Match Day Thread ... Torquay away .

I know it's easy to say, but with our defence if we could score 2 every game we'd probably be top of the league, it would usually be enough for us to win and if Mildenhall or Puddy were fit we would have more than likely have kept a clean sheet today.

Bring on the Maccies!

Excellent win and a more than decent performance. So glad our wastefulness in front of goal didn't cost us this time. Well done as well to the travelling fans. An excellent performance from us too!! (Pats self on back)

Or a goalie who doesn't give away own goals? That's 2 now in 3 games.

Gosling & Taylor both sound like they had v. good games so are you seriously suggesting dropping Blisset for Harrison?

The squad DC's put together is covering up the fact we have had some long term injuries, Mildenhall, Puddy Sinclair, Trotman & LDV, have all had more than minor knocks so far this season.

Fantastic win with a bit of a makeshift defence,does show that we've only really got 6 players to cover the 4 defensive positions and Trotman still not signed up yet either.
View from the Turks forum,some people rate Taylor!
TUFC.V.BRFC boxing/new years day match thread.
Postby tommyg » 34 minutes ago

What a miserable afternoon. Thought we snatched a point at the end but Benyon's effort was ruled out - either for offside or handball after he bundled in a free-kick from close range. It was the linesman's decision and seemed a late call because the ref took a few seconds to signal the disallowed goal!

The first half was quite exciting. We looked dangerous down our left with Ives and Cameron linking well and Young was popping the ball about, but we were vulnerable in defence and always looked like conceding. The first goal was against the run of play. Pearce missed the ball midway in his own half and Taylor, who was the best player on the pitch, waltzed through and scored. He still had a lot to do but it stemmed from a mistake by Pearce, who was otherwise excellent. The second was a Trotman header from a corner. We just can't defend set-pieces. The ball ended up in the bottom corner after squirming past Seabright. Will have to watch he highlights to see if he was at fault but if we had a man on the line he would have cleared it. Moments later it should have been three but Berry or Pearce made a superb goal-line clearance after Seabright was again beaten. Then out of nothing, we pulled one back! There was a big slice of luck as Cameron's deflected cross looped into the air and was punched into his own net by Speiss, who was under pressure from O'Achie. Rovers then missed a half-open goal from four yards out so we were lucky to go into the break only a goal down.

Unfortunately, the second half was ruined by atrocious weather conditions. We were playing with the wind in the first half and it got a lot stronger by the time we switched ends. Seabright's kicks weren't reaching the halfway line and we were under constant pressure. They should have finished us off but wasted a hatful of chances and hit the woodwork. We couldn't get going and didn't offer anything going forward until the late double change. Can't argue with the result. We were beaten by the better side but they did have the advantage with a much stronger wind in the second half.

Hard to pick a MOTM. Young was superb in the first half but faded badly. Pearce played well but was at fault for the first goal. Ives looks a gem but struggled in the second half like most of the team. Berry and MacDonald were ok. Richards and Ajala were terrible. Ajala should have gone off much sooner and Yeoman ended up in centre mid - that's how bad Richards was. He started the season so well but has struggled since he was humiliated in front of the BT Sport cameras at Alfreton. Cameron is still lacking confidence but the conditions were especially tricky for wingers. Bowman and O''Achie started ok but barely touched the ball after the break and were very isolated. Neither gamble on crosses which is very frustrating because there were a few cracking balls whipped into the six-yard box but nobody was on the end of them. Our strikers wait for the ball to come to them instead of attacking space. Briscoe is probably the most effective at doing this but played wide when he came on. Seabright isn't the answer in goal. Hargreaves obviously hasn't got a clue what to do with this position but he can't keep rotating his keepers. He needs to stick with one and beg Thea for a capable keeper in January. Just like Rice, Seabright doesn't command his area and hesitates when coming off his line. That said at least he didn't chuck the ball in his own net like his opposite number!

Mansell got a decent reception and applauded the Torquay fans before and after the game. Thought he played quite well and got stuck in as you'd expect. A midfield pairing of Manse and Young would be tasty at this level. Rovers will finish top three and could push Barnet for the automatic spot based on what I saw today.

If Puddy is fit enough to be on the bench then he must play on Sunday. Spiess is a liability and it's not in our interest to persevere with him.

Also, their goalkeeper, Seabiscuit. That was a truly memorable moment at the end of the game. Sliding on both knees towards the away fans is fairly sad at the best of times, but when the linesman has raised his flag and the ref has already blown, it is epic!

We could have had ten today, should have had six and still nearly blew it. A deserved win but we need a proper goalkeeper because if he keeps chucking the ball in the net it will cost us points.

Gosling was markedly improved since his last showing. Taylor was very good, as was Sinclair again.

Fantastic away win. Early days but with a bit of luck there's a chance of catching Barnet.

Excellent, excellent performance from the lads today. After settling into the game 10 minutes in we were superb and thoroughly deserved all 3 points.

In typical Rovers fashion we made lives more uncomfortable for ourselves than it needed to be as we should have scored 6 or 7 in all honesty, but the result is all that matters. In attack we looked excellent and I thought we were going to score every time we went forward. Taylor was very good and scored a great goal and Gosling also played very well on his return to the side on the right flank. It was a pleasure to watch, especially in the second half.

Defensively we looked solid as well and I don't think Torquay had a shot on target; their goal was punched in by Fabian Spiess and I don't think it hit their striker's head beforehand. It was not good by Fab by any trench of the imagination but to drop him now would be the wrong call in my opinion. We are likely to extend his loan to cover Mildenhall's injury and if we replace him with Puddy and Puddy gets injured again, we'd be putting Fab back in having shattered his confidence. He isn't a bad goalie, as he proved at Welling, so I'd stick with him and hope he's got his mistakes out of the way.

People were worried that Brown and Clarke were not in the squad but I think I was one of few Gasheads who didn't see it as the end of the world. I don't rate Brown and I thought Lockyer covered the left back spot well - I wouldn't change it for Sunday, although I think DC will. As for Clarke, we simply didn't have any need for him today. Mansell and Sinclair put tackles in, hassled, passed it well and drove us forward and that's what makes them the perfect central midfield partnership for us.

Final word for the Gasheads at the game, who were superb as usual. The whole ground was a lot quieter in the second half and from our perspective we could have done with a goal going in at our end for Rovers to get us going again, but it wasn't to be. Still, in terms of numbers and general support it was another good showing. 3 points is a great start to our tough festive fixtures and I am now thoroughly looking forward to Sunday.

I'm not a Taylor 'hater' but I am consistently disappointed how the debate about him resembles a tennis match.  If he doesn't score for 4 matches the 'haters' gain ground, and each time he scores people pipe up about how good he is and how he's proving the haters wrong.  If I every hear that useless phrase 'he's due a goal', or even 'the floodgates will open', ever again I will string someone up.  He's not due a goal.  NO-ONE is due a goal.  It's that sort of rubbish talk that got us into non-lge.  No-one has the right to score goals or be successful in footy just because of their general play, skill or history.

I think we can all agree his all round work is good, and his goalscoring is poor.  '7 goals' just proves the old adage of 'lies, damned lies and statistics'.  3 are pens.  4 goals from open play and he's played nearly every game this season.  Every fan who has watched him will effortlessly recall several very clear chances he has missed. And hopefully most will also recall some excellent touches and a good work rate.  Defenders won't like playing him, but goalkeepers will.