MATCH VERDICT

Ben Wade

Ben reports back from Plainmoor

TORQUAY UNITED 1-0 HEMEL HEMPSTEAD – 21.12.24

SUMMARY

On the last weekend before Christmas, TUFC made one change, with Finn Tonks coming in at right back in place of the injured Jordan Thomas who has been a great asset to this United team over the last month.

This matchup started off poorly as neither side took the initiative early on. What was clear however was Hemel Hempstead’s deliberate tactic to time waste and that was plentiful especially in the first stages. A Gulls corner was swung into the area and ended up with Cooke arguably fouling a Hemel defender. We began to get a couple of half chances including an amazing low cross into an attacking area from Mussa. No-one could quite get on the end of it. Meanwhile Jordan Young clipped the crossbar with a terrific long range shot.

Apart from that, we were looking slightly below par and lacklustre. Our passing wasn’t as sharp as you would have liked, and we kept going back. This was certainly something for Wotton to ponder at the break after some pressure from the visitors. Luckily, he reacted to the poor start by making two changes at Half Time. Recent addition to the Yellow Army Dylan Morgan replaced the unimpactful Threlkeld. Also, Jack Wood came on for the already booked Jordan Young.

After the interval, there were a few decent chances for the away side. First, a dangerous cross poked off Dreyer and luckily, went wide for a corner. From this set-piece, there was a deadly looping header, which looked like it had beaten James Hamon, but his brilliant dive tipped it over. And then a cross beat Hamon and smacked the post. After these let-offs the Yellow Army started to get moving and use the two offensive changes to our advantage.

Then, after bringing on Carson for Mussa, the Irishman won the match-winning penalty. He went on a great run, darting into the box as the defender undoubtedly kicked him to the ground. The roar was incredible once Cody Cooke dispatched the penalty into the bottom of the net. After struggling for a couple of minutes, Foulston was taken off for Palmer who shored up the defence. Eventually after some moments of worry and 6 minutes added on, we held out to great cheers!

PLAYER RATINGS

James Hamon – 7: Dealt with everything in tough conditions and some nice saves.

Finn Tonks – 5: Not strong enough to win duels and not great today.

Jordan Dyer – 6: Some negative, indecisive passes but helped to keep the clean sheet.

Sam Dreyer – 6.5: Fought superbly and a big part of this team’s success.

Jay Foulston – 6: Doesn’t always have enough vision for passes but solid as usual.

Oscar Threlkeld – 5: Comfortable in front of back four in first half but nothing better.

Will Jenkins Davies – 6: Not brilliant quality early on but got better later with his important energy.

Dan Hayfield – 6.5: Ill say it again, he’s underrated. Defensive know-how and promising attacking.

Omar Mussa – 6: Put his foot in but not as much creativity as you would have wanted.

Cody Cooke – 7: He is a fantastic NLS striker. Nice penalty.

Jordan Young – 6: Stunningly hit the bar but nothing else of note.

Subs:

Matt Carson – 7: Perfect sub performance, strong run for the penalty decision.

Dylan Morgan – 6.5: Bright TUFC debut. Certainly more to come.

Jack Wood – 6: Decent crosses and intensity.

Ed Palmer – 6: Dealt with everything thrown at him.

TUFC PLAYER RATINGS VOTE – Hemel (h)

MAN OF THE MATCH – JAMES HAMON

My POTM award goes to James Hamon. After arriving from Truro in the summer, he has been a reliable member of the team. Also a professional golfer, he has plenty of sporting experience! It was a confident display in terrible goalkeeping conditions with a few top-class saves. He is a real leader and proper keeper.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

My honourable mention goes to Dylan Morgan. He came on at half time and made a positive impact to use a phrase from Paul Wotton’s interview. It was a great sub display after his permanent signing from Yeovil. He will hopefully have a bright future at Plainmoor.

TACTICS

Normal 4.3.3 from Wotton. A hard-fought win where the line-up struggled to find cohesion throughout, but showed all the work rate and effort we are used to seeing.