Torquay vs Barnet
Posted: 09 Nov 2010, 18:42
Losing out on £30,000 is always a disappointment, especially when there was nothing you could do about it. However, the FA Cup replay takes priority, so instead of us meeting Barnet live on the box, its been moved back to the Saturday. I suppose a good point of that is the fact that we should have a couple of hundred more through the gate, especially with all the offers the Board are doing to try to increase attendances. You can't blame them, as they've come up with plenty of ideas, Kids for a Quid, 12 for 10, and I saw a Student deal aswell, allowing students with a valid NUS card in for £6. And now we're starting to pick up form, you'd expect some supporters to start coming back.
Anyway, onto the opposition, and Barnet aren't having the best of seasons so far. They sit bottom of the league, two points adrift of safety. The Bees have the worst goal difference in the league, already conceding 16 more goals than they have scored.
LAST 5 SEASONS.
2005/06 - League 2 - 18th place - 54 points
2006/07 - League 2 - 14th place - 59 points
2007/08 - League 2 - 12th place - 60 points
2008/09 - League 2 - 17th place - 48 points
2009/10 - League 2 - 21st place - 48 points
Barnet have always been a club that are expected to get relegated, most seasons, but every seasons, they stave off that threat. A couple of midtable finishes are their highlights in the last half-decade, but last season was quite dire. Like us, they struggled for the majority of the season, and with Grimsby getting incredibly close to pulling off a great escape, Barnet defeated then-promoted Rochdale 1-0 to secure safety. That win took them above Cheltenham aswell, so it didn't look as bad as it could have been.
HEAD TO HEAD.
Torquay wins - 6 (2 in FA Cup)
Barnet wins - 10
Draws - 8
Barnet do better in this fixture than we do, as above shows. In 24 games played between the sides, Barnet have won more than we have, with 8 draws between the sides. When a Torquay fan mentions Barnet to another, they will think back to that final day game at Underhill, in 2001. I don't need to go on as we all know what happened then. I was just gutted I wasn't there to see it! In recent seasons, Barnet have been unbeaten in their last 3 visits to Plainmoor, with two draws and then they won 1-0 last season, in August.
FORM (LAST 6 GAMES)
LLWLLD
The Bees travel to Plainmoor on poor form, with one win in their last 6 games, in all competitions. It started with a 2-0 home defeat to then-strugglers Bradford, which was followed up by a defeat at Stockport. 3 points were recorded as the Bees beat Macclesfield 1-0 at Underhill. However, a trip to Shrewsbury left them emptyhanded, and then a home game against local rivals Stevenage was an embarrassing night for the hosts, as they lost 3-0. Their FA Cup draw with Charlton is quite a decent result, but they will have to travel to the Valley for the replay next week.
PROBABLE LINE-UP.
This is the line up that started against Charlton:
Jake Cole
Joe Devera
Grant Basey
Anwar Uddin
Jordan Parkes
George Francomb
Mark Bryne
Glen Southam
Mark Marshall
Kevin Gallen
Steve Kabba
Subs; Tom Coulton, Mark Hughes, Darren Dennehy, Ricky Holmes, Charlie Stimson, Clovis Kamdjo, Mauro Vilhete.
PLAYERS TO WATCH.
For me, there are two players to watch in that starting 11. Mark Marshall is an electrifying winger, who has incredible pace, so will surely need to be watched by our fullbacks, whichever one it is. Our fullbacks aren't exactly reknown for pace, so we will need to make sure we aren't caught out by the pace. Steve Kabba is a decent striker at this level. He will have to be watched aswell to make sure he can't stick the ball in the net.
PREDICTION.
I think our form has turned, our luck has changed.
3 points, an improved crowd and maybe some more atmosphere! Who knows!
Torquay 2-1 Barnet
COYY!
Anyway, onto the opposition, and Barnet aren't having the best of seasons so far. They sit bottom of the league, two points adrift of safety. The Bees have the worst goal difference in the league, already conceding 16 more goals than they have scored.
LAST 5 SEASONS.
2005/06 - League 2 - 18th place - 54 points
2006/07 - League 2 - 14th place - 59 points
2007/08 - League 2 - 12th place - 60 points
2008/09 - League 2 - 17th place - 48 points
2009/10 - League 2 - 21st place - 48 points
Barnet have always been a club that are expected to get relegated, most seasons, but every seasons, they stave off that threat. A couple of midtable finishes are their highlights in the last half-decade, but last season was quite dire. Like us, they struggled for the majority of the season, and with Grimsby getting incredibly close to pulling off a great escape, Barnet defeated then-promoted Rochdale 1-0 to secure safety. That win took them above Cheltenham aswell, so it didn't look as bad as it could have been.
HEAD TO HEAD.
Torquay wins - 6 (2 in FA Cup)
Barnet wins - 10
Draws - 8
Barnet do better in this fixture than we do, as above shows. In 24 games played between the sides, Barnet have won more than we have, with 8 draws between the sides. When a Torquay fan mentions Barnet to another, they will think back to that final day game at Underhill, in 2001. I don't need to go on as we all know what happened then. I was just gutted I wasn't there to see it! In recent seasons, Barnet have been unbeaten in their last 3 visits to Plainmoor, with two draws and then they won 1-0 last season, in August.
FORM (LAST 6 GAMES)
LLWLLD
The Bees travel to Plainmoor on poor form, with one win in their last 6 games, in all competitions. It started with a 2-0 home defeat to then-strugglers Bradford, which was followed up by a defeat at Stockport. 3 points were recorded as the Bees beat Macclesfield 1-0 at Underhill. However, a trip to Shrewsbury left them emptyhanded, and then a home game against local rivals Stevenage was an embarrassing night for the hosts, as they lost 3-0. Their FA Cup draw with Charlton is quite a decent result, but they will have to travel to the Valley for the replay next week.
PROBABLE LINE-UP.
This is the line up that started against Charlton:
Jake Cole
Joe Devera
Grant Basey
Anwar Uddin
Jordan Parkes
George Francomb
Mark Bryne
Glen Southam
Mark Marshall
Kevin Gallen
Steve Kabba
Subs; Tom Coulton, Mark Hughes, Darren Dennehy, Ricky Holmes, Charlie Stimson, Clovis Kamdjo, Mauro Vilhete.
PLAYERS TO WATCH.
For me, there are two players to watch in that starting 11. Mark Marshall is an electrifying winger, who has incredible pace, so will surely need to be watched by our fullbacks, whichever one it is. Our fullbacks aren't exactly reknown for pace, so we will need to make sure we aren't caught out by the pace. Steve Kabba is a decent striker at this level. He will have to be watched aswell to make sure he can't stick the ball in the net.
PREDICTION.
I think our form has turned, our luck has changed.
3 points, an improved crowd and maybe some more atmosphere! Who knows!
Torquay 2-1 Barnet
COYY!
