Farnborough v Torquay United (VNLS game 2) - Aug 17th 2024

[Chelston TUFC]

What's the playing budget? £500k.
20 players on £25k = £500k
Why should we expect to turn any team over at home or away?

[numpte]

We could have easily got a draw out of that and on another day might have done so. Positives were the defence (despite giving a penalty away) and GK. Midfield in 2nd half were more at it with the replacements and I can’t remember F’Boro have many clear cut chances in either first or second half except for one excellent save by Hamon in the second. Yes they are part time but they are also more settled and were solid if not spectacular.

[Southampton Gull]

I think it's obviously going to take time for a new squad like ours to gel and it's only the second game of the season BUT Brucie is right in his assertion that we should be beating these sides. The problem is that football never works out how it should at our level. As long as we see a gradual improvement and maintain a position in and around the play offs I'll be happy. It wasn't long ago we were looking at the end of the club so no depressing thoughts from me.

[portugull]

Its very early days.

I bet Maidstone are having a real inquest on how they lost at Home to Truro City 2-1.

Bath City away on Tuesday will be another competitive test for our new side.

[brucie]

I'm not saying that we should win every game but there seems a few problems in the team already. Thelkeld, Mussa and Hayfield are all desperately short of pace so the midfield looks quite pedestrian to me.

There is obviously a problem when your two principle midfielders get dragged off after 45 minutes of the second game of the season. In fact the whole team looks devoid of any pace really.

Dave Thomas said that our goalkeeper was man of the match - that sounds a little worrying to me. I just dont buy the excuses - the chairman says we have the biggest budget it in the league. If thats the case I think we should be challenging for promotion. We are a new team - but I believe Farnborough signed 12 players in the close season and that hasnt stopped them winning both games so far.

Its early days and its only one game but I still think that its a disappointing result on the whole. Farnborough is a tough game. So is Bath apparently - they beat 10 man Welling 1-0 at a home today - a team that boasts the likes of Jacob Mensah, Chiori Johson and Dan Martin, so lets put things into perspective - Bath are bog average, no world beaters. Its not unreasonable to expect ius to come away with some sort of result on Tuesday.

The Maidstone result has no bearing on our result today whatsoever. In fact being beaten by Truro probably indicates that Maidstone are pretty average team as well.

[TUFC67]

I guess we cannot expect to win every game. It's still early in the season and imagine the manager is figuring out his best, starting team. I didn't attend the game , but the commentary sounded more positive than some of the comments made by those that did. Have to be pragmatic with where we have come from since end of last season.

[york_gull]

First half so poor, awful piece of defending leading to the pen, and then it felt a bit like we were hanging on to half time.

Second half much better, Cooke is a real presence in the air winning the majority of his duals. Their keeper pulled off a couple of decent saves and that was ultimately the difference. I felt we deserved a draw (biased!). Hamon came to the rescue on a couple of occasions but they were saves you’d expect him to be making.

We will improve as the team gels, I just hope we get more performances like the second half and not the first…!

[Nigel L]

Farnborough fan here in peace.

Firstly, we played 8 of the 11 that played the last game of last season, so any suggestion we signed 12 in the summer is just funny (we haven't).

It was a close game and the difference was Reggie Young turning his man and your right back missing his tackle. Stone wall penalty, converted.

We were better in the first half, you edged the second, but didn't make it count.

The bit that surprised me is you never tried to play through us, instead resorting to long diagonals - very non-League, in my opinion. Looks like both teams are going through a learning curve. It's August, not May.

[Dave]

Lets get the moaning out of the way first. I fully admit over the last two seasons to have ben a serial moaners myself, along with so many others, but there was good reason on so many levels to be highly critical of the previous owners and first team management and coaching.

But for god sake , the Bryn consortium have been in place for what 3 months is it ? They've delivered new kits, up graded hostility with new systems, new ticketing system, new manager, virtually a complete new squad. We have a club that is now being run in a sustainable manager gone is the £1 million loses a year, and so much more we can talk about that's been achieved in such a short time.

Nothing born in June could ever learn to walk and then run by August. This season was always going to be one that was about consolidation, this would be obvious to some one with the very basic footballing knowledge, don't know whether some are just to daft to realise it, or perhaps your the person who has it with in their DNA to watch a TV programme they hate, just so they can write a strongly worded letter of compliant about it.

If your the person that can't except that our club needs a total from the bottom up rebuild, except that will take time, if you can't except TUFC being run in a sustainable manner not leaving us as prey to another vulture, meaning we face a slow burn, meaning there will be for every UP, a DOWN to follow, then kindly open the door and walk through it, because you don't deserve the leap of faith shown by our new owners, you don't deserve the unity we now have at the club, you don't deserve to go on the journey those of us who know we're going have to be patient as to get through the short term, our club may well have to take a step back before it can move forward.

Now onto the match, I was at the game today, so not making my assessments through the opinion of the commentator, and just because the commentator or pundit says it, doesn't mean they're right it's their opinion, it's nice to see the refreshing honesty of Wootton after what went before him.

The first half from a Torquay point of view simply wasn't good enough, over run in midfield, a first half performance that lacked any form of energy or desire, I can't see PW excepting a repeat of that, Farnborough had got in behind us on three separate occasion down their left hand side, before the concession of the penalty so the warning was there.

Mussa I like this lad, we've seen the standard of passing and set plays he's capable of, he was way off that today and largely anonymous today, perhaps not fully up to match speed yet, maybe better suited coming off the bench and starting Assani who again lively, I've seen suggestions that Threlkeld is carrying a knock maybe shouldn't have started today.

Second half light years better, more competitive all over the park, created some very good chances, and must not be forgotten Farnborough's keeper has pulled off two top class saves in the second half, our team have gone very close on a couple of occasions also, and Cooke has missed another sitter on top of that, I would go in too hard on him for that, he's getting into some great positions, only a matter of time before he puts one away, and some confidence will soon flow.

Only real criticism of our second half perform was a real lack of composure. So yes. on another day our team could have scraped a point, which on balance of the whole game probabaly wouldn't have been deserved, but come on, this was game 2, of a whole new era, with a whole new team, Rome wasn't built in a day, and isn't patience a virtue.

[UnitedinDevon]

Didnt get carried away when we won last week and wont implode into madness that we've lost today

A reality check for some (did i see someone predict a 6-0 win!) who think we have a divine right to win every game

Be grateful for what you have - this fan base can so painfully fickle

Roll on Tuesday

[Louis]

[Brixham63]

From the commentary and highlights…it was a hard fought game that could have easily gone either way…we have a competitive team and manager..for this season let’s just enjoy it

[MellowYellow]

I thought both managers post-match interviews summed up the match in a nutshell. It was a hard fought game with two key Farnborough players (Hollis and Holmes) having to go to A&E after the match with one having a suspected broken wrist and the other a frozen shoulder. That will have done them more harm than good in their promotion hopes than winning against us. If I gauge this match against the displays of last season there is still much to look forward to this season. We will not be an easy team to beat. I can see play-off potential in this squad.

[Abbotgull]

I think the big positive from this game, even though we did lose, was that Wotton was able to make changes at half time that led to an improved 2nd half performance. That is light years away from what was happening last season, things are progressing.

[brucie]

I supposeitss how you view things. Yes its positive that we have a bit of strength in depth.

Not so sure that having to take your two biggest signings off at half time because they are ineffective is anything but a negative though.

Bit too early to say we are play off material but I still think that is not an unreasonable expectation.

Dont see Farnborough as a promotion winning side either to be fair.

I think there are some issues with the side though - lack of pace being the obvious one.