Friday, 16 January 2009

It's a point, for sure, from a tough game in difficult conditions, but we misfired tonight. Wrexham weren't great and we have to look at that as two points dropped.

FINAL SCORE - GULLS 1 WREXHAM 1

Free kick again for us. Woods launches it forward but Wrexham clear.
Nicko has a throw out on the left but it has gone behind off Hargreaves for a goal kick.
Mansell plays it forward. One last chance, maybe?
And that's it. Very disappointing.
The board man has signalled three added minutes.
Tonight's sponsors Riverford Organic Vegetables have named Roscoe Dsane the man of the match.....
More niggling fouls over in front of the Pop Side, and Westwood gets yet another lecture. Sills gets a nudge in the box and goes down, but the ref's not impressed.
We have less than two minutes to win this game.
The Pop Side are getting less and less happy with Mr Sheldrake.
Wrexham painstakingly build an attack around the edge of the box but the final ball is woeful and rolls through to Bevan.
There are four minutes left.
A draw will be no use to us whatsoever here, and we've got about seven minutes left to get that goal we need.
There don't seem to be any more changes imminent down in the dugout.
Now Andy Fleming is in the ref's book for a lunge at Roscoe.
The attendance is 1,842.
Free kicks are being given all over the pitch now as Mr Sheldrake gives his Acme Thunderer a good workout.
Brown tries his luck for wrexham but drives the ball straight at our wall.
Benyon is now getting a lecture for a foul on Westwood, and it's a yellow for him in the 79th minute.
Nathan Fairhurst drills a shot over our bar in the 76th minute.
Wrexham aren't sitting back. They think they can win this.
Mr Sheldrake now wants a word with Fleming for a two-footed challenge on Sills, but a word is all it is.
The rain is showing no signs of abating, weather-watchers, and it's pretty slippery out there.
Wrexham have brought on Sam Aiston in place of the goalscorer Flynn.
They're giving away a few free-kicks, too. Mansell will take our latest one, chipping into the box. It breaks loose, but Wrexham clear.
Now the visitors break. Aiston gets a cross in but Woods clears.
And it's a tremendous double save from Bevan. Marc williams cuts in from the left after 73 minutes, Bevans pushes the shot out and he is up quickly enough to push Brown's follow-up away, too.
Marc Williams finds Jon Brown on the edge of the box for wrexham, but Brown is off balance and his shot is high into the Family Stand.
And in the 69th minute Brown crosses for Williams, but Bevan takes the ball bravely under Williams' challenge.
We think the header back across goal was Benyon's first touch in the game. Almost always a substitute, but almost always a match-changing substitute.
It's another corner out on the left, which Carlisle will take.
But it curls over for a goal kick on the opposite side.

GOAL - GULLS 1 WREXHAM 1

Corner to the Gulls on the right in the 60th minute. Wroe takes it short to Nicholson who crosses, Benyon heads it back across goal and Dsane drives it in from close range.
Nicko takes a long throw on the left in the 53rd minute, Roscoe helps it into the box but Ward comes out to gather.
Benyon is warming up now, so a change is imminent, surely?
Dsane has given possession away cheaply again. He looks to be struggling. And here comes Benyon, replacing Green after 57 minutes. A no-brainer, that.
Green is down injured after a foul which earns Westwood the game's second yellow card in the 49th minute.
He's up on his feet quickly, and the free kick brings us nothing.
Now Roscoe is felled by Spender, and he gets a yellow too.
Three of their back four are on yellows now.
Coffee and biscuits here. Hope your half-time refreshments were good, wherever you are.
The Gulls are first out, looking up for the fight.
It doesn't look as if either side has made a change, and we're under way again.
...or is this young Tristan Plummer's big chance to shine?
How come we never do well on live TV, anyhow? Have we ever turned it on when Setanta have been here? Without going back through all the stats like some kind of anorak, we'll say no.
So what do we make of that? Weve been on top for long periods and have had more corners and shots, but poor marking for one crucial moment has cost us dearly.
Do we make changes? Benyon has got to be a candidate for an early call. Green hasn't given us much so far.

HALF TIME - GULLS 0 WREXHAM 1

One minute to be added, and Carlisle has a shot from 12 yards which Ward does well to hold.
There's the whistle for half time.
Four minutes to go to the break and the ref is having a long chat with Westwood after the Wrexham skipper disagrees strongly with the award of a throw against him. No cards though.
We're in the 42nd minute.
Nicholson finds Sills, but Wrexham clear again, this time at the expense of another corner.
It's Nicko from the right again, and Carlisle meets it on the six yard line. His header is powerful but six inches over the bar.
We've had seven corners so far and while we've looked dangerous, we haven't really made Ward work.
Into the last minute of the half and Jefferson Louis has missed a great chance to head Wrexham further in front.
There will be some discussions about what was going on at the back there.
We didn't pick Flynn up at all.
Now we have a free kick on the edge of the box after Mike Williams blocks Tim Sills. Williams gets a yellow card.
The ref has now walked Torquay back 10 yards so it's no longer a kick on the edge of the box, even though that's where the foul was.
Wroe chips it into the box but Flynn clears.

GOAL - GULLS 0 WREXHAM 1

Wrexham take the lead through Ryan Flynn. Bevan concedes a throw in, the cross comes in from the right from Brown and Flynn is there ahead of anyone to volley low into the bottom right corner.
The goal is timed at 31 minutes.
Wrexham win a free kick 30 yards out on the half-hour. Jon Brown takes it right-footed but it curls past Bevan's right post.
Bevan is taking his own kicks tonight, so whatever was ailing him on Saturday has clearly got better.
Into the 27th minute and we have another corner. Nicholson swings it in from the right, Woods gets his head to it at the far post but it's an easy catch for Ward.
Carlisle makes ground down the right but overhits his cross. Sills keeps it alive but we can't capitalise.
Nicko crosses from the left in the 29th minute, and Carlisle heads over.
Wrexham are putting us under some pressure as we go into the 19th minute, but we break to the Ministand end and Carlisle has a shot from the edge of the box saved.
It's another corner from the left and again Hodges is first to it, but his header is off target.
Nice work by Dsane on the left sets up a chance for Nicko to cross, but the visitors clear the ball.
Much laughter here as a ball up the line by Nicko goes off course and lands on top of the grandstand, dislodging a gallon or so of water onto the heads of those beneath.
'That doesn't happen at the Emirates,' says Mr Uzzell.
Another corner in the 15th minute but this time Mike Williams clears at the near post.
It's hammering down here now, and Wrexham have just put Marc Williams in but his cross is deflected behind for a corner.
Westwood shoots at the near post and it's a great save by Bevan.
Corner to the Gulls in the 11th minute and Wrexham scramble it clear when Roscoe might have done better at the far post.
Another corner breaks for Nicky Wroe and his shot is deflected just wide of the post.
Another corner from the left and Hodges glances a header just over the bar.
That's good pressure but Wrexham survive.
One of the wise old heads in the press box has just said 'There will be goals in this one'. Damn, I should have taken 0-0 in the sweep....
Wrexham have only brought about 40-50 fans with them. It's live on Setanta and a long way to come on a Friday night so you can't really blame them.
Four minutes gone now and it looks as if the connection could be a bit hit and miss here tonight so bear with me.
We have lost the toss for the first time in living memory, and are playing towards the Ministand in all yellow. Wrexham, in red shirst and white shorts, have the wind and rain at their backs in the first half.
Our first attack sees Green denied by a great tackle by Mike Williams.
Wrexham are Ward; Spender, Mike Williams, Westwood, Williamson; Brown, Fleming, Flynn, Fairhurst; Louis, Marc Williams. Subs are Evans, Spann, Aiston, Suffo and Wolfe.
Referee is Darren Sheldrake from Surrey.

GULLS v WREXHAM (7.45pm FRIDAY)

Techincal problems mean I'm a bit late here, but welcome to a wet and windy Plainmoor.
The last time I tried to post this team news it was dry, but now it's raining hard again.
Both teams are 4-4-2 and we're Bevan; Mansell, Woods, Hodges, Nicholson; Carlisle, Hargreaves, Wroe, Dsane; Sills, Green. on the bench are Robertson, Benyon, Thompson, Plummer, Stevens. The only change is Sills back in after suspension and Plummer dropping to the bench.