Torquay United Fans Forum

100% agree with you - just thinking given age and likely sustained fitness he may play fitfully in central defence / full back / wide midfield as required - but fully fit and with longevity he’s a no brainier there.
We suffered without a specialist left back when injuries hit last year and the difference it made when even a raw loanee in Ryan Law slotted in and provided defensive nous whilst freeing up Andrews to step forward again and provide some width and creativity on the flank was huge - we lost ground when we didn’t have that option due to lack of available players and it hit us hard in defence and cost the team going forward with Andrews deputising and Whits missing too.

I think we need to chill a bit.

Both Gary’s and the squad members’ moves in terms of players in and out would have been dramatically affected by a different outcome in the play off final - personnel required and/or surplus to need would have been very different had we succeeded in promotion. We know this from watching Buckle’s side step up.

Gary would have had a plan for each eventuality (promotion or not) but no oven ready deals.

As it stands, he suggests we have four potential signings lined up.

Given that the season could start with positions filled as follows, there’s no reason to sweat. This is almost the side that performed so well with an unbeaten run and a hell of a shift v Notts County:

A goalkeeper

Wynter
Moxey - would be better as utility cover with a specialist left back as first choice
Lewis
Centre back (but quite possibly Sherring)

A wide forward / winger (but possibly Nemane)
Hall
Little
Lemonheigh Evans
Andrews

Wright

Yes - some of these are aging or injury prone and the likelihood of getting a similar season from them is reduced but it only takes a couple of inspired loans or clever utility signings and I’m confident we’ll do just fine.

Get the keeper right and we’ll avoid dropping some points we could have done without dropping this season and get the right striker signing to share the burden with Danny and play offs are more than possible again.

Out of interest, I wonder which TUFC national league / vanarama play off team would be victorious in a head to head? Buckle’s winners featuring Hargreaves and Sills or our current crop with Lemongeigh Evans, Hall and Whitfield. I reckon Johnson’s squad is stronger in depth (and has needed to be). Perhaps not a debate for now!

Agree - an absolutely brilliant season that may well end up being even better yet.
Some of our football has been sublime and had we not been disrupted so frequently by injuries we would have been unstoppable. You can’t legislate for the multiple injuries not just to key players but that cripple the successful formula of play Gary Johnson had established.
Really thought Sutton would drop points and the fact they dug in and got those results earns them the title - we ended up faltering having put together an incredible run in. Tough games those against Bromley and Stockport particularly - but nothing but applause for the team and management. A horrible division to get out of and we might yet do it ahead of Notts County, Wrexham etc. Would we have taken this position back in September? Hell yes!!

Perhaps we should have phoned the forth official...

I agree Modgull.
I said on Sunday that It felt like petty sour grapes to mention it, and to be honest it still does (just set yourself up better at set pieces guys) but though teams can place the ball as far as they like on the edge of the quadrant so long as there’s no clear ‘daylight’ between the line and the ball , and all teams including us do, that particular ball placement by Stockport was so clearly beyond the corner markings that it took the p*** - I couldn’t believe more wasn’t made of it really as it was so blatant...I was screaming at the telly before he took it as it was clearly seeking to gain an advantage by avoiding the nasty scuffed up divot that was gorged out of the pitch where the ball would probably otherwise have been placed..,yet it still feels like petty sour grapes to moan about it...gone now

Two damn good teams slugging it out here.

Petty to say, but that ball was never even close to being in / touching the corner quadrant ???

Gotta keep believing.
Gary will be telling the players that Sutton will still drop points and the only mindset worth entertaining is to believe that too - I’m convinced they will.
Similarly, we have to be certain that all three games are ours for the taking.
As someone said earlier, nobody has looked close to our quality when we turn it on and we still have those performances in our locker, even with a few missing.
We’ve avoided relegation with much less in the tank than we have now on the brink of the title!

Well, thanks Woking for giving that everything.
Sutton will now need to recover from that!

Big finish !!! 3-2 five minutes

Arse - 3-1
Anticipate floodgates opening

Incredible stuff - 2-1 down again now but Woking shooing from 15 yards inside their own half ...and some kamikaze tackling

Agree that Woking are unlikely to be able to keep this up for another 45 - but the bodies on the line approach is appreciated! Second half could be absolutely brutal.

Total respect to Woking for the energy and commitment here - they are busting a gut!