FAC2: Sheffield Utd v Torquay Utd 3 Dec 2011

Back from the game. Overriding feeling is of frustration - we didn't play brilliantly, granted, but it was there for the taking. If Ellis hadn't made his error, we had every chance of winning that - it was the goal that let them back into it as they had faded somewhat. Considering how long we had held out (although we had a bit of luck), it's very disappointing to concede a sloppy goal like that, and then concede another straight away which we shouldn't have - you can't give players of Ched Evans' quality that much space and time to run at the goal and take a shot

In particular I don't think we defended well today. Ellis and Robertson made some great tackles in the first half but we kept struggling to clear it, usually clearing it into another Torquay player in the box, which kept giving them more chances. Either that or it usually got passed back to Olejnik which made a skewed clearance from him inevitable, because you can't get it right every time even if his kicking has improved a lot lately. Plus it's quite a compact pitch there made it a bit congested. We heaped a lot of pressure on ourselves. I don't buy that it's down to Lathrope's absence, as we've played badly when he's been there too. It's just sloppiness generally

They were no great shakes. They were fast asleep to begin with, and when they woke up, they created a few good chances and wasted them, but also often looked as if they lacked ideas, other than to stick it up in the air and hope for the best. They did pass it around nicely at times but I thought we looked better in that department. We just couldn't deal effectively with the hoofballs. Had we cleared our lines a few times more, they would've posed little threat, certainly no more than Port Vale, against whom we held out for the whole game. They just got a bit of luck that Port Vale didn't get. Compared to what I've seen this year, if Crawley go up, they'll fly through that division even if they don't spend any more money before then. No wonder the home attendance was crap - who wants to come and watch that dross even if they are towards the top of League 1?

The most frustrating thing is that had we played to our capabilities, we would've won today. And even though we didn't, there still didn't look like there was a division and a half between us and them - without knowing the respective positions of the clubs, you would think they were a strong League 2 side but nothing more. I'll try and take it as a positive for us but it's still very disappointing - we weren't expecting to win today but when it's in your grasp and then you drop it as we did, it hurts

Finally, a word on the support. Our guys and girls were great as ever. The home support was utter shit - a big stadium like that, with the potential for a great atmosphere in there, for a relatively big club, and they scrape 10,000. And it was like a library in there. Very disappointing

Left dark and dim Wales at 7.45 and headed up the "Heads of the Valleys" road to meet Jon and Phil at Tewkesbury.

Made the rendezvous for 9.30 and headed off passed Evesham and Stratford on Avon to collect James at Coventry. good progress was being made on a fine day. Life felt good. what could be better than a sunny, fresh day and out with your mates for a footie match.

James, the navigator, took us through chesterfield and I took a snap of the crooked spire while i was stopped some lights



We arrived in Sheffield and so did the first rain of the day. We dropped Phil and Jon off so they could go for a beer but James and I made our way to find the house that my mum was brought up in till she was 11 years old. We drove past Hillsborough and on up the hill to High Bradfield.

We returned later and entered the ground.











Shortly before kick off we had the tribute to Gary Speed





The game started really well with Howe delighting us all. apart from a couple of chances that Stevens could have increased the lead, we were probably lucky to ahead at half time. Ollie made 2 brilliant saves from free kicks, what a find he has been and I forgive his mistake later.

In the second half, just as Sheffield seemed to be fading, they get a lucky break. No fair

the second was a good goal but why oh why do we back off so much?

The third was just one of those moments you hate but hey let's not disgrace ourselves. Ling changed formation and brought Atieno on and went to 4-4-2. he actually looked lively and made a difference. thanks Danny for making it respectable.

I think we deserved a draw but that's life. I really hope they don't get Manure in the next round

On the way back we enjoyed a bite to eat at the Sizzling Pub in Canley







note to self: get someone else to take the picture next time ;D



It's a tradition now to take a picture of Jon's meal just a snack this time ;D



Back home 10pm, tired but satisfied of a good day out. thanks guys, let's do it again but it's time Phil saw a win

As others have said, today's result wasn't a disgrace but I can't help feeling we could have won it. The OG from Ellis really let them back in cheaply when perhaps they were beginning to run out of ideas. The third goal also came from a poor kick from bobby, but he's been so good for us this season I think we can forgive him that! I'm glad Danny made the score respectable at the end. Best summed up as what might have been....
Anyway, on to Barnet on Friday, where hopefully our good league form will continue. If we can keep Mcloed quiet we should be looking to win!

Good day out yesterday, i was impressed by us but they stepped it up a gear in the secound half and we couldnt get out of our half for periods. A couple of quality loans come Jan and no reason why we cant make the play offs again.

This just goes to show the folly (as some of us pointed out right from the start of the season) of having 3 rightsided centrebacks and no leftsided ones.
Rob is quite right. It was a mishit clearance, but that happens when its your wrong foot you're trying to clear with.
As for the third goal, whilst it was a mishit by Bobby, it was a terrible decision to throw the ball back to him with someone like Evans lurking so close.
The second goal? Having watched it again this morning (not getting back in time last night), it looks even more like schoolboy defending. Its all very well backing off to maintain shape but if you're a defender, you need to get a tackle in at some stage FFS!!!
Manse was bursting a lung to get back level with Evans after he had about a 6 yard start and almost managed to get a tackle in. If Ellis had got a challenge in with Robbo behind him as a second tackler (or vice versa, although Evans was on the left side from the defence point of view), Manse would have had enough time as well to get a tackle in.
Oh, and watching the Danny shot again that was blocked, he was calling for the bloody ball when the line was clear. There were 3 defenders and the keeper around him by the time Rene decided to pass the ball to him.
As already said by others, a creditable result against a higher placed team. They didnt look to be a division above on the day and I feel somewhat cheated that we didnt get at least a replay due to some sloppy defending

I was at that game in 1982 and can’t remember anything about our support that day or, indeed, on other occasions around that time. I believe much of that was to do with the spectre of trouble at games which, if truth be told, was always more of an issue than the reality. Nonetheless some of us didn’t fancy the risks and travelled to games without colours (I still don’t out of habit) and opted to stand with the home supporters. Although I’d meet up with people at games in the south-east, I often went to games in the north – I was living in Lancashire at the time – without encountering any Torquay supporters at all. I’d stand on the side; they’d be a scattering behind a dirty great fence dubiously enjoying the pleasures of 1:1 policing. Consequently, although I hardly ever interacted with our away support, I was always of the opinion there may have been more of us present than was immediately apparent. I guess too that, historically, this was something of a cross-over period from wholly un-segregated crowds to acceptance of enjoying your own territory without undue interference.

As for yesterday, I imagine there were several reasons for the muted home support. Let’s face it, Torquay United in the 2nd round of the FA Cup is hardly one to get the pulses racing in Sheffield. Indeed, it’s not the first time, at some cup-tie or another, that our “big day” has been one of their smallest. Sheffield United are, of course, deservedly in the third tier of English football which means they are in the first and second rounds of the cup by right. But I suspect the collective mindset wasn’t unlike the rather sniffy attitude amongst some of us towards participating in the 4th qualifying round. Also remember that the Kop, traditionally the liveliest part of Bramall Lane, was closed yesterday. Overall, I thought 10,000 was a decent turnout and it’s around the level of Southampton’s early round appearances last year.

Our day started from Taunton with an early loo stop at Michaelwood – too old men, one hitting fifty-six yesterday – followed by coffee at Trowell and a loop to Sheffield's favoured, leafy western suburbs. After fish and chips from the chippy on Sharrow Vale Lane we passed the disused Sheffield General Cemetery where – in its chapel in the mid 1970s – I once found a charred Daily Express reporting Robin Stubbs’ five goals against Newport in 1963. Ah, bored students on Sunday afternoons...

To Bramall Lane, a circumnavigation of the stadium and a peep at the tributes to Gary Speed which adorned the twin statues of Derek Dooley and Joe Shaw in front of the stand that I remember as brand new in 1974. I arrived in Sheffield slightly too late for cricket at the Lane but I’m sure the old pavilion was still there in those days, obsolete behind the new structure. And, if you don’t know the story of Derek Dooley, find out at the earliest opportunity.

At the turnstiles we were fortunate to meet one of Torquay United’s pre-eminent historians and it was a pleasure to spend the game sat with him, Chelston, the father-and-son duo from South Wales and The Artist Occasionally Known as Rags who they’d met in the Devonshire Cat.

Some discussion during the game of Sheffield United teams of the 1970s with The Historian giving his all to name complete line-ups from 1971 whilst remaining cheerfully oblivious of the current bunch. And, right on cue after Ched Evans had scored for Sheffield United, he made a wonderfully tangential reference to Crad Evans, the pre-war footballing superstar of pre-Great War Torquay (another to “impress” the young Agatha Christie I wonder?).

Anyway, for the record, here’s the Sheffield United line-up from my first visit to the Lane in 1974 for a League Cup game against Luton Town:

Brown, Badger, Hemsley, Eddy, Colquhoun, Franks, Woodward, Bradford, Dearden, Currie, Field. Sub: Garbett. The main missing man was Mick Speight – it was a remarkably settled line-up – and the manager was none other than Ken Furphy.

And, for Chelston’s benefit:



After the final whistle, there was quick detour to for some emergency shopping on Sharrow Lane before making it as far as Stensham for a pee and a cuppa. There were plenty of Torquay and Swansea fans at the services but I wasn’t quite in the mood for rehearsed hard luck/”we wuz robbed” conversations which may not have quite fitted my own view of the game. Nonetheless it was good to have a short reflective conversation with Torquay United’s senior historian as his erstwhile collaborator was clearly enjoying a feeding frenzy in suburban Coventry.