Injury-hit Gulls battle on

Manager Gary Johnson is relieved at better news on his two latest injured players, but Torquay United will still have to battle on in their National League South promotion push without at least half-a-dozen of their most senior men, writes Dave Thomas.
Johnson has revealed that leading scorer Brad Ash will be out for up to two months – he suffered an ankle fracture after hitting his tenth goal of the season against his old club Weymouth (3-1) recently.
And winger Jack Stobbs, who tore a hamstring in the same match, is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.
Speaking before United tried to record a fifth successive NL South win at Taunton Town on Tuesday night, Johnson said: “It’s actually better news on Brad and Jack – they should both be back a little sooner than we thought.”
The Gulls have cut the gap to leaders Yeovil Town, and hauled themselves back into the title race, on the back of some good results with a remarkably inexperienced side. The exception is 37-year-old defender Dean Moxey. Moxey, who scored the 89th minute winner against Hemel Hempstead Town (3-1) at Plainmoor on Saturday, had already started his professional career before his new young colleague Calum Thomas was born.
It doesn’t look as if players like centre-forward Aaron Jarvis, Asa Hall or Kevin Dawson will be back for another month or so, although midfielder Tom Lapslie is hoping to recover from his hamstring problem in time to figure in Christmas games against Truro City. United have still not given an update on the future of Shaun Donnellan, who hasn’t been selected since the 2-0 win at Havant & Waterlooville on November 11.
The former Yeovil, Woking and Maidenhead player is not injured, so he does appear to be on his way out of Plainmoor.
Donnellan is not thought to be joining another National League club, and his departure to a higher level, or maybe out of England, may be awaiting the opening of the January transfer ‘window’.
United are away to Chelmsford City – without suspended midfielder Brett McGavin after his two-card sending-off against Hemel – this Saturday, before those festive derbies against Truro at Plainmoor on Boxing Day and at Bolitho Park, Plymouth, on December 30.