A ‘strange afternoon’ leaves Torquay United staring at two key suspensions

Now the dust has settled on Torquay United’s chaotic 1-1 draw with Maidstone, the Gulls are facing suspensions for their two leading scorers in the National League South.

United fell behind to a fabulous free-kick after dominating the early stages but pulled level when Dylan Morgan slotted a calm finish on the half-hour, and they were given a further boost with a red card for Maidstone’s David Sesay before the interval.

After the break, manager Paul Wotton threw on Cody Cooke as a new attacking weapon but the Gulls were unable to convert territory into serious chances, and the game descended into late drama with stoppage time red cards for Louis Dennis and Jordan Young, the two leading marksmen for United this season.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t get three points, we were excellent in the first half and their goal comes against the run of play,” said Wotton. “It was a wonder-strike from the lad, which seems to be a common theme.

“We reacted well to it but we do need to get out of the habit of conceding the first goal. At half-time, I was confident we would go on to win the game but it didn’t pan out that way, which wasn’t through a lack of effort. We were really positive and an attacking threat.

“In the second half, I’m not sure we crossed the ball enough or made their ‘keeper make enough saves because we had plenty of opportunities in the final third to make something happen.

“There are 20 games left, 60 points to play for, so an awful long way to go but it is an opportunity missed.”

The Dennis red card seemed harsh at first viewing, getting into a tangle that led to the Maidstone defender falling to the floor. While it was perhaps impetuous from the classy forward, it was hardly excessive force.

Moments later, Young was shown a second yellow after protesting the award of a goal kick by referee Will Briers, even though all sitting in the Brothwell Irvine Family Stand could clearly see a corner was the right decision.

“The game became a farce at the end, so a frustrating afternoon, but the boys worked their socks off,” added Wotton. “Within the space of two minutes, we went from having a one-man advantage to a one-man disadvantage.

“We made a couple of crucial blocks at the end to protect the point because the game changed very quickly, a strange afternoon.

“I’ve had a chat with the referee because I genuinely couldn’t see Louis’ incident down in the corner. Youngy’s first booking was really harsh and the second for dissent, but the how the ref gave a goal kick is beyond me.”

On the day before the game, United sent young striker Sonny Fish out on loan to Folkestone Invicta for a month.

Fish moved to Plainmoor in the summer after leaving Crawley Town but his progress was swiftly interrupted by a pre-season injury that delayed his debut until the middle of October.

Since then, he has made 11 substitute appearances for United but Wotton felt the time was right for Fish to get some regular football for a month, and hopefully find the bag of the net to get some renewed rhythm in his game.

Fish started Folkestone’s 1-1 draw with Burgess Hill Town on the weekend and he joins a club with huge ambitions to join the National League South next season. Folkestone currently have a 13-point lead at the top of the Isthmian League Premier Division.