FAN ZONE
TUST's Chair and TUFC board member, Nick Brodrick's column in this week's Herald Express - updated for the latest news.
************************
UNITED’S IMPROVED AWAY FORM BUT A PLAIN PERFORMANCE WITH SALISBURY
WOMEN KEEP TITLE HOPES ALIVE WITH A 5-1 VICTORY
NEW GOALKEEPING LAWS COMING IN - WHAT’S YOUR VIEW?
Don’t know about you but at this stage of the season with fixtures down to single figures whether your team is at the top looking for promotion or at the bottom trying to avoid relegation, you try to guess how many points your team will get from the remaining matches. Will they be enough to give you the success you crave? Or will you be celebrating the great escape?
Whilst you try to visualise the final table you really do have to rein in your thoughts and take it one match at a time.
These are the tightropes a football fan lives through at this stage of a season but as United manager Paul Wotton says, “It’s a long old season, 46 games, we’ve got to enjoy it.”
Going into Tuesday’s home game with Salisbury, United sat in sixth seven points behind current leaders Worthing who came from behind to defeat Aveley on Monday night. But a disappointing, flat performance saw United lucky to grab a draw in front of an amazing 4,025.
Come the final round of fixtures on April 26th could the points be so close from places 2 to 7 that goal difference will be important?
*****
Meanwhile, no away wins since the end of November and two come along in quick succession. A return to winning ways and three points are, at this stage, more important than playing pretty football.
However, Matt Jay’s fourth in four at Chippenham last Tuesday almost became five in five but for the width of the foot of the Tonbridge post on Saturday. Fortunately the ball fell to Jordan Young’s trusty left foot.
That 1-0 win was the sixth, seven if you count the FA Trophy win over Truro, of the season but not close yet to the 2011-12 campaign. Under Martin Ling United recorded 12 1-0 victories during that season finishing fifth in League 2. Two of those wins were over Barnet who look like being promoted back into the EFL.
By the way in that League 2 fixture list Torquay defeated Plymouth twice, 3-1 at home and 2-1 away. Those were the days of Devon derbies.
Lirak Hasani made the Non-League Paper’s Team of the Day for his performance at Tonbridge while Jordan Thomas was in the Vanarama South Team of the Week.
*****
Which sides look likely to fall out of the National League into National South? Ebbsfleet, with only 14 points, are a certainty and could be joined by Maidenhead United, Wealdstone or even Dagenham & Redbridge but of course only two can be allocated unless one goes into the North.
Saturday’s Non-League Crowd Watch: Southend 7,776, York City 6,810, Scunthorpe 3,793, Barnet 3,655, Bury FC 3,497, Eastleigh 3,212, Hereford 2,960.
*****
United’s Women kept their title hopes alive with a comprehensive 5-1 success over Ilminster Town Ladies on Sunday. An own goal followed by strikes from Kaitlyn Harris, Lucy Solloway, Tracey Cross and Ellie Bishop completed the rout.
For the Yellow Army put Sunday March 30th in your diary as Torquay Women will play Bishop’s Lydeard at Plainmoor. With it being Mothering Sunday why not make a day of it with a special meal in The Cove.
*****
Could the winner of this year’s FA Cup be a team that has never won it? With Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, amongst others, out of the competition these are the teams left in who have never won the cup: Bournemouth, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Fulham while Preston won it in 1938, Aston Villa 1957 and Nottingham Forest 1959.
*****
What’s your reaction to the International Football Association Board, they’re the body that oversees the laws of the game, bringing in a new goalkeeping law for next season?
Goalkeepers will only be allowed 8 seconds from catching the ball to releasing it, to cut down on time wasting.
With referees counting down with five seconds left any keeper going over the limit will be punished by awarding a corner to the opposition. What happened to the six second rule? What’s your view? Message fanszone.tu@gmail.com.
*****
There are, of course, plenty of stressful jobs that people undertake on a daily basis and being a football manager must be up there as one of them. Your team wins and you’re the greatest but lose and you can bet it’s going to be a miserable weekend.
Take Aldershot’s manager Tommy Widdrington who has recently returned to the dug-out after a couple of strokes saw him in hospital.
Paul Wotton sums it up, saying “As a manager football is 24/7, I think about Torquay United 24/7.”
*****
United’s next big test is Saturday’s trip to Dorking Wanderers and with much riding on this game there is bound to be plenty of the Yellow Army in attendance in what is now an all-ticket match.
COYY!
SUPPORT TUST - SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY
Comments