Put the flag up and United win

Two points dropped was the unanimous view from the weekend draw with Eastbourne Borough at Plainmoor, and Torquay United boss Gary Johnson rightly bemoaned the last-gasp leveller from the visitors, who are fighting for survival in the National League South.

It was a moment symptomatic of the stuttering momentum that has blighted the Gulls for much of the campaign.

After going behind to a goal from Callum Kealy in a disappointing first period, United regrouped after the interval and strikes from Dillon De Silva and Will Jenkins Davies had turned the game around.

On first, second and third glance, Decarrey Sherriff looks offside from the long punt forward in the 93rd minute, and even when the offside flag fails to rise, the Gulls are still on the wrong side of a scruffy finish that crawled over the line.

“Their goal is offside,” said Johnson. “It is tight but when the fella is so far away from our last defender, there is only one decision that should be made because he was offside. Eastbourne probably deserved something because they kept going.

“We were looking like we were on the way to victory but the last goal is a calamity. Even when he [Sherriff] got through, from being offside, he’s kicked the ground and the ball hits our defender and bobbles over Mark [Halstead].

“It’s disappointing because it was a scruffy one but we’ll keep going, we’ve got to keep going. We’ve picked up a point but we’ve lost two, which is how most people would see it, including us.”

Those two points that should be in the United column meant Johnson’s men dropped out of the play-off positions in the National League South table.

It was a particularly frustrating outcome for Johnson, especially as his side had responded well to a lacklustre first half, falling behind to a tidy finish from Kealy.

The equaliser from De Silva was a super goal, pinging a low drive in off the post from 20 yards, matched by an assured finish from Jenkins Davies to make it 2-1, and those moments of quality should have been enough.

“It was two points dropped, from the position we were in,” added Johnson. “At 1-0 down, we didn’t have a particularly great first half but we came out well in the second half, scored a good goal and a very good second goal.

“Both our goals were the bits of quality we needed to show but we didn’t quite create enough opportunities.”

While United can justifiably claim their injury-ravaged squad is a major factor at present, the ability to ‘see out games’ will always be crucial to a promotion push.

The Gulls ended the day with a hefty contingent of young players on the pitch and they will learn that particular art of game-management but, in truth, if the offside flag does it job, United win 2-1 and the game has been ‘seen out’.

Johnson, however, would argue his team should have been out of sight at that late stage.

“The story of the day was that we didn’t create enough opportunities,” added Johnson. “Eastbourne were in a situation where they had nothing to lose, and that happens when teams come here.

“We gave the ball away a few too many times, which was disappointing. Maybe, young lads get a bit nervous when there are three points at stake but, every game they play, they gain more experience.

“You make your own luck but we’ve had a fair share of wrong decisions, and we’ve had feedback to say they [the authorities] agreed with us. We mention the word luck but you’ve got to fight through it.”