Torquay United v FGR (Boxing day/Jan 1ST) double header match day thread

[brucie]

We havn't got a chance of staying up unfortunately . We played well with what we had but ultimately Forest Green had two quality strikers to bring on.

Dale Vince is a **** retard - reckons they are going to the championship - on 1000 crowds apparently.

Thought that Gerring made a bit of a hash of the og as he had two chances to clear it. The penalty was strange - if he handled it then why didn't he get a straight red? The ref was waiting to give them something, having blown for an infringement at our corner a minute before - when there appeared to be no foul.

Lavercombe played well and then made his inevitable error with his weak kick out gifting them their third goal which was really undeserved.

Nicholson said that in his after match interview he didn't have much to work with - but hoped to get "a couple of players in". Well if that is all we can manage then we are doomed.

[nickbrod]

The two benches were the difference between the two sides today. FG had a game changing one while we were lucky to find four (not the usual five) on ours.

[lucy6lucy]

Pleased with that performance, we matched them well for most of the game until tiredness started to set in. Of course FGR can bring on quality players off the bench, unfortunately we have no such luxury. If we continue to play like this then I can't believe we will be relegated.

pretty much sums up the situation. I remain positive , but tactical game changing decisions(when your in the relegation battle we are in)need to be done by the manager on the touch line.

[brucie]

I don't understand why the ref didn't send Berry off for the penalty. If it was deliberate handball then it was clearly a straight red. Having said that Berrys arms were clearly by his side.

I am not saying it wasn't a penalty but if the ref had doubts that it wasn't intentional (and didn't give Berry any card whatsoever) then surely he shouldn't have given the penalty.

It was a penalty/red card

or no penalty/no card

it couldn't possibility have been a mixture of the two.

[Dazza]

I think Nicholson calls it correctly. By the time we play away again after our three successive league home games we need to be in striking distance of getting out of the bottom four. If we are within a two or three points of the safety pack by then I think we will go on to avoid the drop. Results going our way tomorrow are therefore pretty important.

[Dave]

It goes back to inconsistent refereeing Brucie, that I was referring to after the Cheltenham game. Berry has dived towards the ball in the penalty area and handled the ball, it is a penalty, so a card should follow.

But it's like why do some players get yellow carded for encroachment. and others don't (Richards v Dover home) no whistle, no re-take, no yellow card, in fact we scored from the resulting rebound. A different referee and a card may have followed, however personally glad it didn't, we can't afford any more suspensions to add to our injury list.

[Dave_Pougher]

Maybe being harsh here but just where was Nicholson going for their third?

[Dave]

We were not complaining about the relative merits of the two substitute benches while deservedly leading the game 0.1. No your not being harsh, the penalty and third goals were appalling to give away, Marsh-Brown shouldn't even have got that shot away.

[Yorkieandy]

Only had time to watch the first half but I thought without creating anything much that Torquay didn't look in any trouble at all at the back. I was quite surprised to check the score later to find it was 3-1. It looked set for a decent draw. I think 3 points from these 3 games where most expected to lose all three is a good return. Ok so the 6 points deficit (7 due to GD) is still there but it's no worse than it was going into these games and don't forget the other teams down there also have to play these teams too so for Torquay they're out of the way now. Torquay have been unfortunate tonight and against Chelts but for large parts of the season there hasn't been many positives to take out of games according to many on here so if the last 3 games indicate a strengthened spirit / resolve and being a bit more competitive then it's only a good thing.

It's important that Boreham Wood and Altrincham now don't manage to win tomorrow as that would be 10 points adrift (with worse GD) and that would be pretty tough to turn around under even the most favourable of circumstances.

As for FGR and Mr Vince. I like him. I like his ideas. I like the fact he has a different outlook on football from everything from the terrible outdated catering to renewable ways of providing power for the ground etc. I wish football had more people like him willing to challenge archaic traditions. That said though, he is deluded. FGR will never in a million years be a sustainable league club under their own steam as they simply don't have the fanbase. Even if they got into the Championship there would be nobody there. The club is propped up by Vince and that's fine but if he's out to make FGR into some footballing superpower and also hope to turn a profit on both counts he's lost the plot. Again, love the ambition from the bloke but he's chosen completely the wrong club in which to attempt this 'experiment'. It's essentially a village team and that is how they will stay. Whether they find their real level which is definitely not Vanarama or whether they go bust and reform AS an actual village team, these are the only two outcomes for FGR i'm afraid.

Anyway, next four league games are tough but a few wins going into the Alty game would give you guys a real real chance. Best of luck!

[SteveDeckchair]

Thought we looked good for 80 mins. Definite penalty though and bit disappointing for the last one.

Got to say though, the squad is looking paper thin with the amount of centre backs we had to field today and only having four on the bench. That has me worried more than the loss today as I can see us picking up points against lesser teams if we play like we have the last three games.

Keep the faith people, things could look a whole lot different in a few weeks.

Hats off to the yellow army too. Loud and proud today. COYY!

[Gullible]

Recorded the match and replayed some of the goals and goal scoring opportunities. I felt Matsh should have had a penalty when he was pushed to ground. Butler's overlap and cross was excellent for us - Wright should have scored though but Verma did well to nick it. FGR were offside (with 2 players) for the "OG". Certainly looked like a penalty but how could he give it and not use a card? It looked like we were a bit confused about who was playing where when Ex was subbed and Nicholson started playing higher up the pitch - FGR had too much time for their 3rd. My view is we would have had all 3 points but for the poor refereeing decisions and late Torquay substitution.

[Scott Brehaut]

Now I've calmed down a bit - man I hate injustice - I think we actually played very well. Certainly up until their penalty when we lost it a bit, although I think it was due to pressing forward to get the equaliser.

I said on Twitter (to Ben I think) at the time, when they made their subs that we were probably screwed - two decent players subbed for two equally good ones against a tiring defence was always going to be trouble.

I was impressed with Butler, didn't think the Kev was that bad either, though he was at fault for the third goal (but due in part to being further forward in search of a point). The penalty was what really killed us. Needless movement of the arms by the otherwise excellent Berry, gave the referee little choice but to award the pen. I also thought he was going to send him off and was relieved when he kept his cards in his pocket (was anybody actually booked today?)

I also thought Gerring was ok. Did the job he was tasked with pretty much to the letter, and was very unlucky with the own goal that should have been disallowed for offside anyway. Lavercombe has good command of his box, and the defensive unit as a whole worked well up until about the last ten minutes or so when we began pressing for an equaliser, when we lost our shape a bit and, well, the rest is history.

All in all, more positives than negatives, but time is rapidly against us and we need some swift moves in the transfer market, ideally before our next match.

[Modgull]

Another spirited performance but eventually undone by FGR's double substitution.

We had set ourselves up well to deal with Parkin in 433 but when they reorganised and brought on two quality subs at this level we struggled and it was only a question of time before we conceded. The first goal was unfortunate for Gerring who I thought had a goodish game, and there was an argument for offside, but what a needless free kick to give them the dead ball opportunity in the first place.

The second goal was the killer but we were being pulled apart by then and Berry was just too far away to claim accidental hand ball - definite penalty. The third - well we really had fallen apart by then and going to a makeshift 442 left the centre of the defence exposed.

I think we look like a side heading for the exit in fairness. Our resources are wafer-thin and luck always goes against the small battalions. Hopefully, I can be proven wrong in the next three home games.

[Jack]

Just a postscript to the penalty award.
The ref obviously deemed it deliberate handball and awarded the penalty but did not consider it denying a clear cut goal scoring opportunity, Lavercombe might have had it covered, so Berry wasn't sent off.
We should be grateful to Mr Rushton for not booking Berry which he could have done - we don't need any more yellow cards!

[davidcaldwell123]

The 3 Ps Preparation, Preparation, Preparation does the 3 goal for FG vs Kidderminster look familiar.