Tuesday, 18 November 2008

A thoroughly convincing performance that takes us to the top, equals the wins record and beats the other one.
The players are over in front of the Pop Side giving and receiving plenty of applause. Everything has gone well, and you can't escape the feeling that the players have done this one for the absent Chris Todd.

FULL TIME - GULLS 4 LEWES 1

There are four minutes added on, mainly for Tabiri's injury.
Nicholson hits a cross from wide on the right this time, and Sills just can't make contact with it at the far post.
Now Carayol makes a great run in from the right, but his cross is tipped away from Benyon's head by Banks.
Torquay have a corner in the 86th minute. Cullip clears the danger.
Wroe builds another attack with a measured run through from midfield but Roscoe can't make anything of it and the moves breaks down.
Carayol is fouled by Thomas right on the edge of the box out on the right.
There are shouts for a penalty but the linesman had a good view. Nicko curls it in but it's wide of the far post.
Into the last minute now, and my jackpot hopes are evaporating.
Thomas shoots from a long way out for Lewes in the 84th minute, but it's no problem for Bevan. At the other end Sills shoots high and wide.
The match sponsors have voted Nicky Wroe the man of the match.
Bevan comes quickly off his line to deny Fenelon as the Lewes sub sprints through on a great pass.
We're in the 81st minute now. Histon have scored again at Stevenage, but as things stand we're still good for top spot.
Another big cross from Nicko and it looks as if a Lewes arm was up and made contact with the ball, but Mr Sainsbury is having none of it.
Tabiri is down in the centre circle in need of treatment. He's up, but walking like Long John Silver over to the Pop Side. I don't think he'll be on for much longer.
And Elliott replaces him after 77 minutes.
Nicko swings in a great corner from the right. Sills meets it at the far post but he sees it late and the header goes over the bar.
Another substitution, this time for Torquay. Carayol is on for Stevens, so no hat-trick for him, then.
Elliot must fancy this, and the fans really want him to do well.
Danny Stevens pings in a shot from long range but it's an easy catch for Rikki Banks.
And Elliot slips the ball into the net after 74 minutes after a through-ball by Dsane. It's a great finish but the flag is up for offside, harshly, we think.
Come on lads, we need a couple more and I'm quids-in. It's a big jackpot tonight, a massive £1.40.
Hat tricks for Sills and Stevens would do nicely.
And here comes Elliot Benyon, replacing Thompson after 69 minutes.
Now we have a free kick on the edge of the box after a foul on Roscoe in the 63rd. Wheeler is receiving some treatment before we can take it. We fancy Wroe to have a crack at it. Wheeler is off, replaced by Fenelon.
In fact it's Nicko who curls it with his left foot, just over the bar.
And Danny shoots just wide in the b61st minute, coming in from the right after being found with a great crossfield pass by Roscoe Dsane.
Tonight's attendance is 2,118.
Now Lewes force a free kick on the edge of the area, Woods fouling Taylor. And there aren't words to describe that lash-up. Lewes run the ball straight into the defence and Torquay have the ball back.

GULLS 4 LEWES 1

As things stand we'll go top tonight. Histon are winning at Stevenage, but not by as much as we are, and that's what matters.
The players are clearly on a mission tonight.
But Taylor pulls one back for Lewes after 52 minutes. Tabiri crosses from the left, Bevan doesn't get there and Taylor bundles it in from close range.
Shocker!

GULLS 4 LEWES 0

48 MINUTES gone and it's Danny Stevens to make it 4-0. A cross from the left by Nicko helped on by Tim Sills and Danny's a man alone at the far post about 15 yards out. He hits a textbook volley low into the net. Great technique. Great finish.
Someone's going to hit a hat-trick tonight.
And we're under way in the second half.

HALF TIME - GULLS 3 LEWES 0

What a bad time to have a technical meltdown!
Tim Sills made it 3-0 in the 45th minute, heading home from close range after a great Danny Stevens cross from the right.
Sills got there ahead of his marker and lifted the ball over the keeper.
Great goal, and that 6-1 doesn't seem such a bad shout after all.
Hargreaves just fails to connect with a Nicko cross from the left in the 40th minute. He was only about six yards out, too.
In the absence of any away fans in any numbers to raise the volume, the Pop Siders are singing a very rude song about Exeter at the moment. Good lads!
But there's still some fight left in Lewes, and Wheeler cuts in from the right to shoot wide.
And in the 33rd minute Standing shoots wide from the edge of the box after good work down the left by Thomas.
At the other end Thompson has volleyed over from about 10 yards out after a cross from the left. There are definitely more goals in this game.

GULLS 2 LEWES 0

Danny Stevens makes it 2-0 after 28 minutes. Chris Hargreaves chips into the box, there's a hopeless mix-up in the visiting defence, Tim Sills sticks a foot in to help it across the face of the goal and Danny knocks it in from about a foot out.
Free kick to Torquay just inside the Lewes half. It comes to an end with a cross from Mansell which Banks grabs easily.
Now it's a corner to Lewes after another good run by Wheeler and we don't make a great job of defending it. Bevan grabs the ball at the second attempt.
You know that 6-1? Can I have another go?
Now Taylor comes up with a shot on target for Lewes in the 21st minute. Bevan palms the ball away and Mansell clears, but this is not going to be a walkover.
With the midfield close-packed, it's hard to find a way through at the moment.
Aswad Thomas is making a few decent runs down the left for Lewes. Here's some sound advice for Torquay defenders: If you see Aswad coming, don't turn around...
OK, that's tonight's weak joke out of the way.
David Wheeler, making his debut for the Sussex side, shoots wide of the Torquay goal after 16 minutes.
In the 11th minute Michael Standing lashes the ball into the Torquay net for Lewes, but he's offside, or one of his team-mates is. It's a nice finish, and a reminder not to take our foot off the gas.
That's Tim's 12th goal of the season.
There have been some ambitious predictions up here in the box. I have gone for 6-1 in honour of a similar hammering of Newport County a few years ago.
To be honest, I'll settle for 1-0.

GULLS 1 LEWES 0

And we're off, with Torquay in yellow playing towards Babbacombe. Lewes are in pale blue and white, playing towards Ministand.
We have forced two corners in the first minute, Tim Sills heading one onto the bar after 35 seconds.
And it's 1-0 after 1m 35s. Tim Sills heads in from Nicholson's cross.
The players are holding up a number 6 shirt during their celebrations. That's injured Chris Todd's number.
Now there are FOUR Lewes fans and they have bunched up a bit. They are almost within speaking distance as the teams come out. Make that five.
Lewes appear to be wearing Charles 'Charlie' Charles' enormous white shorts.
Shouldn't take the mick, though. They'll score in the first minute if we do...
Off to my right there are TWO Lewes fans standing in the away end, and they're not even standing close to each other....
A good result could mean a lot of different things tonight.
A win would equal the club record of eight in a row, set under Kevin Hodges 11 years ago. Avoiding defeat would equal the club record of 15 games unbeaten.
And, most importantly, we could go top tonight....

TORQUAY v LEWES

GREETINGS from a chilly Plainmoor, where the team-sheets have just arrived in the press box.
We show one change, with Saturday's match-winner Mark Ellis dropping to the bench and Danny Stevens coming in.
So we line up with Bevan in goal; Mansell, Woods, Hodges and Nicholson across the back; Stevens, Hargreaves, Wroe and Dsane across the middle and Sills and Thompson up front. On the bench are Benyon, Green, Carayol, Adams and Ellis.
Lewes will line up 4-5-1 we believe. They have Banks in goal (not Gordon, Rikki); Barness, Cullip, Breach and Thomas across the back; Wheeler, Standing, Keehan, Tabiri and Wallis-Tayler across the middle and Scott Taylor on his own up front. Their bench comprises Fenelon, Graves, Richards, Elliott and Bell.
Barness and Taylor used to play for Argyle, Barness also having seen service with Bolton in the Premiership.
Danny Cullip is a familiar face from his Brighton days.
Referee is Mr Andrew Sainsbury from Wiltshire, about whom we know no amusing anecdotes yet.