TALKING POINTS

Matty Hayward- @MattyHayward96

Matty discusses the away day point!

It’s not easy to write a match report on a fairly uneventful 1-1 draw. Once you’ve detailed the goals and the other key events (a disallowed goal, getting in trouble with home fans for mocking their claims for a penalty when a flag was up for offside, handbags at full time), and concluded that yes, actually, that is quite a good result, then the ground for original comment becomes slightly less fertile.

Spare a thought, then, for those tasked with writing a colour piece, a sidebar, on the same game. When all the main events have been committed to TT scripture, and some poor sod is left to pick up the scraps. Still, at least I don’t have to make a podcast out of it.

WJD v HASANI

The WJD button was always going to be pressed this season. It was a surprise, in a way, that Wotton didn’t sign him in the summer. His loan signature last month, then, coupled with the reminder that he’d played with the gaffer’s son, was not exactly out of the blue. And he’s started well. Indeed, he finished last season strongly, as one of the few shining lights in an otherwise appalling excuse of a professional football team.

But his position in the team has come at the expense of Lirak Hasani. The former-Heed twinkle-toesman did, in my eyes, very little wrong in his early United career, but has found himself as an unused sub at Hampton, then a late substitution this weekend. This seems very harsh to me. It’s perhaps arguable that Jenkins-Davies offers more industry and solidity away from home (although I think that diminishes Hasani’s decent work-rate), but what we may make up in running we lose in creativity. As soon as Lirak came on yesterday, he turned balls around corners and clipped passes in behind, making more happen than his Ivybridge-born teammate.

There’s room in the squad for them both, no doubt, but – in the extremely unlikely event that I had a gun to my head and the would-be assassin asked for my opinion on Torquay United midfield options – I’m picking Lirak over Will every time.

ASH v SEYMOUR

Another position where there is obvious direct competition is up front. Cody Cooke has, absolutely deservedly, earned himself a place in the starting lineup, but the berth for his partner is far less clear-cut.

Across recent fixtures, Wotton has opted more often for Ben Seymour than Brad Ash. Generally, this isn’t how I would go. As is the case with all of these things, we only see what happens on a Saturday afternoon and it may be that Paul sees a very different picture in day-to-day training. Also, importantly, he knows so much more about football than I do. But, I’m writing this non-expert column and in my non-expert opinion, Ash runs harder, is a greater presence, and is more of a threat in front of goal. I appreciate the idea that Brad is dangerous from the bench against tired defences, but I think he’s done enough to earn a start on Tuesday (or Seymour hasn’t done enough to keep his place).

WE’RE NOT DYER ANYMORE

Jordan Dyer returned to the starting XI yesterday, and what a time for it. With Ed Palmer still sidelined, and Ollie Tomlinson not trusted, we seemed a centre back short. At Eastbourne, Dyer reminded us why Wotton had trusted him to start the season. On the ball, he is composed and comfortable. Off it, he reads the game brilliantly and intercepted a number of dangerous attacks. I worry, a little bit, about our lack of ‘box presence’ when Big Ed is out of the picture; I’m not sure anyone in there wants to gobble up a long throw and get it the hell out the way Palmer does. But Dyer did brilliantly yesterday, possibly my POTM, and it’s great to have him back in the fray.

A ROD SIZED HOLE?

Michael Westcott and Paul Wotton have been clear from the start: recruitment in the summer was tough, gruelling, at times rushed, and they didn’t get everything right. In the context of having six weeks to assemble a squad, the first dozen games of the season proves that they did a pretty good job. We’ve slashed the wage budget by half, and ended up with six centre backs who are better than Ross Marshall, enough centre forwards to send one out on loan, and a goalkeeper whose passion for goal-saving is there for all to see .

But not every signing has worked out, and that was epitomised this week by the departure of Roddy Collins. The Irishman leaves with no shame, nor a cloud over his head, just his boots in his hand and an understanding that maybe the step-up was too much. In truth, it always looked that way. As much as I wanted to love him, the black booted, shirt-tucked-in, two-foot-tackling Tom Lapslie tribute act never really looked like a footballer capable of dictating matches at this level. His contributions in the last month have been sparing, and his departure won’t be too sorely felt.

That said, I think it leaves us light at the back of midfield. Oscar Threlkeld’s start to the season gets no more than 6/10 for me, and if the commute becomes too great or his joints become too creaky, I’d certainly feel more comfortable if we had a like-for-like replacement in the squad. I’m sure Hayfield or Jenkins-Davies could do that role, but as we enter a hectic period of fixtures, it feels like we need more than a gap-filler.

SOMEBODY GET ME AN AMULET TO PROTECT ME FROM THE 4G!

I think the only way we’ll truly escape the haunting spectre of plastic pitches will be when we get back into a league where they’re banned. The ball doesn’t bounce properly, there’s an awful glare, and they encourage goalkeepers to wear tights. However, yesterday’s 4G may well have saved an Eastbourne midfielder an early bath, and Torquay’s captain a serious injury.

As a loose ball boinged around the halfway line, Oscar Threlkeld nipped in and poked it towards a teammate. A couple of beats later, he was absolutely clattered with a knee high challenge. If his opponent had been wearing studs, he would’ve caused serious damage. Alas, he was playing on a tennis court, and you can’t afflict too much pain in a pair of Adidas sambas.