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Torquay go into this game on the back of a disappointing but somewhat inevitable defeat at runaway league leaders Swindon on tuesday night. The Gulls will be looking to get their promotion ambitions back on track with a home victory over their league 2 counterparts from the potteries, Port Vale.

Vale suffered a fatal blow to their play off hopes when they were deducted 10 points for entering administration and those hopes have all but gone now as they are on 46 points and down in 14th spot. That said they have found some character from somewhere having only lost 2 of their last 10 league games including last saturday against Crawley when they were 2-1 up but lost 3-2. They beat lowly Hereford at Vale Park on tuesday night thanks to a 82nd minute Marc Richards header and ran out 1-0 winners.

Richards is their top scorer on 15 league goals with Sean Rigg on 9. They have scored 27 goals on the road so far this season conceding 25. They have won 7 away from home, drawing 5 and losing 6. Interestingly they have gone 18 league games since a 0-0 scoreline so expect a 0-0 on saturday! , indeed the last time we met was at Vale Park at the end of November and it was 0-0. I was there that night so saturdays game represents a milestone in my Torquay supporting history as i am going to Plainmoor for the very first time for this game therefore completing my first ever league double in terms of attendance.

Last season we drew 0-0 at home in front of 3,726 at Plainmoor and the return fixture finished 2-1 to the Gulls thanks to a Nicky Wroe penalty and a goal from Chris Zebroski. They have some decent players in their squad including Richards, Rigg, Dodds, Loft and former Man City and Barnsley player Chris Shuker and former Miller Tom Pope.

Vale line-up last time out v Hereford:

1. STUART TOMLINSON
2. ADAM YATES
3. JOHN McCOMBE
4. JOE DAVIS
5. DOUG LOFT
6. PAUL MARSHALL
7. SEAN RIGG
8. SAM MORSY
9. CHRIS SHUKER
10. LOUIS DODDS
11. MARC RICHARDS

SUBS:

CHRIS MARTIN, PHIL ROE, TOM POPE, KINGSLEY JAMES, BEN WILLIAMSON



I really feel this will be a tight affair and it's got 0-0 written all over it, mainly because i'm going for the first time! I'm going to be confident and go for Morris to score early doors and we hang on to a 1-0 scoreline. It will be interesting to see if the Plainmoor crowd is similar to last years against Vale as this season we are in a more favourable league position and doing a lot better than this time last season. 3,726 it was. Do you think there will be more then this on saturday?

Anyway, i'm buzzing about being there on saturday and actually might need incontinence pads come kick off as i'll be THAT excited. Hopefully meet some of you unruly fellows on the pop or in B&L.

Port Vale's recent form has not been that consistent. Their two most recent wins have been against sides in poor form (Burton, Hereford) but they lost to Barnet and despite battling performances against Accrington and Crawley they conceded a number of goals. I cannot see their defence doing any better against the Gulls. We will need to watch their leading goalscorer Marc Richards, but Torquay's defence has been generally solid this season, so the Vale will be lucky to score at all in this game.

Torquay United 2 - 0 Port Vale.

You could argue that two of OUR recent wins have been against sides in poor form Gullscorer ( Burton & Rotherham ) plus we also lost to a lowly positioned team in Bradford at home so i don't think you can pick holes in their recent form as easily as that nor dismiss them as an easy three points. I expect this game to be a difficult one and if we keep it tight , one goal may be enough. You can't say they will be lucky at all to score even once, they scored twice at Crawley. Their defence may be a bit creaky but they certainly have lots of attacking players that we need to be wary of.

Difficult game. If it wasnt for the points deduction Vale would be alot closer to the Playoffs than they are now so in a bit of a false position if you like. They also in recent seasons have a good record down here.

Hopefully we can get the points we need but as per usual this season who ever scores first will most likely win since we havent won from a losing position all season from what I can remember..

You're right Andy it will not be an easy game, but the difference between us and them is obvious, we are second and they are mid-table (even without their ten point deduction), and we have everything to play for. Bradford beat us on one of their better days, and we learned from that and the Gillingham defeat, going on a good run before the unsurprising defeat at Swindon. There will always be occasional blips and tricky games, but we are one of the best teams in the league this season with one of the best defences.

So I forecast Torquay 2 Port Vale 0.... Which sets us up nicely for a defeat...! =Z

Huge game, win it and maybe Barnet away the following friday, and we would still be in the autos, with just 6 games left

will be close, 2-1/ 1-0

Our home performances of late have lacked something and I think it might be time to see a change from the tried and tested. I reckon Ling might go with Jarvis on the right and leave Morris on the bench. Ian is a good player but he's not a right winger in a front three.

Ling wont change our pattern of play, you can be assured of that.

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Can't we just switch Stevens and Morris over. Was an incident at Swindon when we were on the break, ball fed through to Morris runs across his body scremaing to be smashed right footed but he had to cut back inside and the chance went. If it fell to Stevens he'd have hit it and we might have scored.

i hate this modern trend of playing wingers on their non natural side. Gives zero balance, for the one opportunity they get a game to cut inside and put a cross in that goes towards goal which is the whole point of the system. Any good full back would be wise to the fact Morris is completely incapable of using his right foot so should just let him run outside.

Please swap them over.

royalgull wrote:Can't we just switch Stevens and Morris over. Was an incident at Swindon when we were on the break, ball fed through to Morris runs across his body scremaing to be smashed right footed but he had to cut back inside and the chance went. If it fell to Stevens he'd have hit it and we might have scored.

i hate this modern trend of playing wingers on their non natural side. Gives zero balance, for the one opportunity they get a game to cut inside and put a cross in that goes towards goal which is the whole point of the system. Any good full back would be wise to the fact Morris is completely incapable of using his right foot so should just let him run outside.

Please swap them over.

Agreed, although i don't think there is any harm in a '5 minute swap' if they are both struggling against their full back. It would still give the defence something to think about, with the difference in styles of Morris and Stevens.

agreed, it makes no sense to me at all to have wingers on the wrong side, im sure rene could muscle his way onto crosses from the goal line like the classic centre forward i assume lurks somewhere inside his hard working frame, try it, it may work and we may start rattling goals in? or let them swap over at will, whenever they feel like it rather than when instructed to

tomorrow, tough game, hopefully we'll do enough to shade it 1-0 or 2-1?

Are there any bookies / chippies / supermarkets along Babbacombe Road ( top end near St Albans Road ) does anyone know? I don't know the area so would be grateful for answers to these thanks all.

theres everything you may need andy, either in st marychurch, fore st, which leads off babb rd as it veers right by the model village, or right near plainmoor on st marychurch road parallel to the ground, local bookie only there tho, and then you can pop into the union for a pint berfore you head up for your initiation into boots and laces!!

I can feel a real momentum building up at TQ1, from the players and the fans. I can see a 3-0 tomorrow.
Agree with the earlier post, 3 points against Vale and Barnet and we will be in such a prime position, reminiscent of the run in under Leroy.
COYY