1. Lucas Covolan continues to impress.
While Brazilian goalkeepers Ederson and Allison impressed in the Premier League last season for Manchester City and Liverpool, and continue to do so, their compatriot Lucas Covolan is emerging as a stand out performer for Torquay United in the National League. Covolan, 28, who joined the Gulls in the summer from Worthing FC, made a string of fine saves against Hartlepool with the pick of them coming in the 70th minute when he denied Pools defender Fraser Kerr.
The goalkeeping position is one area where United manager Gary Johnson is spoilt for choice, as he has the choice between Covolan and Shaun MacDonald - a scenario very similar to the one he faced at Bristol City where he had to choose between another Brazilian in Adriano Basso and former Yeovil keeper Chris Weale.
2. Reid makes it five in eight.
One player who continues to make the step up from the National League South is United's Jamie Reid who made it five goals in eight games for the season. Former Northern Ireland Under-21 international Reid scored the Gulls' equaliser in the 51st minute with a shot from the edge of the penalty area after being teed up by left-back Liam Davis.
Reid is now the National League joint second top scorer with Gime Toure (Hartlepool), Innih Effiong (Dover) and Liam McAlinden (FC Halifax), who have also scored five.
3. A Football League game in everything but name.
In the build-up to the game, Gary Johnson described the Gulls' clash with Hartlepool as a 'Football League game' in everything but name' and as a contest it lived up to that billing. It was also reflected by the game's attendance of 2,683, which was the third highest crowd in the National League behind Wrexham versus Stockport County (5,777) and Chesterfield and Dagenham & Redbridge (3,708) - both Football League fixtures of old as well.
4. A nice one for the memory of Cyril.
Saturday's match also marked the 28th anniversary of the death of Cyril Knowles - who managed both the Gulls (1987-1989) and the Pools (1989-1991) with great success. He led Torquay to the brink of promotion in the 1987-88 season, where they lost a two-legged play-off final against Swansea City, and then to the Sherpa Van Trophy final in 1989 and he assembled the Hartlepool side that won automatic promotion in the 1990-91 season before his death from a brain tumour on August 30th, 1991. He would surely have been pleased to see two of his former clubs turning their fortunes around after several difficult years for both.
5. A feeling of de ja vu?
When Gary Johnson was first appointed as Gulls manager, United were ten points behind Woking, who were top at the time, in the National League South. Fast forward nearly a year on and United are ten points behind the Cards in the league above, and we all know what happened next!
