Johnson feels ‘good point’ is more beneficial to Torquay
MANAGER Gary Johnson praised his players after they ground out a ‘good point’ with a goalless draw at Notts County on Saturday.
The result meant the Gulls extended their lead at the top of the National League table to nine points because second-placed Hartlepool United were beaten 1-0 at Weymouth.
On Tuesday night the Gulls play Sutton United at home, the team that replaced Hartlepool in second with a 3-0 home win against Eastleigh. With three games in hand, Sutton are currently Torquay’s biggest rivals for the title – and the visit to Plainmoor has just got a whole lot more mouthwatering.
Both sides had good chances to win the game in the second half with Josh Umerah unable to get his feet around a low and dangerous cross from four yards out, and home attacker Kyle Wootton putting an 90th minute chance wide when he really should have hit the target.
But the Gulls manager was more than satisfied with the result, saying: “It was a good point, not just a good point on the road, but a good point
at Notts County.
“It was important that we stopped them winning the game. We went for it, they went for it, it made for a very competitive game.
There was no time-wasting in the game at all because both teams wanted to get a win, which was good, so credit to both sets of players.
“Because it was a bit scrappy,
there probably wasn’t lots of fine, beautiful football being played, because both sets of teams were trying to close down very quickly.
“There were a few chances – a few at their end, and a few at our end for them – but both teams came through it, and I genuinely believe it’s a much better point for us than it is for them.”
There was a debut for 20-year-old Max Sheaf on loan from Hull City, who lined up in the centre of midfield alongside Adam Randell, with Asa Hall missing because of a thigh injury.
Starting for the first time up front was Billy Waters, who got the nod ahead of Umerah and Rob Smart – the Crystal Palace loan youngster taking his place on the substitutes’ bench.
Early on, Randell was hurt in a mistimed tackle which the referee missed – Enzio Boldewijn’s studs were high and caught Randell’s ankle. On another day it might have been a red card and so a different game. Kyle Cameron was yellowcarded though when he pulled down Notts debutant Inih Effiong in the tenth minute.
Shaun MacDonald had to be quick to claim the ball when a Sam Sherring back pass put the Torquay goalkeeper under pressure, with both Waters and Sheaf misdirecting strikes. Connell Rawlinson almost steered a dangerous cross from Ben Whitfield into his own net - but the Notts goalkeeper made the save. MacDonald got a hand to a cross just ahead of Boldewijn in space in the 38th minute – it was an important goal-saving touch.
Umerah came on for Waters in the 57th minute and moments later Connor Lemonheigh-Evans had a close-range shot blocked after some good work by Whitfield. A brilliant break in the 60th minute ended with a low Whitfield cross just missing the boot of the sliding Umerah as it crossed the front of goal.
Armani Little came on for Sheaf with Moxey making an important tackle in the box just after the substitution. The ball then fell to Moxey on the edge of the area in the 68th minute but the defender’s on-target strike was deflected away for a corner. A block by Kyle Cameron and a save by MacDonald kept Notts out before Elisha Sam’s hard strike was again stopped well by MacDonald.
Umerah missed his great chance when he got on the end of a low and dangerous Lemonheigh-Evans cross. The ball hit the striker’s foot but flew away from goal off his heel rather than into it. Cameron turned well in the box but shot straight at the goalkeeper.
The miss of the match though was in the 90th minute when Wootton, standing on the six-yard spot, hit the ball wide from a dangerous low cross right to his feet