Praise in defeat for Torquay United

Losing their proud unbeaten home run should be a moment of disappointment for Torquay United, and it was, but there was also huge pride in performance for manager Paul Wotton.

The Gulls dominated Hampton & Richmond Borough for 90 minutes at a packed Plainmoor, only to be thwarted by an inspired goalkeeping display from Max Merrick and courageous Hampton defending.

The visitors pinched all three points with a goal from Mauro Vilhete on 56 minutes, leaving all in Yellow shaking their heads.

“We are bitterly disappointed because I thought we were magnificent,” said Wotton. “We were good to watch, we were energetic and, other than scoring a goal and getting three points, I thought we were great.

“The first 20 minutes were fantastic, but we’ve got to find a way of getting that goal when we’re on top. We kept going and going, and the only disappointment for me was the goal we conceded because we’ve got to be better than that. It was similar to the first goal at Slough on Tuesday night.

“It’s a real tough one because it was as one-sided a defeat as you will see, but Hampton threw their bodies into blocks and the ‘keeper was magnificent.

“It’s been a week where I think we should be sat here with nine points and instead we’ve got two. It’s a funny old league and we’ve just got to stay calm and consistent.

“I can’t have a go at anyone for that performance and this is the first time in managing Torquay that fans have stayed behind to say how well the boys played.

“This will sound crazy, but it was probably our best performance at home, and our home record has gone. We’ve all been on the end of these games, and we dust ourselves down.

“I’m terrible after defeats if I think we haven’t performed, I get really down and low, but I can’t be like that because I thought we were terrific. I enjoyed watching us and, on another day, we win 3-0. Without being disrespectful, we battered them but lost 1-0.”

Despite the loss, title rivals Boreham Wood also suffered a shock defeat, 1-4 at home to United’s midweek hosts Chippenham Town, and now just one point separates the top five in the National League South.

“Normally, by now, leagues start to stretch out but another mixed bag of results today, coupon-busters! We have to stay calm and keep working because there are deficiencies in every team,” added Wotton.