The defensive springboard Torquay United plan to use at Dorking Wanderers

Twenty-four points from 13 games is the same return as Torquay United enjoyed this time last year, which laid the springboard for that agonisingly near promotion miss.

The Gulls used it to take off on a long unbeaten mid-season run, which is just what they need again now ahead of Saturday’s trip to Dorking Wanderers (writes Dave Thomas).

If United’s away form (W1 D2 L3) was anything like their home record (W6 D1 L0), they’d be right up with leaders Weston-super-Mare and Hornchurch, instead of four points behind them in third place.

Which is pretty good by most standards.

But until manager Paul Wotton’s men start convincing on the road, they’ll have to keep handling the doubters.

One encouragement is that, after some sloppy goals conceded at the start of the season, United have reeled off four ‘clean sheets’, and only one goal against, in the last five games.

At the heart of that has been centre-back pairing Jordan Dyer and Sam Dreyer, and it was a well-worked Dyer set-piece header which beat Dorking at Meadowbank 1-0 last Spring.

Wotton made his dislike of Dorking’s rubber-crumb all-weather pitch clear, but United proved last season that the right attitude can overcome such issues.

There are no new injury worries.

Munashe Sundire and Cody Cooke are still out, but everyone else, bar out-on-loan duo Matt Carson and Jadyn Crosbie, is available.

Dorking are in 13th place at the moment, not quite where they expect to be under ambitious owner-manager Marc White.

They have been grappling with injuries of late, and it remains to be seen if White will have centre-forward Jason Prior, who missed Tuesday’s 2-2 draw at Dover with a head knock, or centre-back Louie Annesley, who limped off at The Crabble.

Annesley was one of a handful of summer signings, which saw the significant additions of ex-Gulls loanee Frankie Vincent and Dennon Lewis (Boreham Wood, Woking) in midfield.

That pair, and pacy winger Jimmy Muitt pose a threat which United will almost certainly have to subdue if they’re going to win.

Saturday’s referee is Steven Hughes from Hampshire.

There should be some entertainment at Plainmoor on Sunday when Torquay United meet Exeter City in the First Round Proper of the Women’s FA Cup (2pm).

The ‘Regional League’ Gulls will be underdogs against the ‘National League’ Grecians, but they have overcome that gap before and they are in fine form under new manager Ryan Perks.

United are hoping for a four-figure crowd against their well-supported local rivals.