Flurry of fixtures await Torquay United

FA Cup postponements have conspired to give Torquay United some unwanted breaks in the fixture schedule but that will all change over the next six weeks.

After Tuesday night’s visit from Worthing, the Gulls will play eight league games and an FA Trophy tie before the end of November, a period that could set down a marker for how the rest of the campaign will unfold.

Half of the eight league outings will be on the road, where United are showing increasing confidence and defensive steel, as demonstrated by the recent away win at Hampton & Richmond and then Saturday’s 1-1 draw at high-flying Eastbourne.

For manager Paul Wotton, there is a growing assurance in his team. “I was really pleased with our performance at Eastbourne, we passed the ball well and looked really comfortable in defence,” he said. “Our reaction to going 1-0 down was fantastic.

“At half-time, I fancied us and we finished really strong. A point away from home is always to be respected, we had grit and determination.”

The scorer of United’s equalising goal, Finley Craske, has endured a rotten run of luck with injuries, which made his excellent finish even sweeter for the manager and another huge contingent of Yellow Army supporters on the road.

As well as the goalscoring return for Craske, United welcomed back summer signing Jordan Dyer, who has been absent since August, and his dominance in the air will be a huge asset to the team.

“I’ve got a lot of trust in Fin,” added Wotton. “He’s a fantastic one v one defender and he gives us an extra bit of physicality. He [Dyer] hasn’t played since Farnborough away but he’s trained very hard, and he’s a monster aerially.”

United are back on the road this weekend, travelling to the other side of London to take on a Hornchurch side sitting a couple of places above the relegation zone.

November starts with a visit from Chelmsford City, who are mid-table at present, one place below Salisbury City, who host United in a midweek encounter on November 5. The Gulls return to Plainmoor four days later for a meeting with Tonbridge Angels, another side in the mid-table pack.

TQ1 hosts its third game in ten days on November 12, when Maidstone are the visitors in a rearranged fixture due to the FA Cup cancellation. Maidstone are always a difficult side and despite an inconsistent start to their league campaign, few doubt the Stones will up there contending toward the end of the season.

November 16 is an FA Trophy weekend and then the Gulls travel to Boreham Wood, who are currently knocking on the door of the play-off places. Weston-super-Mare will bring their promotion aspirations to Plainmoor on November 26 and the month concludes with a trip to struggling Enfield.

There are defining periods dotted through every football season and this will be the first ‘big’ spell for the Gulls in 2024/25, a great opportunity to build some momentum before Christmas.