Saturday 21st March 2009
Vics 2 (Perry 32 Allan 56)
Torquay 3 (Todd 48 Sills 68 D'Sane 76)

Everyone involved with the club were left wondering just what the team have to do to get the win that their efforts merit. As it was two crucial and controversial decisions by an erratic referee were central to the outcome of this particular game.

With the visitors trailing 2-1 they ought to have been reduced to ten men following a very late and horrendous challenge by Tim Stills on Matt Bailey that could have easily caused a serious injury. Instead the striker escaped with a yellow card and then duly scored an equalizer. The winning goal was erroneous on two counts. Firstly a throw in was awarded to Torquay despite the whole of the ball not having gone out of play and to add insult to injury it was a visiting player who had last had contact with the ball. To add further insult Torquay scored the winner from the resultant throw in.

The opening half hour of play contained little to suggest that there would be an ensuing drama. Wayne Carlisle did force Clarke into a couple of early saves and Danny Stevens broke from a poor Vics corner to set up Sills but his finish was poor. Jonny Allan went close with a near post header before Vics conjured their first real flowing move to produce an opening goal. Horrocks did well to shrug off two challenges and cut inside and find Elam and from his pinpoint cross PERRY scored his second goal in as many games with a looping header. Moments later the same player almost added a second but his intial shot was beat out by keeper Beavon and his follow up shot was blocked as were further shots from Crowell and Elam as the visitors temporarily rode their luck. Just before the close of the first half Tyrone Thompson twice squandered chances from close range.

HALF TIME Vics 1 Torquay 0
Just three minutes into the second half saw the visitors draw level. Sills won a corner on the right and from the kick Sills had a header clawed off the line by Clarke leaving TODD to follow up and score from close range. Vics replied through Crowell who had a 25 yard strike saved at the second attempt and then Horrocks shot the wrong side of the upright after a low Aspin cross had found him unmarked at the far post. Horrocks was again in the thick of things on the left and following good work from him Ryan Brown crossed into the box where ALLAN popped up at the far post to score his first goal since last October. Clearly rattled Torquay lost their composure and when Sills clattered aggressively into Bailey well after the Vics defender had cleared the ball a red card seemed inevitable. As it was Mr Rushton chose the easy option and brandished the yellow card. Within minutes Elam committed an unnecessary foul on Nicholson and from his free kick the fortunate SILLS scored with a firm header. Vics misfortunes continued when an Allan header was headed off the goal line with Beavon comprehensively beaten. Clarke saved from D'Sane moments before the Vics keeper ran to the far right touchline to clear the ball upfield. The linesman ruled the ball had crossed the line and then the referee contentiously awarded the throw in to Torquay despite the last contact having clearly come from a visiting player. Vics failed to clear the resultant long throw allowing D'SANE to squeeze a shot through a crowd of players and into the net. Near the end Sills and Benyon went close for the visitors and Brown failed to defeat Beavon with a chip from the edge of the box leaving Northwich to endure yet another frustrating defeat.

Team: 4-4-2
Clarke /
Aspin, Bailey, Grand, Brown /
Elam (Stamp 82), Crowell, Joyce, Horrocks, (Byrom 79) /
Allan, Perry /
Subs not used: Burns, Meadowcroft & Mullan
Referee: S.J. Rushton
Attend: 705
Man of the Match: Simon Grand – led his team by example -

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