FL2: Torquay Utd v Cheltenham 22 March 2011

This team really are tremendous value to watch these days.....some of the stuff we played tonight was sublime.

Great quick passing, players wanting the ball, raking 40 yard cross field balls to feet......the only thing missing tonight was the margin of victory.....we were 3 goals better than Cheltenham.

If we continue to play with this kind of confidence, we will go very close to auto promotion this season (points deduction or not).

No weak links tonight, Murray given a bit of time and space is a seriously good little player - our centre halves were dominant......our full backs i thought, defensively, were both outstanding.

Stanley doesn't look like he has a bad game in his locker.....Zebs, considering the amount he puts into games - for this stage of the season still looks fresh and powerful, won some cracking headers, although on the floor it's not coming off for him much at the moment.
Cheltenham doubled up on Robinson tonight, the knew he's a major threat for us - he still looked very lively though.

Good to see that both Kee and O'Kane looked fit and fresh when they came off the bench...........the time out Bucks has given them for the last few games looks a sound move - these 2 young lads in their 1st full seasons, have done very well - we're going to need their energy as the season draws to what looks like a pretty thrilling climax.

Great stuff

great move by our manager to rest players recently. Oastler, Kee and O'kane will be keen to regain their positions plus the bonus of Lathrope coming of age.

Could do with another striker though

The most important thing to do tonight was to win the match and keep our promotion dreams very much alive. We did that in a game that was often scrappy at times, but also laced with some of the very best and neatest attacking play you will ever see on any football pitch.

Surprised to see no Pringle in the team, is he injured? But he was not missed as Damon Lathrope played the best ever game I have ever seem him play to date for us. The pitch looked in good condition and certainly must have had a good watering before the gates were open as it had a very wet look to it under the lights.

The first twenty was a very scrappy affair and we fell into the trap of letting Cheltenham somehow make us play the way they wanted to play the game and that was to keep the ball up in the air. But all it meant was we were not able to get our passing game going and were allowing them to win all those second balls.

We did have one very early effort on goal and it was a typical Jake Robinson effort. Stanley played a lovely ball out wide to Jake who cut inside and fired a low hard right foot shot that the keeper got down well to save.

The popside faithful, who sure sung their hearts out all night, thought the ref was pointing to the centre circle after Robertson headed the ball into the net at the far post from a corner. But I would have been more surprised if the ref had allowed the goal as Robertson was clearly climbing all over the back of the Cheltenham defender.

When we got the ball on the floor and passed it out wide or to the feet of our front men, we always looked dangerous, Murray who was outstanding tonight had a neat pass played to him and he went on and hit a screamer from about 25 yards that I thought was going in until the keeper just managed to get finger tips on the ball and got it over the cross bar.

The came the moment why the entrance money tonight was worth paying for two reasons. The first reason? Yes Guys first home goal and he is going to want one every game from now on. It was from a corner taken by Stanley and Guy got in ahead of his marker and headed the ball into the net so hard it nearly broke it. The second reason was when he came over to the popside to celebrate; boy it’s so good to see a player at your club score a goal that meant so much to him because he scored it for Torquay United.

Jake deep in their half tried one very tight pass that got blocked and then a second one that also got blocked and before you could bat an eye, Matt Green was on the edge of our box and fired the ball across Bevan and the ball only just went wide of the far post.

Robinson tested the keeper once again with another cut in from the left-hand side and run across the edge of the box, the ball so nearly went under the keepers body as he got down to make the save.

That was about it for the first half, as I said a bit scrappy in places, but at least we went in with a halftime lead.

We could have scored five goals in the second half as we created so many good chances; one big difference was we were getting to those second balls first and setting up another good attacking move as a result.

Tomlin came very close to getting us a second goal, he and Murray seemed to be in each others way just inside the box when Tomlin hit a great shot that was going in low inside the left hand post and their keeper got down and pulled off a very fine one handed save.

Murray was really enjoying himself and went on a fine run down the middle of the pitch, Zebs was in so much space on the right and Murray played a great pass to him. Zebs had time and space to take the ball in on goal and score, but choose to hit it far too early from outside the box and his shot went well over the bar.

We were now playing our very best passing game and in one move Murray passed to Zebs who fed in Robinson on the left who hit another fine shot at goal that the keeper saved but could not hold onto the ball.

We started to want to play around with the ball at the back a bit and could have paid dearly for it. in one such incident we were forced in the end to play the ball back to Bevan who hit it long and Zebs flicked the ball on and out to Robinson who once again cut inside and hit the most powerful of shots that only just went wide of the right hand post.

Bucks then made his first change to the line up, off went Tomlin for O’Kane who soon got stuck into the game. Then came our second goal and I was so pleased after all his hard work all evening, that Murray was the scorer.

Mind you I don’t think he believed his luck when the ball landed at his feet, but he put the ball into the net very well. He played a big part in the goal in the first place after going on another run down the middle and saw Mansell making a great run in acres of space on the right hand side. He played a perfect low ball into Mansells path who took the ball on a bit further before driving it low into the Cheltenham box.

A defender tried to clear the ball but cocked it up and all he did was just take the pace off the ball so it fell nicely for Murray to fire it home. Bucks made his second change of the evening, off went Murray and on came Billy Kee to very loud cheers for the Plainmoor crowd.

Billy did just fine when he came on, but I don’t think the changes that were made worked and we lost the attacking threat that we did have. We still created a chance or two; Zebs went on a good run and must have hit his shot from all of 35 yards then just went wide of the goal.

Robinson then went off and on came Danny Stevens with 15 minutes still left on the clock that ended up far more nervous that they should have been. Robertson just can’t stand behind the player he is marking without grabbing hold of him and gave away a needless and unnecessary free kick about 25 yards from our goal.

I was a bit surprised the Cheltenham player went for goal and it looked an easy save for Bevan to make, but he somehow let the ball go through his hands and into the net.

It would have been an injustice if Cheltenham then went on to get an equaliser as they had hardly threatened our goal all evening, but they did try their very best to get one. Boo’s rang out around the ground when the board went up and showed that four extra minutes had been added on. Thankfully we held on and got the win that on the balance of play, we fully deserved.

I thought all our players worked so hard and so I won’t single anyone of them out for special praise. Bevan’s kicking was very poor at times and was at fault for their goal, will he keep his place in Friday’s game?

A good enjoyable evening up at Plainmoor and the right result, nice to see Andy and have a chat as I have not seen him for ages and all the others who I see at all home games.

great win,great entertainment,great crowd,and a great betting result for me,had branston as anytime goalscorer at 16/1,thankyou the pickler,its all just getting better and better.Surely PB isnt going to do the unthinkable and get automatic promotion? The mood around our squad at present suggests anything could happen

There was some great moves in the second half..some great inter-play between the lads...credit where its due. I doff my proverbial cap!

After a nightmare journey in which I got to the ground a minute before kick off, it was a pretty good game and at least something resembling a crowd at last even if it was just over two thousand.
I am not so sure it was as good as some people are making out. I thought Matt Green caused our two centre halves plenty of problems.
My first look at some of the loanees. Wasn't impressed at all by Tomlin. Quite glad to hear that he is probably going back. Murray on the other hand although only young has flair on the ball and really took his goal well. A prospect.
Craig Stanley is the best central midfield player we have had since Alex Russell. He was absolutely outstanding last night. If we get in the play offs, we are stuffed because he won't be able to play.
Up to 4th and if Buckle gets this team of loanees and misfits promoted then I'll even chip in for a bottle of champagne.
Finally who on earth was the short grey haired bloke wearing a white scarf and dodgy raincoat who was in the dugout and went to the centre of the pitch with the players at the end of the game?