FL2: Cheltenham Town vs Torquay Utd - 15th March 2014

Or alternatively a win for Exeter tomorrow will put them 10 points ahead of us!

Think everyone of us are gutted again today,how many times have we said we were the better team...and not capitalise in front of goal......but we are no worse of tonight than before kick off....still believing we can do it....si

I don't understand why we pick Showunmi (massive target man, not the fastest, hardly ever scores) and then bang the ball long not to him but to whoever is playing alongside him, regardless of his height/physicality, and flick it on for Enoch to chase

Why waste Rice's excellent distribution, Showunmi's physical presence, and even the pace of Goodwin and Cameron, just to do this? It makes no sense

We controlled the midfield in the first half and it was fairly even in the second half. Cheltenham were allowed to come into the game and snatch the win. If scoring goals is indeed the problem, it's not down to the strikers - they can't do anything if they're not getting the ball. We looked more threatening when Goodwin was up front causing problems with his pace and Cameron was being given the ball on the left

I struggle to see the identity we have as a team. And I think the players are as confused as I am

We had much the better of the possession and territory in the first half, but the only real testing of their keeper was from a Stockley header that was tipped over. Cameron, who played well, was put clear on the edge of the area and blazed over with his favoured left foot when a low 'drill' or further touch might have been better. No real quality was on show in that first half, though. How Jombati wasn't sent off toward the end of the first half, I don't know. Presumably Goodwin's head had to come clean off for the Kung-fu kick to his face to have been deemed sufficient for a red card. Jombati named MOTM later, of course.

I did hear a bit of berating of Stockley coming from one, maybe two idiots, which is unnecessary. He didn't particularly have a good game today, but he wasn't alone. Two big men didn't work today. I see both Stockley and Showunmi's strengths as the sole frontman or central part of a three, myself. Though the grief Stockley got was probably more to do with him being there instead of the culprits' favourite Benyon. I am a big fan of Damon Lathrope but his distribution today was shocking. I wasn't that impressed with Chapell's offering from the bench today, either. In the main, though, nobody was all that bad and nobody was all that good, barring Cap Pearce.

Goodwin and Cameron have something about them and are not afraid to take a man on. Cameron is susceptible to finding a dead end - a run in the side needs to continue for his confidence and effectiveness - but his and Goodwin's speed are qualities we need as this season draws to it's close. Every time I have watched Goodwin I've been impressed. His was the only shot we registered in that second half of any note. Struck hard, low and well saved, I thought.

Rice 6 Better distribution than Poke, IMO.
Tonge 5.5 Slow
Downes 7 Played well today
Pearce 8
Nicholson 6.5 Was sensible in his marking today and made a couple of very important challenges on Maglashan in the second half. Not sure why he gave them a corner right at the start of the game, though.
Goodwin 7.5 Dangerous. I did like the look of him down the middle as well, myself.
Labadie 6 Subdued today, I thought. Perhaps understandable.
Lathrope 4.5 Not good today.
Cameron 7 Good in patches
Stockley 4.5 not his day today
Showunmi 7 Bloody handful. Their old looking centre half looked shot to bits and a bit relieved when Enoch came off.

Subs: Chapell 4 Poor
Mansell - Why. If a change in central midfield was required 1) Lathrope wasn't having a good game 2) Harding is a better option.

chanced my arm today with my university of south wales id card that i recently gained for a course i attended and luck would have it that I only had to pay £7 and not the full £21. that is where the good luck finished. Met Jon, Witheridge Phil, Bartondowns, Rob and Christine (Andy my friends sister) and we all had a good catch up. Don't think we deserved to lose but lacked the cutting edge to deserve a win also

Jolly decent to meet up with you all too. I should qualify as a concession myself fairly soon but not necessarily on the grounds of learning. A good halfway meeting point yesterday: the train back to Sheffield takes the same time as the normal rail journey between Cheltenham and Newton Abbot.