TALKING POINTS

Tom Diamond

@GullsSoc

Tom discusses the draw at Chippenham

POST RED CARD MADNESS

If you were lucky enough to be part of the ‘Dorking 400’ last season who travelled up the A303 to watch us snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, then you will understand the frustration felt by the travelling support last night when the Gulls capitulated in a similar form following Will Jenkins Davies’ soft red card. Unlike Dorking, we didn’t go on to lose, but it is hard to feel anything other than defeated trudging out of a stormy Hardenhuish Park with a 1-1 draw.

In tricky conditions, the Gulls had looked fairly good value during the first 60 minutes, trying to get the ball down and play in the contemporary ‘right way’. However, WJD’s second yellow card saw the panic bells ringing all over the pitch and it took Chippenham a matter of a few minutes to equalise. I make the comparison to Dorking, as it had a similar feel, a winnable game that we had under control until a red card saw all the hard work undone through poor game management. Of course, going down to 10 is a disadvantage, but we need to have an immediate strategy to cope with the additional workload required.

ENCOURAGING PLAY

The traditional Johnson hoofball strategy seemed to have been left in Devon last night (or Portishead) as the Gulls looked to get the ball down and play, which they did with success throughout the first half, and during stages of the second. Whilst the game may not have had the same intensity about it as some of our previous National League South and National League games under Johnson, it was encouraging to see the players want the ball in tight areas and look to build patterns of play.

The gameplan seemed to be to find De Silva and Archer in wide areas as quickly as possible and then look to put balls into the box, which we did with varying success. Apart from an early cross which led to Ash flashing a header just wide, De Silva’s delivery was lacking, although in fairness without the focal point of Jarvis upfront he did not always have a lot to aim for. If Ash is going to play upfront alone, then getting the ball down and utilising the midfield does suit us better, we just need some bottle to keep playing when the game gets tough.

THE MIDFIELD

As I’ve mentioned, there were definite positives to take from what turned out to be a very disappointing result, in particular the way we looked to mix up our style of play and bring players into the game. I do, however, continue to be concerned by the lack of athleticism and pace in our midfield. When we inevitably lose possession, we are slow to try and win it back and leave huge opportunities for teams to break.

On multiple occasions, a sloppy pass led to a big chance for Chippenham to get in on goal with very little attempt from the Gulls to regain possession. Asa Hall has had some memorable days in Yellow over the last five or six years, but his fitness and sharpness is severely lacking now, which alongside Brett McGavin (who also isn’t the quickest) leaves us looking slow and tired in the crucial midfield area. My personal view is we need a younger, fitter midfielder alongside Brett in the defensive midfield role who can pressurise opposition players and move the ball at pace. Dare I say it, Matt Buse?

CONFIDENCE IN FRONT OF GOAL

To put it bluntly, there is none. Despite WJD’s calm and composed finish early on, the Gulls showed a complete lack of confidence in front of goal. Multiple golden opportunities went begging where we simply had to score. Ironically, many of these actually came when we had 10 men, and you have to feel that if we are going to have any chance of achieving promotion, we have to be more clinical and put games like that to bed, 10 men or not.

One man who was both the creator and attempted finisher of multiple Gulls chances was Ethon Archer. Ethon is clearly still adapting to the increased pace and physicality of the NLS, but he is definitely a talented player who wants to take opponents on, and has an eye for goal. I’d like to see him continue to play and develop, he caused Chippenham problems but much like De Silva, he needs to find that consistent quality in his passing and general play.

WHAT NEGATIVITY?

In miserable conditions, on a Tuesday night, a strong contingent of away supporters made the 120 mile or so trip up the M5 to get behind the lads. And that is exactly what every single one of them did. Chippenham is a ground where the fans and players are certainly within earshot of each other, and the management too for that matter. Every player was encouraged, applauded, and backed from the first whistle to the last. As the game went on, the conditions worsened and the Yellow Army headed to a covered stand to seek some respite from storm whatever it was called. The horizontal wind and rain meant this made next to no difference to staying dry, however, but the Gulls fans spirits were not dampened as they continued to provide the team with a strong vocal backing throughout.

Special mention has to go to the Yellow Army drummer who stood out in the open for 90 minutes providing the necessary beats to the TUFC chant collection. It is hard not to feel a sense of unjust, therefore, when reading the Devon Live article published on Wednesday morning titled ‘How does negativity help Torquay United when it feeds opposition players?’. This is the second time in recent weeks that local media have chosen to criticise the club’s fantastic away support, with the former being the alleged ‘barracking’ of Archie Harris at Hereford. This will always be our club, we were here long before the current owners and management, and we will be here long after. Driving a wedge between the fans and the club continues to make a mockery of our exceptionally well thought out strategy to return to the EFL, otherwise known as ‘One club, United’.