Race for the Playoffs: 15 April

Stevenage Borough 1-3 Torquay United
13 April 2008
Broadhall Way, Stevenage

A win - that's all we'd ask for. No matter how it came, just to provide some added security to the Stevenage cause in the playoff hunt. And the chance to string two wins together for the first time in bloody ages. The performance against Woking the previous Tuesday was hardly vintage but it did the job. The Devonian visitors would be an entirely different prospect, with the Gulls sitting tight in second place and looking a shoe-in for one of the four playoff spots.

Goalless at half-time suited. Hell, I'd have taken a draw considering Cambridge and Burton were to mess up their respective games elsewhere around the country. And then came a penalty - dubious, but a penalty nonetheless to Stevenage shortly after the interval. It was a break that came out of the blue if truth be told, but Gavin Grant put away the spot kick to put Boro' ahead. Then employ the old adage; keep it tight and simple for ten minutes and then who knows. But when luck needs that helping hand, twatty referees are always on hand to make an arse of himself.

Not long after Boro' took the lead, Peter Vincenti made an absolutely wonderful tackle inside the Torquay half. Free-kick awarded to the visitors. Play restarts and moments later, Vincenti is stung on the arse by a fiercely struck football. Free-kick for handball to Torquay. Needless to say, the visitors go on and equalise. Poor defending, but absurd refereeing. That was enough to put the Gulls back on top and they didn't look back.

No need to go into too much detail about Chris Zebroski's header. How he can out-jump a 6ft 7 defender is a mystery, but he did and he made it 2-1. It is fair to say that the home side had no real impetus to get back into the game. And so it was no real surprise that Torquay notched the next, and crucial goal. But the referee hadn't finished with his role in the game, awarding the Gulls a penalty when Lee Phillips fell over. In it goes, meh.

That's how it goes - another disappointing performance in the end, time for the end of season party. Yeah, the end of season party. Two weeks before the season ends. Marvellous...