Torquay United 3 Northampton Town 0
Match Sponsor: Sherwell Valley Garage
Matchball Sponsor: Bygones
The end of last season saw United produce some fine football and during the summer preparations there was another spell of positive results & performances but most importantly when it really mattered on this, the opening day of the new season, the team and management produced a hard fought 3-0 victory which sent the vast majority of a 3,500+ crowd home more than happy.
It was a familiar looking Gulls side that took to the pitch with only Martin Gritton not with the club during the run-in last season. New striker Billy Kee took a place on the bench which according to Bucks after the match was a very difficult decision and he was joined by summer signings Danny Potter & Damon Lathrope as the new faces. With such a positive summer behind them there were clearly going to be some tough decisions for the management in many areas of the United line-up but there can be no regrets with the choices that were made because almost to a man United produced exactly what Bucks would have wanted. For example, the left midfield berth was a position with more than one possibility but Danny Stevens excelled throughout and played as if he was well aware he had been given first chance to impress.
This was always expected to be a close, competitive match and certainly for the opening 40 minutes it was just that. Neither goalkeeper was given much to worry about although in front of them there was plenty of verve and energy, not least from Lee Mansell who was throwing himself into tackles as only he can.
In the 10th minute Northampton thought they had opened the scoring when Johnson poked the ball home from three yards after a downward header from Beckwith but the Northampton midfielder was a good two yards offside and the referee's assistant was quick to flag the offence. There was a good deal of huffing and puffing with only glimpses of real technical quality but considering this was the first competitive match of the campaign it was always going to be the choppy side of calm.
Chris Robertson was rightly booked in the 28th minute for a tackle from behind on McKay and shortly after Guinan beat Mark Ellis to a header from a long throw-in but Guy Branston stuck a foot out to deflect the ball out for corner. It certainly wasn't end to end stuff but it was an intriguing contest with both teams trying to find that vital yard or two of space and the best way to get in behind their opponent.
The closest we came to a goal so far was in the 35th minute when Chris Zebroski struck a low shot from the right which took a slight deflection and left a sliding Elliot Benyon inches away from poking it home. From the resultant corner Mark Ellis headed against the crossbar and the ball went safe for a goal kick.
Suddenly, the match opened up just a little and Osman tested Bevan from 22 yards with a strong right foot drive that Scott held at the second attempt. There was a whiff of a goal in the air now and it came almost on the half-time whistle from a slightly surprising source.
In the 44th minute we witnessed the best moment of true quality in the half when Kevin Nicholson collected the ball midway inside the Northampton half, Nico then slipped the ball upfield to Elliot Benyon who tried to turn his man but the ball bounced loose and back into the path of Nico who had continued his forward run. The Gulls' left back took a touch into the Cobblers' penalty and blasted the ball past Jannson in the Northampton goal. It was a sublime finish and his first Football League goal for United.
If the end of the first half had left the Plainmoor faithful happy the beginning of the second period had them dancing in the aisles. Moments after the restart the very effective Martin Gritton flicked the ball inside off a throw-in to Elliot Benyon who then nipped it sideways to Danny Stevens; the United winger controlled the ball at an instant and then had the vision to lay a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Chris Zebroski who forced a save from Jannson from 12 yards on the angle but the Northampton 'keeper couldn't hold the ball and a moment's hesitation by Holt gave Zebs time to step in front of him and flash the ball past Jannson, this time from 8 yards out.
United were flying now and in the 49th minute they took a three goal lead; a good move started by Chris Zebroski ended with Lee Mansell sliding a perfect pass through an absent Cobblers' defence and ahead of Elliot Benyon who beat the advancing Jannson to the ball and from 18 yards slid the ball home.
United were three goals to the good in a blink of the eye and it never looked like the visitors were going to claw the deficit back. They did have a good period of pressure just after United's third goal and substitute Jacobs forced a good save from Scott Bevan in what was a rare attempt on the United goal.
Just after the hour mark Billy Kee was introduced to replace Martin Gritton but if the Northampton defence thought things were going to get any easier they were sadly mistaken. For those of you old enough to remember, there is a touch of the Dave Caldwell about Billy - strong, aggressive and a definite no-nonsense look about him, and he can play a bit! It could be an interesting race to be United's top scorer this season.
Jacobs beat Bevan with a 20 yard free-kick but his attempt struck the bar and from the resultant play Bevan had to tip to two more Northampton efforts over his crossbar. United, though, weren't about to surrender a lead that they had worked extremely hard to get and could have scored a fourth with a little more luck but no-one was complaining come the final whistle.
The club record of time without conceding a goal has now been extended by another 90 minutes and stands at over 13 hours of football, a remarkable effort.
Championship side Reading arrive at Plainmoor on Wednesday evening for a Carling Cup tie and they will be expecting a tough match and it's probably safe to say that they won't be disappointed.
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