SURVIVAL SUPREMOS GULLS ARE AT IT AGAIN
NEARLY 30 years to the day since their Bryn the Police Dog inspired Great Escape, Torquay United secured their National League status with a final day home win over North Ferriby United.
Second half goals from skipper Aman Verma and Myles Anderson proved to be enough for the Gulls to make it mission accomplished for manager Kevin Nicholson for the second season in a row.
“For the first 20 minutes we got caught up in the whole ‘what a nice day it is, what a nice pitch it is’ mind set,” said a mightily relieved Nicholson.
“Then we win a corner and we stick to doing what we’ve been doing for the last few weeks and from then on, particularly in the second half, we were very, very good.
“I hope that in the near-to-distant future that we are celebrating like this for the right reasons.”
Villagers’ assistant manager Darryn Stamp, who saw his side condemned to finishing bottom of the league, said: “It’s not a good a finish as we would have liked, it’s been a tough season for us.
“It’s been a challenge for us, but I’m delighted with what the lads have done as a village club, we’ve done ourselves proud.”
The Gulls went close on 15 minutes as leading scorer Brett Williams – two-goal hero of the hour against Dover last week – hit the post with a low effort from 30 yards.
In the 31st minute, United breathed a sigh of relief as Reece Thompson headed a Dan Emerton cross against the upright, but – fortunately for United – he was adjudged to have been in an off-side position. Eight minutes later, Young stung the hands of Villagers’ keeper Owen Evans, who palmed his 35-yard freekick behind for a corner. The deadlock was broken on 58 minutes when Evans tipped an Anderson header onto the bar, following a free-kick from Young, and Verma was on hand to turn home the rebound. United appeared to have doubled their lead on 66 minutes when Giancarlo Gallifuoco read a quickly taken Young free-kick and found the target, but his effort was ruled out for offside. With four minutes to go the game was ended as a contest when Anderson headed home a cross from Young to seal a vital third straight win for the Gulls and send the home fans in raptures.