Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009

ospelgull
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 7:49:22 GMT

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Post by ospelgull on Mar 4, 2009 7:49:22 GMT

Thanks for the match reports from those who made the trip to Grays! This is an excellent result played in very difficult conditions.

Was a bit surprised to see Fabian Wilnes on the Grays' teamsheet. I've seen him play at Ipswich Town and their supporters thought highly of him. Would have thought he'd end up playing in L1 or L2 after being released by the Tractor Boys?

Next saturday it's Rushden who haven't won an away game (apart from the Weymouth game, but you can't take that result serious) since the 28th of november. They'll dig in deep and try to steal a result. It's our task to break them down and score the first goal(s).

Last Edit: Mar 4, 2009 7:50:36 GMT by ospelgull

chrish
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 11:57:04 GMT

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Post by chrish on Mar 4, 2009 11:57:04 GMT

As promised here are some photos from last night. It is a poxy little ground but it's in good condition and staffed by professional people.

Your own semi-detached burger bar.

I think you had to be a sandwich short of a lunchbox if you wanted to stand and watch the game in that. I started have Bristol Rovers away flashbacks where I was soaked to the skin.

Nutters in the rain. Some of them I know, including Tom Selleck. He used to teach me history.

Defending a corner. Notice how Bevan is taller than anyone else even when he's crouching.

Then he leaps like an Alaskan Salmon.........

....but ends up flapping a little at it. Note how the little upstart from Grays is appealing for a corner kick.

2nd Half Pressure.

The Ginger beast make himself available

Last Edit: Mar 6, 2009 6:41:14 GMT by chrish

rjdgull TFF member Admin Posts: 12,227	Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 12:34:02 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by rjdgull on Mar 4, 2009 12:34:02 GMT Some great shots there Chris Some good views from the adjoining houses/flats - I wonder if a certain member of this forum took advantage of the elevated viewpoint from one of them? ;D
	TUST board member, views are my own unless stated otherwise.

dazgull
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 12:45:16 GMT

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Post by dazgull on Mar 4, 2009 12:45:16 GMT

Was an excellent result last night getting three points in those conditions. Fair play to Grays too as they chased and closed us down all night and with a pacy attack were always a threat even in the second half when we gradually took over.

We again failed to close them down in midfield in the first half and Bucks got the substitution right by bringing Thompson on for Carayol.

Two quality free kicks and a late winner from Carlisle made the journey home very enjoyable!

Footnote: South Mimms servives was a lucky place for footie fans last night. Seven of us stopped there and then a few Norwich turned up en route to a win at QPR and then the hideous site of red and white striped shirts with "flybe" on them. Thankfully not Excretia but Southampton on their way to an excellent win at Ipswich.

grumpycynic TFF member Posts: 2	Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 15:48:27 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by grumpycynic on Mar 4, 2009 15:48:27 GMT Mar 3, 2009 21:41:01 GMT stuartB said: 3 wins and a draw in the last 4!!!! is this form? ;D Not counting Kettering then?

chelstongull
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 16:26:37 GMT

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Post by chelstongull on Mar 4, 2009 16:26:37 GMT

Mar 4, 2009 15:48:27 GMT grumpycynic said:

Mar 3, 2009 21:41:01 GMT stuartB said:

3 wins and a draw in the last 4!!!! is this form? ;D

Not counting Kettering then?

You must forgive him, he lives in Wales

Enzo
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 17:43:05 GMT

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Post by Enzo on Mar 4, 2009 17:43:05 GMT

Agree with most of the comments regarding last night. Terrible conditions which led to a match of very poor quality. I thought we gradually turned the screw in the second half and for the last 20 minutes Grays were dead on their feet.

It maybe overly harsh, but I thought Bevan could have done a little better for their goal. From a vantage point behind the goal, he left himself a hell of an area to cover. The kick was far from right in the corner. Immdiately prior to the kick Woods appeared to asked if he wanted someone on the post and that was declined. Hindsight is wonderful, but it all seemed frustrating obvious where that was going. Nicho's strike was indeed a belter - he had a very similar one in the second half from even further out which just went wide. Unusually, the Grays Centre backs did a great job on Sills ariel threat........up until the last 20 minutes where, as a team they all seemed to run out of steam. I thought Hagreaves did the simple things very well last night - nohing fancy, but he stood out when others did not take the condtions into account. Also, a word must be said Thompson when he came on. I thought he stod out as trying to get the ball down and pass it. He impressed me last night. Not sure about whether Carlisle was offside for the winner - it was certainly one of those goals where you have a glance to the lino before celebrating.

The table certainly has a better look about it after two excellent away wins.

merse
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 17:55:28 GMT

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Post by merse on Mar 4, 2009 17:55:28 GMT

Mar 4, 2009 12:34:02 GMT rjdgull said:

Some good views from the adjoining houses/flats - I wonder if a certain member of this forum took advantage of the elevated viewpoint from one of them? ;D

Honest guv, I have never been in one of those flats. Not even on a non match evening!

I had a wonderful halfway line view sitting just behind OUR dugout last night.....................it was just like being out on the pitch ~ without getting soaked though! ;D

Dave
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 18:57:32 GMT

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Post by Dave on Mar 4, 2009 18:57:32 GMT

Thanks for putting up the great pictures Chris, seeing the balcony's on the flats has taken away the image I got listening on the radio, as they are really on the edge of the pitch almost.

No one has said anything about the foul on Benyon that led to the goal, the view from the guys on the radio was, that it was not a foul and a free kick should not have been give. As we know we scored from the free kick, so if it was the case it was not a foul, it just goes to prove that we get decisions go against us, but things will always even up during the season.

What is clear now is we need to get Nico taking all the free kicks and having a crack at goal, many he wants to just float into the box, I know when he is out wider that will be the best way to put the ball into the box, but he can hit it hard and so true, you would think he could hit the target from most angles.

Merse the reason some posted they felt the game was poor, was because that is how those on the radio made it sound and it seemed to be their viewpoint s well.

chrish
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 19:17:39 GMT

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Post by chrish on Mar 4, 2009 19:17:39 GMT

Mar 4, 2009 18:57:32 GMT Dave said:

Thanks for putting up the great pictures Chris, seeing the balcony's on the flats has taken away the image I got listening on the radio, as they are really on the edge of the pitch almost.

No one has said anything about the foul on Benyon that led to the goal, the view from the guys on the radio was, that it was not a foul and a free kick should not have been give. As we know we scored from the free kick, so if it was the case it was not a foul, it just goes to prove that we get decisions go against us, but things will always even up during the season.

What is clear now is we need to get Nico taking all the free kicks and having a crack at goal, many he wants to just float into the box, I know when he is out wider that will be the best way to put the ball into the box, but he can hit it hard and so true, you would think he could hit the target from most angles.

Merse the reason some posted they felt the game was poor, was because that is how those on the radio made it sound and it seemed to be their viewpoint s well.

You're welcome Dave.

I did say that it was a dubious kick Benyon won for Nico's Roberto Carlos-esque sidewinder. I thought the free kick for their goal was also debatable.

chrish
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 19:22:51 GMT

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Post by chrish on Mar 4, 2009 19:22:51 GMT

Mar 4, 2009 4:59:24 GMT merse said:

Interesting to read Chris Hayes' view that Carlisle's winner was offside from the almost perfect vantage point of the away seating.

Well it certainly looked that way. I have to admit that I might've been ever so slightly distracted because I was on the phone to a bloke in our depot at Temple Mills who need some On-Call IT assistance. I had to interrupt him with the words "hang on....we're in here......yeeeeeesssssssssssss......you beauty"! The response from the bloke was a deadpan "oh you're at the football at you?". ;D

treetopsringwood
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 19:43:41 GMT

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Post by treetopsringwood on Mar 4, 2009 19:43:41 GMT

The impression together with those around me (with the view as in picture 14) that we had of the Grays goal was that it came off the post however we stand to be corrected by those with a wider view. The reference to it being a poor game was a reflection to the atrocious weather conditions. To emphasis this during the second half the Grays keeper drop kicked the ball at the edge of his penalty (18 yd) box and the ball went up 40-50 feet in the air where it was caught by the wind,did a horseshoe u turn and went out of play 10yds from the keeper for a throw in.
Similarly, Bevon down the other end drop kicked the ball and nearly scored after it bounced.
Well done those 34 hardy supporters who stood behind our goal in the first half and suffered the wind & rain to support Bevon and the 12 who remained during the second half.

Well done to all those that travelled up from Devon & hope you all arrived home safely.

Thanks Romfordkev for the pics

Dave
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 19:54:14 GMT

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Post by Dave on Mar 4, 2009 19:54:14 GMT

Thanks for your views on the goal treetopsringwood, sure Merse or others will give their views on it, just for the record, the pictures were taken and put up by Chris Hayes and not romfordkev, does Kev take his camera out in the rain

treetopsringwood
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 20:31:28 GMT

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Post by treetopsringwood on Mar 4, 2009 20:31:28 GMT

Thanks Chris for the pics, I briefly met romfordkev in a Grays High St restaurant of fingerlickin repute and assumed they were his. Attendance of only 510 of which at least 150-200 were Gulls fans. One thing to mention that as a cost cutting exercise, Grays produced a dual purpose programme with the Altrincham team sheet and pen pictures for next Saturdays game therin to offset printing costs. Quite innovative I suppose

David Graham's Eighth Pint
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Grays Athletic v Torquay United 3rd March 2009 Mar 4, 2009 21:00:40 GMT

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Post by David Graham's Eighth Pint on Mar 4, 2009 21:00:40 GMT

Fantastic pictures, as always. I sat next to the fella in the second photo. If you'd taken it ten minutes later, you'd have got my ugly mug in it

Dave, I knew there was a block of flats hanging over the pitch, but like you I didn't expect them to be literally pitch-side. The two bottom apartments on that particular block (painted blue) are the dressing rooms!

I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned it, but there was a great moment when Nicho slid in to knock the ball out of play. In doing this, he managed to land it in one of the balcony areas. I'm not a betting man, but I'd say that was a one-in-a-hundred effort.

Mar 4, 2009 4:59:24 GMT merse said:

Interesting to read Chris Hayes' view that Carlisle's winner was offside from the almost perfect vantage point of the away seating.

It certainly looked offside and my initial celebrations were cut short to glance across at the linesman. Thankfully there was no flag and it was a fantastic header by the lad.

Mar 4, 2009 4:59:24 GMT merse said:

To those who judged it a "poor game" I ask 'what do you expect on a night like that?'

I don't think anyone was expecting an epic. The frustrating aspect for me was that the players seemed to be the only people in South East England that failed to notice the swirling conditions. I lost count of the times I rolled my eyes having witnessed a long ball being pumped forward only to see it skid off the surface and shoot out of play.

I've also lost count of how many times I've written the following sentence this season: When we got the ball down on the ground and play it around, we look unbeatable. One such passage of play led to our winning goal.

And boy did it feel good to finally see the ball crashing into the back of the net after such a frustrating half.

Just a quick message for the Gulls fans who were giving the linesman some stick for not doubling-up as a ball boy when Bevan was preparing for a goal kick: they're not actually allowed to.

Hope that helps

Last Edit: Mar 4, 2009 21:02:31 GMT by David Graham's Eighth Pint

Post by ospelgull on Mar 4, 2009 7:49:22 GMT

Post by chrish on Mar 4, 2009 11:57:04 GMT

Post by rjdgull on Mar 4, 2009 12:34:02 GMT

Post by dazgull on Mar 4, 2009 12:45:16 GMT

Post by grumpycynic on Mar 4, 2009 15:48:27 GMT

Post by chelstongull on Mar 4, 2009 16:26:37 GMT

Post by Enzo on Mar 4, 2009 17:43:05 GMT

Post by merse on Mar 4, 2009 17:55:28 GMT

Post by Dave on Mar 4, 2009 18:57:32 GMT

Post by chrish on Mar 4, 2009 19:17:39 GMT

Post by chrish on Mar 4, 2009 19:22:51 GMT

Post by treetopsringwood on Mar 4, 2009 19:43:41 GMT

Post by Dave on Mar 4, 2009 19:54:14 GMT

Post by treetopsringwood on Mar 4, 2009 20:31:28 GMT

Post by David Graham's Eighth Pint on Mar 4, 2009 21:00:40 GMT