Paul Wotton apologises for the ‘shambolic’ defeat at Dorking Wanderers

Torquay United manager Paul Wotton pulled no punches in his assessment of Torquay United painful 3-1 loss at Dorking Wanderers.

The Gulls slumped to a 3-0 deficit in the first period, considering goals the boss described as ‘abysmal’, and while there were improvements after the break, including a consolation from Jordan Young, it was another bitter day on the road.

Wotton freshened up his troops from the midweek win over Chippenham, tried different personnel in an attempt to change the rotten away form, but it failed to pay dividend.

“The first half was awful, all of us, and I apologise for that,” he said.

“We tried a 60-yard pass, it gets cut out and their player waltzes past three of our players for 1-0. That was the first disappointment, then we give the ball away again and they go past us again.

“It was a hell of a strike from their lad but just too easy from us, and the third goal summed us up. At 2-0, you’ve got half a chance, at 3-0, it is done. The goals were nothing short of shambolic.

“We picked a team specifically to play against Dorking, worked on it all week, couldn’t have had better preparation, so that first half was just not good enough.

“Our away form isn’t good enough, simple as that, so we tried something different. There was a lack of fight, a lack of intensity, lack of running and lack of togetherness. It is on me because I’m in charge.

“We gave away three abysmal goals. Our away form has to get better, it’s black and white. I’m a big believer in getting over disappointment quickly but it has to sting. We’ll come into work on Monday and I need to get to the bottom of it.”