FL2: Torquay v Oxford 3rd January 2010

At last at last a home match up at Plainmoor that is not going to fall foul to the weather. Not sure what the forecast is for tomorrow, but it’s been a damp old wet day here in the Bay today.

The club will be hoping for a bumper crowd to get some much needed money as its been a while since any came in via the gate. I would hope for a 4000+ gate and can see no reason why we should get that. There has been no football for ages and most local players will not have a game to play and let’s hope they fancy coming along to watch good old Torquay United play.

I never had a dislike for Oxford until one of my workmates about 9 years ago was an Oxford fan. He sure enjoyed coming in the day after they beat us back them in his Oxford top. I really loved it when they went down and ensured I let my Oxford supporting workmate know, just how much I enjoyed seeing his team end up in the BSP. Just a shame we ended up there ourselves, but at least we did not stay in that league nearly as long as Oxford did.

For younger fans it may be hard to imagine that Oxford were once in the top flight and I remember as if it was yesterday, being at Wembley when they played QPR in the Milk Cup Final. I had to hold the hand all day of a much older milkman than myself we called Cookey, who lived across the road from the Paignton fire station. Not that I was any more experienced being in the big City, but I had been to Wembley before and plenty of football matches in the past.

I’m so looking forward to the game and seeing Lewis lead our boys out onto the pitch, let’s hope he brings us the luck he has in the past. We will be without Guy Branston and you feel we will miss his power and strength at the back and we will need Mark Ellis to be on the top of his game, unlike he was against Hereford.

As much as I would like to see us start 4-4-2 with Benyon and Kee starting up front together, I would not be surprised to see Benyon starting up there on his own.Not having seen the team play for a number of games, I would not have a clue who else should make the starting eleven and being the fluffy bunny I am, will leave that in Bucks capable hands.

We do need to start getting all three points in our games, if we are not going to end up dropping down the table. At our best we are more than capable of beating Oxford and that is what we will need to be at to win this match.

With two games on heavy pitches in quick succession and after such a long layoff it will certainly test the fitness of the squad its so easy to tweak a tired muscle. Okane is the type to cope with it all and although lightweight looks like a good athlete. I would have been more concerned with Branston playing two in three days and his tweak may be a blessing as Robbo is good cover and maybe can recover for the crucial cup game on Saturday.
Our style usually suits playing away from home when the home side usually commits to an attacking game and we pass counter well. Could be an open game tomorrow which I think will suite us and if we play our best we should take the points and I have predicted a high scoring win with bags of entertainment. So its bound to be a 0-0 then!
Two very good goals from us yesterday both showing great technique more of the same please guys but just defend a little better.

I'm confident of a win later.
Oxford are struggling a bit at the moment and I think the run out on Saturday will have got us fit for today. Also hopefully it will have refocused the defence after giving away 2 sloppy goals. I'd even go so far as to say I think we will keep a clean sheet.

Not sure about the lack of fire power? we have only failed to score in 1 of the last 12 games so I'm looking for a 2-0 win.

Also we normally do quite well against Oxford, so nothing to be frightened of.

And at least we finally get to a game. Hopefully lots of people are desperate to watch a game of football and we get a really good turn out. Oxford will bring a few so would be disappointed if the crowd is less than 4000.

Hope the match isn't called off due to a waterlogged pitch

Aus?

The pitch will be fine and the drainage will do its job, so no need to start that twitching Justin ;D I was hoping to go today with Ant but sadly going to the world darts final at Alexandra Palace in London has proved to have had much more pulling power than a trip across the Bay to watch Torquay United.

It might be a damp and wet afternoon, but thats not going to spoil our pleasure and enjoyment being back home up at Plainmoor.

snow/sleet here so lets hope that doesn't last.

Also starting to twitch a bit, not again surely.