Gulls find rhythm on the road

Torquay United secured their second successive away victory with a determined 1-0 success at Tonbridge Angels in the National League South.

After sweeping past Chippenham Town in midweek, the Gulls produced a display full of defensive efficiency to secure three more valuable points, Jordan Young notching the only goal on 35 minutes.

United are now just four points behind leaders Worthing in the NLS table and with nine games remaining, they have a healthy cushion inside the play-off positions.

Young provided an early taste of his menace with a wicked cross that was cleared under heavy pressure inside just two minutes, but Tonbridge immediately came back with a corner of their own, cleared under heavy duress by Sam Dreyer.

Smart work by James Hamon in coming off his line thwarted the next home foray but United were the side posing the bigger threat, Young threading a pass to Lirak Hasani, who was only denied by alert goalkeeping from Matt Rowley.

United were given a major reprieve when Jack Wood, formerly a loanee at Plainmoor, fired wide from a good position before the game was halted for a clash of heads.

The Gulls emerged from the mini break with their decisive attack of the day, as Matt Jay rattled his shot against the post and Young pounced on the rebound to notch his tenth goal of an impressive season.

Torquay very nearly added some comfort to their lead before the break, Ozzy Zanzala dancing around Rowley and the goal was in his sights when Tonbridge recovered to make a superb blocking challenge.

The Angels opened the second period with a shot that flicked the outside of the post, but emphasis soon switched back to the United attack, with Zanzala denied a mild penalty shout that earned the recent recruit a booking for simulation.

The Gulls were pressing hard for a second and Jay, seeking his fifth goal in successive games, was only denied by a desperate goal-line clearance from Liam Vincent. Tonbridge, meanwhile, were struggling to make a serious impact on United’s polished defence.

The closing minutes saw a welcome introduction of Jay Foulston from the bench after a long period on the sidelines and he added more steel to the United backline, as Tonbridge resorted to hopefully balls into the penalty area.

Four minutes of stoppage time added some unwanted tension and the Gulls needed a top save from Hamon to repel the Angels, who were understandably throwing caution to the wind. Home frustration boiled over into a red card for Jay Saunders and the three points were on their way home to South Devon.

It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but points are all that matters at this stage of the campaign.