‘Magnificent, exceptional’ Torquay United finish long week in style

Torquay United manager Paul Wotton is carrying an air of satisfaction that only comes from good results in difficult situations.

The Gulls suffered their first home defeat of the season against league leaders Hornchurch, despite delivering an excellent performance, and that provided the backdrop ahead of testing trips to Farnborough and Maidenhead.

United have struggled for consistency on the road this season but Farnborough were swept aside on Wednesday and Maidenhead suffered the same fate, as a Callum Dolan strike and an own goal secured a 2-1 win that could have been a lot more.

Maidenhead did snatch a late consolation, but that was the only blemish on an outstanding display from the men in Yellow.

“We made one mistake in the game, in the 91st minutes, but before that we were absolutely magnificent,” said Wotton. “It’s been a long week, against Hornchurch we were exceptional, Farnborough exceptional and even better against Maidenhead

“I loved our bravery, loved the passion and the commitment from the players. The fans also made it a brilliant away day. I loved our fitness, we looked fitter than Maidenhead, and I thank the players for their efforts.

“We’ve got some exceptional players and we’re getting players back to full fitness. People say we’ve turned a corner but I don’t think there was a corner to turn, we’ve just kept working and my players work their socks off for the football club and for the fans.

“You could see the fans were very appreciative of the players, and the players are very appreciative of the distance they travel and the support they showed.”

The one downside on the day was the early withdrawal of skipper Matt Worthington with a hamstring injury, probably caused by the hectic schedule over the past week.

“It’s not often we do a Wednesday – Saturday, and that was probably a factor in Worthy coming off,” added Wotton. “There was a bit of fatigue and Louis Dennis was playing on one leg from the first minute but we knew Sonny Fish would come on and make an impact.

“We’ve had players running on empty but they pulled through it. It’s too early to say on Worthington, we think he’s tweaked a hamstring and we hope it’s minor, but even a minor hamstring injury is a minimum of two weeks.

“We need to rest some of them big time before Maidstone on Saturday because we’ve got bumps and bruises, but I’m very proud of the players and proud of the fans.”

The Gulls are now up to third in the National League South, two points behind Weston-super-Mare but eight behind runaway leaders Hornchurch, who have games in hand. Next weekend, attention turns to the FA Trophy and a visit from Maidstone.