The Chippenham challenge for Torquay United

On a few occasions this season, Torquay United manager Gary Johnson has mentioned the importance of his side ‘building a run’ of form.

There have been patches of quality and consistency, too often interrupted by setbacks, which can be justifiably attributed to injury problems within the squad, but we are now reaching a period where any dropped points could deal a heavy blow to United’s promotion aspirations.

After the weekend win over Dover, tonight’s trip to Chippenham Town is next on the list and a tricky clash against a side that were seconds away from securing a point at Plainmoor in August.

“There are important matches coming up and we need to pick up points from them,” said Johnson. “We will catch up on games in February and see where we are after that.

“We have to work very hard to start the run.

“We need to pick up results away from home and that’s what we are trying to work on. We need to be more compact, more solid and not so open.”

United defender Ollie Tomlinson spent time on loan at Chippenham last year and a fantastic example of a young player who has grasped his opportunity to shine during the recent injury problems for the Yellows.

“He [Tomlinson] came in and we thought we’d test him to see how he goes, and he hasn’t looked back since,” added Johnson. “He’s become a regular in the team.

“We want a bit more competition in some areas but there are four or five players who haven’t been with us too long; they’re getting it now and when we need to call on them, we will definitely need everybody fit and raring to go in February.

“We have eight games in four weeks, everybody has to be ready and they will all get their time out on the pitch.

“Our away form is not as good as our home form and that’s where you need a bit of experience. We need to get a run together, like we did at Slough and St Albans earlier in the season.

“We’ve got to keep our home form up and find an away game, make sure everybody is ready, understands and performs. It’s going to be tough but we’ve got to embrace it, and enjoy it.”