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Yes, it was disappointing but no need to go all doom and gloom so early!

This always seems to happen, a bad run or a bad important game and then suddenly we're playing 'bad football' and we don't have good enough players for the league.

The lads will be galvanised for the next leg and want to show everyone what they can do. They've already shown this season that they can overturn a deficit to win a game. Believe.

stevegull wrote: The lads will be galvanised for the next leg and want to show everyone what they can do. They've already shown this season that they can overturn a deficit to win a game. Believe.

will they tho steve?? ive been expecting a good fighting performance each game and its just not there any more, we're shot, exhausted, it'd be a flaming miracle if we come out fighting on thursday, we dont appear to be a team with three goals in them any more?

Lathrope, sadly, has almost certainly added a second successive play-off campaign where he has been responsible for our undoing. He's been poor in the last couple of months, and should be replaced by Morris (who is receiving far too much criticism) for the 2nd leg.

Before we gifted them the goal, I thought we looked pretty comfortable and played the better football. After Cheltenham took the lead, they used their extra pace and were more incisive and clinical.

The most surprising thing for me was Ling's expansive game plan. Having frustrated them to a 0-1 home reverse in February, and with a home leg to come, I thought we'd be happy for it to be a cagey affair. Instead, we played it like a cup final, and all too often left Ellis and Saah exposed. Despite their heroics in defending counter-attacks, Jarvis' miss will surely prove to be one costly error too many in the tie.

Rene said on Twitter that that's him finished for the rest of the season so it could be alot different on Thursday esspecially if Danny is fit too!

i cant believe he (we) kept on playing (him), how dangerous is it to play on with an injury?? he or st martin should've admitted that he wasnt fit to play and we shouldnt have played him these last 5 or 6 games

maybe st martin has become far too reliant on that 451 that served us so well since the turn of the year, with 11 fit men over these last six games who knows what we'd have ended up with, if someones not fit then they dont start, it seems simple to me? maybe the lack of depth forced his hand, it was always a gamble not taking on any loanees after jarvis signed and i think this lack of confidence in the fringe players has probably cost us this season

now then i hope my day doesnt descend even further with filthy man utd winning the league!!

I don't think it was bad as some are saying. Yes we were toothless in attack without Rene, gave away a bad goal from an individual mistake and forgot to defend for 5 mins at the start of second half, but I thought we created the better chances first half. If I'm honest I can't see us turning it around without Rene, but it's been a good season and we should be proud of our players. I agree that we need another goalscorer and that our backup options aren't great, but to suggest most of a squad that finished 5th should be binned is crazy!

You need to make Plainmoor a fortress of sound on Thursday and get behind your team. Get an early goal and the tie is open again. I thought you were lucky to come away with only a two nil today but its not over but the first goal is absolutely essential. From an outsiders point of view I was shocked at how poor Mansell and OKane were today. You need them to be really on their game on Thursday and to put them under early pressure. Howe wil be a big loss. Keep believing.

So disappointing that the season has faded in this fashion, it was always going to be easier to gain automatic promotion than through the play-offs. Whatever the problem causing the 'run out of results' in the last 5 games, it wasn't going to go away despite the possitive comments.

There have only been 1 or 2 teams that have won through to the play off finals after being 2-0 down fron the first leg and also when was the last time that GULLS won by 2 clear goals ( against Burton) and a long way before that.

For any chance, must score first and in the first 15/20 minutes. The longer Cheltenham hold us in the first half, the more unlikely we are to win...Can't see it but something lucky might happen.

Keep the faith people!! Wouldnt be right if we didn't do it the hard way would it!!...

Cheltenham will come to defend their 2 goals. We need to throw everything at them for 20 minutes, if we score -game on. If they score at least we have gone down fighting....Please lads 110% !

coley wrote:Cheltenham will come to defend their 2 goals. We need to throw everything at them for 20 minutes, if we score -game on. If they score at least we have gone down fighting....Please lads 110% !

Do or die now, biggest 90 mins of the season. With Howe out, I don't think Lingy has a choice whether to go with 2 up top or not, no one else offers the same hold up play him and with the need to attack, 2 upfront is a must. Can see Tai and Jarvo getting the nod.

I certainly don't think Lathrope deserves all the criticism he is getting at the moment. Yes, he made a mistake but so did many other players. He was just unfortunate that it led to the goal. And, if you watch him he's brilliant at mopping up and starting Torquay on their moves. The ball just falls near him and with one touch he lays it off simply and starts a move. He isn't a player who will get noticed for this but just watch him and you will see what I mean.

Okay, calmed down, a bit...

I do think my summing up should now include an agreement with others who have said that we made a bad team look good today. Sure, their wingers attacked our defenders well, which was very scary to watch, but their finishing was as poor as ours. I think 1-0 to them would have been a fair overall result as their first goal was a bibbly-bobbly poke that could have gone either side of the post, and Jarvis' header could as easily have gone under the bar.

It was more a case of us just giving the ball away time after time. They were none too creative with all their possession. If we can hold onto it better, then pass with both accuracy and FORWARDS for a feckin' change, maybe, just maybe, we can claw this back. No doubt their fans will say they bossed the game. The reality is that we were like the guy in a tennis warm up chipping up the ball for the other guy to practice his shots. Given all the breaks they got from us, they could've won 5-0, but they DIDN'T, and that's the point.

I agree that the first 20 minutes will be the 20 most important of our season. We go one up, and let's see what they're made of. Oh, and btw, having rested their voices for 75 minutes today, I hope the Yellow Army can sing with gusto on Thursday! That's not a dig as I, too, would have sat cross-armed like the away end was if I'd been there today.

Cheers

Bruce

They weren't special, far from it. If we took one of our chances in the first half hour we'd have won. We were awful after Rene went off, we missed Stevens(!). Atieno is not good enough, he should go at the end of the season, one of many.

Poor atmosphere from ourselves but when we play like that it isn't surprising. Roll on Thursday. Get a goal in the first 20 and lets see what happens. Unfortunately, without Howe I can't see it happening.

Cheltenham deserved to win, we didn't. Simples.

Still believe we can pull back the deficit. Can't be as bad as today surely.