FL2: Torquay United vs Northampton Town - 18th January 2014

First match at Plainmoor for me this year!

Will be a very heavy pitch so fresh legs could be important. Northampton have signed seven in the last fortnight but will they play as a team?

Sorry, but Reg and Wasp are right IMO.
Time catches up with everyone and its been at the stage where a good brain cant make up for lack of pace any more for a while now. Love to be proved wrong but thats they way it is.

Very disappointing result but now trying to keep it in perspective. Yes this was the proverbial 'six pointer' and yes it gives hope to Northampton but this is not the end of the road. Obviously it's how we react to this result that matters and the season will be defined by all the games we play not just this one. For what it's worth I still think other teams are going to be dragged into the mire by the end of the season, and there will be more twists and turns before the season's end.
Anyway sounds like we were on top second half but await reports whether this was the case...

A very desperate night and a result that sadly I feel could define our season. On tonight's performance we do look Conference bound and an overhaul needed next summer. I suppose tonight just summed everything up - we were slow getting going and conceded 2 sloppy goals and we just do not have the goalpower in our team to recover in these situations.Crowd 2,051 with 69 from Northampton. Sponsosrs MOTM Pearce and Twitter MOTM Chappel.

It has to be said that the playing surface was a joke particularly in front of the Bristow Bench. There were times when the ball just simply did not bounce of the surface but I suppose it was the same for both teams. The referee did not help Torquay's cause by waving play on to several clattering challenges by Northampton. On 10 minutes Bodin was clattered about 30 yards out, Torquay appealed as Bodin was on the the ground in disress. The trouble was Northampton then broke away. Sinclair took the ball around a hesitant Poke and scored. 6 minutes later a similiar thing happened. O'Connor did not clear his lines, Poke hesitated, Sinclair said thank-you very much and slotted the ball past Poke. Northampton looked quicker and sharper as Torquay looked sluggish. Pearce scored just before half-time from a corner.

Torquay tried in the 2nd half but it was not sustained enough. Few players come out with credit, Chappel and Stockley sping to mind. Substitute Chappel was impressive on right wing and one lovely run and cross was nearly headed in by substitute Hawley. Torquay had a scramble from a corner and hit the post twice but there was not much to get excited about. I'm afriad Mansell had a 'mare at right back - he was easily beaten in the first half for pace and most of his ball work went wrong. Not a good decision by Hargreaves, was Tonge injured? The final whistle blew after 5 minutes of added time and Torquay ended in a whimper.

Just back in. Wish I hadn't bothered. Emile Sinclair v Nicho was never going to be a contest to savour and I thought his finishing, particularly for the second, was a class above us. Agree with Swanny that Chapell, who I thought played well, and Stockley are worthy of credit. I'd also mention Goodwin and Pearce in dispatches. Disjointed team effort overall and whatever game plan there was was shot to bits after goal one, with the players only seeming to get back on track after goal two. Cruise and Tonge are better full backs than Nico and Mansell and both of the latter were hopeless tonight. Opportunity missed. Decent second half performance in terms of possession, but no end product and only Chapell showing any real quality going forward. Not a good night.

Nah, tried to include Mansell somewhere on the pitch but didn't work out.

Thought Northampton came out with a bit more know how with the game turning when Bodin got flattened. Think ref let things go because defender may have got the ball first but certainly seem to come from behind and maybe we were guilty of waiting for the whistle?

Both goals were identikit, defence splitting passes to the left of our area, first Poke was easily rounded, second, Sinclair was under pressure from O'Connor but managed to have the extra quality to slot the ball between Poke's legs!

Better team in the second half and actually had 4 or 5 good chances to score. Hit the post from a corner, Hawley header was just wide after a great Chapell run, Labadie shot spun through their keeper's legs, mad scramble in the area after Duke dropped the ball, Goodwin shot near corner of area just wide. Nicholson kept delivering his corners too close to Duke by the way.....