TALKING POINTS
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Dom Roman
@DomRoman
Dom discusses the NLS game
GETTING HEALTHY = GETTING RESULTS?
Saturday saw the welcome return of Bradley Ash and Tom Lapslie to the Torquay squad. Ash was understandably rusty and struggled to get a kick, whilst Tom Lapslie’s entrance made more of an impact – with the midfielder lucky to avoid a Yellow Card as he flew into challenges and moaned in the referee’s ear! Add to that Asa Hall and Dan Martin managing rare starting appearances, and the squad looks stronger. Although the injuries have definitely had an impact on the performances in the last month or so, it has to be added that even when Lapslie, Stobbs, Jarvis etc were all fit the Gulls still didn’t play very well! TUFC have been frustratingly streaky this season, this would be a good time to steady the form and steady our play-off place.
NEEDING MORE FROM WJD
In an ideal world our attacking prowess wouldn’t depend too much on a young lad like WJD, but watching the Dover game it was set up for him to make a big impact. Will likes to seek out pockets of space behind the strikers and his off the ball running is better than any of his team mates. What’s been lacking is enough composure and authority in his final pass or finish, with his shots too often lacking power. If he can keep getting into the right positions then good things can happen for United, but let’s also bear in mind he’s only a teenager learning his trade against bigger players on currently tough pitches.
THE LINE-UP
If everybody is fully fit then I can imagine Gary Johnson keeping the same XI that started against Dover. But that’s a big if! Asa Hall may well drop out for Tom Lapslie, whilst it’s important that Brad Ash is not over-worked on his return from injury. The overall balance looked slightly better on Saturday and Dover weren’t able to pick holes, but let’s be honest considering they are rock bottom it would have been hugely embarrassing to lose that one! Chippenham will most likely offer more in attack and the game will be a better barometer of how the shape (which was something like a 4-2-3-1) is working (or not working).
THE OPPOSITION
Chippenham Town are inconsistent like most of the league, boasting 8 wins, 10 draws and 9 losses so far this season. Gary Horgan’s team earned a point at Aveley on Saturday, and generally their games have been closely fought, with a narrow win at Maidstone before Xmas, followed by narrow losses to Bath City and Hemel Hempstead. Our poor away record will give them confidence heading into this one, and they will most likely be geared up to go for the throat from the off. Unlike many other previous occasions, let’s hope Torquay stand firm and strike the first blow.
GARY JOHNSON
Gary Johnson was riled by the Pop chanting on Saturday and his post match pressers were an abrupt response – I’m not going anywhere. When GJ first joined he was brilliant at providing sound bites and interviews that made you smile and made you believe in a football club that had been struggling for years. On the other hand these most recent ones feel unnecessarily divisive and aggravating, with many feeling anger at his quotes, whilst others have stepped into his defence (both sides of these views should be respected). This has been the story of much of the season and alongside the inconsistent results, has created a toxic atmosphere that has crept from social media onto the terraces. Another loss and the manager will be getting it in the neck again, so there is pressure on him to deliver.
COYY – DOM
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