FAN ZONE
TUST's Chair and TUFC board member, Nick Brodrick's column in this week's Herald Express - updated for the latest news.
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TWO AWAY DRAWS SEE UNITED KNOCKED OFF TOP SPOT
THE WEEK IN WHICH A JAY BECOMES A GULL
UNITED’S WOMEN PICK UP FIRST WIN OF THE NEW YEAR
Every so often football throws up some puzzling statistics. Take Torquay’s two National South fixtures with St Albans City. For a team fighting relegation, in the bottom four all season and currently eight points adrift of safety, St Albans have taken points off United in home and away games.
That’s the definition of frustration when, in United’s situation, you are chasing that lone promotion spot. But that’s not the end of the story for a number of Torquay’s promotion seeking rivals have come up against St Albans with similar consequences.
For the cathedral city team have taken points off Worthing twice and Weston-super-Mare twice and grabbed a point at Maidstone not long ago. Somebody once said ‘football’s a funny old game’.
As to last Saturday, manager Paul Wotton must have been scratching his head on two counts. Firstly, why were his team so poor in the first half and how come they didn’t romp to victory in the second?
Chances went begging adding to forum and social media posts wondering if there’s a striker incoming but Wotton in whom we trust and value his decisions knows what he needs.
And this week he delivered with two signings: Matt Jay returning to Devon on a free transfer from Colchester United and striker Manny Ilesanmi on loan from Derby County.
On the plus side the Yellow Army were in great numbers helped, of course, by the numerous exiles around London, swelling the attendance to a season high.
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The club’s purchase of Jordan Young from Yeovil after every game looks to have been a very astute piece of business as Young has stood out as the best player on the pitch in recent weeks.
At St Albans his performance put him in the Non-League Paper Team of the Day as was United’s on loan defender Ollie Tomlinson for Bath City who have now signed him on a permanent deal.
An ex-Gulls striker who is doing well is Olaf Koszela at Dorchester Town notching his 15th goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Bracknell Town.
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With Torquay dropping two points but making it 13 league matches unbeaten, second placed Boreham Wood kept up the chase, now only two points behind and with a game in hand. The better news was Maidstone losing at Chesham, their first defeat in fourteen.
The race for promotion from National North is just as congested as it is in South. Current North leaders are Kidderminster with 49 points followed by King’s Lynn 48, Chester 46, Brackley 46, Scunthorpe 45, Curzon Ashton 45 and Chorley 40.
In South there are only five points between Worthing in seventh and Torquay top.
Since this column appeared in this week’s Herald Express United inexplicably blew it at Slough on Tuesday after sub Dean Moxey popped up with what all thought was the winner but a mad last 50 seconds enabled the home side to grab a draw. And with that United lost top spot to Boreham Wood.
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Non-League Saturday Crowd Watch: Southend 6,955, York City 6,369, Oldham 5,960, Yeovil 2,919, St Albans 2,665.
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Those of us of a certain age will be mourning the death of Manchester United legend, “The King”, Denis Law, the king of the Stratford End. He might have ended up playing for United’s rivals but in the red shirt he scored 237 goals between 1962 and 1973 sitting third in the club’s all-time scoring chart behind Bobby Charlton (249) and Wayne Rooney (253).
Own up, how many tried to copy him holding your shirt cuffs while you played?
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Torquay United Women’s start to the New Year has been disappointing but on Sunday an emphatic 5-1 in Cornwall over bottom side St Austell Ladies kept their promotion dreams alive with first half goals from Ellie Bishop and Tracey Cross giving them a 2-1 interval lead. The second half saw them score three without reply. It was good too that club captain Danni Wyatt returned from injury for a substitute appearance.
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Two points dropped on Tuesday plus a win for Boreham Wood saw them move top on goal difference with a game in hand. Slough have an enviable home record so it was always likely to be another tough game. Of the chasing pack Maidstone won at bottom side Weymouth and Worthing won at Chippenham.
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I’m not sure of all the facts but there is no doubt somebody out there who does. This season have we actually won an away game wearing either the second or third kit? I would be interested in the answer to fanszone.tu@gmail.com.
Saturday sees United back at Plainmoor looking to complete a league double over visitors Hampton & Richmond while second placed Boreham Wood have a home match against Chippenham.
The race for the title continues.
COYY
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