swindon town v torquay united - 20/3/2012

[AustrianAndyGull]

The Southend result did us a real favour. Like i said, our home game against them could be so important. Forget about tonight, so glad i saved my pennies and will use them on saturday at Plainmoor. If we lose against Vale ( who are in decent form - won again tonight ) then i'll be getting worried but total respect and faith in Ling and the boys.

[tufc si]

Was always gunna be a tough ask and once we started letting them into it more and more they just took control. We were deffo the better side first 20 mins, need triangles and passages of play but the rest of the game is probably one to forget!!

Still begrudge paying pretty much a days wage to get in but at least the stewards werent anal this time and make everyone sit down!!

Onwards and upwards eh boys!!

[lucy6lucy]

Only Oxford have beat them at the CG, only 1 goal conceaded in the last 12 home matches. Feeling depressed, then dont just look at the table we are 2nd. As i said the job was done last Tuesday. This was always a game we didnt count in the run in. The run in starts Saturday. 8 games to go. 6 points for playoffs(2 wins easy), 15 for auto. Southend losing was massive

[AustrianAndyGull]

On the BBC website it says that Tai was brought on for Damon after 61 minutes. Can anyone shed anymore light on this? Is Damon injured?

[tktufc91]

Not too concerned about tonights result. Swindon are the champions elect and after three away matches back to back, I had a feeling this one may have been one too many after the week we've had.

Still, as long as we get back to winning ways on saturday then we should be OK. Looking at the next few fixtures, we have (on paper) some decent fixtures coming up so hopefully we can at least guarantee a play off spot very soon.

[tufc si]

On the BBC website it says that Tai was brought on for Damon after 61 minutes. Can anyone shed anymore light on this? Is Damon injured?

Yeah damon is fine from what we can gather mate, didnt look in any pain/distress or anything when he went off!! We were chasing the game though so lingy's gambled and bunged on another forward as we went 4-4-2, didnt work though and Tai was a bit pants but hey ho!!

[AustrianAndyGull]

Cheers Si. Good news about Damon though.

[royalgull]

Just all a bit meh about that. First 20mins I thought here we go we're going to play well tonight and we might take something off them. Rene was winning everything, bulying their centre backs around and linking play superbly but we failed to get enough bodies around him. Other than a long range free kick which Bobby handled expertly I didn't feel they were hurting us, then it all went pear shaped.

A lot of that was down to Swindon you can see why they are top of the league, their pace and movement up front was tough for us to handle at times, they got numerous dangerous crosses into our box and although we dealt with most of them, we as an attacking threat got weaker and weaker as it went on. Ultimately done by 2 corners, 2 good balls in, but 2 unmarked finishes isn't great from us.

We're a different side when we fall behind, all our belief sapped from us once they scored. The 2nd half charge never came, if anything it was Swindon doing the charging and us hanging on. The 2nd goal killed the game and Ling made the 2 changes that to be honest I would have made at half time. Lathrope was having a mare may have been down to the injury but he was completely ineffective and Swindon all seemed to be attacking with the extra man, our two wingers were really poor on the night, Rene was doing his bit but we just never got any support around him. (I don't like this left footer on the right side stuff just to put that out there) I would have put Tai on at half time for Lathrope and gone 4-4-2 which we did at 2-0 briefly before Rene was withdrawn as a precaution I think. Otherwise that was MENTAL.

Like I said before hand, this was a free shot game, I expected us to lose, we got the 3 on Saturday so points this Saturday keeps on track to get where we want to be. Just a bit not angry or annoyed but little bit disappointed that we didn't give Swindon our best game tonight, 6 or 7 players were off the pace for us and we can't have that. We aren't good enough to get away with that.

Not the end of the world, hopefully we can get a win Saturday and we'll be right back on track. Still think we've got a great chance and tonight was never going to determine anything, only just reaffirms Swindon as the stand out side in the league.

[tufc si]

Totally agree with that royalgull. It was as if tonight the boys knew they had done the hard work in the previous couple games and by bagging 6 points this one didnt really matter. Which in effect was true, but woulda been nice to have at least shown a bit more spirit than we did. All in all though cant really grumble or whinge too much though as we wouldnt be where we are at the mo if every other game this season had been like it was tonight!!

[AustrianAndyGull]

I thought the last half hour against Burton a lot of them looked knackered so reports of a lethargic performance with no fight didn't surprise me. The lads know they can compete against Vale and we are back at Plainmoor so with a day or so off there is no reason why they shouldn't be fresh for saturday and raring to go again.

[usagullmichigan]

Agree Austrian. I am not fussed about the result tonight at all. If we won tonight but then we got beat at the weekend I would be gutted. Losing tonight is ok as long as we win at the weekend. Swindon are a better team than us so lets move on a and asskick Port Vale.

[bengull]

Torquay missed the chance to close the gap with league leaders Swindon Town by losing to them 2-0 at the County Ground. Over 600 Gulls fans made the trip to Wiltshire but were to head home disappointed as The Robins flexed their considerable promotion muscles and bounced back convincingly from their 2-0 setback defeat to Crewe at the weekend.

That Torquay were even mentioned as promotion pretenders to Swindon before tonight's match speaks volumes about the job Martin Ling has done on a shoe-string budget this season when compared to the Carte-Blanche given to Di Canio to buy himself the league championship. Although his return to the Country Ground was marred by defeat Ling can be proud of how far his side have come in recent months to have made this a table topping clash.

Torquay lined up unchanged for the fourth game in a row and resplendent again in third strip- all white; perhaps a lucky omen after wearing it in Saturday's 4-1 trouncing of Burton Albion, in their usual 4-5-1 formation. Damon Lathrope passing a late fitness test to play. Swindon lined up in a more conventional 4-4-2 formation, keen to avenge the 1-0 defeat suffered at Plainmoor on Boxing Day. Billy Bodin, who made a massive impression on loan at Torquay for the first half of the season, was left out of the squad, but Swindon did include a couple of ex-gulls in the form of striker Alan Connell who played for Torquay in 2005, and Ronan Murray who had to make do with a place on the bench.

The Yellow Army were in fine voice as the game started in an open and attractive manner, both teams trying to keep the ball on the floor and pass and move at pace, there was some intricate link up play on exhibition in the opening stages with neither side able to gain an early advantage. Swindon looked dangerous down the wings and some threatening crosses had to be very nervously turned behind for corners on a number of occasions, however Torquay's confident back four remained resolute in order not to concede an all important early goal with Bobby Olejnik once again in fine form, and equal to everything thrown at him.

At the other end Torquay were beginning to make inroads into the Swindon defence. Rene Howe, high on confidence after his majestically placed goal on Saturday, blazed wide. Eunan O'Kane beat the off-side trap only to see his goal-bound effort blocked fairly easily by Foderingham, Danny Stevens ran at goal with purpose but fired his shot just over the bar with the Keeper concerned about its destination. Torquay's play, especially in the final third, was again very easy on the eye, oozing with confidence, which made it all the more galling to concede on the half hour, slightly against the run of play.

From another corner from the right, Alan Connell met the ball 10 yards out and directed his header powerfully into the net, it was a goal as simple as it was avoidable. But before the inquest into whose fault it was could begin, Torquay found themselves on the back foot as Swindon moved up a gear and penned The Gulls back. Torquay were lucky to go into break with the deficit at one, in particular there seemed to be a real problem with tracking the runners from crosses into box, as a consequence there were some clear openings at Olejnik's goal and some better finishing may well have seen Torquay punished further.

Torquay fans remained confident at half-time that Ling could orchestrate a turnaround, especially with options on the bench, however Swindon reappeared having had a special team-talk of their own. The unpredictable Italian had got the home team fired up and some excellent early possession nearly led to them to doubling the lead in front of the 'Town End,' who in turn woke up from being dormant to spur their team on. Ironically in this period of intense pressure Torquay nearly equalised on the break. In a none too similar situation to how he scored on Saturday, Rene Howe was released down the left, he cut inside his marker and manoeuvred some space for a shot, his low curling effort looked to have the beating of the keeper but unlike his Blockbuster at Burton, this one went wide, the expression on his face told us it was close though.

This galvanised Swindon though and they went straight up the other end and doubled their lead. Similar to the first goal, a Swindon man was allowed far too much space in and around the penalty box from a corner and this time the number 13, Risser rose highest to head home. From here to the end Swindon dominated in every facet of the game, missing some excellent chances to extend their lead, Torquay looking extremely vulnerable on the counter-attack as they searched for a way back into the match, it was only good fortune that they did not concede further.

Atieno and Jarvis came on as a direct response to Swindon doubling their lead. Lathrope, clearly not fully fit, and the ineffective Ian Morris were the ones to make way as Torquay went for 3 big lads up front and started playing more direct football - this played into the home team's hands who sensed an opportunity to really set a marker out for the rest of the season by cruising past the second placed team in the league. With goal difference being key going into the run in, and with Torquay's front 3 proving fruitless, Rene Howe was withdrawn 15 minutes later in what looked to be a damage limitations exercise. Although Howe did go for a vigorous warm down whilst the second half continued, so perhaps it was merely a precaution with Saturday in mind.

Torquay worked hard until the final whistle but never looked like scoring. Atieno came closest by diverting Lathaniel Rowe-Turner's low centre just over the bar as Swindon Town increased their lead at the top to 7 points, setting them up nicely for Sunday's appearance in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final. Paolo Di Canio has built an attractive side at the County Ground, and through his unpredictable and sometimes chaotic managerial style, he has managed to lay the foundation for a promising couple of years. They should now win this league at a canter, and everything is in place to see them hold their own in league one. Club's with that budget simply do not belong in league two, with teams who could not afford just one of the vast number of signings brought in by the mad Italian. Despite ranting, gesticulating and remonstrating wildly throughout the match he is clearly a character who both fans and players respond to.

So a disappointing night for Torquay, but it comes at the end of a very successful week. Excellent away wins at Rotherham and Burton had given us the platform to seek a victory tonight, but after a long week of travelling it proved to be a step too far. Tonight's match proved what we already knew, that Torquay will not win the league, but with twenty four points to play for automatic promotion remains a realistic possibility and should be our sole aim. Last time Torquay suffered an away defeat - 2-0 to Gillingham in February, they bounced back perfectly by taking 13 from a possible 15 points, a similar return in the next 5 games would see Torquay right up there coming into the final sprint for promotion.

Torquay have an excellent opportunity to bounce back when they face Port Vale, struggling on and off the pitch, at Plainmoor on Saturday. Tonight's performance will leave Martin Ling with some questions to be answered though as, uncharacteristically, two set pieces proved to be United's undoing. Praised on so many occasions for their organisation and fortitude, the defence will need to recapture the form which has seen it keep 16 clean sheets this term if the team is to avoid a season marring blip at this late stage. But like with every instance a question has been asked of Martin Ling and Shaun Taylor this season, they have shown they have the solutions as Torquay still find themselves in second place and with everything to play for.

[Craney TUFC11]

The game reminded me very much of a game at Notts County in I think the Hodges play off year. We lost that day 3-0 at Meadow Lane to the Champions Elect in a similar style to last night at Swindon. They had Sam Allardyce in charge? on his way up the ladder in a similar vein to Di Canio. Swindon were excellent second half and really turned the screw, but what was dissapointing was that the goals we conceded were not from the open play football but two very cheap goals. I do believe that winning our home games is all that we require for auto promotion, Port Vale, Accrington, Crewe and Southend. On paper not the worst teams to be playing with hopefully Crewe either already having a play off spot or no chance of a play off spot by that time. And on Sat, Port Vale with the ten points off and no risk of relegation. Southend are an up and down team, depends which one turns up. Looks fairly optimistic. One thing I would say is that if we miss out then I think that the strength outside the first 11 could be where we go wrong. Last night, following the subs, we never looked like scoring if we played until saturday. I feel that the impact from the bench when losing a game could be where we fail. But cannot grumble to much. Jarvis last night looked like a loan player, whereas when I had seen him before looked a very hungry player. Tai was fairly limited and Rowe Tuner gives me the whopplys every time he is on the ball...sorry. But cannot grumble as we are second in the league, so what do I know. In Ling we Trust, could not ever say that about a certain Mr Buckle.

[Awayday]

Plenty of good reports and comments. I am of the same thoughts as most of us there last night, the better team won, but we don't care, we are second which is far better then we ever expected to be.

There was a time in the first 20 minutes where Swindon had some chances but Torquay held there own and played a good passing game. The first goal was a sloppy goal to let in from a corner, and you could see the whopping great hole in defence right in front of Bobby. The second goal was the same, no defence in front of Bobby and Swindon had a clear header.

Before the 2nd goal Swindon didn't look like the "Amazing" league 2 club we keep hearing about, but after the 2nd goal their passing was very good. We couldn't get the ball from them and when we did we couldn't do anything with it because we were cut down very quickly.

The better team won, and I think the better team will win the league quite comfortably, but this was a no lose game for us, if we won it was a suprise, if we lose it was expected.

I came away from the game not too disappointed from the result or the game, but the Swindon fans, oh my goodness, what a bunch of tossers (well some of them). We had a few remarks on the way back to the car, and it was like they thought we actually cared. A couple of fans had a chat with us and soon realised we wasn't that bothered by the loss, and they understood why it meant more to them than us. Most of them agreed we had a great 20 minutes and they did feel worried, but then it all fell apart.

COYY!!!!!

[Southampton Gull]

Each club has their fair share of tossers and it's fair to say we met quite a few of Swindons last night on the way back to the car but balanced out by a few that were humble in victory. Takes allsorts I guess and as others have said it isn't that great big a disappointment, I think we'd all have taken 6 points from those three away games quite happily.

We didn't do ourselves justice last night but I won't be looking to blame anyone, we've had a tough season with a small squad and they've all done us proud.