League 2: Northampton Town vs Torquay United

[Bigman]

I'd say Jeff's report is pretty much spot on - neither team deserved to win this and in the first half I don't think the ref got a decision right in either direction. I barely celebrated our first goal cos it looked like Zebs had committed a foul and I was waiting for a whistle. The one good thing I can say for him is that he didn't give a penalty against us. They claimed at least 2, neither looked genuine but you never know, and then Robertson had a fistful of shirt at a free kick for no reason, fortunately not spotted.

Having seen our long ball game fail at Macclesfield I don't know why we persisted with it last night - Zebroski, Tomlin and Kee are not aerial giants, their big centre back played well but marshalled our attack fairly easily. Tomlin struggled to get into the game (with the exception of one quality cross) and while Robinson got in a couple of good positions it wasn't his best game. Stanley was also not great, often seeing the switch in play but doing so with looping balls that slowed our attack down. Our passing in general was pretty bad, even short passes were missing their man and going out of play.

Some positives now:
Bevan made a couple of good saves and looked confident in the air, made a good clearing punch from a corner too. A few kicks went wayward, but seemed to improve as the game went on. As above, his high looping kicks from hand aren't really suited to our forwards, but I'd suggest this is what he's instructed to do so not a criticism of him in any way.

Mansell got in good defensive positions and cut out a couple of potentially dangerous crosses. Lathrope did likewise for their midfield passing and is looking like a proper first teamer. Zebroski had the beating of both full backs, if anything we should've used that more. Great finishes for both goals.

Probably won't know if this is a good point won or two lost until the end of the season. Let's carry on our form against the top teams and make sure it doesn't matter!

[portugull]

Yesterday morning I was speculating in my mind what time the coach would leave Plainmoor for Northampton.

I factored in that it was a Friday and estimated that they would leave no later than 10 am which would ensure that they did not get caught up in the usual Friday afternoon nightmare which is UK Motorways.

I looked at the route recommended by the AA which takes them up the A34 and the journey time would normally be 4 hours. Because of previous bad experiences where the team coach has been held up on the motorway, I am sure it happened last season, I think the club should always double the normal journey time. So if you leave at 10 am on a worst case senario you arrive at 6 pm.

I do hope the club will learn from this because it really is pretty basic stuff. I still think we are having a fantastic season and if we get less than 4,000 for the home game with Lincoln it will shame on the public of Torquay.

[Fletch]

According to the radio last night, the driver missed the turn onto the M4 at Bristol and carried on up the M5.....Shocking if true...

[TeJay]

Reading some of this is brilliant stuff

Whinge whinge whinge the ref hates us and he gave nothing to us...Yeah right he was just as poor for both teams. To suggest he was some sort of homer is just ludicrous

Like one of you said, was a clear foul in the build up to your first goal, bloody good finish though, dont know his name but he'll do alright for you lot.

Our equaliser - yes it was retaken but do you think the ref stood there mentally begging for us to score? It was retaken for encroachment and we scored from it. Tough shit it's your own fault

Branston was all over our players in tugging, pulling etc and it was amazing how he managed to last the game. Crowding the ref for every decision only works when you have a ref as weak as he was 8/

The freekick which led to Bauza's equaliser came because of an off the ball incident where one of your centre backs pushed/kicked/whatever and Harrad ended up on the floor, again, your own fault. Boot on the other foot you'd be screaming for it. Yes it came 6 minutes into 4 allocated minutes. For those of you who are too blind to work out the basics, this is because of your long winded celebrations in injury time and your 2 substitutions which were dragged out to maximum potential. It will seem like a kick in the bollocks but it was refreshing to see a ref who actually played the full injury time

It's funny how those of you not there have some amazing ability to make out you were robbed and you should've won 10-0 and the ref was a homer.

All in all a fair point i suppose. Will you go up? This league is so wank it's hard to say.


Anyway, i hope those of you who visited San Sixfields had an enjoyable day out, good to see you weren't overawed by the prospect of seeing the sleeping giants of NTFC in action against your minnows. I'm sure if you all speak to your club shop they'll get some DVD's in for the game *



*Sod it someones going to take that seriously so i'll just clarify I'M NOT BEING TOTALLY SERIOUS.

[Bigman]

Ah, you've reminded me of my other complaint with the ref. Free kick for their first goal came from a half cleared free kick that they got when their striker blatantly handballed it. Don't know how he came to that decision. And yes, it's also the ref's fault we didn't clear it properly and gave away another free kick

Can't argue with the retaking or amount of injury time though, and no idea about the free kick for the second goal, don't think anyone other than the lino knows what happened there, including the visiting Cobbler above. Could've been centre back strong arm tactics or forward falling over on his own, both of which happened a few times in the game.

[Regiment]

Reading some of this is brilliant stuff

Whinge whinge whinge the ref hates us and he gave nothing to us...Yeah right he was just as poor for both teams. To suggest he was some sort of homer is just ludicrous

Like one of you said, was a clear foul in the build up to your first goal, bloody good finish though, dont know his name but he'll do alright for you lot.

Our equaliser - yes it was retaken but do you think the ref stood there mentally begging for us to score? It was retaken for encroachment and we scored from it. Tough sh*t it's your own fault

Branston was all over our players in tugging, pulling etc and it was amazing how he managed to last the game. Crowding the ref for every decision only works when you have a ref as weak as he was 8/

The freekick which led to Bauza's equaliser came because of an off the ball incident where one of your centre backs pushed/kicked/whatever and Harrad ended up on the floor, again, your own fault. Boot on the other foot you'd be screaming for it. Yes it came 6 minutes into 4 allocated minutes. For those of you who are too blind to work out the basics, this is because of your long winded celebrations in injury time and your 2 substitutions which were dragged out to maximum potential. It will seem like a kick in the bollocks but it was refreshing to see a ref who actually played the full injury time

It's funny how those of you not there have some amazing ability to make out you were robbed and you should've won 10-0 and the ref was a homer.

All in all a fair point i suppose. Will you go up? This league is so w**k it's hard to say.


Anyway, i hope those of you who visited San Sixfields had an enjoyable day out, good to see you weren't overawed by the prospect of seeing the sleeping giants of NTFC in action against your minnows. I'm sure if you all speak to your club shop they'll get some DVD's in for the game *



*Sod it someones going to take that seriously so i'll just clarify I'M NOT BEING TOTALLY SERIOUS.

welcome to the forum. everyone is entitled to an opinion, and you've had yours - now **** off.

the only thing i'll agree with you about, is that a point a piece was probably a fair result from a footballing point of view, but lets actually be honest here for a minute, if that's possible. your "big" club, isn't a big club. bring yourself to the real world, look at where you are, and what you've achieved, and you're no better than anyone else in that division. WE are a small club, a well run small club, a well supported small club (yes, not 1000s and 1000s of fans, but proper supporters who get behind our team, win, lose or draw - we stayed to applaud our team off the pitch after 100s of your "fans" had left for home). but because you think you're a big club, you think you are superior. you're not. i can read, i know you say you are not being totally serious, but there is a degree of that mentality throughout your club, which is why you hear those sort of comments so regularly. AND for that very reason, you will never be a big club.

whatever happened at the end, that resulted in the free kick being awarded, may well have been the correct decision, i don't know, couldn't see it, but there was plenty of cheating, diving, kicking out at our players after the ball (your superstar Harrod did that a few times, so don't tell me he was innocent in what led to the free kick award)etc etc, that was somehow missed by the officials. and if you are happy to watch your team doing that week in week out, that's your perogative, but you'll win **** all doing it.

but well done, a point against a team that were stuck for about 7hrs on a coach, with less than 30mins to prepare for the game, is a great result and worthy of a pitch invasion. carry on like that and you might just survive in div2.

[Plymouth Gull]

Haven't got time to read every report, but it seems that most people thought Northampton weren't very good? I thought they were excellent at attacking, quick. Bauza and Harrad will pose a fruitful partnership once they've got more games together, I'd have thought. Jacobs will go far, I think. He looked capable of playing at League 1 level, and he's only 18/19. They were a good side - I said I'd take a point after hearing about the coach journey and all that. Still, first half we still hadn't got off the coach - an excellent individual effort from Eunan being our only decent chance on goal, from memory. Tomlin was absolutely rubbish last night, Stanley was continually bypassed as it was hoofball, playing right into their hands.

It was a niggly game with fouls being given all over the shop - we somehow conceded 11 fouls while they only had 3 against. Don't know how they worked that out. Ref never showed authority from the first minute - Harrad and Bauza then took the piss. Slightest contact and they were down, freekick in a dodgy area.

Second half, again quite dull, we finally got some passing moves going. Billy Kee came on, tried, failed, tried some more, didn't really work. 92nd minute - ball comes across, lets it run across him, pulls it back, crowded by 2 defenders, curls it into the far corner. Cue absolute ecstasy from me and the other 369 Gulls who had gone up. That had to be it, surely.

But nope, Mr Sarginson and co had other ideas. An off the ball incident (I didn't see it, did anyone?) saw them get a freekick not far out. Bucks brings on the defensive cavalry, Ellis and Oastler. I expected it, but the timing couldn't have been worse. Gave them time to compose themselves, stopped the flow of the game. We paid the price with a scrappy goal in the 96th minute.

A long journey home made longer by the road towards Oxford (A43 or something?) had been closed so we detoured through Banbury and stuff, great fun.

A final note, excellent turnout. It's a bloody joke that we can't have a drum in the stand, yet their mascot is allowed to bang it all night. Rub, salt and wounds spring to mind here, as had Paul been allowed his, it would have been a bloody special atmosphere!

[ferrarilover]

Will you go up? This league is so w**k it's hard to say.

Yep, agree totally, this is the worst, weakest L2 for years, full of tiny little, insignificant clubs of Conference North/South quality at best. Dismal managers, grotty little grounds, hideous officials.
So, pray tell TJ, why is 20th place the best NTFC can muster against such a hopeless group of nobodies?

Matt.

[yellowmonkey]

We could soon be in 10th after last nights performance

[TeJay]

welcome to the forum. everyone is entitled to an opinion, and you've had yours - now f**k off.

the only thing i'll agree with you about, is that a point a piece was probably a fair result from a footballing point of view, but lets actually be honest here for a minute, if that's possible. your "big" club, isn't a big club. bring yourself to the real world, look at where you are, and what you've achieved, and you're no better than anyone else in that division. WE are a small club, a well run small club, a well supported small club (yes, not 1000s and 1000s of fans, but proper supporters who get behind our team, win, lose or draw - we stayed to applaud our team off the pitch after 100s of your "fans" had left for home). but because you think you're a big club, you think you are superior. you're not. i can read, i know you say you are not being totally serious, but there is a degree of that mentality throughout your club, which is why you hear those sort of comments so regularly. AND for that very reason, you will never be a big club.

whatever happened at the end, that resulted in the free kick being awarded, may well have been the correct decision, i don't know, couldn't see it, but there was plenty of cheating, diving, kicking out at our players after the ball (your superstar Harrod did that a few times, so don't tell me he was innocent in what led to the free kick award)etc etc, that was somehow missed by the officials. and if you are happy to watch your team doing that week in week out, that's your perogative, but you'll win f**k all doing it.

but well done, a point against a team that were stuck for about 7hrs on a coach, with less than 30mins to prepare for the game, is a great result and worthy of a pitch invasion. carry on like that and you might just survive in div2.

You say you're well run etc, yeah brilliant, so are we. Your point is?

Glad you say your support isnt all that. If we were 4th we'd be getting at least double what you get in terms of attendance.

I'd love to know where you get this idea we have a 'big club' mentality. Before you suggest the Hotel End forum, i'd like to get in there first and say its full of either idiots or people trying to wind you up. The latter part obviously succeed.

As for the game, Your players indiscipline in the wall cost you a goal - fact. You argued with the ref and ended up surrounding him at a couple of points - fact. Your defender gave away a needless freekick into added time - fact. If you hadn't wasted so much time in substitutions we wouldn't have scored - fact.

Like i said, the officials were just as bad for both teams. You could say both of our goals were from soft decisions. On the other hand you could say there was a foul against us in the build up to your first. No point in crying claiming you've been robbed like Buckle has. Not our fault the ref is shit is it?

ferrarilover - Poor management and poor signings is the reason. I'm not overly bothered however seeing as this sort of thing tends to be a one off. You don't normally see us that far down do you? Then again if we can get a draw off that massive high flying Torquay side, we obviously aren't that bad are we 8/

[SuperNickyWroe]

You say you're well run etc, yeah brilliant, so are we. Your point is?

Glad you say your support isnt all that. If we were 4th we'd be getting at least double what you get in terms of attendance.
I'd love to know where you get this idea we have a 'big club' mentality. Before you suggest the Hotel End forum, i'd like to get in there first and say its full of either idiots or people trying to wind you up. The latter part obviously succeed.

As for the game, Your players indiscipline in the wall cost you a goal - fact. You argued with the ref and ended up surrounding him at a couple of points - fact. Your defender gave away a needless freekick into added time - fact. If you hadn't wasted so much time in substitutions we wouldn't have scored - fact.

Like i said, the officials were just as bad for both teams. You could say both of our goals were from soft decisions. On the other hand you could say there was a foul against us in the build up to your first. No point in crying claiming you've been robbed like Buckle has. Not our fault the ref is sh*t is it?

ferrarilover - Poor management and poor signings is the reason. I'm not overly bothered however seeing as this sort of thing tends to be a one off. You don't normally see us that far down do you? Then again if we can get a draw off that massive high flying Torquay side, we obviously aren't that bad are we 8/

yeah mate - but you arn't you?? so we wouldnt know.

and yes you did get a draw.

and yes we are "high flying" at the moment.

and yes, going on what the reports said you did deserve a point.

[royalgull]

Can we stop this nonsense? Seriously it's not like it's even remotely funny.

Boring 'big club' debate as if it's ever won anyone any points being a big club, which Northampton Town aren't anyway and I'd be amazed if any of their fans genuinely think they are. I don't mind NTFC, piece of piss to get to, nice ground that is perfect for them, and they were the visitors for my first ever game as well, we won that day.

As for yesterday, we didn't deserve to win but we shoudl have won. Yet AGAIN silly free kicks, bad bad decisions (by our players not the officials) have cost us late goals and points. THIS HAS TO STOP NOW!!!!! If we were a bit more of a professional outfit we'd be 2nd in this league. I know everyone has their sob stories but I don't care about anyone else, we have let ourselves down late on in games far too much this season. Top of my head Oxford, Bury, Northampton, Cheltenham, Morecambe. Ridiculous.

Both of our goals were excellent finishes, I felt for thier goal Bevan might have been able to come for the 1st ball but I may be harsh and wrong there, the 2nd goal is avoidable but how many times we said that this year? Our centre halves deserve an absolute dressing down now because the amount of stupid free kicks they give away every game is a nonsense and it costs us goals nearly every time.

Still a draw isn't the end of the world, I'd have taken it before kick off we're still on course for what we want this season and the top 3 isn't completely beyond possibility.

[Regiment]

You say you're well run etc, yeah brilliant, so are we. Your point is?

Glad you say your support isnt all that. If we were 4th we'd be getting at least double what you get in terms of attendance.

I'd love to know where you get this idea we have a 'big club' mentality. Before you suggest the Hotel End forum, i'd like to get in there first and say its full of either idiots or people trying to wind you up. The latter part obviously succeed.

As for the game, Your players indiscipline in the wall cost you a goal - fact. You argued with the ref and ended up surrounding him at a couple of points - fact. Your defender gave away a needless freekick into added time - fact. If you hadn't wasted so much time in substitutions we wouldn't have scored - fact.

Like i said, the officials were just as bad for both teams. You could say both of our goals were from soft decisions. On the other hand you could say there was a foul against us in the build up to your first. No point in crying claiming you've been robbed like Buckle has. Not our fault the ref is sh*t is it?

ferrarilover - Poor management and poor signings is the reason. I'm not overly bothered however seeing as this sort of thing tends to be a one off. You don't normally see us that far down do you? Then again if we can get a draw off that massive high flying Torquay side, we obviously aren't that bad are we 8/

yeah, i agree with royal, this is getting a bit tedious now.

just couldn't let the above highlighted point go by without a response tho.

that is exactly what i was saying, big club, where are the fans when you're down in 20th ?? the 400 away fans that were there last night would've been there whether we were 4th or 24th.

as for the game, i'm looking forward to seeing the footy league show tonight, as it was impossible to tell what happened at the far end, so it'll be good to get some clarity on it, regardless of whether decision was right or not. it is what it is, the game finished in a (fair) draw, now lets get over it, and make sure we put it right in the remaining fixtures.

[gullsflyinghigh]

ferrarilover - Poor management and poor signings is the reason. I'm not overly bothered however seeing as this sort of thing tends to be a one off. You don't normally see us that far down do you? Then again if we can get a draw off that massive high flying Torquay side, we obviously aren't that bad are we 8/

You must be pretty bad if you're 20th in what you described yourself as a 'weak division'.

[united09]

Isn't Northampton just a rugby town?