Match Report: Taunton Town 1 Torquay United 2 - the Gulls are staying up!

Taunton Town 1
Chamberlain 48

Torquay United 2
McGavin 17
Hall 29

Torquay United will be playing their football in the National League South next season after a superb first-half display ensured a 2-1 win at Taunton Town and the three points required to confirm they will not be relegated.

On such a big night for both teams, with Taunton the only side that could catch Torquay from the bottom four, goals from Brett McGavin and Asa Hall, both crackers, in the opening half-hour was the difference.

Taunton did get a goal back from Ollie Chamberlain and the second period was excruciating at times but United had done enough.  

Due to more injuries in the camp, an ongoing theme in this painful season, United interim boss Aaron Downes had little choice but to go with the same starting line-up that slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Bath City on the weekend.

Taunton enjoyed an impressive 3-0 victory at Plainmoor in early March but the early stages were all about nervous sparring, with both sides keenly aware of the potential prize at stake.

Arkell Jude-Boyd fired off the first shot in anger on nine minutes, forcing former Torquay custodian Dan Lavercombe into a decent low save. The next work for Lavercombe was a tad more testing, as he dived to the feet of Brad Ash after a long throw from Dean Moxey had caused mayhem in the home box.

The door opened for United on 17 minutes and it was a trademark screamer from McGavin, lashing the ball into the top corner from just outside the box. It was a special goal for the Gulls and they continued to play with far more belief than Taunton.

A good start got even better on the half-hour, when a corner from McGavin met the perfectly timed run of captain Hall, who volleyed a sweet strike beyond Lavercombe to double the United lead.

A composed 45 minutes for the Gulls took an unwanted twist immediately after the restart, as Chamberlain found space for a shot and made no mistake with another emphatic finish, giving Mark Halstead zero chance.

The tension had ramped up a few notches for United, as Tom Lapslie slipped a neat pass to Will Jenkins Davies, who was unable to direct his shot past the considerable frame of Lavercombe. Jack Stobbs then had a shot deflected over in a decent response to the goal from the Gulls.

Taunton, meanwhile, did have the ball in the net but the referee immediately ruled it out for a foul by Ross Stearn on Halstead. United came back with a deep corner from McGavin falling to Lapslie at the back post but Lavercombe got across quickly to make another save.

Lewis Collins replaced Stobbs for the final 15 minutes of an increasingly nervous night. The pressure was on, big time, and United were understandably content to protect their precious advantage.

Collins was forced off soon after his introduction, Austen Booth his replacement, as McGavin attempted to settle the tie with another raking drive from distance that was only a fraction wide of the post.

The Peacocks replied with a super strike from Zac Bell that struck the United post and rebounded to substitute Evander Grubb, who fluffed his lines to fire wide with the goal gaping. It was a massive let-off for United and a huge moment in the context of the whole season.

Chamberlain blasted over as the referee indicated an excruciating 12 minutes of injury time. It was 12 minutes that felt like a lifetime for the Yellow Army, who were magnificent on an almost unbearable night of tension.

They are a group of fans who have been through so much in recent years, and especially this season, but this was a rare night to celebrate.

The Gulls are staying up!

Taunton: 1 Dan Lavercombe; 2 Zac Bell, 5 Dan Ball, 7 Ollie Chamberlain, 8 Lloyd James (capt) (18 Marcus Day 77), 9 Nathaniel Jarvis, 11 Ben Acey, 12 Rabby Tabu-Minzamba, 13 Ross Stearn (32 Evander Grubb 59), 17 Cameron Evans, 19 Callum Dolman. Substitutes (not used): 4 Nick Grimes, 27 Seb Bolton, 21 Lloyd Irish (GK)

Booked: Evans 39

United: 1 Mark Halstead; 2 Arkell Jude-Boyd, 4 Tom Lapslie, 8 Asa Hall (capt), 11 Brad Ash, 14 Brett McGavin, 18 Will Jenkins Davies, 21 Dean Moxey (capt), 23 Ollie Tomlinson, 27 Jack Stobbs (10 Lewis Collins 76) (5 Austen Booth 83), 30 Ethon Archer. Substitutes (not used): 22 Rhys Lovett (GK), 24 Calum Thomas.

Booked: Lapslie 67

Attendance: 2,531