P.S.F Tiverton v Torquay United 25th July 2009

Can't make this one as ironically taking son to a party at Plainmoor this afternoon.

I see that the squad will be rotated although Hargreaves and Mansell are still out. I am a little worried about Hargreaves as his calf injury means that he is still very short of match fitness with only two weeks left to the first game. Maybe Thompson will be starting in his stead or replacing him at some point in this match?

If Sills is fit, maybe he will be renewing his partnership with Sturrock? I would imagine there will be opportunities for the likes of Ellis, Hodges, Adams and Brough to play along with the odd youth player.

Thanks for that Aussie! I'm going and looking forward to it!!!

I assume Mr Rogers is still the Tiverton manager so it will no doubt be a game where they will spend 90% of the game avoiding sliding two footed tackles. I saw a pre season there once before when Leroy was in charge and he told the Ref that unless the Tiverton side stopped trying to cause the Gulls players serious injury he would take them off and abandon the game!
Nothing like a good spirited pre season scrap!

Sounds like a manager who was destined to never work again.

One of the essential components of a rounded "pre-season" is a bout of "sharpen 'em up" stuff that jolts those who believe what they see when PSF's turn into a passing fest resembles anything like the real thing.

I spent this morning watching the Arsenal Development Under 10 team get a right hiding from the very best Community Academy in Islington (A Class)even though these young Gunners can pass the ball until the cows come home, they were out fought, out scrapped and out witted by a squad that has been together for two years now and possess so much talent that they have been referring players to clubs like Chelsea, Norwich City, MK Dons and Barnet. It was a rude awakening for a group of exceptionally talented footballers who DO possess the very highest of technical ability, yet this was a salutary lesson that will do them the power of good and make some of them realise that all the "Keepy Uppy" ability in the world only has a limited use in real football...................even before it is played for a living.

I'd take a few limping soldiers after tonight's game in exchange for a realisation that we won't be playing Derby County every week in League 2 ~ and that's precisely why Bucks is taking them there tonight!

Well Aussie you were correct!
We came away from the game having watched a ninety minute fitness session for the fringe/squad players.
The first team were either sitting in the stands or on the side of the pitch. The only regular player on the pitch at kick off was Hodges.
The Tiverton team seemed to take the game far more seriously than us and there were a fair few gasps from the 262 members of the crowd to go with the far stronger tackles being put in by the Tivvy players!
Blair Sturrock ran hard and showed some good touches and laid the ball off well but all too often into empty spaces. Those empty spaces might well have been filled by a more experienced partner than Joyce.
Adams to me was off the pace and all too often 'missing' which meant that Sturrock and Joyce had to keep coming deeper to try and get the ball.
Young Halpin had a good game but was well marked by the Tiverton defense. I think that there were less than half a dozen decent crosses into the box all game. We also only managed two corners all match!
Hodges and Brough had good games and Rice was coming off his line more and looked more confident at this level.
Benyon and Carayol livened the last ten minutes up but to no effect.
My man of the match was Mark Ellis. Never afraid to put his head in or throw his body in the way, he stood out as our best player tonight by a country mile.
I think that our starting eleven were sitting tonights game out and that tonights starting eleven will fill the bench.
The crowd was small but the club officials were friendly and welcoming. £6 to watch and a warm dry night for a game played on a pitch which puts ours to shame!!
Roll on August 8th!

Just so we get the numbers correct..the attendance was announced as being 362, and the winner of the half time draw being the holder of ticket number 16113.

Don`t I know it, he pulled out his wedge of notes rather happily waved them about and was convinced he deserved it, fair play to the man!
Paulr, sorry mate could see it a mile away, Bucks doens`t want any injuries to the starting 11 going into the beginning of the season and no offence to Tivvy but it was never going to be a rip snorter!