Match Report: Torquay United 2 Chelmsford City 1

Pulled back from a goal-of-any-season breakthrough by midfielder Brett McGavin and looking as if they would have to settle for a point, Torquay United snatched yet another stoppage-time winner against Chelmsford City to earn their sixth victory in seven games at Plainmoor (writes Dave Thomas).

In a highly-charged thriller in the sun, McGavin’s magnificent long-range 55th minute volley kept Gary Johnson’s Gulls in front until battling Chelmsford finally equalised through Ben Brookes in the 85th minute of normal time.

But, in a match which could easily have finished 6-6, six minutes of stoppage-time was an open invitation to United to force yet another late winner.

And when Will Jenkins Davies’ free-kick flew off the bald head of City’s Samir Carruthers and sailed into the net in Minute No.93, the roof came off Plainmoor and United were up to third place.

The 3-0 midweek win over Farnborough earned an unchanged starting XI, but the return to fitness of Lewis Collins cost Dillon De Silva his place on the subs’ bench.

How the first 20 minutes didn’t produce at least half-a-dozen goals, maybe more, was a mystery. In a breathless opening spell, which also featured a lecture for Johnson and No.2 Aaron Downes for something said to a linesman, both sides missed a series of great chances and both hit the woodwork.

Ash could (no, should) have had a hat-trick, as well as a ‘goal’ disallowed for offside, Mark Halstead made a fine one-on-one save from Callum Jones and Aaron Jarvis hit the right-hand post – and that was just in the first eight minutes!

The end-to-end action continued at a relentless pace, with Chelmsford looking to counter-attack against a shaky looking Gulls offside trap.

It failed them in the 18th minute, and that time Mo Dabre let United off the hook, shooting wide with Halstead to beat.

Only two minutes later, when Torquay got their wires crossed again at the back, Jones was through and Halstead rescued them once more.

And in the 21st minute Dabre’s deflected ball into the box wrongfooted the Gulls rearguard and Jones hit the left-hand post.

Jenkins Davies made a good goalmouth clearance in the 25th minute, only to see Luke Jenkins’ return 30-yarder fly wide past him.

It all seemed a bit much for referee Matthew Scholes at times – on the half-hour he restarted with a dropped ball to Chelmsford, even though one of their players had received treatment for a head injury and United had the ball when play was stopped.

Jack Stobbs, seeing plenty of the ball on the right wing, fired over the angle of post and bar – Jarvis had been fouled on the edge of the area by the booked Dave Winfield, but Mr Scholes had played the advantage.

Ash also cut in from the left and hit a 25-yard drive just wide with City keeper Josh Oluwayemi beaten.

United seemed to have gone off the boil a little at the start of the second half – they allowed Anthony Wordsworth a free set-piece header which he sent wide – but in the 55th minute came a spectacular breakthrough.

City only half-cleared a short corner routine involving Jenkins Davies, Lapslie and Stobbs and, when the ball dropped on the edge of the ‘D’, McGavin met it with a first-time right-foot volley which flew just inside the right-hand post... 1-0.

Six minutes later Stobbs crossed and Ash’s lunging goalbound near-post volley was deflected wide. Chelmsford made changes, including a fresh man, Mo Bettamer, up front with the impressive Jones. Moxey deflected a Carruthers drive behind and Wordsworth rattled the bar from 20 yards as the visitors tried all they had to equalise.

McGavin and Moxey, both spent, left to standing ovations, replaced by Hanson and Martin. But Chelmsford had more than played their part in an engrossing match, and in the 85th minute their growing pressure forced an equaliser.

United could not clear a free-kick from their left, and Brookes eventually drilled a 20-yard left-foot shot past the unsighted Halstead... 1-1.

It looked all over then. But with United and stoppage-time, it seldom is.

In the 93rd minute Jenkins Davies swung a diagonal free-kick into the goalmouth, the ball flew off the head of Carruthers and looped into the net beyond the rooted Oluwayemi... 2-1.

Two members of the Chelmsford dugout staff were booked, but out on the pitch there was no coming back from that!

Torquay United (4-1-3-2): Halstead; Donnellan, Marshall, Tomlinson, Moxey (Martin 79); McGavin (Hanson 76); Stobbs (Collins 88), Lapslie, Jenkins Davies; Ash, Jarvis; subs not used – Pearce, Lovett (gk).

Booked: McGavin 30, Jarvis 45,Moxey 67.

Chelmsford City (3-6-1): Oluwayemi; Jenkins, Winfield, Brookes; Castiglione (Barnum-Bobb 62), Dabre, Wordsworth, Carruthers, Ruff, Mills (Bettamer 68); Jones; subs not used – Terry, Hockey, Watts.

Booked: Winfield 26, Dabre 75.

Referee: Matthew Scholes (Staffs).

Attendance:2,207 (44 City fans).