Johnson: ‘Time-added-on is so important’

TORQUAY United manager Gary Johnson says time-added-on is so important after the referees at the World Cup have added much more time than they do in the domestic leagues.

Johnson says he was expecting more time-added-on to the end of both halves this season after a meeting with the FA in the summer left him understanding that would be the case. But the rules implemented by the World Cup referees has seen a stamping down on time-wasting, something that Johnson has been calling for all season in the National League, while at home it seems nothing much has changed. The England game against Iran, which included a chunk of time added for an injury to the Iranian goalkeeper, was 114 minutes long.

Before Torquay’s six-pointer against Gateshead today, Johnson was asked about how time was being added on in Qatar, when the Gulls could do with all the time in the world at the moment, in a season that has not gone to plan, to get them out of trouble.

Johnson said: “It should have been taken on board long before now because all the managers had to go to a meeting and the referees said they are stamping down on time wasting.

“The most you ever get added on is like four or five and yet at the World Cup they are getting 10s, and there have been 15. Those extra three or four minutes can make a difference, if that’s the way the game’s going. And the public gets more of their money’s worth. That was the idea of it, and yet we don’t seem to have yet grasped what is time wasting and what isn’t, and who is doing it at our level.”

It was Saturday’s visitors, Gateshead,

who Torquay replaced at the bottom of the table last weekend. Gateshead are managed by former Torquay and Newcastle United defender Mike Williamson, who is from Paignton.

Johnson said: “They got a good result against Southend at the weekend so as far as that is concerned, yes absolutely this is an important game. Their manager will be sitting at his press conference saying the same.

“I did say that all these games are six-pointers and we are not hiding the fact of how important the games are against the bottom eight teams.”

Dillon De Silva was missing last weekend and his work down the wings was missed against Barnet. At the time of talking, Johnson wasn’t sure how the Queens Park Rangers loanee’s hamstring was faring this week. Otherwise, there probably won’t be many changes if any. The players have got to step up and make the difference themselves.

Johnson said after the Barnet game: “If we stop giving early goals away and come out in the second half like that, then we’ll get some results.” What will he be saying after this one? Time will tell...