Saturday, 14 February 2009

FINAL SCORE - GULLS 3-1 ALTRINCHAM

The attendance here is 1,760.
Benyon has just been named the sponsors' man of the match, quite rightly. Not sure why he's gone off, but Christie's getting stuck in.
There are three added minutes to play.

GOAL - GULLS 3-1 ALTRINCHAM

What a strike to give the visitors some hope. Doughty volleys over Bevan and into the top corner from 18 yards.
Benyon is off and Christie is on.
Have the fans not been saying all season long that Sills/Benyon is our best striking partnership...?

GOAL - GULLS 3-0 ALTRINCHAM

Great save from Coburn in the 70th minute, blocking a close range header from Robertson.
The fans are getting restless again about the service from the wings, but we're 3-0 up in the 75th minute.
It's a great goal from Benyon, giving him nine goals from nine starts this season.
Wroe passed the ball into the area, Benyon nicked it from Coburn's fingertips, went round him and sidefooted it into the net.
Carlisle takes a corner from the left in the 67th minute. Altrincham clear.
Benyon is back in the thick of it.
There's a scare at the back as a bouncing nthrough ball finds it way right through to Senior, but Bevan is able to pluck it off his head.

GOAL - gulls 2-0 altrincham

Now it's Mansell's turn to cross from the right, but Coburn dives to gather before Dsane can get there.
Penalty to Torquay in the 55th minute. Hargreaves' through ball puts Benyon in. his pace is too much for Coburn, who pulls him down. Sills takes the kick and drives it in powerfully.
Altrincham have started the second half brightly, with Johnson and Senior giving them some more options.
However, we still look the more dangerous side, and Benyon bursts down the right in the 50th minute to fizz in a cross which goes begging.
A minute later Sills misses a great chance. shotting way over the bar from a good position. He looked off balance when he hit it, but it was still a bad miss.
Two changes in the Altrincham side as we get under way again. Dale Johnson and Christopher Senior are on for Peyton and Danylyk.

HALF TIME - GULLS 1-0 ALTRINCHAM

So far, so good.
A win is the most important thing today, and so far it has been a decent performance if not spectacular.
It was a good goal from Tim Sills, too. Maybe that will give him some of his goal-getting confidence back.
There will be one minute to add.
There will be one minute to add.
Peyton clatters into Sills with a tackle straight out of a Sunday morning at Stoodley Knowle.
Woods lofts the free kick into the box and Sills' header forces a save from Coburn.
Confusion in the 42nd minute as Wroe shoots for goal and Coburn grabs it down among the flying feet. The offside flag is up, though.
There's another free kick 35 yards out but we give possession away. Benyon is in behind the defence again but Altrincham clear.
The visitors hoist a free kick into the box but Bevan is out to gather, dominating the box.
A lovely touch by Benyon releases Mansell down the right, but Benyon can't quite reach the cross when it comes in.
There are five minutes to go to the break.
We're in the 35th minute and Nicko blasts a free kick way over the bar from 25 yards.
We are building well through midfield, and the crowd seem to appreciate a bit of style.
Sills shoots wide in the 28th minute after a Carlisle cross.
And in the 30th minute Dsane shoots from 25 yards but Coburn, who was DT's 'Man to Watch' today, gets down to his right to gather.
In the 22nd minute Robert Lawton shoots just wide from outside the box as Altrincham try to get back into the game.
And Wayne Carlisle gets a round of applause for tackling back to deny the marauding Warren Peyton.

GOAL - GULLS 1-0 ALTRINCHAM

In the 19th minute we had another corner. Nicko swings it in and Sills meets it five yards out. His header is guided in beyond the keeper.
In the 16th minute Nicko crosses from the left, Dsane meets it at the near post but guides his header wide.
A lovely touch from Banim almost creates an opening for Altrincham but the offside flag is raised.
That's not taking the proverbial out of the Altrincham fans, by the way. Following a BSP side the length and breadth of the country takes some dedication and full marks to them.
The visitors have their first corner. Doughty takes it from the right but the Gulls clear.
I make it 38 fans on the away terrace, confirming what we said during the Coventry game that the BBC had brought more than Altrincham would.
Sills heads a Carlisle free kick over the bar in the 11th minute.
As we thought, Banim is ploughing a lone furrow up front for the visitors.
We have started well here, and in the sixth minute Benyon shoots wide after a bit of clever play by Nicky Wroe to give him the chance.
Corner on the left now. Nicko takes. Altrincham clear.
In the first minute Benyon gets through down the left. His low cross gets a touch from Sills at the near post but it's easy for Coburn in the Altrincham goal.
Robertson glances a header wide from Torquay's first corner, in the second minute.
The ref looks very much like the little bald chap who used to be in the Benny Hill Show, and now that I have thought of that, it is not going to be far from my mind all afternoon.
We are playing Babbacombe-wards, and we're under way.
The teams are out now. We are, as ever, in all gold. The visitors are in red and white striped shirts with black shorts and red socks. They look worryingly like Ex*t*r.
This is a small crowd, too.
Tuesday's disappointment and the lure of the rugby on TV may hit the gate hard this afternoon.
Cold and grey here, and the pitch looks pretty good after the pounding it got on Tuesday.
There are 17 supporters in the away end at the moment, with about 10 to go to kick-off.
And here it is.
Lee Hodges and Iyseden Christies are both dropped to the bench, with Chris Robertson coming into defence and Elliot Benyon starting up front.
Both Wayne Carlisle and Roscoe Dsane - so disappointing on Tuesday both of them - stay in the side.
We are Bevan; Mansell, Robertson, Woods, Nicholson; Carlisle, Hargreaves, Wroe, Dsane; Benyon, Sills. On the bench are Thompson, Hodges, Carayol, Stevens and Christie.
Altrincham, we think, will play 4-5-1, and line up Coburn; Lane, McGregor, Young, Doughty; Danylyk, Lawton, Densmore, Smith, Peyton; Banim.
Referee is Matt McLaughlin from Bedfordshire.
That's Jody Banim up front for them, by the way. He was here last season and is a decent player. we wish him well. But not this afternoon, eh?

GULLS v ALTRINCHAM

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The team sheets aren't here yet, but rumour has it there may be some surprises...

Tuesday, 10 February 2009

FINAL SCORE - GULLS 0-2 WEYMOUTH

And that's it. The game ends with McPhee getting treatment for another knock. He has been in the wars tonight.
Weymouth are down at the Babbacombe End saluting their fans while Torquay trudge off to meagre applause.
I don't think we can have any complaints about that. We weren't robbed.
We attacked well in the second half after a first half horror story, but couldn;'t hit the target.
Roll on Saturday and the visit of Altrincham...
Beavon misses a great chance to get a third for Weymouth but his shot is deflected over by Nicko.
Mansell crosses from the right. Hargreaves gets up at the far post but his header goes wide.
We are now in the third minute of added time and it may not be up for grabs any more.
There will be five minutes to add here, so it's still up for grabs.
Gulls fans are streaming out through the gates, though. They've seen enough.

GOAL - GULLS 0-2 WEYMOUTH

Robertson has gone forward to join the strikers and Hargreaves is loitering up there too.
Corner on the right now, to be taken by Nicko.
It's cleared again.
And we are indeed caught on the break in the 87th minute. Stuart Beavon scores after the visitors burst through three against two. Beavon gets the ball just inside the area and drills it past Bevan.
Muzzy wins a corner in the 85th minute out on the left.
He takes it himself. Stevens has a shot but it is blocked and cleared.
Nicko's long throw drops to Hargreaves but the ball runs behind for a goal kick.
Will Paul buckle throw Elliot Benyon into the fray for the last couple of minutes?
There's no sign yet.
We are now in the 80th minute, pressing forward and risking getting caught on the break, but that's the way it's going to have to be in the last 10.
Free kick on the left to be taken by Nicko.
It's cleared. Danny lifts it back in but it runs through for a goal kick.
The sponsors' man of the match is Lee Mansell.
There are 15 minutes to go and we're still trailing by the only goal of the game.
A lovely touch from Christie in the middle of the field to release Little Danny on the right, but this time his cross is intercepted.
Lee Hodges is having another one of his invisible games, and I mean that in a good way. He is getting the job done with no frills and no mistakes.
The attendance is 1,743.
At the other end Coutts tries his luck from 30 yards. It's a good shot dipping below the bar but Bevan tips it over.
In the 70th minute Stevens jinks past his defender and crosses again from the right. Sills gets up six yards from goal but his header is over the bar.
Robertson is booked for a foul on Phillips in the 68th minute.
Christie has a shot from 18 yards deflected wide by a defender. He was clearly offside but there was no flag.
We're over the hour mark now and still trailing.
Nicko has another free kick from half-way. Weymouth clear.
Hargreaves is booked now for a foul on McPhee, who is hobbling slowly off the pitch after treatment.
Bevan gets down well to his right to save from Reed.
Torquay break to the other end. Carayol has them beaten down the left but his cross is too deep and the chance is gone.
Hargreaves' booking will mean a suspension.
Shouts for handball as Mansell's cross is blocked. Now we have a corner on the right in the 59th minute.
Nicholson swings it in but it's cleared. We are well on top now.
The visitors are starting to make mistakes at the back, and the referee is making some very peculiar decisions.
In the 54th minute Sills misses a great chance. Christie burst into the box and had his shot blocked by Doe. The ball breaks to Sills but he sidefoots over the top from 12 yards.
Another terrific cross by Stevens passes just in front of Carayol. Nicholson retrieves the ball on the left and has a go. Knowles saves.
What a difference these two substitutions have made.
Now Carayol does the same down the left flank, sending the ball into the centre where Wroe shoots but sees his effort deflected into the arms of the Weymouth keeper.
Now Carayol is down needing treatment. He's limping off but should be OK.
There's a long stoppage here after a clash of heads between Hargreaves and Phillips. Phillips is getting some lengthy attention.
Stevens, in his first act of the game, scorches down the right flank and gets to the byline. His cross lands on the roof of the net but at least he got one in, which is a bonus after the first half we just saw.
So Carayol and Stevens are on for the second half, replacing Dsane and Carlisle.
Torquay are out very early, looking like a bunch of players who have had a full and frank exchange of views during the interval.
And we're off.
Carayol is having a fairly purposeful warm-up out there. His track suit bottoms are off and his orange boots are on. Could we be seeing him. Danny Stevens is also stripped and warming up properly.
Changes at half time, then? Certainly Carlisle and Dsane have given us nothing on the flanks. Carayol and Stevens are both on the bench and both could do better than the players currently out there.
Dsane has had what the technical experts call 'a shocker' so far.

HALF TIME - GULLS 0-1 WEYMOUTH

GOAL- GULLS 0-1 WEYMOUTH

Ryan Williams gives Weymouth the lead a minute into stoppage time. Beavon crosses from the left, it runs through the defence to Williams who shoots home left-footed from 15 yards.
Corner to Weymouth on the left.
It's a low cross by Reed and easily cleared. Beavon tries a shot from 20 yards and it is deflected away for another Weymouth corner.
That's the 45 minutes up. The fourth official says there will be 2 more.
And it's 0-0 by the way, just in case you are scanning down the page for a score flash.
Mansell crosses from the right, finding Christie on the penalty spot. His header is firm but wide.
Carlisle has a go from 25 yards, but it's well wide.
We are in the 42nd minute now.
Free kick to Weymouth 30 yards out. Coutts curls it in but Sills heads it clear.
Christie forces a corner on the left for Torquay in the 36th minute. Carlisle takes it. Doe clears.
Weymouth set up a chance on the edge of the Torquay box, but there's an offside flag and the danger passes.
The biggest cheer of the night comes for the Weymouth physio, who has just sprinted across the pitch to tend to Stuart Beavon. The physio is a big lad - no stranger to the pie counter - but that was a tidy turn of speed.
Williams crosses but Bevan gathers with ease.
Things are livening up a bit here.
Nicholson crosses from the left but Knowles catches confidently.
The verdict so far on Christie is encouraging. He's in all the right places. Weymouth full back Sandwith is getting a booking for a two-footed lunge at Carlisle.
We are in the 30th minute. Carlisle half-volleys just wide left-footed after a low cross by Nicholson.
Christie goes down in the box in the 23rd minute under a challenge by Doe. He wants a penalty but Mr Hendley isn't interested.
Up to the other end and a corner for Weymouth. It's cleared, but now they have a free kick on the left. Williams curls it in but Wroe clears for another Weymouth corner on the right.
Iyseden Christie lashes in a left foot shot from the edge of the box in the inside right position in the 21st minute. It's on target but doesn't bother Knowles.
Corner to Weymouth in the 22nd but Hodges heads clear.
Another corner for the visitors, this time from their left in the 23rd minute.
Sills volleys this one clear.
A word for Mr Burd the groundsman here. After yesterday's deluge he has produced a good surface, although it is bound to cut up later.
Christie is fouled out on the left and Scott Doe gets a booking for the challenge. Nicholson swings the ball in but Carlisle is offside at the back post.
In the 17th minute Dsane cuts in from the left and shoots from 12 yards. Knowles gets down well to his left to push the ball away.
Ryan Williams on the left for Weymouth looks a bit of a pocket rocket. He's fast and isn't afraid to run with the ball. His final ball often lets him down, say those who have seen him play before.
That's 15 of the least interesting minutes of football I have ever seen.
Phillips has just gone on a tremendous run down the right for Weymouth. He cut inside and shaped for the shot only to lose control of the ball at the vital moment.
How we laughed...
In the seventh minute and neither team seems able to string more than two passes together at the moment.
Phillips beats Robertson down the right for the visitors but the ball goes loose and Torquay clear.
Into the 10th minute and Sills is judged to have fouled the full back on a long throw by Nicko.
Will we see a 'Raging Bull' performance out of Lee Phillips tonight?
It's a cagey start. We're in the fourth minute and apart from one foul and an offside, there's not much to blog about.
The Pop Side did fill up quite nicely, by the way.
Coutts crosses from the right and Mansell heads it behind. Coutts has another shot but it's blocked.
Here come the teams, then. We are, of course, all in gold. Weymouth are in claret shirts with blue trim, white shorts and sky blue socks.
Iyseden Christie, who was wearing green boots in the warm-up, is now wearing red ones. He also has the longest, baggiest shorts since Charles 'Charlie' Charles.
Weymouth kick off playing towards the Ministand
Hopeless optimism has broken out in the press box. All the sweepstake bets are for Torquay wins, varying from the conservative to the frankly outlandish (hello Darryl). I have gone for a 2-1 Gulls win, and it's a mighty rollover jackpot of almost five of your puny earth pounds.
Greetings to our regular bloggers and any of you who are new to the joys of the match day blog. Hello Bristol. Hello Paignton.
It's cold and dry here, with not many in so far. Watch the terraces fill up at 7.43pm when Boots kicks out.
The Gulls are warming up in front of the Pop Side. Weymouth are down in the dark corner in front of the police box.
So, we are Bevan; Mansell, Robertson, Hodges, Nicholson; Carlisle, Wroe, Hargreaves, Dsane; Sills, Christie. On the bench are Benyon, Thompson, Green, Carayol and Stevens.
Weymouth are Knowles; Mawer, Doe, Gaia, Sandwith; Coutts, McPhee, Reed, Williams; Beavon, Phillips. Subs are Browning, Tribe, Collins, McKechnie and Dixon. That's Marcus Browning, by the way, ex of Bristol Rovers.
Ref is Andy Hendley from Halesowen in the West Midlands.
The team are here, and we have a couple of changes.
Steve Woods is injured, so Chris Robertson comes into the back four. Iyseden Christie makes his debut, partnering Tim Sills up front. Matt Green drops to the bench.
Weymouth have three ex-Gulls in the starting line-up - Chris McPhee, Stephen Reed and, of course, Lee Phillips.

GULLS V WEYMOUTH

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