NLS: Truro CIty v Torquay United 3pm 1/1/19

That was a hard fought game where we put ourselves under unnecessary pressure with an early defensive error to give the ball away which resulted in their goal and we had to rely on Reidy to keep us in the game as once again our tempo wasn’t quite there, perhaps understandably with the amount of fixtures recently and we wasted quite a few goal scoring opportunities along the way.

We initially started well putting Truro under a certain amount of pressure and had a good early chance with Andrews getting away on the left hand side and his cross to Reid on the 6 yard line was hit well over the bar with him looking to use his right foot when perhaps the left was the better option.

However, when under no pressure, Davis made a long pass to Andrews on the left wing which was intercepted by Thompson and his run and lovely well hit cross to the far post was headed home from their first attempt on goal. Reminded me a bit of Sills and Carlisle!

We kept at it though and probably had a good 3 or 4 chances on goal before Reid picked up the ball in a seemingly innocuous position, centrally and around 25 yards out but with a couple of defenders in front of him and fired low into the bottom left hand corner to the delight of the away fans - I thought he had initially put it wide from my perspective high up in Bristow’s Bench on the half way line.

An important goal for his confidence as it had been a few games since scoring although his all round play has been excellent and a case in example was when a lovely touch put Janneh through on goal at one point but he was unable to finish as he seemed to be held back for a very good penalty shout but was not enough for the referee.

The second-half started in a similar vein where it continued to be hard work and perhaps our play broke down a little bit too often as passes went astray but again we created what chances were going with the best of them seeing Janneh taking the ball through their defence but somehow his resulting shot which looked certain to go in just went slightly wide. Would have been the best goal of the match.

Keating came on for Andrews to provide some much needed impetus with about 20 minutes to go for what would turn out to be the most exciting part of the match. Without a doubt Andrew’s best position is central midfield and while he is an incredibly talented player, finds it hard to shine on the wing and was only so-so today.

The crucial goal for us came when the ball was initially poorly delivered into the penalty area but their defence did not deal with it and it came to Reid just inside the area who was able to smash it home just inside the right-hand post giving their keeper no chance.

The pendulum then swung even further in our favour when Thompson was beaten by Kalala and rather stupidly grabbed hold of him from behind just outside the area when he was already on a yellow card from early on in the match giving the referee no option but to dismiss him. I think 5 of their players had been cautioned by this stage so this was looking likely to happen. The resulting free kick was only just headed a fraction over by Hall.

Truro then threw on their last two substitutions to try and get something from the game which grew ever more frenetic. They finally had a good chance with a good cross into the box headed goalwards from on the 6 yard line but thankfully without too much power and more or less straight to MacDonald. Going to the other end it looked like Keating had got in the act but his shot crashed into the bar then down and out for another lucky escape from Truro. However the match was finally put out of their reach a few minutes later when Kalala was through again from the left and with all sorts of options available to him was almost able to pass the ball into the far corner of the goal. Truro did have time to score another goal but was clearly offside.

I thought this was an excellent win today again a dangerous and resolute Truro side. Torquay started well and continued to play well throughout the match and their superior quality finally shone through for a vital 3-1 "away win". Torquay in previous games at Plainmoor had typically blown the opposition away in the first half to win comfortably. Today was much different, unlike the Gloucester game, Torquay game managed better and did not panic. They kept their patience ironically like typical away games this season and wore down Truro to win comfortably in the end. For long periods it looked like a draw today but Jamie Reid had other ideas with our decisive second goal. Crowd 2,812 with just 52 from Truro, the announcer announcing 2,760 away fans to loud cheers!

Torquay started well enough but Truro like on Boxing Day took an early lead. Davis, who was a bit error prone in the first half, gave the ball away in his own half, ex-Gull Nial Thompson (who was Truro's best player today until he got sent off) ran down the right wing and sent an inviting dangerous cross that was firmly headed in. Sendles-White possibly could have done a better marking job on the goal scorer but you cannot deny it was a quality goal. Torquay were playing well and carving out chances and corners but like on Boxing day it was another long range effort that got our breakthrough. Reid hit a low, hard shot into the corner of the net from outside the box that beat their keeper. Torquay played some delightful football at times including some one touch football that sliced open Truro - our players really express themselves and clearly enjoy themselves. Torquay faded a bit towards the end of the half and ended 1-1. Truro towards the end of the half had a couple of dangerous moments including a Harvey shot that just whistled over. Torquay's keeper MacDonald had a solid game today without any scary moments he gives at times.

Torquay were well on top in the second half and playing with confidence but Truro were proving hard to break down. At times we overplayed, especially Jennah, who should have shot earlier on occasions and then lost out totally. Keating came on for Andrews and gave his usual energy to help Torquay. Reid then came up with a moment of magic. He was in a central position just outside the box with defenders on him but unleashed a powerful shot that curled in perfectly! It really was a magical moment to witness. Torquay continued to dominate, Thompson got sent off for his second yellow as Torquay kept pressing forward in search of a third. Keating had a great clear chance in front of goal but hit it too firmly and hit the cross bar. Kalala showed a lovely cool finish to slot the ball past their keeper to seal the match.

It was a stunning climax to the game the way Torquay in the end blew away a decent Truro team. Torquay kept their cool and belief and got their just desserts in the end. I just wished some supporters around me in the Family Stand could show similar patience in the team. The entertainment value today was again top notch and today showed we can win when things were not going our way by keeping our self belief. It's a real pleasure to watch Torquay under Gary Johnson.

By the way,the pitch looked a lot firmer and flatter today with the dodgy patch in front of the Bristow Bench sanded over. So well done to the Groundsmen on that one.

They play one of their games in hand against Welling next Tuesday 3 days after that game. Respect to them with their winning run but can they keep going. If we can win against Slough then 5 point gap can create pressure in itself.

Cornwall Live reporting that Truro’s next home game against ST Albans next TUESDAY is still to be announced.....link