Paul Wotton's return to the Plymouth Argyle side coincided with the Pilgrims making a return to winning ways as they came away from their trip to Dagenham and Redbridge with all three points.
Reuben Reid opened the scoring with his 11th league goal of the season after five minutes before the Daggers equalised through Zavon Hines; but Lewis Alessandra then restored their advantage, which they held onto until full time and manager John Sheridan admitted that Wotton's return had helped to galvanise the Pilgrims' side.
"He's a talker, he sees the game on the pitch and I wish I had a few more like him. I thought he was excellent. He got a grip of people and he never shuts up, and keeps people on their toes," said Sheridan.
"I was going to play three at the back and I think that suits him. He doesn't have the legs he used to have, but we lack an organiser on the pitch.
The win moves Argyle back up to 10th place in the League Two table, and it proved to be a double celebration for Bastille drummer and Argyle fan Chris Wood; earlier in the week Bastille won the BRIT award for the Best Breakthrough Act and he got to see his team win whilst acting as summariser alongside BBC Radio Devon commentator Gordon Sparks.
Monday 24 February 2014
A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
Chris Hargreaves has urged his Torquay United side not to be overawed by their upcoming fixture list, which sees the Gulls play three of their next four fixtures against teams challenging for automatic promotion or the Play-Offs.
On Tuesday night, Torquay host Burton Albion before travelling Hartlepool, and their next two fixtures sees them play Fleetwood Town and Rochdale at Plainmoor; but Hargreaves believes they should believe that they can claim the three points at stake in each game.
"It's not the Premier League or La Liga - it's a division where anyone can beat anyone", said Hargreaves.
"You just have to move on and do what we can do that is going to affect the Burton game.
"I'm expecting a reaction: that's what I was like as a player and I expect them to be the same."
Since the Gulls' last win against Portsmouth on February 1st, they have lost their three subsequent fixtures since then-including two defeats against relegation rivals Northampton and Accrington.
This run has left Hargreaves' side five points adrift of safety and they are only off the bottom of the league on goal scored (they have found the back of the net more often than Northampton).
However, those well versed in other great escapes by Torquay United will no doubt remember when the Gulls travelled to Carlisle United in 2006; the Cumbrians needed three points to clinch the League Two title and Torquay required three points to aid their survival prospects.
First half goals from Kevin Hill and Jo Kuffour gave the Gulls a two goal cushion before Zigor Aranalde pulled one back for Carlisle, as Torquay's survival mission under Ian Atkins was virtually accomplished; a point in the following week's home fixture against Boston United made it a mathematical certainty.
If the Gulls can go into their final match of the season, which is at home to Wycombe Wanderers- currently 22nd in League Two and one place above Torquay at the time of writing, and still have a chance of survival, the prospect of another great escape could be on the cards.
On Tuesday night, Torquay host Burton Albion before travelling Hartlepool, and their next two fixtures sees them play Fleetwood Town and Rochdale at Plainmoor; but Hargreaves believes they should believe that they can claim the three points at stake in each game.
"It's not the Premier League or La Liga - it's a division where anyone can beat anyone", said Hargreaves.
"You just have to move on and do what we can do that is going to affect the Burton game.
"I'm expecting a reaction: that's what I was like as a player and I expect them to be the same."
Since the Gulls' last win against Portsmouth on February 1st, they have lost their three subsequent fixtures since then-including two defeats against relegation rivals Northampton and Accrington.
This run has left Hargreaves' side five points adrift of safety and they are only off the bottom of the league on goal scored (they have found the back of the net more often than Northampton).
However, those well versed in other great escapes by Torquay United will no doubt remember when the Gulls travelled to Carlisle United in 2006; the Cumbrians needed three points to clinch the League Two title and Torquay required three points to aid their survival prospects.
First half goals from Kevin Hill and Jo Kuffour gave the Gulls a two goal cushion before Zigor Aranalde pulled one back for Carlisle, as Torquay's survival mission under Ian Atkins was virtually accomplished; a point in the following week's home fixture against Boston United made it a mathematical certainty.
If the Gulls can go into their final match of the season, which is at home to Wycombe Wanderers- currently 22nd in League Two and one place above Torquay at the time of writing, and still have a chance of survival, the prospect of another great escape could be on the cards.
Thursday 13 February 2014
THE END OF THE HONEYMOON
Alan Knill's return to Plainmoor as the assistant manager of Northampton Town ultimately proved to be the sideshow that it deserved to be, but Chris Hargreaves' honeymoon period as Torquay United manager appears to be over.
A win for the Gulls on Tuesday, in what was Hargreaves's first home match since he replaced Knill, against the Cobblers would have lifted Torquay United out of the League Two relegation zone, but it was Chris Wilder's men who ran out as winners-largely thanks to two strikes from Emile Sinclair in the opening 16 minutes.
Krystian Pearce pulled one back for Torquay on the stroke of half-time, but, despite much huffing and puffing in the second half, the Gulls couldn't find a leveller; the pick of the efforts included a moment when substitutes Jordan Chapell and Karl Hawley combined to produce a headed effort from Hawley that narrowly missed the target.
Torquay still remain above Northampton in the league table, but greater importance is now placed on future home fixtures against fellow strugglers Accrington Stanley, Bury and Wycombe Wanderers, such is the necessity for Hargreaves' men to get points on the board.
The final of those three previous mentioned fixtures falls on the final day of the campaign, and the early signs are that it could join the long list of the Gulls' great escape acts.
A win for the Gulls on Tuesday, in what was Hargreaves's first home match since he replaced Knill, against the Cobblers would have lifted Torquay United out of the League Two relegation zone, but it was Chris Wilder's men who ran out as winners-largely thanks to two strikes from Emile Sinclair in the opening 16 minutes.
Krystian Pearce pulled one back for Torquay on the stroke of half-time, but, despite much huffing and puffing in the second half, the Gulls couldn't find a leveller; the pick of the efforts included a moment when substitutes Jordan Chapell and Karl Hawley combined to produce a headed effort from Hawley that narrowly missed the target.
Torquay still remain above Northampton in the league table, but greater importance is now placed on future home fixtures against fellow strugglers Accrington Stanley, Bury and Wycombe Wanderers, such is the necessity for Hargreaves' men to get points on the board.
The final of those three previous mentioned fixtures falls on the final day of the campaign, and the early signs are that it could join the long list of the Gulls' great escape acts.
Friday 7 February 2014
A DOUBLE HEADER AGAINST FORMER MANAGEMENT TEAM
Weather permitting, in the light of the heavy downpour of rain that has hit the South West of England, Chris Hargreaves' next two games as Torquay United manager will see come up against the Gulls former management team of Alan Knill and Chris Brass.
In a bizarre set of circumstances, which sees the current Torquay manager face the Gulls' former assistant manager, Brass, and his predecessor in the Plainmoor hot-seat, Knill, in the space of a few days- against Bury and Northampton Town- in what can be best termed as relegation 'six-pointers' in a space of a few days.
The chain of events that has seen this scenario fall into place began in the middle of December when the Shakers approached Brass, then assistant to Knill at Plainmoor, to return to Gigg Lane as the number two of his former team-mate and newly installed manager David Flitcroft.
Brass, whose young family still resided in East Lancashire, opted to return north to work alongside Flitcroft, whilst Knill remained in charge at Plainmoor, following the Gulls' 1-0 victory over Southend United on December 14th.
Then, early in 2014, Knill was dismissed as Torquay manager after a terrible run of results, which culminated in a 2-0 defeat against Plymouth Argyle on New Year's Day.
In choosing Knill's successor, the Gulls' board chose to appoint their former promotion winning captain Hargreaves, who had been working as first-team coach at AFC Bournemouth under Eddie Howe, to replace the former Rotherham, Bury and Scunthorpe manager.
Prior to his appointment at Plainmoor, Hargreaves had held talks with another of his former clubs: Northampton Town, but decided that his immediate future lay with the Gulls.
Northampton then switched their attentions to Chris Wilder, then in charge of Oxford United, and successfully managed to secure his services.
On his arrival at the Sixfields Stadium, Wilder drafted in his old friend Knill- the pair have been close friends since they were young pros together at Southampton- to be his number two.
All this has served to set up a tasty fixture double header, which sees Hargreaves face firstly Brass; and then Knill in two matches that could have a big say in deciding where the Gulls finish in the League Two table come May.
In a bizarre set of circumstances, which sees the current Torquay manager face the Gulls' former assistant manager, Brass, and his predecessor in the Plainmoor hot-seat, Knill, in the space of a few days- against Bury and Northampton Town- in what can be best termed as relegation 'six-pointers' in a space of a few days.
The chain of events that has seen this scenario fall into place began in the middle of December when the Shakers approached Brass, then assistant to Knill at Plainmoor, to return to Gigg Lane as the number two of his former team-mate and newly installed manager David Flitcroft.
Brass, whose young family still resided in East Lancashire, opted to return north to work alongside Flitcroft, whilst Knill remained in charge at Plainmoor, following the Gulls' 1-0 victory over Southend United on December 14th.
Then, early in 2014, Knill was dismissed as Torquay manager after a terrible run of results, which culminated in a 2-0 defeat against Plymouth Argyle on New Year's Day.
In choosing Knill's successor, the Gulls' board chose to appoint their former promotion winning captain Hargreaves, who had been working as first-team coach at AFC Bournemouth under Eddie Howe, to replace the former Rotherham, Bury and Scunthorpe manager.
Prior to his appointment at Plainmoor, Hargreaves had held talks with another of his former clubs: Northampton Town, but decided that his immediate future lay with the Gulls.
Northampton then switched their attentions to Chris Wilder, then in charge of Oxford United, and successfully managed to secure his services.
On his arrival at the Sixfields Stadium, Wilder drafted in his old friend Knill- the pair have been close friends since they were young pros together at Southampton- to be his number two.
All this has served to set up a tasty fixture double header, which sees Hargreaves face firstly Brass; and then Knill in two matches that could have a big say in deciding where the Gulls finish in the League Two table come May.
Monday 3 February 2014
SLEEPLESS ON THE SOUTH COAST
One of the greatest attributes that the Torquay United side that Chris Hargreaves led to victory in the 2009 Conference Play-Off final possessed was their strength of character in the face of adversity.
On that day at Wembley in May 2009, the Gulls' XI that Hargreaves presented to the match day guest of honour, current Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill, contained goalkeeper Michael Poke- who was suffering from a cracked jaw, central defender Chris Todd- then still in remission after being diagnosed with Leukaemia earlier in the season- and centre forward Tim Sills, who was donning a face mask to protect a fractured cheekbone- before duly going to clinch their return to the Football League after a two-year absence with a 2-0 win over their opponents Cambridge United.
Fast forward to the present and the Torquay side that Hargreaves now manages- and are currently fighting to retain the league status they won that day- defeated League Two's fallen giants Portsmouth on their own patch after being awoken at 1:45am, following flooding in their hotel which later forced them to evacuate the premises at 5am when they were transferred to a new hotel.
A 27th minute strike from Billy Bodin- their first ever goal against Pompey at Fratton Park in five attempts- proved to be enough to secure a crucial three points for the Gulls, in what had already proved to be the most extraordinary of circumstances.
Next up for Hargreaves' side is a home fixture against Bury on Saturday, which is set to be his first home league fixture after their previous two scheduled home fixtures against Northampton Town and Burton Albion fell victim to the adverse wet weather conditions that have hit south Devon in the past month.
On that day at Wembley in May 2009, the Gulls' XI that Hargreaves presented to the match day guest of honour, current Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill, contained goalkeeper Michael Poke- who was suffering from a cracked jaw, central defender Chris Todd- then still in remission after being diagnosed with Leukaemia earlier in the season- and centre forward Tim Sills, who was donning a face mask to protect a fractured cheekbone- before duly going to clinch their return to the Football League after a two-year absence with a 2-0 win over their opponents Cambridge United.
Fast forward to the present and the Torquay side that Hargreaves now manages- and are currently fighting to retain the league status they won that day- defeated League Two's fallen giants Portsmouth on their own patch after being awoken at 1:45am, following flooding in their hotel which later forced them to evacuate the premises at 5am when they were transferred to a new hotel.
A 27th minute strike from Billy Bodin- their first ever goal against Pompey at Fratton Park in five attempts- proved to be enough to secure a crucial three points for the Gulls, in what had already proved to be the most extraordinary of circumstances.
Next up for Hargreaves' side is a home fixture against Bury on Saturday, which is set to be his first home league fixture after their previous two scheduled home fixtures against Northampton Town and Burton Albion fell victim to the adverse wet weather conditions that have hit south Devon in the past month.
Sunday 2 February 2014
JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW ROUND-UP
Of all of the South West's four professional league sides, Torquay United proved to be the busiest during the January 2014 transfer window.
Gulls' boss Chris Hargreaves made seven signings; four on loan and three on permanent deals, as he looked to keep the Gulls in League Two.
Hargreaves returned to his former club AFC Bournemouth to sign Jayden Stockley, who had previously been brought to Plainmoor by Hargreaves' predecessor Alan Knill last December.
This was then followed by further loan signings; Shamir Goodwin, Aidan O'Brien and Jack Rudge from Brighton and Hove Albion, Millwall and Manchester United.
The latter two are likely to be of particular interest to the Plainmoor faithful as O'Brien is the Republic of Ireland Under-21 side's second top scorer of all-time, behind Hull City's Robbie Brady, and Rudge becomes the first player to move between the Gulls and Manchester United since Lee Sharpe's transfer to the Red Devils in 1988.
They have been complemented by the permanent arrivals of Shaun Cooper-who was on trial with the Gulls at the start of the campaign, Joss Labadie-who makes his loan move from Notts County into a permanent one following his release by the Magpies- and Danny Stevens who returns to the club for a second spell after his departure at the end of last season.
Two players left Plainmoor during January in the form of rookie pros Conor Thompson and Kirtys MacKenzie, who have both had their contracts cancelled-MacKenzie's deal was terminated on health grounds as his diabetes condition prevents him maintaining the lifestyle requirements of a professional footballer.
There have also been plenty of comings and goings at Huish Park, as Gary Johnson looks to steer Yeovil Town away from the foot of the Championship table.
Former Liverpool starlet Adam Morgan put pen-to-paper on a two-and-a-half year contract, which makes his loan move from Anfield permanent, and Ishmael Miller extended his stay in south Somerset until the end of the campaign.
Tom Lawrence joined the Glovers on a three-month loan deal on deadline day, as midfielder Ed Upson departed for Ian Holloway's Millwall for a fee believed to be in the region of £100,000.
Also leaving Huish were last season's top scorer Paddy Madden, who headed north to sign for Scunthorpe for £300,000, and Dan Seaborne who drops down a division to join Coventry City.
Plymouth Argyle manager John Sheridan enjoyed a relatively quiet January transfer window compared to last year when he was first appointed.
The former Oldham Athletic and Chesterfield manager has recruited three new players in the form of ex-Sunderland winger Nathan Thomas, the mercurial Jason Banton who returns to Home Park on a permanent basis following a highly impressive loan spell last season from Crystal Palace- which saw him win the Npower League Two Player of the Month award for March 2013- and left back Matt Parsons who also joins the Pilgrims from Palace.
Despite speculation linking goalkeeper Luke McCormick and midfielder Conor Hourihane with moves away from Home Park, the only departure from Argyle in January was that of Algerian midfielder Hamza Bencherif.
The only transfer movement involving Exeter City during January was the termination of the contract of veteran midfielder Tommy Doherty.
The midfielder, who has won nine caps for Northern Ireland, has only played 13 times for the Grecians this season, and he hasn't featured for Paul Tisdale's side since their FA Cup first round defeat against Peterborough United.
This decision brings down the curtain on a career which started at Bristol City, for whom he made 226 first team appearances.
He also featured for Queens Park Rangers, Yeovil Town, Wycombe Wanderers, Hungarian outfit Ferencvarosi, Bradford City, Newport County and Bath City, before moving to Exeter in July 2012.
Gulls' boss Chris Hargreaves made seven signings; four on loan and three on permanent deals, as he looked to keep the Gulls in League Two.
Hargreaves returned to his former club AFC Bournemouth to sign Jayden Stockley, who had previously been brought to Plainmoor by Hargreaves' predecessor Alan Knill last December.
This was then followed by further loan signings; Shamir Goodwin, Aidan O'Brien and Jack Rudge from Brighton and Hove Albion, Millwall and Manchester United.
The latter two are likely to be of particular interest to the Plainmoor faithful as O'Brien is the Republic of Ireland Under-21 side's second top scorer of all-time, behind Hull City's Robbie Brady, and Rudge becomes the first player to move between the Gulls and Manchester United since Lee Sharpe's transfer to the Red Devils in 1988.
They have been complemented by the permanent arrivals of Shaun Cooper-who was on trial with the Gulls at the start of the campaign, Joss Labadie-who makes his loan move from Notts County into a permanent one following his release by the Magpies- and Danny Stevens who returns to the club for a second spell after his departure at the end of last season.
Two players left Plainmoor during January in the form of rookie pros Conor Thompson and Kirtys MacKenzie, who have both had their contracts cancelled-MacKenzie's deal was terminated on health grounds as his diabetes condition prevents him maintaining the lifestyle requirements of a professional footballer.
There have also been plenty of comings and goings at Huish Park, as Gary Johnson looks to steer Yeovil Town away from the foot of the Championship table.
Former Liverpool starlet Adam Morgan put pen-to-paper on a two-and-a-half year contract, which makes his loan move from Anfield permanent, and Ishmael Miller extended his stay in south Somerset until the end of the campaign.
Tom Lawrence joined the Glovers on a three-month loan deal on deadline day, as midfielder Ed Upson departed for Ian Holloway's Millwall for a fee believed to be in the region of £100,000.
Also leaving Huish were last season's top scorer Paddy Madden, who headed north to sign for Scunthorpe for £300,000, and Dan Seaborne who drops down a division to join Coventry City.
Plymouth Argyle manager John Sheridan enjoyed a relatively quiet January transfer window compared to last year when he was first appointed.
The former Oldham Athletic and Chesterfield manager has recruited three new players in the form of ex-Sunderland winger Nathan Thomas, the mercurial Jason Banton who returns to Home Park on a permanent basis following a highly impressive loan spell last season from Crystal Palace- which saw him win the Npower League Two Player of the Month award for March 2013- and left back Matt Parsons who also joins the Pilgrims from Palace.
Despite speculation linking goalkeeper Luke McCormick and midfielder Conor Hourihane with moves away from Home Park, the only departure from Argyle in January was that of Algerian midfielder Hamza Bencherif.
The only transfer movement involving Exeter City during January was the termination of the contract of veteran midfielder Tommy Doherty.
The midfielder, who has won nine caps for Northern Ireland, has only played 13 times for the Grecians this season, and he hasn't featured for Paul Tisdale's side since their FA Cup first round defeat against Peterborough United.
This decision brings down the curtain on a career which started at Bristol City, for whom he made 226 first team appearances.
He also featured for Queens Park Rangers, Yeovil Town, Wycombe Wanderers, Hungarian outfit Ferencvarosi, Bradford City, Newport County and Bath City, before moving to Exeter in July 2012.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)