Patience, control and confidence for Torquay United

Torquay United return to league duties with the visit from bottom club Dover Athletic on Saturday.

After tumbling out of the FA Trophy at Hereford last weekend, the objective of accumulating points for a promotion push is all that matters at Plainmoor over the second half of the season, starting with a victory against Dover.

For manager Gary Johnson, the first hurdle to overcome is starting the game with confidence and control, playing with patience and poise.

“It is massive to start a game well because not many teams lose after scoring first,” he said. “The percentages are much more in your favour if you score first.

“We have had games when we’ve scored second and come back to win or draw, but a fast start is massive for the atmosphere and the confidence. You have to be tight in defence and just have control in the game.

“Torquay in this league is a big game for visiting clubs, so they see us as a free hit. No team has lost here and their supporters have slaughtered them. It is a fantastic pitch, great stadium, great atmosphere and those teams can enjoy the experience.

“For us, there is a difference between being patient and not starting well. You can be patient, win the ball off the opposition and then give it back to them. We’ve got to control the game and create chances.”  

Despite their position at the bottom of the table, Dover’s record of 12 draws from 27 games shows they are not an easy team to beat, and turning some of those draws into wins could take the Kent club away from the relegation zone.

It all adds up to another challenging afternoon for the Gulls but these are the challenges they must overcome.

“I will never ever say there is an easy game in this league,” added Johnson. “Somebody’s got to be at the bottom and somebody at the top, but everyone has won and lost games.

“On their day, anybody can beat anybody. It is a famous sentence from managers, but we know the importance of winning these games at home. We’ve got around two points per game at home and this game with Dover gives us that next opportunity.

“I can’t say enough how important the fans are. Some aren’t happy but we are still there or thereabouts, so we want them to keep behind the lads. I’m experienced enough to know that fans aren’t happy when you lose but we can’t let that affect the lads because they won’t feel confident to play with freedom.

“It’s not a rallying cry, just human nature. If we can keep going for 90 minutes, we will have enough quality at home and away. We all want promotion and nothing would please us more than to end the season with promotion.

“We are all trying very hard and I’m hoping it will come good as soon as we get more competition in the team.”