Saturday, 8 September 2018

NEW LOOK LADY GLOVERS READY TO START SECOND WSL TOP FLIGHT CAMPAIGN

It will a new look Yeovil Town Ladies side that commences their second Women's Super League campaign against Reading Women on Sunday.

The game will also mark the Lady Glovers' transition from part-time football to full-time football, as they aim to improve upon the two points which they gained from their debut campaign.

Yeovil haven't won a game in any competition since they beat Sheffield FC to clinch the Women's Super League Two title and have only scored 14 goals and conceding 104 goals.

However, the Lady Glovers, now managed by former Millwall Lionesses manager Lee Burch after his predecessor Jamie Sherwood became Director of Football as he was unable to commit to managing Yeovil on a full time basis, will be more determine than ever to better that statistic.

Burch, who won the Women's Super League Two manager of the year award after guiding the Lionesses to the league title - but were denied promotion after failing to meet the new WSL Licence criteria, has enticed a number of his former players to the Lady Glovers, including right-back Amy Goddard, left-back Megan Alexander, midfielders Bonnie Horwood and Ellie Mason and forward Amber Gaylor.

As well as the new, they were also joined by the 'old' as Hannah Short and Emily Donovan - who were both with the Lady Glovers win WSL Two in 2016 - both returned to Yeovil after spending the 2017-18 season with Oxford United Ladies.

Other new arrivals include Olivia Fergusson who arrives from Bristol City Women.

Familiar faces still with the Lady Glovers include long serving defender Nicola Cousins, the evergreen Annie Heatherson and goalkeeper Megan Walsh, who could yet force her way into the mind for Lionesses manager Phil Neville ahead of next summer's Women's World Cup.

Amongst the other changes at the club, the Lady Glovers also have a new home as they will now be playing their home games at Dorchester Town's Avenue Stadium after playing at Huish Park (Yeovil Town), the Viridor Stadium (Taunton Town) and the Woodspring Stadium (Weston Super Mare).

Regardless of whether they are able to better their record of the previous season, but there's one thing that can be guarantee that the players will remain true to the club's motto of 'Achieve by Unity.'

Saturday, 1 September 2018

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS HEMEL HEMPSTEAD

1. Jake Andrews added a badly needed touch of flair to the Gulls side.

Those Gulls fans who witnessed their pre-season friendly against Bristol City's Under-23 side would have no doubt gone home with the memory of Jake Andrews' sweetly struck free-kick which found the top corner fresh in their mind. Those same supporters would have no doubt been very happy to have seen Torquay United secure his signature this week on a loan deal.
His debut for the Gulls proved to be equally memorable as his pass provided the assist for Jamie Reid's opener and his corner picked out Asa Hall to head home his first for the club, as he added a touch of flair to a side that was crying out for some extra invention - especially in the second half when United switched to 4-4-2.

2. The pace of Opi Edwards made a big difference as well.

As well as Andrews, Opi Edwards - who was also on target for Bristol City's Under-23's on the same night in question - made a big impact on his debut as he gave the Gulls an injection of extra pace. If at any point in the game the Hemel Hempstead players felt that they were up against two players it wouldn't have come as a great surprise such were the levels of energy shown by Edwards.
Not only did he support the attack, he was also willing to track back and help out defensively as evidenced by the way he snuffed out an overlapping run from Tudors' left-back Callum Martin and helped the Gulls to win a goal kick in the process. His performance, in addition to that of Andrews, would no doubt have been pleasing for Bristol City loans manager Brian Tinnion.

3. Jamie Reid ends the Gulls' goal scoring drought.

Jamie Reid picked the perfect time to score his opening goal of the campaign - which ended 474 minutes without a goal for the Gulls, a figure which equates to six hours and 57 minutes.
Although United's goals against column reads three, their goals for column also read three before the start of today, so if they can marry scoring more goals with a resolute defence then United will start to rise up the table.
Hopefully this will also see Reid, who scored three goals in five appearances on loan at Truro City in the National League South in the 2015-16 season from Exeter City, find the back of the net on a more consistent basis.

4. Alex Bass once again proved to be revelation between the sticks.

United once again had Portsmouth loanee Alex Bass to thank for helping them to keep another clean sheet. Bass made a number of important saves, most notably in the first half when he recovered in time - despite being off his line - to turn a 35-yard effort from Tudors striker Steve Cawley over the bar.
Much has been made over the summer of the spells in non-league football enjoyed by Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope, which helped them to make the England squad for last summer's World Cup in Russia. It might be early days yet for Bass, but there is every chance that his career could follow a similar trajectory.

5. Success achieved in the light of absences.

It is also worth noting that United's win over Hemel Hempstead was achieved despite the Gulls missing a number of players who would have been in contention to start had they been fit. Central defenders Jakub Sokolik and Jean Yves Koue Niate would probably have featured in defence and midfield duo Samir Nabi and Ryan Dickson could have been involved as well.
Where the latter two will fit into the side in the light of the displays of Jake Andrews and Opi Edwards will surely give manager Gary Owers something to think about.


GULLS RETURN TO WINNING WAYS AGAINST TUDORS

Second half goals from Jamie Reid and Asa Hall were enough to see Torquay United end their goal drought against Hemel Hempstead as the Gulls returned to winning ways.

United hadn’t scored for 397 minutes heading into the game but they found their stride early on, as Bristol City loanee duo Jake Andrews and Opi Edwards combined to tee up Chris Regis for a shot that the ex-Port Vale man blasted over on nine minutes.

Two minutes later, Tudors striker Steve Cawley attempted an audacious effort from 35-yards out, but Gulls keeper Alex Bass tipped his effort over for a corner.
The post came to United’s rescue in the 27th minute as Herschel Sanchez-Watt nodded a free-kick from Tudors skipper Jordan Parkes against the upright.

Seven minutes later, Tudors keeper Laurie Walker was forced into making his first serious save of the match when he got his fingertips to an angled effort from Andrews.
After the break, Parkes tested Bass with a free-kick, in the opening minute of the second half, which the Gulls keeper gathered comfortably.

Two minutes later, Jamie Reid made a bursting run into the penalty area before finding Edwards, who saw his effort turned behind for a corner as United upped the ante.

On 59 minutes, Owers made his first change of the afternoon as Williams made way for Ruairi Keating and Hall took possession of the captain’s armband.
Edwards and Andrews combined again in the 67th minute to set up Keating, who nodded the ball straight at Walker.

The Gulls' persistence paid off in the 77th minute when Reid slotted home from close range following good build up play from Regis and Andrews.

With six minutes to go, Gulls stand-in skipper Hall connected with a corner from Andrews to double United’s lead with his first goal for the club to make the result safe to ease the pressure on manager Gary Owers.

Monday, 27 August 2018

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM TORQUAY UNITED'S BANK HOLIDAY FIXTURES WITH HAMPTON AND RICHMOND AND GLOUCESTER CITY

1. Hampton and Richmond were another 'Guiseley' in the Gulls' midst.

Torquay United's final home league defeat of the 2017-18 campaign came against part-time Guiseley and their first home league loss of the 2018-19 came against another part-time outfit in the form of Hampton and Richmond. Overcoming determined part-time opposition like Guiseley, who United failed to beat in six attempts - a sequence which included five defeats, has been an achilles heel for the Gulls in the past three years prior to their relegation to National League South. Both Hampton & Richmond's goals were as a result of set pieces as they dug in to come away from Plainmoor with all three points. It's a problem that United need to solve, in addition to dealing dealing with the extra burden of being the biggest club in the league.

2. United need goals badly.

As mentioned in a previous article on this site, former Gulls manager Dave Smith to win promotion in the lower leagues you need to score goals, and United have now gone 397 minutes since they last scored a goal - when Ruairi Keating headed home Liam Davis' cross against East Thurrock in the 53rd minute. Indeed it was Keating who came closest to scoring for United against Hampton & Richmond in the 58th minute, after coming off the bench at half-time, with a shot that hit the post and bounced clear.
So far this season this season, United manager Gary Owers hasn't managed to find a strike partnership that works so far this season from a combination that includes Keating, Jamie Reid and Brett Williams - who were all retained from last season - and new summer signing Andre Wright.
On Saturday against Hampton and Richmond, Owers opted for a 4-3-3 formation, with Williams playing as the central of the three frontmen with Reid and Jason Banton either side of him.
If there's anything that we can learn from that is that Williams isn't suited to playing as a loan striker - a role that requires a particular set of skills.
What Owers wouldn't give for two strikers who could deliver the returns of Elliot Romain and Rhys Healey, who found the back of the net four and seven times respectively whilst on loan at Plainmoor last season. Nevertheless, the Gulls' goal scoring statistics need to change, and change quickly, if United are going to challenge at the right end of the table where many believe a team of their stature as a former Football League club should be challenging.

3. Relying on the defence isn't enough.

Following on from the previous point about goal scoring, Saturday's defeat to Hampton and Richmond was the first time that United have conceded more than one goal in a game this season.
As they are currently finding goals hard to come by - conceding them at the other end leaves them facing an uphill task.
Their clean sheet against Gloucester City on Easter Monday was their fifth in seven league matches for the Gulls, but they cannot be expected to be relied upon to keep one every week.

4. Captaincy switch.

After deciding to drop current skipper Brett Williams to the bench for Easter Monday's clash against Gloucester City, Gary Owers handed the captain's armband to midfielder Asa Hall.
With Williams currently struggling for form - the question remains whether Hall might end up keeping the role permanently to help to allow Williams to focus on re-discovering his goal scoring touch. However, if Hall does retain the armband for next Saturday's visit of Hemel Hempstead it won't be the first time he has captained a side at Plainmoor, as he skippered his previous club Barrow for their visit to Plainmoor in the National League last February.

5. The growing unpopularity of Gary Owers.

Following their defeat to Hampton and Richmond, the Gulls side left the field to a chorus and chants of 'Owers Out'. This was then followed on Easter Monday against Gloucester City with an incident involving the use of flares on the pitch from the United fans who made the journey to Evesham and another unsavoury incident towards the end of the match which saw a fan throw a cup of hot coffee over Owers.
Sandwiched in between these two events was a poll run by Devon Live on whether Owers should be sacked, which prompted a response of 95% saying yes.
The actions of thIf the Gulls current poor form continues then not only will Owers come under increasing pressure, but General Manager Geoff Harrop and Chairman Clarke Osborne will also be facing the same pressure from the fans.

Wednesday, 22 August 2018

TISDALE VERSUS TAYLOR

It will be the case of the 'old' meeting the 'new' when Exeter City travel to Milton Keynes Dons on Saturday - an encounter that will see Grecians manager Matt Taylor face his predecessor Paul Tisdale.

As well as Tisdale, City will also be coming up against a number of other faces that are highly familiar with the Grecians faithful - including Jordan Moore-Taylor, Ryan Harley, Robbie Simpson and former loanee Lawson D'ath.

Off the field, City will also be crossing swords with former assistant manager Matt Oakley and goalkeeping coach Mel Gwinnett and Steve Perryman - who recently joined the Dons as a non-executive director.

These connections serve to add spice to a meeting between two sides that are currently unbeaten in League Two this season - the Grecians are currently top of the league whilst the Dons lie in fifth.

It also has the potential to illustrate the influence that Tisdale had over the Grecians following his 12 years in charge at St James Park - which is currently being continued thus far by Taylor - and the kind of impact he could have at Stadium:mk.

If ever there was a club that needed a change of image then it's the Dons; formed out of the demise of the 'old' Wimbledon in 2003 - the club have enjoyed a difficult existence since and are known in some circles as 'Franchise FC'.

This is reflected by the magazine When Saturday Comes, who include the Dons in their pre-season preview in which they quiz fans of each of the 92 clubs in the Premier League and the Football League alongside the caption ' no questions asked'.

During Tisdale's 12-year reign at St James Park, the Grecians gained a reputation of playing a passing game that was easy on the eye and for developing young players who they sold on for large transfer fees such as Matt Grimes, Ollie Watkins and Ethan Ampadu.

At Stadium:mk the potential exists for Tisdale to re-apply these principles to the Dons; during their short existence they have unearthed current Spurs and England midfielder Dele Alli and the possibility of producing other such talents - on a more frequent basis - remains strong.

If Tisdale succeeds then it could become harder for the wider footballing public to ignore the Dons and as Taylor's brief reign at St James Park has shown so far he can leave a strong legacy.





Friday, 17 August 2018

CAREER BEST FIGURES REQUIRED

When asked about what he believed to be the most essential ingredient for a promotion winning side, former Torquay United manager Dave Smith replied: "score goals, lots of them."

Smith achieved three promotions during his managerial career, a figure which includes leading Plymouth Argyle to promotion to what is now the Championship in the 1985-86 season, and he also laid the foundations for the Gulls' side that triumphed in the 'old' Division Four play-offs in 1991.

One hallmark of that side, which was also true of Leroy Rosenior's automatic promotion winning side of 2003-04, was that it possessed a strike partnership that yields between 30 and 40 goals in Tommy Tynan (19) and Dean Edwards (19) - David Graham netted 23 in the 2003-04 campaign, whilst Jo Kuffour scored 11.

However, Kevin Hodges' 1998 play-off final side came within a whisker of emulating their achievements - they were denied automatic promotion of the final day of the 1997-98 season with a defeat against Leyton Orient before losing to Colchester United in the play-off final - by doing things slightly differently.

Although Rodney Jack finished the campaign as United's top scorer with 16 goals, the responsibility for finding the back of the net was spread evenly throughout the team.

Right wing-back Andy Gurney found the back of the net nine times, left wing-back Paul Gibbs and  Kevin Hill - in his debut season after joining from Torrington - scored seven and Jon Gittens and loan signing Jason Roberts found the back of the net six times.

For messrs Jack, Gurney, Gibbs, Hill and Gittens, their respective tallies that season was their highest goal scoring returns for a season to date. In fact every member of the United squad found the back of the net that season apart from central defender Jamie Robinson.

Fast forward to the present day Torquay United, and if Brett Williams, Ruairi Keating, Jamie Reid and Andre Wright can't score 30-40 between them then it would be helpful if a few others could chip in with their career best figures to date to aid their promotion cause.

CAPITAL VENTURES AWAIT ARGYLE AND GRECIANS FOLLOWING CARABAO CUP SUCCESS

As a reward for overcoming Championship opposition in the first round of the Carabao Cup, Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City have been handed away ties that will see them travel to London.

The Pilgrims avenged their 5-0 first round exit at the hands of Bristol City last season by recording a single goal victory as Yann Songo'o headed home a Graham Carey cross on 27 minutes to score the game's decisive goal. They will now travel to Millwall in the second round.

New Exeter City manager Matt Taylor's first League Cup tie in charge of the Grecians ended with success as City defeated Ipswich Town on penalties after drawing 1-1 in normal time. Kaden Jackson had given the Tractor Boys the lead in the 37th minute, but the Grecians hit back on 64 minutes through Troy Brown, who netted against his former club, to ensure that the match would be decided by spot-kicks.

Teddy Bishop's opening penalty for Ipswich was saved by City keeper Christy Pym. whilst Grecians skipper Jake Taylor missed his spot-kick. Pierce Sweeney, Tristan Abrahams and Archie Collins then all converted for City and Luke Chamber and Jackson scored theirs for the Tractor Boys before Trevol Chalobah missed for the visitors.

It was then left to Lee Martin to find the back of the net with the decisive penalty, against his fromer club, which earned the Grecians a trip to face Premier League new boys Fulham.

Unfortunately they won't be joined in the next stage by Yeovil Town who succumbed to Aston Villa despite being giving the former European Cup winners a scare. Dialling Jaiyesimi had a first half goal disallowed for a foul in the build and former Torquay United striker Alex Fisher had a penalty in the second half before ex Plymouth Argyle midfielder Conor Hourihane struck in the 77th minute.