TT BLOG

Dom Roman – @DomRoman

HIGH FIVE…BUT WORK STILL TO BE DONE

In any league higher than the National League South a 5-1 victory would be lauded and celebrated universally by the Yellow Army for days afterwards…but in the National League South things aren’t quite that simple, and whilst the Slough game ended in a landslide for United, for the majority of the minutes the Gulls’ struggled to get going and make inroads against the league’s bottom team, meaning overall there was mixed feelings. Are we just really average or a team on the up?

For our newest recruits it must be surprising in some respects, but it’s the harsh realities of Torquay United’s current situation, with the Yellow Army unsure whether they have the right manager and the right squad to take us out of the league. The 5-1 score-line certainly flattered us. For an hour there was very little to get the crowd going, with Ball tinkering the line-up again and the opposition goalkeeper barely called into action. We’ve seen too many periods like that so far this season, and the manager is clearly unsure of what his masterplan should be.

But in common with other games, the opposition had a man sent-off, and our quality on the bench was vital in changing the momentum of the afternoon. Anything less than a win would have heaped some pressure on Jimmy Ball, but the end to the game brought strong finishing and a reminder of our potential when we find cohesion and confidence. Should we go all giddy about the performance and the result, and is it an indicator of big things to come? Hardly, but we dug in and with Deon Moore back upfront we should have more threat in the coming weeks.

There’s no denying the value of the Guyana international. We’ve got skilful players, but there’s not the intelligence and movement required to play our way through teams, meaning direct balls through the middle and down the channels can make the difference, especially when someone as strong and fast as Deon is there to gather them up. He’s pivotal in many respects, and for Jimmy Ball it’s just working out who else should be backing the striker up? Morton, Robertson, Finn, Westendorf, Cooke, Beaumont-Clark, Cappello, Jay, Cooke, Everton – these are all talented attacking players with different kinds of attributes, seeking out a perfect balance for tougher games against Oxford City and Maidstone is the task.

It’s hard to know where this season will go, just because the unsettled line-ups and tactical indecision make the Gulls’ unpredictable and a number of the younger players are settling in, and learning a lot about themselves and what it takes to make it in professional football. Facing Oxford City and Maidstone will give us some pointers, winning both would ease nerves and increase belief that we’re heading in the right direction, losing both would increase doubts in our ability to achieve anything in this long season!

What we need to remind ourselves is that Jimmy Ball and his squad need all the encouragement they can get, and whilst occasionally it feels like we will be in this league forever, we will make it back to the National League eventually! As a father I’m wary of sharing too much negativity with my kids and that’s something that Social Media is filled with at times, and it’s filtering into football grounds. So try and be positive about the Gulls when you can, and transmit encouraging thoughts to the manager and his players. I know it’s tough at times and toiling against part-time teams is not much fun…but as always, we can make a difference.