.
A male steward in an orange jacket started speaking to me. He had a black goatee beard and I think an earring.
His response was "Ok you've got 30 seconds to tell me your name or your nicked" - I actually asked him what on earth he was talking about. This bloke was an absolute bonehead, thick as two short planks.
As we were anxious to get away I gave the bloke my details. His response was "Ok your getting a banning order"
I had not shouted,sworn,offered violence. - nothing.
We were just incredulous at the way these people had acted.
After that we left and went back to the car - all three of us not quite believing what had happened.
So that was it and another supporter lost for good. I have only been going for the best part of 47 years man and boy.
Is it worth it? - no it bloody isn't how can these people be allowed to act in this way. i will spend Saturdays watching my sons play locally, which is actually more enjoyable anyway. My partner who has ms will be pleased as I won't be away for so long on a Saturday.
Torquay United have had the last penny they are getting out of me.
We were all going again on Tuesday night but now won't be going anywhere near the place.

Sounds an horrendous example of stewarding reported by Mr Meerkat. Do we still use the same stewards who cover Argyle? If so I know from my Boxing Day visit to Home Park they have a terrible reputation with the fans.

Myself I would write to the club, not only pointing out my length of time supporting the club and my lack of any previous convictions, but also reporting the behaviour of the steward who committed an assault and asking what action the club will take against her. Without anything being said it could easily happen again to somebody else.

On the face of it a sad episode and on top of everything else after long chaotic queues and a woeful performance by our team would be enough to tip anybody over the edge!

What a damning statement that is. I have also witnessed overzealous stewarding at Plaimoor in the past which turned my gut at the time when supporters were physically assaulted during the end of the Bateson era. I very nearly came to the same conclusion that it just wasn't worth the agro anymore but came to the conclusion that it was a one off and would be put right. Obviously there is an element within the stewarding hit squad that likes to abuse its power. More stewards were brought in yesterday and there were quite a few who were unfamiliar so I would guess again that it was the Plymouth heavies giving you the unnecessary grief.
An appaling state of affairs of which the club should be made well aware of or numbers will dwindle even further.
It was a truly awful day that cost us both financially and emotionally and as others have stated will have a damaging effect on the good will that has been fostered in the last few years. The board or those who made that irresponsible ticketing decision should be made aware of the damage that has been done. Even the TV footage was something to not be proud of and although the pitch was a credit to the ground staff the old grandstand looked like a slum waiting to be demolished.
A truly dreadful experience yesterday and the tactics and performance from our players topped it all off. On the playing side we have run out of options and ideas and any team that knows our one dimensional play will will always be successful at our home. The most important once in a lifetime chance to secure the clubs future and see us advance in every respect was frittered away in just a couple of hours. Still very angry at every aspect of yesterdays experience.