Boreham Wood v Torquay

Gullscorer · Post by **Gullscorer** » 20 Feb 2016, 18:27

But the last thing we want is a draw and a replay against Bognor Regis..

Parkys People · Post by **Parkys People** » 20 Feb 2016, 18:37

Kick the Fa Trophy into touch.

A right sided midfielder aside, the 11 that played today should be wrapped in cotton wool until the seasons end.

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » 20 Feb 2016, 18:44

Burnhamgull wrote:Gap down to 10 points. Win on Tuesday and the gap reduces further but more importantly the team gains momentum.

Still worry that goal difference will play a big part.

Only Boreham Wood have a significantly better goal difference than us. If we end up on the same points as any of the others it will have meant us winning and them losing on a few occasions which should wipe out any goal difference deficit.

chestertorkyman · Post by **chestertorkyman** » 20 Feb 2016, 20:10

Getting concerned about being just 10 points adrift of safety. The most likely scenario is that 4 teams will go down from 5 contenders, TUFC, Kiddy, Welling, Boreham, Altrincham. Forget Halifax who are revitalised and will go clear. So TUFC need to finish above Altrincham. At present that means adding 12 points to whatever they get. Lets just give then average results, more defeats and draws than wins, in their 13 games they should get minimum 20 points. TUFC therefore need more than 32 points from our 16 games to be in with a chance. That is an average of 2 points per game, or to be brutal, winning 11 of the remaining 16 games.
That is a very tall order and even then, other teams may go one better. So, please, no more "only 10 points adrift" - I will cheer the team on, but this is a nearly impossible ask, unfortunately.

madgull · Post by **madgull** » 20 Feb 2016, 20:39

chestertorkyman wrote:Getting concerned about being just 10 points adrift of safety. The most likely scenario is that 4 teams will go down from 5 contenders, TUFC, Kiddy, Welling, Boreham, Altrincham. Forget Halifax who are revitalised and will go clear. So TUFC need to finish above Altrincham. At present that means adding 12 points to whatever they get. Lets just give then average results, more defeats and draws than wins, in their 13 games they should get minimum 20 points. TUFC therefore need more than 32 points from our 16 games to be in with a chance. That is an average of 2 points per game, or to be brutal, winning 11 of the remaining 16 games.
That is a very tall order and even then, other teams may go one better. So, please, no more "only 10 points adrift" - I will cheer the team on, but this is a nearly impossible ask, unfortunately.

Well, they've played 33 and got 34 points, more or less one per game, so I've got no idea where this 20 from 13 comes from. If we take their current form, they've actually go 4 points from 5 games, so 13 points is a much more realistic scenario. Don't let that get in the way of your edgy cynicism, though.

Lloyder5 · Post by **Lloyder5** » 20 Feb 2016, 21:35

Dutchgull wrote:As Brucie points out we need the Trophy like a hole in the head, all it is doing it causing fixture chaos. In any case we have not got enough eligible players to even fill the bench !! Farcical.

It's not really farcical is it. We know why it has occurred. Players brought in are cup-tied, those that left were hardly successful anyway. If those that are eligible get through, then good luck to them. The ineligible players will be rested anyway. In the remainder are mostly defenders, frankly the more they play together the better.

howarddevoto · Post by **howarddevoto** » 20 Feb 2016, 21:46

10 wins from 16 required

Yorkieandy · Post by **Yorkieandy** » 20 Feb 2016, 21:55

Vital win today and pats on the back for Nico and a lot of the players who have had a couple of tough pressure games this week and dealt with them the way everyone would have hoped. Two wins most importantly but also two clean sheets to boot.

Shame Grimsby appear set once again to repeat their familiar annual conference failure by losing at Halifax but all Torquay can do from now on is beat what's in front of them and not worry too much about other teams above. If Torquay start winning now and again then i think you'll be surprised how quick you can make up ground but it's a huge if. Go on another barren run and that's the drop for sure.

I think never has the clichÃ© 'take each game as it comes' been so appropriate.

That's all you can do and see if progress can be made.

Really pleased for you lot today. I went to Chesterfield v Crewe and was checking my phone for scores. Not too regularly though, you know me and my rampant fear of mobile phone zombification of the nation. It was weird looking over from the West Stand at the Crewe fans, a small gaggle of them in the freezing away end watching their team play like fairies. I empathised with them because I've been there many times before as a Torquay fan AND actually in that same away end too and experienced the same situation. Makes you actually wonder why football fans travel the country far and wide doing what they do really.

I guess it's for days like today. Torquay fans travel to Boreham Wood thinking wtf is this all about?! The only possible outcome was for Torquay to win or it looked curtains and they won! Maybe it's days like today for Torquay that go some way to explaining what it is all about.

Anyway. Huge huge 3 points today so congratulations.

Gullscorer · Post by **Gullscorer** » 20 Feb 2016, 22:13

Thanks Andy..

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » 20 Feb 2016, 22:17

Heartening result today. It was a torrid game, conditions were poor and the football was absymal but it was refreshing to see us so comfortably better than a team in a similar predicament to ours. But the for the last 5 mins - when Boreham Wood finally decided to join in the game - they didn't threaten us at all. Lavercombe's one handed safe and their header hitting the top of the bar was as close as they came.

It was a brave decision of Nico to drop himself, and to be honest it didn't completely work. We looked very lopsided, playing more of a 4-3-1-2 with Ajala behind the front two and running into whatever channel the ball was nearest. It meant that when the play was over one side, we were a man short on the opposite side and left ourselves both weak in attack and susceptible on the break. It would have been easier for him to play himself and put Butler on the left of a 4 man midfield. But fair play, he didn't go for that and what he did do kind of worked enough. It will be interesting when Allen is back fit - I understand he was decent in the Trophy against Macc so you'd hope to see him on the opposite flank to Ajala. Hopefully it would be Rees who would drop from the side in that circumstance.

Really like the look of Racchi and Harrad. To throw in a cliche, both have great footballing brains and you can see that in how they play. Both always had more time on the ball than other players on the pitch as the were thinking ahead. Harrad, for a smaller guy, is very comfortable at bringing the ball under control with his back to goal. Racchi on the other hand, very adept at sitting back behind the play and letting things play out in front of him. Couple those two things together and you have Harrad bringing the ball down up front and laying it back to Racchi, allowing us to get men forward. Big positives there.

Butler was brilliant. I think a stint in midfield has helped him as he was more comfortable on the ball. He was instrumental in the goal, winning the ball in midfield and bringing Berry into play via Richards. Hopefully he can stay at LB for the rest of the season.

Blissett I'm not sold on, despite the goal. Alarmingly poor return of aerial balls won for such a big guy, and naff-all composure in the box. That said, he intersperses the mediocrity with the occasional blinding piece of skill or link up play. He's worth persevering with as he's unorthadox and can be a bit of a handful. But technically not a patch on Wright.

Crucial win today. Had we lost, we'd have been completely cut adrift. Fortunately, we ground out a result whilst everyone around us was taking points off each other. Its going to be a miracle still, but at least we are still in with a shout. Get a win against Welling and we can really tighten things up without burning up a game in hand on a few teams either.

tomogull · Post by **tomogull** » 20 Feb 2016, 23:59

chestertorkyman wrote:Getting concerned about being just 10 points adrift of safety. The most likely scenario is that 4 teams will go down from 5 contenders, TUFC, Kiddy, Welling, Boreham, Altrincham. Forget Halifax who are revitalised and will go clear. So TUFC need to finish above Altrincham.

I think you're jumping the gun. There is still a third of the season to go and I think other clubs will be drawn into the relegation scrap - e.g. Chester, Barrow or even Guisley. I think you're right about Halifax. They seem to be grinding out a few wins. I'd say taking our goal difference into account, we will need 52 points to be safe - 9 wins and a couple of draws. Still a big ask and there will be several bottom of the table battles like today's match.

Dutchgull · Post by **Dutchgull** » 21 Feb 2016, 01:32

Lloyder5 wrote:
It's not really farcical is it. We know why it has occurred. Players brought in are cup-tied, those that left were hardly successful anyway. If those that are eligible get through, then good luck to them. The ineligible players will be rested anyway. In the remainder are mostly defenders, frankly the more they play together the better.

I am saying its farcical that many supporters are wanting success in the trophy but we cant fill the subs bench with eligible players ! If that is not a farce then what the **** is ??? Lets get to Wembley with three SDL players on the bench !!!!

The Trophy is a total waste of time and a complete distraction FFS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Neal · Post by **Neal** » 21 Feb 2016, 07:58

none of us know what will happen but we have gut feelings. my gut feeling is relegated and wont get to wembley. thats not being negative i base it on probability.

i think we will have a rally but there is too much ground to make up. the squad is too small. but if young retutns that would be a major boost but im not holding my breath on that one.

i cant got to bognor and cheer on bognor so we lose, physically not possible. dont think bognor is going to be easy either, too close to call but i have to cheer on torquay or not go of course

BobBobBob · Post by **BobBobBob** » 21 Feb 2016, 09:16

Yesterday was encouraging, we took some time to get going but looked good for much of the game. I liked Harrad's smart hold up play and I disagree with that comment about Blissett's aerial ability, he won most of his aerial battles again. I counted 6 out of 9. And for one of those 9, he was blatantly pushed over in their box when the ball was up in the air. Their bloke made zero attempt to jump for the ball, it really ought to have been a penalty. Their forward Jamie Lucas won 2 headers for contrast - though that had a lot to do with how good Nathan Smith and MacDonald were. For me, our best player yesterday was Durrell Berry, who worked very hard on a horrid looking pitch, neutralised a lot of their attacks, and provided a great cross for our winner.

I reckon 50 points is the magic number and so we need 9 wins out of 16. Very unlikely but not impossible based on yesterday's display. It makes sense to try in the Trophy, the prize money is £8,000 for a win next week. We could do with that.

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 21 Feb 2016, 11:15

Bob - you are not being realistic. If we win next week then we will have to postpone another two games to play in the Trophy. Both teams have the option to waive the right to a replay so lets hope that this can be agreed between the two clubs.

Its not just the re arranged games. We are inevitably going to get further postponements because of the state of our pitch. I would suggest that there is probably less than a fifty per cent chance of Tuesdays game going ahead.

If it does though there is the very real chance that we could win again. We would then be going to Macclesfield next week with a real chance - we have beaten and drawn with them with a quarter of a team out so nothing really to fear.

We have then a load of home games left against rank bog average useless teams. Do you realistically expect us to stay up playing four games a week ie playing on a Thursday as well - because that is what will happen.

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