Manager Wotton grapples with growing injury list at Torquay United

It may not quite be a ‘crisis’, but Torquay United are still acting to combat their current injury problems ahead of August Bank Holiday games at Horsham on Saturday and home to Dover Athletic on Monday.
By full-time at Tuesday’s 3-1 win over AFC Totton at Plainmoor, the Gulls were without six of their 21-man squad.
Even with striker Louis Dennis close to a return and winger Dylan Morgan hopefully not side-lined for too long, it was a situation that needed tackling, even at this early stage of the campaign.
So manager Paul Wotton is expected to complete one loan signing and, possibly, a second deal before United head to Horsham.
That will give him a little more room to manoeuvre in team selection, which may well be needed with two games in 48 hours.
“Missing five top players at this level is frustrating and annoying, but these things are sent to test you,” said Wotton.
“But we’ll suck it up and get on with it.”
Then Wotton quickly pointed out that players like Munashe Sundire, Matt Jay, Dan Hayfield and Ed Palmer, none of whom started the first two matches, all had a chance to show what they could do against Totton – and took it.
Seven points out of nine, including four from physically demanding games at Maidstone (1-1) and home to Totton, have delighted Wotton.
But it took United too long to match Maidstone’s muscle, and Wotton is stressing the importance of not underestimating Horsham.
“It’s always tough against newly promoted sides,” he said. “We also learned a hell of a lot at Maidstone. “For one thing, the game is different on plastic – the ball moves much quicker at Plainmoor (grass) than it does on the plastic.
“And any time any team plays against Torquay United, we are in for a battle. We are not a good enough team, and I’m not a good enough manager, to go into any game thinking it’s going to be easy.”
Horsham have one point from their first three games, but they did give Worthing a scare when they led their Sussex rivals 2-0 before going down 4-3 in Game Two. Having brought his side up from the Isthmian League last season, manager Dominic Di Paola has sought to add more experience and know-how to his squad.
Summer recruits include two ex-Gulls loanees, winger Shamir Fenelon and centre-forward Rhys Murphy, as well as pacy ex-Hull and Woking midfielder Greg Luer, Leone Gravata (Chippenham) and versatile forward James Roberts (Oxford City, Havant & Waterlooville, Hampton & Richmond).
Saturday’s referee is Morgan Conn from Essex.
Wotton did have some good, as well as bad, news on United’s longer term injuries.
While Sonny Blu Lo-Everton could be out for three months because of the ankle ligament damage he sustained in a tackle at Maidstone which Wotton still describes as ‘disgraceful’, new signings Sonny Fish and Callum Dolan are progressing well.
Striker Fish (cartilage op) is on schedule with his rehabilitation and could be back in action in six weeks, while midfielder Dolan (thigh) hopes to resume light training within ten days