Torquay United v FGR (Boxing day/Jan 1ST) double header match day thread

[Dave]

Won't have time to do this in week so putting the thread up early, not sure it will help lighten the mood either, but hey, here goes anyway.

So another day at the office for The Gulls and another bad day, as the weeks go by our clubs position gets harder to take, these threads get harder to write. This on going situation cannot be allowed to continue, it has to stop here, today.

I've seen a number of cryptic facebook postings from Stephen Breed these last few days of good news to come, but everyone connected to the club has to realize that January 1st is fast approaching, it may well be to late to save ourselves, however the fans need to regain confidence in the club, a good run of results between now and the end of the season, even if the net result is relegation, will go some way to achieve that, this could help give us confidence that promotion at the first time of asking from the national south is a real possibility, anything else doesn't bare thinking about.

If there is some wriggle room, and funds for some reinforcements going to be available, the board must stop now and ask, is Kevin Nicholson the right man to be trusted to get the right players in, and end his love affair with these park league jokers, and if he can get the right people in, can he be trusted one, to manage himself as a player and two manage the rest of the squad, if the answer is no, a change has to be made regardless.

So we move on the Forest green Rovers, oh thanks a million, just when your down on the floor and almost out, we get a double header with a cash rich club, no jealousy from me here, many fans I think look at FGR as that tiny little village club on top of the big hill, but they've had an unbroken run in the non-league top flight stretching back to before the turn of the century, so in many ways they've done well as a football club, they've made fantastic progress as club over the years, from their old ground and pretty much no faculties to The New Lawn.

There's no doubt they will become a football league club, also no doubt with the money invested over the last few season they should have done better, after missing out in the play-offs last season, I have a feeling this season is all about project promotion for FGR, and they currently sit 2nd 4 points behind local rivals Cheltenham Town with 1 game in hand.

Forest Green Rovers: Owner Dale Vince defends club debt

We've probably reached peak losses," Vince told BBC Points West. "It's like any business really, you've got to invest to get to where you want to be."
There are plenty of clubs in this league with our kind of money and our kind of budget," he said.

"The focus has been on us as we are a bit of a village club and it's unexpected, but there is no way our budget and our means is out of proportion to at least a top quarter of the teams.

"It's a very competitive league, it's half full of ex-league clubs with big crowds and big ambitions.

"At all levels football relies on benefactors. Football is not a business, only a few make money such as Manchester United but at most levels it takes investment, belief and time to get the infrastructure right."

Vince believes promotion to the Football League as well as the move to the new site will make a significant difference to the club's finances.

"The new site is important but getting into League Two is more important," he added.

"I think from next year League Two clubs get £1m a year and in this league you get nothing so to become financially sustainable getting into League Two is a massive part of that. When we achieve that, overnight we'll be running at virtually break even."

FGR top goalscorers


Aaron O'Connor 9
Jon Parkin 8
Kurtis Guthrie 7
Elliott Frear 5
Darren Carter 4
James Jennings 4
Keanu Marsh-Brown 4
David Pipe 1
Aarran Racine 1

Current form

FGR; W-D-W-D-W-W

31 Oct Forest Green 2 - 1 Chester
10 Nov Welling Utd 1 - 1 Forest Green
14 Nov Forest Green 3 - 1 Dover Athlet.
21 Nov Cheltenham 1 - 1 Forest Green
28 Nov Forest Green 2 - 0 Altrincham
19 Dec Forest Green 1 - 0 Boreham Wood

Last time out


Forest Green 1 - 0 Boreham Wood

01 Arnold
02 Pipe
03 Jennings
19 Sinclair
16 Racine
04 Clough
08 Wedgbury
24 Carter (Guthrie - 63' )
09 Marsh-Brown
11 Frear
20 Parkin (Williams - 88' )

Substitutes
07 O'Connor
10 Kelly
17 Guthrie
23 Maxted
26 Williams

Forest Green assistant manager Jamie Day told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:


"We saw the game out pretty well, it was just getting that goal and then once we got that, it was just about being professional and doing the right job.

"We can't keep missing the chances that we do, but we've got the goal that matters and a clean sheet, so it's a good day all round.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game and this time of year, when the pitches get a bit boggy, you need to grind results out.

"I think we are capable of doing that, but also showing that we can show a bit of quality when needed."


From a Torquay United point of view

Yes, from a Torquay United point of view, urm what can we say; "Help!"

Help, we need somebody
Help, not just anybody
Help, you know we need someone, help


Help us if you can, we're feeling down
And we do appreciate you being 'round
Help us get our feet back on the ground
Won't you please, please help us....

Well today saw MacDonald pick his 10th yellow card I believe, when that's conformed he will receive a two match ban for his second suspension, so that will see make shift forward Ben Gerring back in the centre of defence, we do have injury problems, no denying that and will need some of those to clear up to have any chance throughout the festive period.

Thankfully young Dan Lavercombe came through today unscathed, so need for the flying porkie the porkster from the park league that's now our no 2 goalkeeper to be pressed into action, are Finch and Corderoy the best local talent we could find, only need to do a Cordoeroy v Fisher (Buckland) and Finch v Hammond also (Buckland) to find the answer, which is clearly, no.

Torquay United top goalscorers


James Hurst 7
Alex Fisher 5
Tyrone Marsh 5
Dan Butler 2
Aman Verma 2
Andre Wright 2
Josh Carmichael 1
Exodus Geohaghon 1
Angus MacDonald 1
Courtney Richards 1


Current form

Torquay United; D-L-L-D-L-L

31 Oct Altrincham 1 - 1 Torquay Utd
14 Nov Barrow 4 - 0 Torquay Utd
21 Nov Torquay Utd 1 - 3 Lincoln City
28 Nov Braintree 0 - 0 Torquay Utd
5 Dec Torquay Utd 0 - 1 Wrexham
19 Dec Chester 4 - 1 Torquay Utd

Last time out

Chester 4 - 1 Torquay Utd

21 Lavercombe
26 Heslop
18 Smith
25 Verma
24 Nicholson (Chaney - 78' )
05 MacDonald Booked
11 Murombedzi (Carmichael - 46' )
03 Butler
28 Wright
17 Fisher (Gerring - 65' )
07 Briscoe

Substitutes
12 Carmichael
19 Chaney
22 Gerring
23 Hancox
31 Corderoy

Assistant manager on our set-back at Chester...



“To concede so early was disappointing and made it an uphill battle from the off,” he said. “We’ve prided ourselves on being defensively strong recently, but today was not good enough.

“We were put on the back-foot straight away but I felt that we weathered the storm until those two goals just before the break made it a tough task.

“We changed our shape for the second half and it got us back into it a little bit, but too many people were feeling sorry for themselves out there.

“We’ll analyse it and work even harder during the week ahead. It seems that we take one stride forward and the two back at the moment.

“Hopefully we’ll have one or two of our injured players back for the festive matches; they are difficult games for us but that might just suit us better.

“We’ve got to look forward now, this game has gone and we have to make sure we are prepared for the next one.”

Read more at http://www.torquayunited.com/news/artic ... HULvh2R.99

Head to Head meetings


English Conference Premier

27.08.2007 Forest Green Rovers 2-2 Torquay United
24.03.2008 Torquay United 1-0 Forest Green Rovers
23.09.2008 Forest Green Rovers 1-2 Torquay United
24.02.2009 Torquay United 3-3 Forest Green Rovers


English Conference

30.09.2014 Forest Green Rovers 2-1 Torquay United
15.11.2014 Torquay United 3-3 Forest Green Rovers


English FA Cup

21.11.1999 r2 Forest Green Rovers 0-3 Torquay United

[kevgull]

5 nil!

[Modgull]

5 nil!

Who to?

[CraigUnder]

Who to?

What a silly question..TORQUAY OF COURSE!

[wivelgull]

This will be the game(s) when the chickens finally come home to roost.
Away: we lose 0-7, but at home - my goodness! (I was there when we lost 1-8 to Scunthorpe) nothing will ever be worse than this result:
Torquay United (or South devon League) (0) 0
F.G.Rovers (6) 15

Att: 2344

Most of those in attendance will never come again.

p.s. you might think I'm being fanciful. However, I predicted correctly the Chester result.

[nickbrod]

Your subject heading is misleading as the away match is on January 1 not 2 and if anyone can bear to watch it it's on BT Sport1.

[Dave]

Apologies, thread title changed, the match was originally scheduled for the 2nd, think it was moved for the T.V.

[Dave_Pougher]

I bet FGR are arguing like **** now to decide how scores first and how many.

Is anyone actually going to pay to watch either of these fixtures?

[hector]

The potential outcome for these two matches is frightening. I look forward to Boxing Day football but I don't think I will be wasting my time or money for this one.

[kevgull]

I hope it rains all week and the game gets called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

Let's all have a break from the sorry mess!

[arcadia]

Brian Clough left the hose on all night to get one game off.

We've got to hope a few players are fit but the off the field things need to come out into the open, the Chairman needs to back Nicho or sack him or put an experience manager alongside him something has got to change, give us a Christmas present early then we can enjoy Christmas.

[Dave]

Weather forecast hopeful. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2635650

Going to be very heavy pitch if this match survives the weather, hopefully a leveller.

[torq2u]

The scene is set. This is surely where Nicho selects HIS team at last, and not the unfit shower that he had the awfully bad luck to inherit from his successful, experienced predecessor. And clearly, the boys will come good.

I predict a shock for all non-believers / oh, ye of little faith. I predict we might, just might, score a goal

[tomogull]

So with Hurst gone and now Alex Fisher, our top scorer has scored TWO goals ..... I really can't see us getting anything from the next three games. Even one draw would be something. All we need on Boxing Day is for Bret Huxtable to be the ref.

[portugull]

Trying to look forward to Boxing Day at Plainmoor.

Recent away form of FGR not great. Lost 2-0 at Havant in FA trophy and 1-0 at Oxford United in FA Cup. Prior to that drew 1-1 at Welling with FGR getting a late equaliser.

I am going for 1-1 draw. Gate 2,050.