TALKING POINTS

Rob Dand

THE ‘I’ WORD

New season, same old injury problems, and already the absentee list is swelling up like a sprained ankle. Asa Hall ended up on the floor following a challenge early on, and although he tried to run it off, always looked like he was going to need to come off. Gary Johnson deliberated over his choice of phrasing when addressing Asa’s situation during the post-match interview, remembering that opposition managers are undoubtedly glued to our official YouTube channel, before poetically selecting the word ‘bad’. Presumably that is not a medical diagnosis, but that’s probably about as much information as we can expect ahead of the trip to St Albans this weekend.

Assuming we aren’t training in a car park in the middle of a historical battle reenactment, the ongoing issue with fitness can likely be attributed to a few very simple factors – gambling on players with less-than-desirable injury records, over-reliance on our more experienced pros, and a small squad size. Either way, when Gary’s reign does come to an end (assuming it ever does), an excessive injury list will unfortunately be one of the lasting hallmarks of it.

MARSHALL MAKES IT 1-0

The half continued with Asa being replaced by Will Jenkins Davies, a man I was absolutely shocked to learn is of Welsh heritage, but it wasn’t until after the interval that first blood was drawn. Ross Marshall capped a probing foray into the Chippenham half by rising like a leaping salmon to nod home a tasty cross from the Torquay right. After several half chances and a frustrating first half, equally characterised by some nice, smooth build-up and abysmal decision-making in defense, the Gulls had just about deserved to get their beaks in front.

THE EQUALISER

Much like the mystery of why every human male under the age of 25 seems to want to look like a Bedlington Terrier in a North Face coat, I often puzzle over Torquay’s inability to hold onto a lead. In the end, it was a huge contributing factor in our relegation last season, so it’s a worry that months down the line, it still constitutes a talking point. Is it coaching? Is it mentality? Most likely a combination of both. The fault on this occasion is probably mainly with Shaun Donnellan, who gave his man far too much space out wide on the left, on the edge of the Torquay penalty area. As the ball came across, there was only going to be one outcome.

JARVIS NETS THE WINNER

For much of the game, star striker and beard enthusiast Aaron Jarvis looked like a man who was concerned he’d left the key in the ignition of his car. Distracted and off the pace, we later learned from Gary’s post-match interview that he had been carrying a dead leg. But if Danny Wright can make a career out of getting himself in the right place at the right time, so can Aaron Jarvis, and up he popped three minutes into injury time to stroke home another tempting ball from that Torquay right wing. Hopefully the first of many for a man many thought might attract offers from higher up the pyramid.

WELCOME WIDTH

Lining up in a classic 4-4-2, the Ready Salted crisps of football formations, the Gulls enjoyed some success down the wings. After spells during the last couple of seasons where we haven’t had the personnel to make inroads down the wings, it’s really nice to not just have two wingers on the books, but three. Neither Stobbs nor Collins showed quite what they can be capable of yesterday, aside from the odd touch here and there, but Dillon De Silva looked lively after his introduction late on, and he’ll be hoping he can push for a starting place.