TT BLOG

Dom Roman – @DomRoman

Dom talks about the Gulls’ season so far

1) SOLID START IN THE LEAGUE

5 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses in the league all adds up to a solid start for the Gulls in the National League South. When your squad has been mostly crafted together within a couple of months, that’s not a bad return at all. Paul Wotton will be looking back at those games and thinking his team could and probably should have at least 2-4 points more but overall we’ve got a solid base to work on and with all the upheaval at Plainmoor, that’s not to be sniffed at.

2) LOOKING FOR CUTTING EDGE

Is 13 goals in 9 NLS games a fair reflection of how we’ve attacked in those games? Yes, I believe so. Take out the Chesham and Chippenham games and it’s 7 goals in 7 games, but let’s not get too bogged down in statistics! Overall the Gulls are just struggling to click in the final third, and in a similar way to last season, the interplay and quality around the opposition box is not making us threatening enough. The hope was that Omar Mussa would make a big difference in this area, after the injury last weekend that’s gone out of the window, but the returning Will Jenkins Davies could be a trump card.

3) DREYER LEADS FROM THE BACK (BUT DYER IS MISSED)

At the other end of the pitch the Gulls have not exactly been Chelsea circa 2004-06 – two clean sheets in ten games is nothing to write home about – but they have looked relatively solid, especially in comparison to last season’s shenanigans. Leading that defence is Sam Dreyer who moved swiftly into a fans favourite role, with good reason. Full of heart and drive he’s the sort of player we love to see at Plainmoor. And although Ed Palmer has done well, Jordan Dyer has been missed in the defensive 3. The ex-Bath defender didn’t capture much attention in the early games, but he reads the game well and dovetailed tidily with Dreyer and Foulston.

4) TWO UPFRONT TOO MUCH?

When did a strike partnership last work at Plainmoor? Well it certainly wasn’t last season when the much anticipated Ash/Jarvis tandem failed to ignite, and looking back, the last duo to hit heights was Janneh and Reid in 2018-19. Teams are moving on from your typical front two, not all of them, but the temptation to play one up top with versatile attacking midfielders working busily around them is too much for many. Paul Wotton appears committed to having a front two, with one of Brad Ash or Ben Seymour playing off Cody Cooke, but the attack has stuttered so far.

5) THE YELLOW ARMY ARE IN!

Season tickets? Yes Please. New shirts? Yes Please. Community Shares? Yes Please. Sponsorship/hospitality? Yes Please. You can’t over-estimate the affect that the new ownership has had since they took over the reins in the summer. The crowds have been great, and I’d like to think they’ll stay close to 3k this season, the Bryn Consortium deserve it.

6) BRYN CONSORTIUM ARE PERFECT FOR TUFC

Sure, we’ve had a dodgy run on the pitch in recent weeks, but the big picture is that Torquay United as a club, are now a vast improvement in so many areas. We are run by supporters of the club who stand by us and respect our views, and share in our celebrations and our commiserations. It’s not them and us, it’s us and us! Plainmoor looks better than it has in many years, new sponsors are committing to the club, and the Bryn Consortium are ambitious and determined to do everything they can to take TUFC forward.

7) PAUL WOTTON HAS FIRE IN HIS BELLY!

As 2023/24 grumbled along, the Gary Johnson pressers became more and more depressing to watch. The 2018 Gary Johnson that arrived in a blaze of glory and happy banter had long since departed. Well Paul Wotton definitely has fire in his belly! You only needed to witness his reactions in the 2nd half against St Albans to see that, and unfortunately this bubbled over (beckoning Omar Mussa to get up and get on with things is something I’m sure he regrets), but at least he cares deeply, and we can be sure that he’s highly motivated to get results at Plainmoor. Will he take us in the right direction? Who knows, this is football after all! But with Neil Warnock on call to provide assistance, it’s a great opportunity for him. Let’s hope he takes it.

8) THIS LEAGUE APPEARS TO BE WIDE OPEN

With Dorking and Maidstone struggling, Boreham changing managers and a top 4 of Hemel, Eastbourne, Tonbridge and Weston-super-Mare, the National League South looks like it’s up for grabs and Paul Wotton will be well aware of this. It’s an incredibly tough league to predict and if the Gulls can find a level of consistency then anything could happen. Maybe Boreham Wood will now push on with Luke Garrard returning, but this really is a great chance for Torquay United to be amongst the front runners and therefore a great to chance to win promotion back to the National League. Over to you Paul!

9) PATIENCE REQUIRED FOR JADYN

After scoring a hatful at a lower level, the signing of Jadyn Crosbie looked an exciting one, but understandably Paul Wotton has wanted to develop the striker in the early months on the training pitch and used him only sparingly in games. From what PW is saying the lad has the right attitude and is committed to working hard to get to the required standard, but this may not bear fruit for a little while.

10) ON THE RIGHT TRACK

It’s important for everyone to remember that we are still in the early days of a new adventure, and it’s also important to not expect everything to go swimmingly. That FA Cup defeat was a reminder to everyone at Torquay United that winning football games can never be taken for granted and if success is achieved this season then Bishops Cleeve away may well be looked back on as a welcome wake up call. Overall though it feels like we’re on the right track, with ambitious and driven people steering the ship and wily veteran Neil Warnock on hand to give out invaluable advice there’s plenty to be optimistic about. Let’s all keep pushing!