by londongull63 » 18 May 2012, 21:09
One feeling I did take away from Plainmoor on Thursday was that all those fans who were there should take a bow.
Not only did they not sit watching it on TV, but the support was amazing.
They cheered and cheered from first minute to last, and 10 minutes beyond. Yes, a misplaced pass or mistake - err, Man City make them too - obviously drew quiet sighs of frustration or disappointment, but no-one around me ever turned to knocking any player rather than urging on the team (no doubt there were a few somewhere but they would have been in a very small minority).
And even as the minutes ticked away, the ground never fell silent, which is in stark contrast to Shrewsbury's fans when we took our 2-0 lead there last year. Yes, they were loud before kick-off, but soon gave the feeling that they'd given up with a pained near silence.
The Plainmoor backing was far better than Cheltenham's at their place, where just a group of kids in a corner made much noise, until they got a bit excited by their second goal and thought they were going to Wembley, but it was hardly reverberating round Whaddon Road.
For all the sadness over the result, I felt strangely proud to be a Torquay fan, proud of my fellow fans, and proud of the effort our players put in and the loyalty and bond they have - particularly those regarded as our top assets who certainly don't seem too big for their boots - which all perhaps made it even a bit harder to take in a way.
One feeling I did take away from Plainmoor on Thursday was that all those fans who were there should take a bow.
Not only did they not sit watching it on TV, but the support was amazing.
They cheered and cheered from first minute to last, and 10 minutes beyond. Yes, a misplaced pass or mistake - err, Man City make them too - obviously drew quiet sighs of frustration or disappointment, but no-one around me ever turned to knocking any player rather than urging on the team (no doubt there were a few somewhere but they would have been in a very small minority).
And even as the minutes ticked away, the ground never fell silent, which is in stark contrast to Shrewsbury's fans when we took our 2-0 lead there last year. Yes, they were loud before kick-off, but soon gave the feeling that they'd given up with a pained near silence.
The Plainmoor backing was far better than Cheltenham's at their place, where just a group of kids in a corner made much noise, until they got a bit excited by their second goal and thought they were going to Wembley, but it was hardly reverberating round Whaddon Road.
For all the sadness over the result, I felt strangely proud to be a Torquay fan, proud of my fellow fans, and proud of the effort our players put in and the loyalty and bond they have - particularly those regarded as our top assets who certainly don't seem too big for their boots - which all perhaps made it even a bit harder to take in a way.
