TT BLOG
Dom Roman – @DomRoman
The Editor blogs about the away day defeats, incomings, the Cup and more…
DÉJÀ VU
Boreham Wood and Bromley games were so similar, that we could have combined one match verdict for both of them to save time! Two strong, organised and in-form home teams – CHECK, evenly spread possession – CHECK, only one team takes their chances – CHECK, no points for the Gulls – CHECK. We feared a second home defeat in a week at Hayes Lane, and in the end it was a tremendously frustrating one. United had enough time on the ball and enough territorial advantage, but very little cutting edge, with passes and close control found wanting time and time again. In the preview I stated the importance of Armani Little and Asa Hall getting a suitable grip in midfield, but both played poorly, whilst Connor’s usual sharpness was only found in his protrudingly pointy ginger beard. In the end despite some more thrust in the second half, the cuts remained missing and Bromley could have easily have doubled their advantage in the closing minutes. Cue glum faces all round in yellow. That Wealdstone thrashing suddenly seems like a long time ago…
HOLDING OUT FOR HEROES
The Torbay Weekly and Devon Live bring news of GJ’s search for signings on a weekly basis. Unfortunately the gaffer doesn’t appear to be having any luck, with players holding out for Football League clubs, or unwilling to make the move down to Devon…or not being good enough to make their signature worthwhile. It’s a rather frustrating predicament as we all yearn for incomings. I’m not saying that 2 or 3 players would definitely transform TUFC into promotion pushers, but with the fine margins in this league it’s possible….
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CENTRE BACK – Who’s calling the shots at the back? Joe Lewis needs a partner in defence, we all know that. Someone who’ll help keep us organised and eliminate the mistakes that have been costing us dear. The biggest disappointment for me in the summer was not finding an established one, meaning we’re shuffling players like Moxey and Wynter around to make up for it.
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WINGER/ATTACKNG MIDFIELDER – Where’s Alex Addai? No news on him, and having see him play around 70 minutes, the build up to fitness was extremely promising. Anyway Alex may fulfil the ‘pacey attacker’ resource that we certainly need, but another one would be rather nice! A change of gear in the line-up to make teams think twice about pushing up and leaving space in behind, whilst allowing us to counter at a canter – boy have we missed that.
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STRIKER – With Danny Wright out injured, having only one striker on the bench to replace Dan Holman doesn’t allow for much rejigging. Someone keen, young and preferably fast would possibly do a trick, a change up option to help spark us into life if required. The main thing is they are ready to make an impact
I refuse to write off this season with Gary Johnson in charge of the Gulls, he’s just knows how to get things right. He can find the right recruits before this season fritters away I’m sure.
CUP MEMORIES
Ahh the FA Cup, comes around quick these days doesn’t it! Havant (h) is the sort of tie we were hoping for a couple of weeks ago, but after two defeats we’re feeling a little bit more twitchy. We should have enough to get through mind..
My first FA Cup memory is the 3rd round in 1990, as West Ham came to Plainmoor and were beaten by a late goal from unknown Paul Hirons. The weather was bleak and it was an enormously scrappy game in the mud, but it mattered not. We enjoyed the victory, and I jumped on the pitch afterwards to get the signatures of the likes of Phil Parkes and Julian Dicks on the back of the fancy A4 programme. In typical Torquay fashion the 4th round brought an underwhelming draw away at Blackpool, and a 1-0 defeat.
Best FA Cup memories? Birmingham at home was a fantastic occasion as we more than matched the Premier League team, so was Coventry City (h) even if we lost in the last minute after battering them for 89 minutes! But Yeovil Town on the BBC in 2007 stands out for me, beating the Football League team 4-1 in front of cameras and showing that the Gulls were truly back in business. Lovely stuff.
Worst memories? If I’d have been at Basingstoke in 2015 to see us lose 3-0, that would have topped this list! However, I missed out on that one, so two games spring to mind instead. Firstly losing to Crawley in 2011 in the 4th round. All very traumatising, considering how much effort went into the cup that year and how they…you know…drew Man U in the next round. Then losing to Harrogate Town in the 1st round 2012, at that point it felt we were on our way down and to be honest we never properly recovered until Gary Johnson took the reins.
A Cup run and a lucrative 3rd round tie is the dream every year, and we must go into Saturday with all guns blazing. Forget the National League for the time being, this is a very important fixture and also a potential banana skin. Get stuck in lads.
YELLOW ARMY
333 away supporters at Hayes Lane. What other team at our level would match that sort of support twice in a week? Not many I’m sure and it was a brilliant effort by all. We’ve been down to the depths of National League South mediocrity and we’ve kept supporting the team through thick and thin, and I’m proud to be a part of it. Who knows what this season will bring, but all we can do is keep turning up and keep backing the players, who may lack overall quality, but are trying. Two very winnable games coming up in the form of Havant and King’s Lynn, time to banish the Boreham and Bromley blues (please).
COYY – Dom
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TT FA CUP WEEK: QUALIFYING THROWBACKS by Danny Burnell
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