TALKING POINTS

Dom Roman – @DomRoman

Dom discusses talking points ahead of the NL clash

THE ACID TEST (PART 1)

Have the Gulls turned the corner? A glance at the form book would suggest we are on the up, but dig deeper and I’m not sure any of us are convinced just yet and Woking (a) presents our toughest test in a while. Two laboured wins over NLS opposition, one ground out win in horrible weather conditions and one hard-earned victory over the worst team in the league does not inspire huge confidence, but at least it will have made the Torquay United training ground a happier place and scatter around some belief that we could dig ourselves out of the relegation places. Small but optimistic steps in a rotten season – a winning mentality to find points in any way possible is vital as we head towards the remaining 19 games of 2022-23.

A CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

I think I’ve mentioned the significance of getting the defence right a number of times this season, and despite some solid displays here or there, the clean sheets have mostly evaded us. Well we now have 2 in a row, and on Saturday the back 3 of Donnellan, Lawrence and Moxey had good games. Nico Lawrence is an imposing presence, and looks like he enjoys the challenge of a physical 1 against 1 (he’ll get plenty of those in this division). Shaun Donnellan again stood out and took advantage of the space that a 3-5-2 allows the centre backs, with a few of his now trademark bursts forward to vary our attacks. We’ll need the three of them to be right on their game versus high-flying Woking FC and GJ will surely be emphasising the need to keep calm and keep their shape in the early minutes. Darren Sarll’s team will press much harder than Maidstone and be more threatening in the final 3rd. If the defence can stand firm then you never know, an upset could be on the….Cards (sorry).

THE CARDS

If the National League season was to end right now then Darren Sarll would be a good shout for Manager of the Year. After finishing in 15th last season the Cards have recruited very well and are in great form. They’ve won their last 4 NL games and sit in a somewhat unbelievable 3rd position in the league. The good news? Well they haven’t laced their boots up properly since the 14th January, so 17 days without a fixture could mean a little rust and a chance for United to get a strong foothold in the match. One of the main strengths of the squad is sharing the goals around, with Reeco Grego-Cox chipping in 9 from the wing, veteran Padraig Amond scoring 6, whilst other attackers James Daly (6) and Rhys Browne (7) have also contributed. Defensively they have been sound, conceding only 25 in 26 games, with centre backs Scott Cuthbert and Joe McNerney providing a solid base for a Woking promotion challenge. Their formation is normally 4-4-2, with plenty of aggression and work rate as you’d expect from a Sarll side. We’ll have to match that intensity to have any chance at the Kingfield.

LINE-UP

One of the hardest team predictions this year previewing Gulls games, is deciding whether Asa Hall will play! The skipper has been in and out of the squad on a number of the occasions, and didn’t play any part in the Maidstone win. Will he be fit enough to drop back into this line-up and give the midfield some more fight? I think we need him. It all looked fairly lightweight on Saturday, and we got away with it because of Maidstone’s inadequacy, but I hope we’ll see the skipper back tonight. If available he’ll most likely come in for Aguiar…otherwise I’d expect to see the same team line-up again, with Fadahunsi given another chance to forge an understanding with Aaron Jarvis upfront, and De Silva + Wyatt getting forward when possible as wing backs. Woking will pinpoint the space behind De Silva as a weakness, and look to outmuscle and outmanoeuvre us in midfield. As usual against Woking, we have to be ready for a battle from the off.

RELEGATION POSITIONS

Saturday’s other games did not go to plan did they! If we hadn’t won against Maidstone, then thoughts would start turning to a Taunton double header, but thanks to a splendid Aaron Jarvis goal we could breathe again. Recent form would suggest alarm bells at both Dorking and Halifax, teams can often be drawn down to the depths as the season unfolds and both of them must be looking over their shoulders apprehensively. Otherwise Gateshead, Oldham and Yeovil are all picking up points here or there, so the pressure really is on Torquay United. A win at the Kingfield would be huge, but let’s face it we’d take a point wouldn’t we! Whatever happens, the relegation scrap continues and we are not done yet.