Buckle: ‘The players are showing that they can adapt to different systems, and we are going to need that during the season’

IT MAY BE the last official pre-season friendly, when final line-ups for the first League match are usually thrashed out, but Torquay United manager Paul Buckle says he won’t be afraid to keep trying something new against Yeovil Town at Plainmoor tomorrow (3pm).

The Gulls take on the League One Glovers after scoring 28 goals in seven practice matches, following Wednesday’s 3-0 win at Weston-super-Mare.

Winger Danny Stevens sat that game out with an ankle knock, although he is expected back tomorrow.

But Buckle reported: “At Weston we changed the formation from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3.

“We had Billy Kee and Elliot Benyon either side of Martin Gritton up front, and it looked exciting.

“And I know Chris Zebroski can also play in that formation, from his time at Wycombe.

“The players are showing that they can adapt to different systems, and we are going to need that during the season.

“It normally happens that you start to play your league side in the last friendly, but I might be tempted to change the system again against Yeovil.”

Understandably buoyed by United’s pre-season form, Buckle stressed: “We have passed the ball very well, but you’ve got to have the tempo to go with it.

“You can’t start stroking the ball around, thinking you’re better than you are.

“The message is — if we’ve got the ball, pass it quickly and give the opposition no time to recover.

“And if we lose it, we want to get it back as quickly as possible.

“We were only 1-0 up for quite a while at Weston, and they beat an Exeter team 2-1 the other day — they’re not a bad side.

“But then we really did excel in the second half.”

Glovers boss Terry Skiverton will bring a squad including new striker Craig Calver, 19, from Ipswich Town.

Pre-season form is notoriously unreliable, but Yeovil did lose 3-1 to Bristol City this week.

And United beat the Robins 2-1 at Plainmoor recently.

Yesterday’s League Two signing of the day saw former United striker Bayo Akinfenwa join relegated Gillingham.

Akinfenwa, who has also played for Swansea and Millwall, was a free agent after more than two years with Northampton.

Gulls fans are reminded that the club is holding an Open Day at Plainmoor on Monday.

The doors will be opened at 11.45am, when supporters can watch the Gulls’ senior squad in training, meet the players and get autographs.