Matches

Match Report by Martin Candler

A great atmosphere pervaded Torquay‘s Plainmoor ground on Sunday night as Setanta Sports began their much heralded live television coverage of the Blue Square Premier League. Relegated from the Football League last term, Torquay have re-grouped in the summer, finding fresh funds for manager Paul Buckle to recruit a powerful squad to challenge for an immediate return to League football.

Perhaps the presence of the cameras and the high expectation put on Torquay by their supporters explains their tentative and nervous first half display. But that would denigrate a determined Blues team who took the game to Torquay with great gusto and were the better side in the opening half. The lively Mark Marshall, who troubled his marker Chris Robertson all evening, had a shot which skimmed the bar before his cross found Danny Kedwell at the far post but his goal-bound shot was cleared off the line.

Grays stood firm in the opening 20 minutes in which 15 fouls were awarded, Ernie Cooksey picking up a booking, and Aaron O‘Connor came closest to scoring with a near-post effort that the hit the post. Stuart Thurgood then mis-cued a shot when well placed as Grays went into the interval feeling they should have been in front.

As often happens in football, the home side came out in the second half showing much greater urgency and began to bombard the Grays goal. The visitors conceded 10 corners, all expertly delivered, and Grays fans felt that this would perhaps be a telling session in the whole season: could the new-look side cope with a serious defensive examination, something that was not always achieved last season. The answer was a resoundingly in the affirmative as the back five rose magificently to the occasion with Jon Ashton, in particular, lending outstanding support to the lion-hearted Jamie Stuart and the flying Ross Flitney denying ace striker Lee Phillips, sub Chris Zebroski and Tony Bedeau the breakthrough which the Torquay faithful were craving.

However, it must be said that although Torquay‘s direct, muscular approach thoroughly tested the Blues‘ defensive resolve, here was a lack of creativity in their play which rarely resulted in the solid Grays rearguard being pulled out of position. In an attempt to give the Blues fresh impetus, Justin Edinburgh introduced James Lawson, Ben Watson and Craig McAllister, with the impressive Karl Murray switching from the right flank, where he was up against Torquaylsquo;s best player, Kevin Nicholson, to a more central mid-field role. But Grays still found it hard going to regain the initiative, although some sloppy passing, highlighted after the game by Justin, and an inability to hold the ball upfront, made the task that much more difficult.
But in the 84th minute, Grays had a golden opportunity to take the spoils when a fine move saw Lawson find Watson on the right and his low cross was only inches away from the lunging boot of McAllister right in front of goal.

For the noisy Grays faithful present this was a performance to be proud of as their team gave everything against an outfit who surely will not drop many home points this season. This stirring display defused the irritation of the Blues‘ fans who, for some reason, were herded into a corner of a decrepit wooden stand affording obstructed viewing from the rear; yet there was an ample area of standing terrace adjacent, access to which was resolutely denied by the jobsworth stewards in attendance.

Grays Athletic: Flitney, Sambrook, Stuart, Ashton, Cooksey, Murray, Thurgood(Lawson 65), Hearn, Marshall, O'Connor(Watson 66), Kedwell(McAllister 82)
Subs not used: Knowles, Haverson

Booked: Cooksey(13), Flitney(89)

Attn: 4012

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