United manager Gary Johnson gave his reaction following the 1-1 home draw with Boreham Wood on Saturday.
“It was a competitive game, that’s for sure, but it was a bit too bitty for my liking,” began Johnson.
“The wind and the rain wasn’t conducive to beautiful football, but the competitiveness of it was strong, and both teams decided that they weren’t going to be beat up by the other team, so it was very competitive.”
United were forced to play the final 18 minutes with ten men following Adam Randell’s second yellow card, however the gaffer was pleased with the way his side responded to the setback.
“We went down to ten men, I thought the referee maybe early on made too many bookings against us. At one point it was about 4-0 in us having yellow cards, then all of a sudden he’s got to even it up. Whether he did or not, I don’t know but there was too many yellow cards for a competitive game. They weren’t all yellow cards, and certainly the red card – Adam’s never made a bad tackle in the game, it’s disappointing that we lost him.
“We had two or three of our best chances with ten men, so credit to our ten men. I was going to make a few subs, but I didn’t because that ten was doing alright and wasn’t showing any signs of tiredness.”
With the wet and windy conditions playing no small part in limiting the number of chances, United’s boss is eager for his team to get back to winning ways again quickly, with a trip to Halifax next up on the agenda in seven days’ time.
“There was not enough chances created. Normally I like my teams to create a lot more chances, and the ones we had were late on. Ben Wynter had a fantastic shot from outside the box, and had a great chance right at the end at the far post, so we could have come away winners.
“We’ll see if it’s one point gained, I think it’s two points lost, because if we’re going to be the best team in the league and get promoted, you need to have enough about you to pick up wins. You’ll have some draws, of course you will, and if we go to Halifax and get a win, then this will be a good point.”
As it was, The Gulls had to settle for a point in what was their first draw of the season, with Johnson admitting that the final outcome owed a lot to the defensive units on show.
“They are a fantastic close group, they’re very disappointed when they know I’m disappointed. It’s not as bad as a loss, as we weren’t shrinking violets, we didn’t fade and die when we went down to ten men. You have to look at them and know that there are a few lads in their team that are very experienced, and they see themselves – and the bookies saw them – as one of the favourites to do well, and I’m sure that they’ll be competing in that top ten or top seven at the end of the season.
“The defenders did well in the conditions. There wasn’t too many mistakes that created chances, so we have to give credit to both sets of teams for their defending. It was an energetic game, you had to get up, and then when the wind was in your face, you had to try and fight the wind getting forward. When it was for you, you had to try to get forward after they had tried to get it in behind you, so it was a sort of tactical game, where we almost cancelled each other out, in as much as goalscoring opportunities. That’s how some games go.
Not for the first time this season, Torquay’s aerial prowess made an impact in the attacking third, with Connor Lemonheigh-Evans providing Sam Sherring with the perfect delivery from which to put United in front early on.
“We made sure Sam going in there along with the others that can meet a good ball, and that’s what it is. Funnily enough, it was a real firm header, it was a really good header. We work a lot on our set plays, and we are getting better at them in both penalty areas, especially from last season.
“It’s quality at the end of the day – if you get a quality ball in there, and you get a quality bit of work in the penalty area, where people make the right runs, do the right blocks (if it’s a block that’s on).
“I’m not sure we got that many set plays, but we had another great chance with another great ball that went in, in the first half. I was a bit disappointed with the last corner that didn’t make the middle of the goal, that didn’t make our players that were flying in. That was a chance lost, because we didn’t quite get it in there but we’ve been doing alright with set plays.
Johnson also singled out Shaun MacDonald for praise, as he stepped into the spot vacated by fellow ‘keeper Lucas Covolan, who suffered an injury during training.
“He’s done well Lucas, since he’s been in, but Shaun’s always been ready, he’s been part of the group and didn’t spit his dummy out and get upset. He is a big character in our dressing room, and he stayed that character.
“I said to him when I told him he was playing that I was happy because of the simple reason that he has kept a brightness in himself, and deserved the chance that he got.
“I thought he did really well – I thought he did fantastic actually – and looked like somebody that has that type of game that keeps his place, and Lucas understands that, because I can’t remember anything that he didn’t do well with.”