POSF2: Torquay Utd v Cheltenham 17 May 2012

I see on the OS that we are still going to play with a lone striker! Oh well, I suppose it's best to stick to a formation that's got us a shit load of goals this season! ;D

The answer to the highlighted question is NO! Surely though, if we can't scare them with quality, we must scare them with quantity!

A nice early goal can turn this tie around on its head and if we do get one, then there is every chance we can go and win. Do we have three goals in us? On paper maybe not, but then we all know that any thing can and does happen in football.

I can’t see there being a bumper crowd tonight as some fans might just feel the game is already over and we have no chance at all of turning things around. We have all seen many great comebacks in our time watching this wonderful game and who knows, this could be one of them.

To not make it through to Wembley would be a second disappointment the fans of this great club would have suffered this season, but fans should not forget to even be challenging at the top of the table, is a major achievement for such a small poorly supported club.

I say poorly and only mean at home games as our travelling fans do the club very proud and in my view apart from a few idiots, are the best behaved fans in all the land. So a big well done to them and also all the fans who have managed to get to home games and I only wish my circumstances were different, as I would so love to be standing on the popside with you all.

What will be will be, I only hope no matter what the result, I read on here later the players gave their all, that is all that can be asked of them and expected by those who have paid good money to attend games and given the lads their full support during the games.

Here is hoping the right result that will put our team one step closer to promotion, I still feel inside its going to happen this season and won’t give up hope until there is nothing left to hope for.

Good luck lads, you have done this club proud already this season and will some real grit and determination and just a little slice of luck, you may just pull off the impossible.

Jarvis up front, Stevens back on the wing. Atieno stays on the bench

Also intriguing to see Yeoman on the bench ahead of McPhee

Attendance?

I've backed Ling since Day 1 but that goal is his fault for the last sub. He shouldn't have changed the defence, as awful as Ellis has been

*puts positive cap on*

At least we didn't play badly tonight. We looked better going forward. Although we didn't take our chances, we did at least create some

A bit of strengthening and we may be up there again - as I said earlier this week (or was it last week?), we clearly have the core of a good side because that's two years in a row in the League play-offs, and 4 of the last 5 in the play-offs generally

I should imagine we'll lose Eunan but we'll get cash for him wherever he goes. I'm not placing too much hope in Nathan Craig yet as the last thing we need is a false Messiah. Wouldn't mind seeing the back of Ellis either as he's been a bit rubbish lately - Saah is clearly the class act at the back and has been virtually all season. A couple of centre-backs, a quick winger (Bodin as part of the O'Kane deal has been mooted) and Easton in midfield and I think we should do OK. I'm sure Ling's got some ideas

The problem is up front. OK, so we did win all those games when Howe was out over Christmas, but Atieno hasn't looked as good lately. Jarvis did OK tonight but OK isn't quite enough. I'd keep him on as a squad player, and the same for Atieno. But we do need another striker. Again, Cheltenham show that the best way to do this is to have options - Burgess, Spencer, Mohamed, Duffy and Goulding, all good strikers for this level

With O'Kane and Ellis presumably gone, that should free up some wages. I'd also add in McPhee as I'm not sure he's quite up to it at this level if we want to regularly challenge - he was what we needed at the time we signed him because we were expecting a transition season, but I don't think it's a coincidence that he has disappeared from the scene later on when we were towards the top. Also, if they aren't going to play, Halpin and Yeoman aren't worth keeping. Will be interesting to see what happens with Niall Thompson as he looked very good in the Man Utd game

I just hope Bobby stays. It'll be difficult to find someone as good as him if he does go. I can't imagine him going unless a Championship sides comes in for him, but there are 24 Championship sides out there. Plus there are a couple of others throwing around the cash at the moment which concerns me (*cough* Swindon *cough* Rotherham). I doubt he'll go anywhere to sit on the bench, though - he has already done that at Villa. He's too good for that

Though it would be easy to slip into pessimism, I think we're too good at this stage to be struggling big time next year, unless a lot of players leave and rash decisions are made by the board (and I'm sure they won't, because they're not daft). We have a good manager playing an effective way. There are a couple of dead-weights in the squad but it's the same for everyone. We can be pleased with this season, but just a bit disappointed it fell apart in the last 7 games