Match Preview: Torquay United aiming to seal survival at Bath City

The job is almost done for Torquay United.

A win at play-off chasing Bath City on Saturday will take the Gulls to 51 points and almost guaranteed safety from relegation.

Results this week have been kind to United, Taunton lost, Dartford lost and Truro drew once and lost twice, one of the defeats came against the Gulls, although there is some sympathy for Truro, who played on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and have another one tomorrow.

It all means United are five points clear of the bottom four and victory at Bath would surely seal the deal. It won’t come easy, however, with their hosts currently sixth and desperate for points to bag a play-off spot.

United interim boss Aaron Downes has called on his troops to replicate the performances at Truro and the second-half of last weekend’s ten-man loss at Welling.

“If we play like we have in the last game-and-a-half, we should do fine, but Bath are a good side,” he said. “They went away to Hampton and won 1-0, a good result for them.

“Bath have got a good team, they are organised and hardworking. We know that both their strikers are in the goals this season, so we’ll have to deal with that threat, and they’ve got some big strong boys at the back as well.

“I remember going there when we won the National League South a few years ago and it was a great atmosphere. Our supporters have been superb on the road this year and we’ve not rewarded them enough.

“We know we’ve got a bit of work to pay them back and we need to make sure we are in the right frame of mind. We travel in our numbers and it’s so warming to arrive at a ground to see them all there, excited and happy. I appreciate every single one of them and the biggest thanks we can give them is a performance.”

In the Welling fixture, United had to play three-quarters of the game with ten men after an irresponsible challenge from Ross Marshall saw him dismissed.

Those wrongs were righted at Truro, where the in-form Arkell Jude-Boyd and Brad Ash scored the goals in a 2-1 win that was largely comfortable, apart from a late siege after the hosts had grabbed a consolation.

“The players had to roll their sleeves up and dig in [at Welling] because they were chucked into a situation they didn’t expect,” said Downes. “We spoke previously about moments in game and you’ve got to adapt, and the players did that superbly.

“They got nothing for their efforts on Saturday but on Monday, they were rewarded. They put in an unbelievable amount of effort and they also performed in a really big game for the football club.

“We shouldn’t be in this position but we are, and the boys have to perform under pressure. At the same time, it’s only three points and we’ve still got a job to do.

“We played well for the majority of the game and had a nervy ten minutes toward the end, but other than that, we had a really good shape. It was a thoroughly enjoyable performance.”

If they are to get a result at Bath, it will be done without the services of Kevin Dawson, Aaron Jarvis and Dan Martin, all of whom are expected to miss out with injury.

“It is a minor one with Dawson but he is touch and go for this weekend,” added Downes. “It is probably a two-week injury, so I think he will be struggling for this one. It’s not a major injury and he’ll hopefully be back soon.

“It is an ongoing process with Jarvis, we’re just waiting for his knee to settle down. There is no major damage, just a nasty knock that still has swelling. We’ve got to keep working with him and it would be nice to see him before the end of the season. He’s desperate to get back and help us.

“Dan Martin has the same situation with his knee. We’re waiting to see a specialist but he’s not going to be right for this weekend. It was an innocuous incident in training and hopefully not too serious.” 

A final word of congratulations to Yeovil Town, who have been confirmed as National League South champions after their 2-0 win at Truro on Thursday.