LGCP Cup:Torquay Utd v Reading 11th Aug 2010

A day after the incident and still gutted at the loss, however very very proud of the display, as long as we can keep that attitude whilst playing the less glamourous teams on a wet n windy tuesday night mid february we should be there or thereabouts.
My biggest concern now though is whether there would be any repercussion re: the collapsed wall? If anyone was hurt or if any sad wotsit decides to down the legal road the club could well be in trouble. Finances aren't great at the club as we know we don't need fines n stuff to compound the situation thats for sure!
Chris

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;D

Ha, the dangers of letting your 6 year old son anywhere near a computer!

I’m really starting to believe now that there is a prewritten script for cup games between a lower league club and one in a much higher division. I have watched so many both live and on the TV and in so many cases the game script has been kept to the letter for the whole length of the game and has ended with the fans of the lower club seeing their team lose in the dying seconds of the game and then leaving the ground completed gutted.

During the game the lower league team will make up for their lack of flair and technique their opponents have by a working so hard, giving everything they had got and having the attitude “you are not going to beat us because we won’t let you” They will also be on top for good periods of the games and create chances they maybe should have put away and yes they will get that very bad slice of luck as what looked a certain goal came back out off the post.

Then when the time on the clock is almost up the other team somehow gets the ball over the line and there is no time to get a goal back and while the manner of the defeat hurt and gutted the fans, those fans would have been so proud of their team and that is just how things unfolded up at Plainmoor for the game against Reading and the game went according to the prewritten script.

Before I come to the match itself a few words on our players, I’ll start with Danny Stevens who was clearly very upset and hurt by what was shouted out to him, so much so he ended up swearing back at the so called fan. Two minutes later he is out wide on the left level with our box breaking up an attack with a brave and determined challenge that rightly received the applause from the fans. I do not agree he was our weakest player in the game and he went on a few good runs ending with a shot on goal, all he needs to do is work on getting some more power into his shots and he will then trouble goal keepers more than he was able to.

Branston top man again and the more I see him play the more I feel we have been dead lucky to get him here this season. Ellis made some very important tackles and blocks in and around our box, it made up for the fact he struggled the whole game to win balls in the air and its rare to see Mark lose out in the air as many times as he did in this game.

Robertson solid as ever and while both Nico and Wroe were guilty a number of times of playing short passes to Reading players they both made far more valuable contributions to the game. Scott was so assured and how majestic he looks when he comes out and rises above everyone and just coolly pucks the ball out of the air, he also made a number of good saves having to deal with balls swerving all over the place.

Kee showed why Bucks should start him in every game possible and he has goals in him and after waiting to see how well he and Benyon would play together I was not disappointed. Benyon worked his socks off and got in front of defenders and won balls where he looked second best, maybe he should have put away one of the chances he did have from balls played into the box, but he was so unlucky after making a great chance for himself, to see the ball hit the post and come back into play again.

We created a number of good chances in the first half and one came very early in the half as the Reading defender let the ball go over his head, as quick as a flash Kee was in behind him and got the ball and played a ball into the box for Benyon. A defender just go there first but only half cleared the ball to the edge of the box where Zebs got hold of it but sliced his shot well wide of the right hand post.

Reading went straight up the other end and Brain Howard had a great chance to opening the scoring but he fired a very tame shot at Bevan who made the save with ease.

Another great move by us sees Wroe on the right hand edge of the Reading box, who then played in Benyon who hit a good shot that the Reading keeper did well to get down to and push around his post.

Branston then gave away one of those fouls that he does where he sometimes gets away them, the resulting free kick saw Scott flying across his goal and I’m not sure he would have got there if the shot was on target, thankfully if just went wide of the goal.

We got lucky when Ellis was beaten far to easily on the halfway line and the Reading winger sprinted down the left wing and out in a low hard cross along our six yard line that the forward just failed to get his boot on the ball, if he had of done it would have been a certain goal.

Wroe was far to slow on the ball and lost it and Ellis did well to get to the ball and Poke it back to Wroe who then strangely played the ball back into our box straight to a Reading player. As a result a few shots got fired at our goal with the ball eventually going out for a corner.

We then had another good chance as Zebs played a great ball through to Kee who looked like he had lost the chance to have a shot on goal only for him to cleverly make a bit of space to get his shot away. He hit it hard enough but straight at the Reading keeper who could only beat the ball down due to the power in the shot.

Back at the other end saw Reading nearly score a wonder goal, their right winger raced past Danny who found himself the last man on that side and the winger sent in a long high cross over all our players in the box. Deep at the back of our box was a Reading player who volleyed the ball first time to the edge of our box where Jay Tabb was standing and he hit another first time volley that had goal written all over it but the ball took a defection on its way to the goal and just went narrowly past the left hand post.

The fans then started to cheer thinking we had scored, not sure if it was Elliot who looked to have poked the ball over the line, but when the bodies cleared from around the keeper he was lying on the line holding onto the ball with both hands with the ball clearly not over the line.

Zebs was having a really magic spell and had the beating of the fullbacks and it was the best I have ever seen him play and the only thing missing was the likes of Benyon putting the ball into the net from the balls Zebs was playing into the box.

We should have gone in at halftime winning by at least two goals and you always fear the worst when you team does not score when it’s on top. The second half did not live up to the first half and was often very scrappy and we did not create nearly as many chances as we did in the first half.

Nico and Wroe lost the habit of giving the ball away and Mansell was working his socks of in midfield trying to break up any Reading attacks. There were some good moments and Kee nearly scored a wonder goal of his own, the ball was played up to Benyon who was unmarked and he was able to head the ball downwards and backward to Kee. Kee then hit a dipping volley from all of 25 yards or more that just failed to dip enough to go in under the crossbar.

The Wroe went and won the ball, then lost it only to win it back again and played the ball to Zebs who saw Danny running into the Reading box on the left. It was a good chance only Danny failed to get any power in the shot and another good chance went begging.

Poor Danny then made a mistake on the halfway line and lost the ball and then went chasing after the player he lost it to and brought him down from behind just outside our box. The resulting free kick saw Scott having to use his entire large frame to tip the ball over the crossbar.

So 90 minutes up and we so nearly won it in the second period of extra time, a long ball played up to Benyon who was out wide on the left-hand side of the Reading box, he ran into the box and he also looked liked he had lost the chance to get his shot away. But just like Kee he somehow made the space and fired across the Reading keeper who was well beaten and I could not believe it when the ball hit the far post and stayed out. That’s the sort of bad luck that is written into that script I talked about.

Danny went on a great run down the middle and shot from the edge of the box, once again his shot lacked any real power and it was a shame as his run alone deserved to have got some reward.

Two minutes extra time was announced and just when you were looking at the clock in the ground to work out what time you might get home, there is a gaol mouth scramble in our box and then you see a long leg up in the air hooking the ball into our net. Our defenders just dropped to the floor. I think only because it hurt them to see them concede a goal after their wonderful run they have been on.

The Reading fans went mad with their celebrations and a loud bang was heard and dust rising into the air as the wall collapsed to the left of the goal at the away end. Reading fans fell onto the edge of the pitch and stewards and St Johns ambulance men rushed to their aid. It was clear one was hurt as treatment was being given for some time after the wall had collapsed

I was hurt by the defeat and only because our lads deserved to win the game if only for their hard work and effort they had put into it.

Post of the week!!
It was this one or DTG's on another thread, you knpow the one!
This one makes much more sense.

That makes great reading(punn intended), I had alluded to the odds on us getting narrower at the bookies and comments like these are 1 awesome and 2 wrecking any chance of a decent wager!

Just been on the reading website and read the managers match assessment, its very rewarding that most of his assessment was on Torquay. This is a true credit to PB and his team. I am so looking forward to this seaon. Incidently blue square now have us 12/1 for title and on Saturday it was 20/1. up the gulls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!