Match Report: Torquay United 0 Worthing 3

The fact that goalkeeper Mark Halstead was easily Torquay United’s man of the match tells you all you need to know about an embarrassing afternoon for Gary Johnson’s Gulls at Plainmoor (writes Dave Thomas).

Without Halstead’s heroics, Worthing would have won by at least half-a-dozen goals, on top of the well-taken efforts by ex-United loanee Ricky Aguiar in the first half and subs Ollie Pearce and Reece Meekums in the second.

At no stage in the match did Torquay ever look like overcoming part-time opponents who played with patience and discipline, which increasingly exposed a badly outplayed home side.

It was surely a major wake-up call for United, especially after their failure to make the most of a 2-0 lead at Dover (2-2) last weekend, and Tuesday’s third NL South game at home to Chippenham Town is looming as a huge test.

Johnson had lost another experienced player with Tom Lapslie going down with injury during the week. But Jack Stobbs returned from an injury of his own to make his first start of the season, allied to a reshuffle in midfield.

Defender Dean Moxey, still working his way back to full fitness, was again on the bench, along with Dan Martin, Ryan Hanson, Dillon De Silva and goalkeeper Rhys Lovett.

United found themselves playing into a strong wind blowing in from the Ellacombe End, and they struggled to make any real headway into it.

Worthing were patient in possession, but always alert to a half chance and in the 17th minute Aguiar tried his luck from 25 yards, caught the ball well and his right-foot shot hit the top of the bar with Halstead beaten.

At least Halstead was in decisive and confident mood off his line, behind an inexperienced defence, which often looked short of pace, even against lone striker Greg Luer.

Lewis Collins was caught in two minds several times on the left wing, but he wasn’t the only Torquay forward to start slowly.

Luer was inches away from finishing an early cross by Ex-Gulls player Joe Felix from the right, and in the 30th minute Worthing took the lead. Nicky Wheeler crossed from the left, no one picked up Aguiar’s run from midfield and he headed simply home from eight yards... 0-1.

Players and managers had been warned that time wasting would be punished, and referee Abigail Byrne cautioned two Worthing players for ‘slowing’ things down.

Johnson unsurprisingly made a change at half-time, sending on Moxey for Jenkins-Davies. But nothing much else changed for United, who were soon being badly caught by counter attacks.

Worthing grew in confidence, realising that they had nothing to fear, and they even took three and four touches inside their own penalty area on a series of goal kicks.

Halstead made saves, some really good and others merely solid, from Aguiar, Luer, Felix and substitute Joan Luque.

But in the 68th minute even Halstead could not save his outflank Ed defence when, only three minutes after his introduction, Pearce broke away down the left wing, cut in and steadied himself before driving an angled shot inside the near post... 0-2.

Facing a 3-v-1 break in the 78th minute, Halstead pulled out the save of the match from Luque to keep Torquay in with the sniff of a chance.

Home fans had already started to leave before ironic cheers greeted Worthing keeper Roco Rees’ first serious save, from Brad Ash in the 86th minute.

But worse was still to follow.

A minute from time United were caught by another counter and this time Meekums helped himself to a far-too-easy third goal.

That sparked a mass exodus, accompanied by angry shouts in the direction of the Gulls bench – not a surprise in the circumstances.

Torquay United (3-5-2): Halstead; Donnellan, Tomlinson, Craske (De Silva 70); Stobbs, Jenkins-Davies (Moxey 46), Hall, McGavin (Hanson 59), Collins; Ash, Jarvis; subs not used – Martin, Lovett.

Booked: Jarvis 16, Hall 36, Hanson 64, Collins 83.

Worthing (3-6-1): Rees; Colbran, Racine, Vincent; Felix, Aguiar (Luque 76), Klass, Rye, Saron do, Wheeler (Meekums 71); Klass, Sorondo; Luer (Pearce 65); subs not used – Starkey, Chadwick.

Booked: Vincent 32, Racine 42, Sorondo 43.

Referee: Abigail Byrne Suffolk).

Attendance: 2,733 (105 Rebels fans).