We got the boy from up the road…

“Benyon, Benyon”.

Late last night it was confirmed that former-Gull Elliot Benyon would return to the club where his career kickstarted. Benners has joined the Plainmoor ranks for 1-month, with the option to extend it should we want to. Since departing the English Riviera in January 2011, things haven’t exactly gone to plan for the diminutive forward.

FACT FILE.

• NAME: Elliot Benyon
• DOB: 29th August 1987
• HEIGHT: 5 ft 9 in
• PREVIOUS CLUBS: Bristol City, St Albans (L), Crawley (L), Torquay, Swindon, Wycombe (L), Southend.

Elliot first joined us as one of Paul Buckle’s first signings once he took the hotseat in 2007. He was only a teenager back then, but you could see their was some potential there. He was behind Tim Sills and Lee Phillips in the striking pecking order, but he featured regularly off the bench for United in his first season at the club. His first goal in a yellow shirt came on 1st September, as he grabbed the second goal in a 2-0 home win over Stafford Rangers. He didn’t wait long for his second, coming just 9 days later, as we went down 3-1 at Burton Albion, in what was our first defeat in the Blue Square Premier. Unfortunately, just 3 more goals followed that season.

Elliot featured nearly 40 times in 2008/09 as the Gulls played their way to promotion back to the Football League. As you can see, he played more of a prominent role in the clubs success, hitting the net 12 times. A third of those goals came against Oxford United, as Torquay beat the U’s twice. The first of Benyon’s braces came as we beat Oxford 2-0 at Plainmoor in the FA Cup 2nd Round. He then continued his good form against Oxford with another brace at the Kassam, as we won 2-0 in a decisive fixture that started our run-in. Elliot also hit the net on the final day of the season, scoring the winner against champions Burton Albion at Plainmoor to guarantee our Playoff place, which we went on to win. Elliot featured in the Final against Cambridge United, playing a role in the second goal which sealed United’s promotion.

Elliot celebrating the Wembley success.

So, back in the League, and it was intriguing to see how many players would make the step up. Benyon had a long season, playing 51 times, scoring 15. The first of these came as went down 5-3 at Dagenham & Redbridge, in a remarkable encounter. However he followed it up with another as we won at Burton 4 days later. His first career hat-trick came in the FA Cup 1st Round as we romped to a win away at Stockport (which was actually played at Macclesfield’s Moss Rose!), winning 4-0 on the night. A 2-month drought followed that game, which ended as he scored at home against Port Vale. That was followed up with another goal, this time at Rotherham in a 1-1 draw. Just four more goals came after that strike, and all were important. 2 came as we hammered Rochdale 5-0 at Plainmoor, then another one came in a vital win at Aldershot, and the final one came as we all but confirmed our League-status in a 3-0 win over Grimsby Town.

We had high hopes for the following year, after such a good end to the last one. We started with a routine 3-0 win over Northampton, of which Benyon scored one. His goalscoring start continued as he hit two at Lincoln. A run of 5 games without scoring was ended as he hit the net at Plainmoor against Macclesfield, who ran out 1-3 winners. He went on to score another 10 goals in the first half of that season, which eventually prompted League One side Swindon Town to splash out £125,000 for his services. He scored on his Town debut, a late equaliser against Rochdale. However that proved to be as good as it got, and it was his only goal in a Red shirt that season.

At the start of the 2011/12 season, he found himself loaned out to Wycombe Wanderers, still in League 1. His first goal for Wanderers was in a 4-1 defeat to Notts Forest in a Carling Cup match. That proved to be his only goal in a Chairboys shirt. In January 2012, just 12 months after joining Swindon, Elliot was on the move again, this time back to League 2, with Southend United the destination. He scored two goals for the Shrimpers in his first 6 months, in back-to-back games against Accrington and Hereford. He also picked up his first red card at Bradford.

Benyon celebrates a Shrimpers goal

Onto this season then, and Benners has featured 11 times in all competitions for Southend. He hasn’t hit the target yet, so that is something he’ll need to do in his time here. His most recent match in a Southend shirt was down in Devon, as they lost 3-0 at Exeter on 12th January.

So, as you can see, it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride for the poacher since he left us. At this stage in his career, it is essential he gets back to doing what he does best; scoring goals. If he struggles then it could spell the end of his Football League career, but, if he does prove a success then it could well start another successful period of his career back in the South West. Heres hoping it’s latter, for all concerned.

How two paths have crossed..

As next Monday’s Devon derby approaches, I’m going to continue the build up by looking at how both sides have fared since the last meeting at St James Park. It is very much two differing journeys since those two matches in May 2008, and that is what I’m going to look at today.

The Playoffs proved to be unsuccessful for us, in what had been Paul Buckle’s first year in charge. For Exeter, however, it was a success. After beating us 5-3 in the two-legged Semi Final, the Grecians went to Wembley, where they met favourites Cambridge United. It was the second consecutive Playoff Final for City, who had lost to Morecambe just 12 months earlier. In front of a crowd of over 40,000 people, Rob Edwards scored the only goal of the game to give Exeter a priceless victory, and a return to the Football League, 5 years after dropping out.

Edwards celebrates the winner at Wembley.

Paul Tisdale’s side weren’t stopping there. They managed to keep hold of the majority of the promotion-winning squad, and added a few new faces to it. This approach paid it’s dividends, and on the final day of the season Exeter managed to seal another promotion. The deciding result came at Rotherham’s Don Valley Stadium, where a Richard Logan header proved to be the only goal of a tight game. Exeter held off the challenge of both Wycombe and Bury to finish in 2nd place, one point ahead of the Chairboys and the Shakers. Bury had the misfortune of missing out on automatic promotion on goal difference. So now City were really on a high. Back to back promotions is something that should not be sniffed at.

It was always going to be a difficult proposition to try and make 3 promotions in 3 years, as League One has proved to be a backwater for some very big clubs. The two Sheffield sides, Charlton, Leeds United were all sides that City met whilst fighting for their place in the division. The first season up in League One was a challenge for the club, as it was adjusting to it’s very quick success. It took a final day victory to confirm their status as a League One club that season, eventually finishing in 18th, one point above relegated Gillingham. That experience proved key for the club and for Paul Tisdale. He’d been able to recognise what was needed, and tried his best to acquire it. The second season in League One was much more successful, with the Grecians racking up an impressive 70 points, which sat them in 8th place, just a point off the Playoff positions. It would have been an incredible achievement had they made it, but unfortunately for them they just missed out.

As with any club who has had an epic rise through the divisions, it was attracting interest from onlookers. There was lots of speculation of Tisdale moving on, Swansea being the most linked. He stuck around, but he couldn’t quite keep his squad together. They lost key players, notably Ryan Harley and Jamie Cureton. Neither were replaced, and a poor year all round saw the club finish 23rd place in League 1, and relegation back to League 2 was confirmed. Their away form had been their achilles heel last season, as they picked up just 10 points on the road all year (W2 D4 L17). So now, they are back in League 2 and so far they’re looking good to make an instant return to League One. With just twenty games remaining, it will be interesting to see if they can manage it.

Tisdale could not keep his side in League One.

Now I am going to look at my own team, The Gulls. Since that horrific 2nd leg against City, we haven’t really looked back either. Just a few days after the Playoff defeat, we had our own trip to Wembley, in the FA Trophy Final. Unfortunately it seemed like the catastrophic collapse in the previous game had knocked us for six, as we were edged out by Ebbsfleet United. Former Gull Chris McPhee scored the only goal of the game.

Paul Buckle had recognised what we needed to make our second year successful, and with the additions of several key players, we were right at the top of the Blue Square Premier again, challenging for the title. Our main rivals proved to be the other side who were defeated in the Playoffs, Cambridge and Burton. Albion, under Nigel Clough, had stormed the first half of the season, and had built up an unassailable lead of around 20 points. Then Clough made the step up to Derby County, and Burton brought in Roy McFarland to finish the job. The wheels came off, however, and the title wasn’t confirmed until the final day. It was a big game at Plainmoor on the last day; we were yet to confirm a Playoff place, while Albion needed to confirm promotion. A bumper crowd on the English Riviera saw Burton take the advantage, but goals from cult-figure Chris Hargreaves and Elliot Benyon meant the Gulls had the win they needed. Burton were celebrating too, as Cambridge could only draw, meaning the title was Burtons. The win meant we finished in 4th place, and we would play against overachievers Histon in the two-legged Semi Final. The first leg was a comfortable 2-0 home win for Torquay, but there was still a feeling of wariness as the job wasn’t done, and we didn’t want a repeat of last year. Histon had lost just once on their patch all year, winning 14, so it was going to be tough. Over 1,000 Gulls made the Bank Holiday trip to Cambridgeshire. Histon managed to get the opener through Neil Andrews, but despite dominating long periods, couldn’t find another. It took an incredible reflex save from Michael Poke to deny Mat Mitchell-King in injury time. That was Histon’s final chance, and the Gulls had made it! Wembley awaited, and again it was Cambridge that stood in the way. Around 35,000 fans were out in the capital to witness the Gulls win 2-0, through goals from Hargreaves and Tim Sills. An incredible day all round for Gulls fans, though you couldn’t help but feel for the fans of Cambridge, who had seen their side beaten twice in a row at the last stage.

Hargreaves lifting the trophy at Wembley.

Our first year back in the Football League after just two years away was a tough one. Buckle struggled, but an unbelievable run of form in the final 10 games pulled us away from relegation danger, finishing 17th. The following year, we managed to snatch a Playoff spot on the final day, despite losing at Rotherham’s DVS. In the Playoffs we met Shrewsbury. A comfortable 2-0 win at Plainmoor in the 1st leg was just the result we needed. The return game, in front of a packed Greenhous Meadow saw a goalless draw, and Torquay were through to the Final. Stevenage were the opponents. Graham Westley’s side were looking to follow Exeter’s path and complete back to back promotions. At Old Trafford, a measly 11,500 fans witnessed Boro hold off a weak challenge from the Gulls as they won 1-0. It was League One for Stevenage, whilst we had to settle for another year in League 2. Even to this day, I still wonder what might have been had Paul Buckle not set his sights on his move to Bristol Rovers before that Final.

So, Buckle left, and took a few of the backroom staff with him, aswell as a few potential signings we had lined up. Martin Ling came in to replace him, which received a mixed response from fans. However, some astute signings, notably Rene Howe and Bobby Olejnik soon had supporters purring. Ling masterminded us to an incredible Playoff finish, though it could, and possibly should, have been much more. We had reached the heady heights of 2nd place with less than a dozen games to go, but we couldn’t quite finish the job. The final 5 games were what killed us, as we failed to win any. A final day defeat to Hereford United at Edgar Street meant it was Playoffs for us. We were up against Cheltenham Town in the Semi Finals. The first leg, at Whaddon Road, was comfortable for the hosts as they won 2-0. We looked down and out, and despite dominating the majority of the 2nd leg, we couldn’t find a way past the Robins’ inspired goalkeeper Scott Brown. Cue a late counter attack from the pantomime villain Jermaine McGlashan; he made it 3-0 on aggregate and the Rubies were going to Wembley. Ryan Jarvis knocked home a consolation with minutes to spare, but a wonderful free-kick from Marlon Pack deep into injury time confirmed Cheltenham’s place at Wembley.

Cheltenham players celebrate reaching Wembley.

This year, we’ve struggled to find any form of consistency. It was always going to be tough after losing Bobby Olejnik, Mark Ellis and Eunan O’Kane to higher placed teams. Injuries have caught up with us, and our small squad has been stretched. We just need to ensure we aren’t pulled down into the relegation struggle.

It is a big game on Monday night for both sides. Exeter can go back into the top 3 with a win, we can move back towards the top half of the table. Heres hoping it’s the latter..

A trip down memory lane..

Today I’m going back to May 2008. It was our first year in the BSP, and that 2007/08 season proved to be the first time we’d met Exeter since 2002/03 (in which we completed a successful double over the Grecians). We’d met them twice during the regular season, losing a Boxing Day bonanza to the odd goal in 7, before beating them at Plainmoor 6 days later. 4 months down the line, and we were all set to meet again. However, it wasn’t certain until the final few minutes of the final day. Picture the scene..

We, under the stewardship of Paul Buckle, had been inside the top 4 all season long, but we’d blown our chances of winning the title when eventual-champions Aldershot scored a last-ditch winner at Plainmoor to effectively win the title (they went on to confirm it at Exeter a few weeks later). That closed the door on anyone else, so it was a case of beating the playoffs. We were in 2nd for the majority of the run-in, but after a disappointing performance and result on the final day, where we lost to Steve Evans’ Crawley 2-1 at Plainmoor, we slipped down to 3rd place. Cambridge United overtook us on goal difference, after both clubs finished with the impressive total of 86 points. I remember hearing our whistle go and thinking “Okay it looks like we’re going to Burton”. They were ahead in their final day game against City at the Pirelli. However, Exeter had done the remarkable job of coming from 4-2 down to draw 4-4, in the final 3 minutes of the game. This had a bearing on their final placing, as it meant they regained 4th spot, off of Burton. So instead of a trip to the Pirelli, it was a local derby for a place at Wembley.

Will the Big Bank be full again on Monday?

Due to finishing in 3rd, it meant we would have home advantage in the second leg. The trip to St James Park was on the evening of the 1st May. We made the short journey in good spirits, though a bit concerned with our own run of form, and also the fact that City had only lost once on their own turf all season. They’d edged us out on Boxing Day, mainly due to the excellence of Jamie Mackie. 

You could sense the anticipation from both sets of fans as soon as you got into the ground. Looking across at the Big Bank which was pretty much full, already warming their vocal chords a good time before kick off. The biggest shock came when we heard the team line-up. Buckle had changed tactics and gone for 5 at the back. It was totally out of the blue, no hints of a change like that. It caused more apprehension in the group around me, as we wondered whether it would prove to be a masterstroke or a disaster. The team line up that day was..;

Simon Rayner, Lee Mansell, Chris Robertson, Steve Woods, Chris Todd, Kevin Nicholson, Steve Adams, Chris Hargreaves, Chris Zebroski, Lee Phillips, Tim Sills. 

Woods was employed in a sweeper role behind Robertson and Todd, picking up any loose balls. The game started tentatively, both sides having a couple of opportunities but as you can imagine from such a high pressure game, it was tight. It was a battle. The opening goal came from us, the visitors. A cross from the right hand side was met brilliantly by the head of Gulls hero Tim Sills. He powered his header past Paul Jones in goal, right in front of the Gulls fans. Jubilation on the terrace. It had taken nearly 40 minutes, but we were in front. With little challenge, we held on until half time, with the score at 0-1. 

The second half started and Paul Tisdale had clearly geed his men up, as they came out instantly looking for the reply. It wouldn’t quite fall for the Grecians, and as the game came into the final 15 minutes, the home bench were actively seeking new options from the bench. The first substitution of the game saw Richard Logan replace Dan Seabourne, a sign of attacking intent from Tisdale. It was a bold move, but it paid dividends within seconds. A cross came in, Logan headed the ball back across goal and Wayne Carlisle nipped in and tucked the ball past Rayner. It had been coming. The noise emanated from the Big Bank for a few minutes after that, the home fans urging their team for another. A few changes were made from both sides over the next ten minutes, and as the game approached it’s end, I remember thinking how 1-1 wasn’t bad. 3 minutes added on, and in the final minute, a huge mistake gifted us the advantage. Roscoe D’Sane, fresh off the bench, had chased and successfully kept the ball in play. A hopeful pass down the line, meant for Zebroski, was enticing for Paul Jones, who came to the edge of the 18-yard area. Zebroski hadn’t given up, closed down the clearance, before regaining his composure and slotting into the empty net. Right in front of the Big Bank, too. It was absolute pandemonium in the away end. The final whistle was blown seconds later, and that was that. At the time, that moment was huge. It was potentially the goal that took us to Wembley.

However, we know it didn’t quite work out, don’t we?

Resurrecting this thing!

Hello all,

Just a little note to say that after a while a way I’ve decided to come back to this. I’ll be hoping for regular updates starting soon so keep an eye on Twitter (@allthingstufc) for updates.

Cheers!

Gulls equal club record at Underhill

Barnet 0 – 1 Torquay United, Underhill, Friday 30th March 2012.

Barnet: Brill, Mustoe, Hajrovic, Hector, Saville, Hughes, Byrne, Deering, Holmes, May, Mcleod. Subs: O’Brien, Yiadom, N’Diaye, McGleish, Taylor.

Torquay: Olejnik, Oastler, Saah, Ellis, Nicholson, Lathrope, Mansell, O’Kane, Jarvis, Stevens, Howe. Subs: Rowe-Turner, Rice, Atieno, Morris, MacDonald.

Torquay United equalled their club record for the number of victories on the road in a season with a narrow, and very fortunate, victory at Barnet, on Friday night. Having been followed around by the BBC cameras and the Football League Show’s Mark Clemmit, the Gulls took to the field and left Underhill with the 3 points despite an indifferent performance. Barnet, at the wrong end of the table for the 3rd consecutive season, could have done with a win to boost confidence, after a run of a single win in 12 games. The first half was dominated by the hosts as several chances went begging, including a penalty by Izale McLeod. The leagues top scorer hit the outside of the post, after he had been brought down by Olejnik. The Austrian received a booking for his troubles. There was always a feeling that the Gulls could take the points if they reached half time goalless, and thats what they did. Infact, only 4 minutes into the second half, the home defence was breached. A neat pass by Rene Howe found Danny Stevens, who was quite fortunate that Barnet fullback Sead Hajrovic injured himself in the build up. The youngster on loan from Arsenal was duly replaced by Alassane N’Diaye. Stevens’ finish was exquisite, neatly lifting it over Dean Brill from about 12 yards.

Stevens celebrating his goal

Both sides created chances in the second half, United were in the game alot more by now, though McLeod missed another excellent chance. Having been played through one-on-one, he fluffed his effort, which was easy for Olejnik to keep out. Martin Ling brought the usual suspects on to re-energise his front line, Lathaniel Rowe-Turner, Taiwo Atieno and this time Ian Morris, who replaced Jarvis. Rowe-Turner had a good chance of making it 2-0 late on but Brill kept him out. However, infront of 2,263 fans, of which an impressive 506 had come from the English Riviera, the Gulls held on to record another big 3 points in the push for League One football next year. Unfortunately Bees fans will be nervously looking over their shoulders at the potential drop back into the Conference, the same place Torquay relegated them into over a decade ago.

Bobby in action

The players now have a week off to prepare for a big Easter weekend, where they host Accrington Stanley on Good Friday before setting off on the road again to the Kassam Stadium, where Oxford United are their hosts. It is all set for a cracker of an end to the season!

THE FACTS.

• Underhill is a happy hunting ground for the Gulls, having only lost there once since 1999/2000.
• It’s the second time that United have completed a ‘double’ over the Bees, having only done it once in the past, that famous year of 2000/2001.
• The victory equals the clubs all time record for the number of away wins in a season, having been successful on 11 occasions this season.
• It was Barnet’s 10th home defeat of the season.
• The result gave the Gulls their 18th clean sheet of the season.
• It was also our 11th 1-0 victory of the year.

Barnet vs Torquay United

Underhill, Friday 30th March 2012, 8.00pm.

The Gulls travel to North London tomorrow for another key fixture in their League 2 campaign. With the season drawing out, the games running out, every match between now and May 5th is vital. With results not really going our way on Tuesday, as Crawley closed the gap with a win at Bradford (which also saw a mass brawl break out – several bans to follow), a win tomorrow night would relieve a bit of pressure and also add pressure onto the Shrewsbury and Crawley sides. Our hosts tomorrow night are Barnet FC, who sit 20th in the table, 3 points clear of the bottom two. It won’t be easy, no game is at this stage, and Barnet will be scrapping for anything they can get to rid themselves of the thought of dropping back into the Conference.

TEAM NEWS.

Torquay manager Martin Ling has a full squad to choose from, as he has done for the previous 6 games. It’s expected it’ll be the same 11 that took to the field against Port Vale. Barnet manager Lawrie Sanchez will be without Paul Downing, who went off injured in their game at Macclesfield last week. One person Sanchez will choose is striker and the division’s top scorer, Izale McLeod. The man, who made his name at MK Dons, is back in the division after a few seasons of struggle in the higher leagues, but he’s hit over 20 goals for Barnet this season, which has helped keep the club above the dreaded drop zone.

HEAD TO HEAD.

09/12/11 – Torquay 1 – 0 Barnet

Kevin Nicholson scored in the final minute of injury time from 30 yards to give the Gulls a narrow, but deserved victory.

12/02/11 – Barnet 0 – 3 Torquay

Goals from Lathaniel Rowe-Turner, Billy Kee and Chris Zebroski sealed this match for United, as former-Gull Antony Pulis was dismissed.

13/11/10 – Torquay 1 – 1 Barnet

Elliot Benyon opened the scoring in the 11th minute, but Mark Byrne equalised less than 10 minutes later to share the spoils.

26/01/10 – Barnet 1 -1 Torquay

A Paul Furlong own goal in the 85th minute cancelled out Lee Sawyer’s 15th minute goal for the hosts.

22/08/09 – Torquay 0 – 1 Barnet

Albert Adomah scored the only goal of this early season clash to send the Bees home with 3 points.

03/02/07 – Torquay 1 – 1 Barnet

Craig Taylors first half goal was cancelled out in the 89th minute by Nicky Nicolau to share the points.

———————

In recent years, the games have been very tight between the sides, apart from our 0-3 win at Underhill last season. 3 1-1 draws have been played out in the last 6 meetings, with each side winning 1-0 once apiece. I don’t expect there’ll be many goals in it tomorrow night.

Damon Lathrope in action in a previous game between the sides.

THE FORM TABLE.

Barnet – DLWLDD

Torquay – WDWWLW

The Bees have only recorded a single victory in their last 6 games. That victory is also their only win in any competition since the end of January, where they beat Crewe 2-0 at Underhill. The only victory in 12 came at Vale Park, in a narrow 2-1 win. Of those 12 games, 7 have been losses, but in their 6 most recent outings, they’ve only been beaten at Gillingham (3-1) and at home to Morecambe (0-2).

Our form is still looking good, with 4 wins out of 6, and only 4 defeats in our previous 24. In that run, we’ve won 17 of those league games. We bounced back from a defeat at Swindon with a comeback victory at home to Port Vale, and now we need to string another run of wins together to finish in the top 3.

HOW THEY LINED UP.

This is how Sanchez sent his side out at the Moss Rose last week;

Dean Brill

Paul Downing, Clovis Kamdjo, Jordan Mustoe, Michael Hector

Mark Byrne, Sam Deering, Mark Hughes, Ricky Holmes

Ben May, Izale McLeod

Subs: Liam O’Brien, Jack Saville, Andrew Yiadom, Scott McGleish, Alassane N’Diaye.

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE.

Mr Fred Graham is in charge of this tie. It’s the second time he’s officiated a Gulls game, having previously done our 2-0 home win over Hereford back in October. Over 41 games so far this season, Graham has given 107 yellow cards, with only 4 reds. His most recent outing was at the Madejski Stadium last weekend as Reading beat Blackpool 3-1.

The man in charge tomorrow night.

PREDICTION.

Fancy us to take the points, but it won’t be easy…

Barnet 0 – 1 Torquay

Torquay bounce back to beat Vale

Torquay United 2 – 1 Port Vale, Plainmoor, Saturday 24th March 2012.

Torquay: Olejnik, Oastler, Saah, Ellis, Nicholson, Lathrope, Mansell, O’Kane, Morris, Stevens, Howe. Subs: Rice, Rowe-Turner, MacDonald, Jarvis, Atieno.

Port Vale: Tomlinson, Yates, McCombe, Davis, Loft, Shuker, Morsy, Griffith, Dodds, Rigg, Richards. Subs: Roe, Marshall, James, Pope, Williamson.

For the first time this season, Torquay United came from behind to claim 3 points in a key fixture at a sunny Plainmoor. As the old cliché goes, it was a game of two halves; the first dominated by Vale, the second by the hosts. Martin Ling had the luxury of lining up with the same squad as he has done for the previous 5 games, which is a testament to the clubs physio Damien Davey, who has helped to keep key players in the side at a crucial time. Micky Adams set his side up in a 4-4-2 formation, with two defensive-minded midfielders in the engine room, Anthony Griffith and Sam Morsy. This allowed Shuker and Dodds to join the frontline at regular intervals when Vale were attacking.

The Gulls started the match, and it didn’t take long for the first chance. A ball down the right by Joe Oastler was a bit far for Howe, but he chased and eventually dispossessed Joe Davis, son of Crewe manager Steve, and Stuart Tomlinson couldn’t hold it, Howe rounded him but the angle was quickly reduced and the big man could only find the side netting. If Gulls fans thought that was a sign of things to come, they were wrong. The Gulls failed to get into their usual free-flowing stride, passes going to a white shirt on many occasions led to a bit of concern in the stands. The yellow army, in good voice, tried willing their side on to the opening goal, but it wasn’t coming. Infact, it was more likely to come from the away side. Vale were playing the ball around nicely, and with Marc Richards up front, they posed a threat. A couple of long efforts were deflected for corners as Vale racked up their own corner count, but the Gulls defended well, which was an improvement after Swindon’s two goals from corners on Tuesday. However, it wasn’t long before Vale opened the scoring, and it did come from a corner, indirectly. The original ball in was cleared, Shuker kept the attack going, another ball in was part-cleared by Oastler but only to John McCombe, who controlled it before slamming it past Olejnik from 12 yards. It was well taken by the big centre half, but once again the Gulls had failed to clear their lines from a set piece. The Gulls looked for a reaction, but infact, they could have been 0-2 down before the break. A ball from the left evaded everyone and it went straight through to Marc Richards, but fortunately he couldn’t get his positioning right. His effort was straight to Olejnik, when anywhere else and he’d have been celebrating. The first half came to a close with no more real chances for either side, and it was the impressive turnout of 480 Vale fans who were more content with the game so far.

Howe takes his second half penalty.

The second half started in much the same manner, the Gulls trying but failing to make an impression on the Valiants back line, and on the hour mark Martin Ling decided to change things. On came Ryan Jarvis and Taiwo Atieno, replacing Ian Morris and Danny Stevens, who had both struggled during the game. However, on a sad note which has been publically brought up by Ling and Mansell, the group who cheered at Morris going off, it simply isn’t on. Anyway, the changes seemed to revitalise Torquay. Mansell almost equalised but his close range header was deflected for a corner. The Gulls had confidence about them now. Another effort from Mansell, this time an acrobatic overhead attempt, only got a slight connection with the ball and went for a goal kick. However, just 9 minutes after the changes, the Gulls came the closest to equalising. Oastler crossed from the right, Jarvis beat his man in the air and his header hit the bar, looked to bounce in, another header from Mansell was excellently denied by Tomlinson, and Vale cleared. Gulls fans thought it had gone in, but Mr Sheldrake and his linesman didn’t agree. The next attack the equaliser came though. Mark Ellis’ headed clearance was a long one, and it turned into a perfect through ball. Howe was battling with Davis, he got goalside of the youngster, who brought the striker down. Penalty, and a red card. It must have been a huge learning curve for the youngster, featuring for only the second time. Howe scored the resulting penalty, to level the game. And against 10 men, the Gulls had the wind in their sails, there was only going to be one winner. Micky Adams sent on striker Tom Pope to fill in at centre back, but he wasn’t very good in that position. 3 minutes after Howe’s penalty, the turnaround was complete. A corner from Eunan O’Kane went to the back post, where Jarvis beat his men and his header deflected past Tomlinson and in. It was a great comeback for the hosts, and now they wanted more. They were using the extra man to perfection, making Vale chase the game. A third goal nearly came, and it would have been a spectacular one. A Kevin Nicholson free kick was blocked by the wall, the rebound found Damon Lathrope, who hit an effort from 30 yards which arrowed against the face of the crossbar. It had beaten Tomlinson all ends up, and had it been inches lower it would have been a goal of the season contender. However, I must give credit to Adams and Vale. They pushed Pope upfront, to join fellow substitute Williamson and Richards in a 3-3-3 formation. And they very nearly took a point from the game in the 90th minute. A cross from the right found Williamson, who’s volleyed effort scraped the crossbar. It proved to be the final chance of the game, as Sheldrake signalled the end of the game.

Jarvis heads home the winner.

It was a vital victory for the Gulls, keeping them in 2nd place, ahead of Shrewsbury and Crawley. Both of those sides do have games in hand on United, Shrewsbury host Port Vale on Tuesday night, while Crawley travel to Bradford, so I’m hoping they both drop points in these games. We’re lucky that we have a week off, before we go to Barnet on Friday night.

Torquay United vs Port Vale

Plainmoor, Saturday 24th March 2012, 3pm.

Tomorrow afternoon we return to Plainmoor where Torquay United entertain Micky Adams Port Vale side. After 3 successive away fixtures, in which the Gulls took 6 points from a possible 9, only dropping points at champions-elect Swindon on Tuesday night, they return to familiar surroundings for tomorrows fixture. With just 8 games remaining, with 4 at Plainmoor and 4 on the road, it really is getting to the squeaky bum stage of the season for all teams involved in a promotion battle, aswell as those at the bottom end of the division. Port Vale come to Plainmoor without not much to play for. A 10-point deduction for entering administration a few weeks ago ended the Valiants playoff hopes, but with no threat of promotion or relegation, the club can focus on getting themselves sorted off the field.

TEAM NEWS.

The Gulls fielded their usual 11 on Tuesday, and I expect it to be the same again tomorrow. Damon Lathrope and Rene Howe were both taken off early in the second half at Swindon, as a precautionary measure and also to give them a well-earned rest. It’s expected that the side will line up in the same manner as they did on Tuesday night.

Port Vale have Clayton McDonald out through suspension, as he was sent off at Crawley last week. John McCombe may return from injury into his place, although all reports suggest that youngster Joe Davis filled in very well in Tuesdays narrow win over Hereford, so there’s a decision for Adams to make. Anthony Griffith returns in the engine room for the Valiants after sitting out a two-match ban.

HEAD TO HEAD.

25/11/11 – Port Vale 0 – 0 Torquay

A goalless draw was played out at Vale Park as the Gulls ended a 4-match winning streak.

16/04/11 – Torquay 0 – 0 Port Vale

Another goalless draw, this time at Plainmoor as the Gulls pushed towards the top 7.

28/08/10 – Port Vale 1 – 2 Torquay

Two goals in the opening 30 minutes from Nicky Wroe (penalty) and Chris Zebroski put the Gulls 2-0 up, but a 25-yarder by Anthony Griffith pulled it back, also ending the Gulls run without conceding, which reached a club-record 998 minutes.

13/02/10 – Torquay 1 – 2 Port Vale

Lewis Haldane and Marc Richards scored for Vale either side of halftime, with Elliot Benyon netting for the hosts.

24/11/09 – Port Vale 2 – 2 Torquay

A topsy-turvy game saw the points shared. Doug Loft opened the scoring, before goals by Nicky Wroe and Scott Rendell turned it around, but Rob Taylor levelled it up.

16/04/05 – Torquay 1 – 0 Port Vale

Leon Constantine scored an injury-time penalty to give the Gulls a vital 3 points in their fight against the drop in League 1.

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In 3 meetings at Plainmoor in recent years, Vale have won one and lost one. Their 1-2 win down here is the only time they’ve beaten us in 7 attempts, the last one before that coming in April 1986.

Zebroski celebrates his goal at Vale Park last season.

THE FORM TABLE.

Torquay – WWDWWL

Port Vale – DDWLLW

Whereas we go into this fixture on a run of 1 defeat in 6, the Valiants come into it with a very mixed record, 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats. Their last away success came at Northampton at the end of February, where they won 1-0. Tuesday’s victory over Hereford stopped it becoming 3 consecutive defeats, as they lost at home to Barnet and away to Crawley.

HOW THEY LINED UP.

This is how the Valiants lined up on Tuesday night;

Stuart Tomlinson

Adam Yates, John McCombe, Joe Davis, Doug Loft

Sean Rigg, Paul Marshall, Sam Morsy, Chris Shuker

Marc Richards, Louis Dodds.

Subs: Tom Pope, Chris Martin, Ben Williamson, Phil Roe, Kingsley James.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE.

Darren Sheldrake is the man in black for this one. Tomorrow will be the second time he has been in charge of the Gulls this season, having seen over the match at Dagenham back in August (1-1). In 26 matches, he has dished out 75 yellow cards and 10 reds. His most recent fixture was Tuesday night, as he was at the Amex Stadium to officiate Brighton’s 2-0 win over Derby.

Darren Sheldrake in action.

PREDICTION.

Every game is tough now, but hopefully we’ll get back to winning ways.

2-1 to United.

Gulls lose out in top-two clash

Swindon Town 2 – 0 Torquay United, County Ground, Tuesday 20th March 2012.

Swindon: Foderingham, Devera, McCormack, Risser, Cibocchi, Ritchie, Ferry, Smith, Holmes, Benson, Connell. Subs: Tehoue, Flint, Rooney, Cox, Murray.

Torquay: Olejnik, Oastler, Saah, Ellis, Nicholson, Lathrope, Mansell, O’Kane, Morris, Stevens, Howe. Subs: Atieno, Jarvis, Rowe-Turner, Rice, MacDonald.

The County Ground in Swindon was the scene for a top of the table clash in League Two last night, and unfortunately, Torquay United came up short against League leaders Swindon Town. A game that promised much, and looked to fulfil those promises in the opening 20 minutes, was clawed away from the Gulls by their impressive hosts, and a goal each side of half time ensured that the Robins moved 7 points clear with a game in hand, with only 8 (9 for them) games left to play. After the convincing victory at the Pirelli Stadium just 3 days earlier, Martin Ling’s United travelled to Wiltshire in confident mood. 7 victories of their last 8 away days gave fans cause for optimism, as they looked to close the gap on the league leaders. The confidence seemed to be in the supporters aswell, as an impressive 614 strong Yellow Army turned out to support their side. There was one concern in the Gulls squad and that was over the fitness of Damon Lathrope, but he passed a fitness test to feature in his usual holding midfielder role. Swindon’s captain Paul Caddis didn’t make the game, so it saw Paulo Di Canio reshuffle his back line again, with Devera filling in at right back with Risser and McCormack in the middle.

The Gulls, sporting the same all white kit they wore at Burton, kicked off, and set about the game in a meaningful way. Short passes, keeping possession and getting at the hosts must have been in the gameplan somewhere, as that’s what we successfully did in the opening stages. Cheered on by the Yellow Army in the corner of the Arkells Stand, the opening stages were dominated by the Yellows (or Whites, in this case). However, despite the possession, Wes Foderingham in the Town goal was rarely threatened, and the closest we got to scoring were from a few long range efforts. The one time we got through their back four, O’Kane’s effort was quite weak and straight down Foderingham’s throat. After this 20 minute spell, however, the pattern of the match drastically changed. The hosts started to get a grip on it, and a few long balls had just too much on them for Benson and Connell. However, the Robins, obviously used to playing their way at the County Ground, started using the width of the pitch, pulling the Gulls backline all over the place. Both wingers, Matt Ritchie and Lee Holmes should probably be playing at a higher level, but they caused Joe Oastler and Kevin Nicholson problems all night. A couple of teasing crosses were dealt with by Mark Ellis and Brian Saah, and Swindon managed a couple of half chances. Another dangerous cross from Ritchie forced Ellis to concede a corner, which brought the opening goal. It isn’t often we’ve conceded from set pieces this season, but Ritchie’s delivery was in the perfect place; not too close to the keeper but close enough to the goal. It passed a few players and the next thing we know it’s in the net. It was difficult to see who had the final touch – I thought it was one of our own but I’ll have to see replays, but it was Alan Connell who celebrated, and was creditted with the touch. The former Gull, who had caused trouble amongst the Yellow backline, had found the net for the first time since his brace against Shrewsbury, about 4 weeks ago, so clearly he was delighted. After that, you would have fancied United to make more of a game of it, but we were ineffective upfront, Rene Howe won plenty in the air, but no one was on hand to pick it up. Danny Stevens and Ian Morris had been sussed out by their markers, who gave them no time. Eunan O’Kane did cause some concern in the Robins defence, but all too often he was crowded out and forced off the ball. It was essential that United held on until half time at 1-0, and thankfully, that is what happened. Swindon had a couple of opportunities to double their advantage, but nothing Bobby Olejnik couldn’t handle.

Connell nets the opener

The second half came about, and it was a similar story. Swindon were still very dangerous on the attack, forcing some corners to no avail. Then we had a turn at attacking, O’Kane powering an effort which Foderingham had to touch over, and Rene Howe forced the keeper into a full stretch dive, but fortunately for the Robins, Howe’s curled effort was fractionally wide. We were starting to look more confident, starting to find gaps in the hosts defence. Stevens had a chance but didn’t really run, tried cutting through two defenders and then dived to try and win a penalty, which was silly and wasted a good opportunity. With the vocal backing of the Yellow Army still there, we looked for the equaliser, but Swindon upped their game to match our improvement. The second goal came from another corner, again from Ritchie, and it ended the game as a contest. It was a lovely corner again, and Oliver Risser powered a bullet header into the top corner at the near post. The goal sealed the points for the hosts, and it has virtually assured them of lifting the League 2 title, barring a screw-up of huge proportions. Again, the Gulls fans rallied, and Ling made a couple of changes, off came Lathrope, Howe and Morris, replaced by Jarvis, Atieno and Rowe-Turner as we went into a 4-2-4 formation. However, by now we had long since lost the fluent passing we had in the opening 20 minutes, passes were going astray and we resorted to long ball, which again was a piece of cake for Risser and McCormack to defend against. I think by now Ling had realised the game was lost, so to take off the players he did was a wise move in my mind, rest them for Saturday. Our night was summed up late on as Kevin Nicholson dropped the ball when taking a throw in, for the referee to deem it a foul throw. Di Canio then made some changes, Luke Rooney and Jonathon Tehoue entering the fray for Ritchie and Benson respectively.

Di Canio celebrates a big result

The final whistle sounded to a cheer from the majority of the 8351 supporters in attendance, including from the Yellow Army who applauded their heroes off the field to a chorus of ‘The Gulls Are Going Up’. With 8 games left, we find ourselves still in 2nd place thanks to Southend’s hiccup against Aldershot. That’s our hardest game out of the way, and we don’t become a bad side overnight. Last night was always going to be tough, 12 straight home wins and 1 goal conceded in those games is a ridiculously good record. The team can now turn their attentions to Saturdays tie with Port Vale at Plainmoor.

Swindon Town vs Torquay United

County Ground, Tuesday 20th March 2012, 7.45pm.

The main stand at the County Ground

Tonights biggest game in League Two sees the top two go head to head in Wiltshire. Swindon, many people’s favourite for the title, face Martin Ling’s in-form Gulls. It is a huge game, as if the Robins take the points, they will be virtually uncatchable, in my opinion, as they’ll have a 7 point gap with a game in hand. However, should United leave with the points, as you’ve probably worked out, there’ll be a point separating the sides, and it’ll be all to play for. It isn’t often we talk about Torquay United being involved in a top of the table clash, the last one being in the Blue Square Premier when we hosted (and lost) to Aldershot, who went on to win the league. Hopefully we’ll fare better this time around, though I can’t see it. Anyway, back to tonight..

TEAM NEWS.

Starting with our hosts, captain Paul Caddis will have a late fitness test before Paulo Di Canio decides whether the right back will play. If he doesn’t make it, then it may be the same back four as it was on Saturday, with Alan McCormack filling the gap on the right, with Aden Flint and Joe Devera in the middle. It will be interesting to see if former Gulls loanee Billy Bodin has a role to play tonight; he has been involved more since returning to Wiltshire but he is not a guaranteed starter in their squad.

Onto us then, and we have a major concern about Damon Lathrope. The youngster picked up a knock on Saturday, but Ling is going to wait and see before making his decision. If he doesn’t make it, then their could be a shuffle of the pack, with Chris McPhee, Ian Morris or Nathan Craig filling the void.

HEAD TO HEAD.

26/12/11 – Torquay 1 – o Swindon

Taiwo Atieno’s goal saw the Gulls defeat the Robins and end their long unbeaten run on Boxing Day.

05/10/10 – Swindon 2 – 0 Torquay

David Ball and Vincent Pericard scored in the first half of this JPT game to see the Robins progress.

09/04/07 – Swindon 2 – 1 Torquay

Blair Sturrock scored the opening goal of the game after just 2 minutes, but Lee Thorpe cancelled that one out with 8 minutes to go, only for Lukas Jutkiewicz to win it for the hosts less than a minute later.

18/11/06 – Torquay 0 – 1 Swindon

Christian Roberts scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot to give Swindon the points at Plainmoor.

19/02/05 – Torquay 2 – 2 Swindon

Leon Constantine made it 1-0 to Torquay, but two goals from Sam Parkin turned the game on it’s head, before Jo Kuffour levelled the game in the second half.

30/10/04 -Swindon 3 – 3 Torquay

Leon Constantine opened the scoring, but goals from Sam Parkin, Sammy Igoe and Brian Howard all in a 10 minute spell saw Swindon cruising at half time. However, a brace from Bayo Akinfenwa saw the Gulls earn a point.

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So, Boxing Days narrow victory at Plainmoor was our first win over Swindon since September 1984, which is also the last time we won at their place. Tonight will be my 3rd trip to the County Ground, having witnessed the 3-3 draw and the 2-1 defeat in recent years.

The two sides back at Plainmoor on Boxing Day

THE FORM TABLE.

A quick glance at the form of both sides:

Swindon: WWLWWL

Torquay: LWWDWW

Both sides go into tonights game having won 4 of their last six. Swindon have had two defeats, both 2-0 losses at Oxford and Crewe. Our defeat is the poor result at Gillingham, but since then we’re 5 unbeaten, recording victories over Crawley, Aldershot, Rotherham and Burton, with a draw against Bristol Rovers. Town have won their last 11 fixtures at the County Ground, whereas the Yellows have won 7 of their 8 away fixtures in 2012, so this one promises to be a cracker!

HOW THEY LINED UP.

This is how Di Canio lined up at Crewe:

Wes Foderingham

Alan McCormack, Joe Devera, Aden Flint, Callum Kennedy

Matt Ritchie, Simon Ferry, Oliver Risser, Luke Rooney

Paul Benson, Jonathan Tehoue

Subs: Alan Connell, Allesandro Cibbochi, Lee Holmes, Lee Cox, Ronan Murray.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE.

Mr Lee Collins is the referee for this game. He has refereed United on one occasion this season, our 3-3 home draw with Rotherham back at the start of the season. He has been in charge of 20 matches this season, giving out 65 yellow cards and a rather big 6 reds. His most recent fixture was in League One on 10th March, as Stevenage drew 2-2 with Chesterfield.

PREDICTION.

Really tough game, I have a feeling it’ll go either convincingly for the hosts, or we’ll nick something. I’ll say;

3-1 to Swindon OR 1-0 to Torquay.