Northampton Town vs Torquay United 24/8/13

[oxgull2]

Just got in from the match. Poor first half, a lot better second half. Poor Nicho had no cover in the first half and got pulled all over the place by their right winger. It took a while to put someone else in the vast acres of space and give Nicho the cover he needed but not before the cobblers took the lead. To be fair they could have had three and Ricey made a couple of vital stops to keep the score down. We just didn't get any time on the ball and look well out of sorts. Early second half started the same with them nearly adding to their lead. Then we clicked and Jordan Chapel took his chance well to equalize. It was all Torquay after that and then the sublime strike by Chapel for the winner. Outside of his right foot and Duke in the Northampton goal stood no chance. His time wasting stopped way before then but his kicking and throwing out got a lot more frantic. 6 minutes of added time didn't stop the gulls seizing their first win of the season though. The 20 odd spotty youths high up in the home stand had shut up long before as well. Great win and if we can make it 90 minutes instead of 45 then we will be a match for anybody. Very happy tonight.

[SkyBlueGull]

After my "Balance of the Team " post I can now more accurately comment after having seen the Gulls in the flesh so to speak.

The first half was absolutely TURGID and I was beginning to wonder whether Ling was still in charge. What I could not understand was the persistent hoofball up the middle from Rice's kicks followed by a series of head tennis. What was even more puzzling was the fact that we were supposed to be playing with 2 wide-men but if you looked at their positioning they were either in the centre circle or only 3 paces from it along with Manse Harding and Ball. Despite all these men in the middle of the park we were still second best to every ball.

I stand by my previous post that a Manse Harding partnership does not work - they are similar and were often only feet away and going for the same ball

I feel from other posts that Nicho is being harshly treated even though I no longer feel he is in his prime. He was getting no back up on the flanks from either Chappell or Cameron. Their goal was a peach of a standard far higher than League 2 - the ball hit out wide very quickly - superb control by the winger ( if it stayed in touch) and a whipped cross that gave Rice no chance. It was interesting to note that when we had a corner and everyone went up - it was Nicho that was left on the centre circle marking their nippiest player if there was a breakout. I feel he was hard done by from other posters and was a major player in calming things down and pushing balls down the flanks in the second half. I do wonder what has happened to his arm strength - in the first half Northamptons troublesome long throws were reminiscent of Nicho's some years ago - but he doesn't seem to have it any more. I don't know that when he shed weight in an effort to get fitter meant he lost some arm strength - maybe someone more medically minded than me can comment on that.

And so we came to half-time - lucky to be only 1-0 down - and Northampton demonstrating the art of wing play.

I don't know what was said at half time by Knill but whatever it was it worked. The frustrating thing for me is why does it take until half time to change things when it is blatantly obvious what is wrong after 20 minutes. get some instructions out from the Technical area - get a player to go down injured so that instructions can be passed on or simply some of the players with senior experience - get a grip of the situation and sort it out themselves

I cant really add any further comment to the second half performance - other than it needs to be at that standard every week. 1st half was relegation form - 2nd half a playoff spot.

The players that impressed me were Chappell, Rice Pearce and Hawley ( who trys to link and bring in others as well). Ball - the jury is out - I thought he was a handful for the Cobblers defence until about 15 minutes to go - then he seemed to be blowing like a 40 cigarette a day man. I would have taken him off and not Hawley .

Harding would have been my lowest score - I don't know whether it was because he was playing against his old muckers from last season - but he seemed to pass to a Maroon shirt an awful lot.

The only other disappointing note was to see Nathan Craig and Ashley Yeoman in the stands with the Yellow Army looking thoroughly cheesed off. What a waste of potential talent - Craigs feet should be on green grass on a Saturday afternoon - not in jeans and trainers kicking heels in the Cobblers away stand To me we need a creative playmaker to spray the ball around and to me Craig fits that bill. I don't know whether he is good enough but he needs the chance to prove himself. Likewise Ashley is too good to be on the fringes.

One thing I do know - if we play like the first half for the next 10 games - we would be in serious trouble.


Anyway I am in Torquay next weekend - hoping to take my father in law in the disabled end for his first game since Christmas.

[Kernowgull]

I think Craig will sadly be on his way shortly. Yeoman I don't understand. Thought Knill was a fan, but it appears not.

[Plymouth Gull]

I'd like to see a Craig-Harding/Mansell partnership but I doubt it'll happen.

[SuperNickyWroe]

skybluegull,

thanks for your report.
with regard to nicho, losing weight should make his throw-ins better! dont know why its doesnt.

anyway hope you and your dad-in-law having a cracking day next saturday!

[royalgull]

Don't underestimate the wind, you could see from both teams performance and the way the keepers were kicking the ball it was much easier attacking the goal where we were based.

We were atrocious first half, second best to everthing never a threat and lucky to be 1 down, second half with the wind we bossed the game really and should have scored more than 2. Chapell is our best winger by a billion miles and was superb, took his goals very nicely. Defensively we had a better shape the midfield pair did better, Ball I thought led the line very well and his first goal is around the corner and Hawley is a good player for this level. Bodin did well as well which was nice to see and made a difference.

Very pleasing win, much needed. Enjoyable day as ever at sixfields

[Scott Brehaut]

Just seen the goals on SSN.

Two cracking finishes from Chapell.

[Gull hull]

Come on you yellows.....keep believing,playing as bad as we are,only 1 down,we will turn it round in 2nd half.....

We kept believing great win

[GazTheGull]

Just seen the goals on SSN.

Two cracking finishes from Chapell.

so they have filmed them this week, that's good

[SuperNickyWroe]

so they have filmed them this week, that's good

you mean, makes a f**kin change.

useless gareth hunts.

[Gullscorer]

No bookings today..

[bengull]

Not long in after a thoroughly enjoyable day. That second half performance was as good as I have seen from Torquay away from home in a long time. A real joy to watch, the 252 gulls in the away end were rewarded with a treat as my Sixfields hoodoo was finally broken.

Agree in large parts with SkyBlue's excellent post, in particular in defence of Nicho. I am not denying for one bit that Nicho struggled in the first half and was pinpointed by Northampton to a large extent, but to write him off as a liability is a bit excessive. Time and time again Kev (and to a lesser extent Tonge) were left on a 2 on 1 scenario due to little or no cover from marauding wingers, in that situation it is hard to know whether to stick or twist. Coupled with that you have the 2 centre backs not yet up to speed with playing together and communicating as a partnership so no doubt the full back has half a mind to tuck in slightly as cover too.

Indeed at one point Nicholson was forcibly trying to explain to the dug out his concerns about the ease that Northampton were making In-roads down his side in the first half, it would appear whatever he said was taken on board as he had a much quieter second half. Not forgetting the tricky wind blowing right into his position and it made for a torrid first half. In the second half I thought Nicholson was excellent, his experience was important and I would possibly rate him still as the most intelligent player we have, cleared one off the line in the last 5 minute for anticipating the need to cover the goal line.

Undoubtedly he has lost a fair bit from the high standards he set 2 or 3 years ago, and whilst I am not saying he should be an automatic pick by any means, there must be a reason why Cruise isn't fancied time and time again at full-back when we all know that Nicholson is so obviously stifled by a lack of pace. I thought a lot of the flak he copped was unfair, yet he was still the man nearest to the away end clapping the fans at the final whistle. A true professional.

Ball and Hawley were a right handful, and watching them bring the wingers into play in the second half was a pleasure to watch. Bodin came on and made a big difference in place of the ineffective Cameron but the undoubted star of the show was Jordan Chappell, two sublime finishes that I can not wait to see again and a whole bundle of attacking intent on the wing which had the Cobblers on the back foot for most of the second half.

You don't get to see performances like that second half very often away from home, we looked like we could score at every attack. One attack was all that was needed to get the confidence back, and when it came we were unstoppable. Just wish I could see a replay of the whole second half, it would be worth seeing again.

Plenty to work on and plenty of areas to improve, but today was a big indication of what we are capable of, and I am excited by the prospect of more. Northampton were no great shakes it must be said, but it takes character to turn around a 1-0 deficit, especially in a match where you have played so poorly, and we showed that character and desire to the nth degree in that second half.

Up and running and with that monkey off our backs, lets go and beat those monkey hangers next weekend.

(Also, pleasure to stand next to our much missed Austrian friend, having spent a year and a half moaning about lack of intent away from home, I think even the grumpiest man in the north was sent home happy today. We shall reconvene at Fleetwood mate where I shall give you back your 4dvd special edition of 'The Sound of Music'

[brucie]

Gullinwotplaces - You really never learn do you. Perhaps you ought to stop posting because when you do you just make yourself look like a complete and utter imbecile
You say that I might "pretend" that we were lucky which apparently is "bollox" (as you put it).
Yet several posters describe our first half peformance as "turgid", "lucky not to be 3-0 down at the break" etc etc.
So are they also all talking "bollox" as you put it then?
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot

Anyway moving on from the minor irritation that you are , I was enjoying an excellent local game so didn't really monitor the game at all. Predictably we we were losing - and by all accounts from the posters on here were absolute terrible in the first half yet again.
Seems like we rousted ourself in the second half to come away with an excellent, if unexpected but welcome three points.
One thing is for sure - Chappell is by miles our best winger, why he has only started two of our league games so far is beyond me.

[ferrarilover]

For accurate summary, read Jeff's posts, both of which are bang on.
I'd have to see it again, but I think Ricey, perhaps, will feel he could have done better with their goal. The ball seemed to be in the air for a long time and he didn't manage to get a finger to it.

God only knows why, in the first half, against both a strong wind and the biggest team in the division, we decided to play a game of 'who can kick it highest', because it didn't work. Second half, as others have said, we issued a lesson in slick passing, off the ball movement and passing into space.

Matt.

[ferrarilover]

To suggest we were lucky today is, of course, wrong. NTFC couldn't hit a cow's arse and that is nothing to do with luck, it's a lack of ability on their part. Their attempts weren't even close. I lost count of the number of chances (mainly headers) which rolled tamely past the post when hitting the target was easier. The one from the bloke from 5 yards when he missed the goal by 10 (he didn't know he was offside) was genuinely laugh out loud funny.
They have the best keeper in the division by some distance and it was he who kept it to 2-1. We gave a real lesson to NTFC in the second half and to suggest that luck was a deciding factor is hugely degrading, disparaging, unfair and disrespectful to the players and staff who crafted such an excellent win.

Matt.