FL2: Torquay Utd v Oxford Utd - 8th March 2013

Sorry about that, been busy with radio and essay-writing

I beg to differ Reg I think it will a be a decent crowd considering and I feel cautiously optimistic, not really sure why mind you. Maybe Joss Labadie is the missing link we have been crying out for all bloody season.
I do hope so.
Having said that I now prepare myself for disappointment beforehand, its a bit of an emotional safety net.
If we get nothing today I'm afraid we could find ourselves in the bottom two at five o'clock today.
Just a few weeks back so many were saying we have games in hand, the squad had enough quality etc etc and now look at it.
Today is crunch time we simply MUST get something. If we fail again I'm going to wear my new Yellow and Blue Clown kit for all the remaining home fixtures - just to annoy Aussie...

I'm afraid the rot has truly set in and this season is sadly going in one way. Whatever manager we have, whoever he brings in on loan, it's sadly the same effect. As I was leaving the ground at full-time I had the same feeling as I had in those dire days in the 80's. Our players are trying their best but we are simply second best. Oxford were sharper, quicker and carved us open so many times today the scoreline could have been embarrassing. I was hoping Alan Knill could improve things but the sad reality is that things are actually getting worse. I think it is a matter of time before we are relegated, my hope has virtually disappeared and I am preparing myself for Conference football again. We are simply not good enough to be a football league team, just like in the 80's under Webb. Sponsors MOTM Poke which says it all really who kept us in the game, crowd 2,504, 367 (if I remember rightly)from Oxford.

The first half was a reasonable performance and new loanee Labadie looked very good getting stuck in winning balls and laying the ball off well. There was some decent football from Jarvis, Bodin and Benyon and some decent build up play at times. That said Oastlers distribution was shocking giving the ball away virtually every time he had the ball and we made very few clear chances. However the most alarming feature of the first half was the way Oxford has THREE 1-on-1's with Poke. Poke stood up and saved the first 2 brilliantly from Constable and the third more from an angle was shot wide. Torquay created one great chance near the end. A one-two between Jarvis and Howe put Jarvis through but their keeper McCormick paaried well. So 0-0 half-time thanks to Poke.

The 2nd. half was a total disaster. Torquay did not get any momentum going and Oxford had another 1-on-1 where they made no mistake this time, Constable taking the ball around Poke and slotting in. 4 minutes later Downes has ample time to clear the ball when in possession, he lost the ball to Constable and clipped him to give away a certain penalty. 2-0 and game over. Downes did redeem himself by heading in from a corner. But Oxford were the better side and should have wrapped things up and Torquay were looking more and more ragged. Torquay did have a couple of late chances - Mansell had a shot blocked and Howe did not connect well enough and his shot was saved. Deep in added time Oxford made it 3-1 as I was making my way out of the stadium. In truth I did not even see it.

It's hopeless I'm afraid.

Enjoy the concert Phil!

It says it all really when you are the home team fighting for survival and your keeper wins the player of the match award. It has been a very long time since I felt such a pain in my heart, that pain came when the ref pointed to the spot. It has been a long time since tears filled my eyes, but I understand why they did as I and every other fan inside Plainmoor, all felt that is it, we are going down.

It was neither my fault nor any Torquay United fans fault we lost today, we sung our hearts out, we all played our part, sadly the players could not do theirs. I can’t fault them for effort, yes they made costly mistakes, they are all great lads, but as a team they are sadly lacking and dare I say poor. Its days like today you wonder why you bother, why you allow yourself to be put through it, as I have said, its none of our faults this mess we find ourselves in.

But as fans we must try to enjoy the rest of the weekend, try to pick ourselves up and somehow find the strength to not give up just yet, if it’s hard for us its going to be even harder for our players, I bet they wish the board had spent some more money on the team. We all know who is to blame, we all know all took these almighty gambles that have not paid off and we know who has to someone find a way to save our league status.


There was talk before the game started that there was going to be a fifteen minute delay to the kick-off due to a number of Oxford fans being held up on the M5 around Taunton, the scene of a fatal crash. That did not happen and with twenty minutes to go as the fog started to roll over Plainmoor; I almost wished the game had started later. Maybe then it would have been abandoned, but that was just trying to clutch at straws as I knew we were not good enough to get even a single point from this game.

At the start of the game we did not look to bad, we played the ball around well a number of times and when the new lad took a shot from 30 yards out early on, I thought there was just a chance we might get something out of this game. But as the halftime whistle blew, I just felt we were very lucky indeed not to go in at halftime, three nil down. Poke made two fine saves, both one on ones where he stayed stood up and big and at least gave us some sort of chance second half; well that’s what I told myself.

Our only really decent chance to score in the first half came about after a smart move between Howe and Jarvis, it was a neat one two that saw Jarvis have a good hard shot at goal, sadly their keeper was in fine form also and make a very good save indeed. Why is it that the other team always seem that much quicker, get to the ball quicker and always seem to win those second balls. Why do we struggle to create good clear cut chances? Why do we make so many mistakes?

I felt sorry for Joe the second half, every ball he played went wrong for him, it should have been a simple pass to find Benyon, but it did not and as a result they broke away and punished us. Just three minutes later and we gift them a second goal, we had the chance to clear the ball but did not take it, they made sure they took the gift we gave them.

We tried to fight back and got a goal from a corner, it looked a bit of a soft goal to me but who cares, surely now we would be camped in their goalmouth looking for our second goal.

Not a chance and while we did create two further chances, you always felt Oxford had one more goal in them at least. To rub salts into the wounded Torquay United fans, they accepted another gift goal from us right at the death. It tells its own story when then home players stay near the centre of the pitch and sheepishly look over to the fans on the popside. Credit to the fans as they did not boo, did not shout out abuse, but then maybe they all walked out feeling that this club is conference bound.

Its not over yet, no one can say for certain that we will be going down, in saying that it looks likely due to the fact we are simply not good enough and that hurts so much to say, when you think how much work and effort and money was put in, to get us back into the football league.

I stood as always next to the Rev (yes he is a real one) I said he needed to have a word, if he did I would go every Sunday I promised him. But it’s more than a miracle we need right now, someone who can score goals would be a start mind you.

You know things are bad when previously reliable and stand out performers like Downes start to make goal costing mistakes. Can't really add much to what has already been said,I keep telling myself that things will turn the next game, if not then the game after that, but if we lose on Tuesday then I think that really will be it. Unless Knill can bring in 3-4 new players between now and then (and lets face it that ain't gonna happen)then I just can't see the current crop turning this round. I hate being so negative and I would absolutely love to be proved wrong but there comes a time when even the most ardent optimist must face facts. Did I even detect a hint of resignation in Knill's voice during the post match interview? Perhaps he underestimated the size of the task that he took on when he came to Plainmoor....