TALKING POINTS
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Dom Roman
@DomRoman
Dom discusses the win at Plainmoor
SLOPPY SECOND
Torquay United win again and push up to 2nd! If a good team wins when not playing well, then we are really onto something, because for the most part the Gulls were horribly scrappy and wasteful in possession at Plainmoor yesterday afternoon, making the game of football look harder than ever. It was a chaotic and sometimes entertaining game, mainly due to the amount of mistakes on show, with 4 early goals on the board partly due to incompetent defending, and as the minutes ticked on neither team looked any better than mid-table in their execution. But, but, but…when the game was on the line, they just did enough to grab the win late on, a moment of quality to help erase memories of the sloppy play we’d seen before and keep our run going on a dark and cloudy pre-Xmas afternoon in the Bay. 3 points gained, but, as Gary Johnson will know, lots to work on.
MCGAVIN’S MOMENT OF QUALITY
There was only one moment in the match befitting of higher level football than the National League South, and that was Brett McGavin’s pinpoint cross that Dean Moxey poked in for the winner. Aimed perfectly between the defence and goalkeeper, it simply asked to be finished, the only surprise was that it was the Mox, who deserved the glory after staunch performances in recent weeks. In general McGavin played okay, his timing defensively still leaves a lot to be desired, and the midfield left too much space for Hemel to enjoy, but he’s a key instrument in this squad because of this ability to find a pass or a shot that changes the game in our favour. In the NLS he’s a difference maker and at the moment he’s showing it every week.
ARCHER POTENTIAL
One of the most frustrating elements to United’s performance was the first touch of our players, and Ethon Archer was guilty of this too many times as the ball bounced away from his boot and fell back to Hemel. But what Ethon does have is enough raw materials to work with and a decent mentality to make me feel positive about his future at Torquay. He has the determination to win back possession, the confidence to show something different on the ball and also enough energy to get up and down the pitch, so if we can work on the subtleness and composure of his play, then he could become a very good player. I have always wanted United to bring in enthusiastic young players with potential who we can mould, that’s so often been the fulcrum of our best teams after all. Let’s hope Gary Johnson can bring this guy on at Plainmoor.
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DEFENSIVE JITTERS
Hemel scored twice and almost found another in their first three attacks on Torquay’s goal, so that is a concern as we head into the Xmas/New Year fixtures. Individually Marshall, Tomlinson, Moxey and Harris all played okay, but as a collective there was confusion and we always look liable to concede on a set piece, as we did for the second goal. Add to that the room allowed around the midfield areas and it was alarming how any attack from the away team seemed to raise alarm bells. In the end we had enough in our own attacking armoury to make up for this, but it would be nice to see tighter and more organised defensive displays in the coming weeks.
TEAM SPIRIT
One of the main assets this team has in recent weeks is team spirit. The performances have often lacked much in the way of guile and skill (and I’d love to see more of both) but whoever is on the field is working hard and they are, most importantly, finding a way to win. The patched up team could easily have dropped points recently, but with players like Marshall and Hanson stepping up, they have pushed harder when it mattered and kept this momentum going with a rare comeback victory. Onwards to Taunton and Chelmsford we go, a team with much to prove, but a team that will hopefully keep showing the necessary heart for each battle*.
*Oh and a note on the referee, booked a Hemel player for a nothing challenge early on and then had to book everything. Consistently dreadful and infuriating officiating.
COYY – DOM
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