Torquay lacking a killer touch in goalless draw that does not help them
TORQUAY United completed their Easter double with a goalless draw at home against Eastleigh - a result that has not done their chase of a National League play-off place much good at all.
But in a game where the home side had some considerable help from the referee, whose performance was questionable to say the least, the upside must be that the Gulls kept hold of a point which at times looked vulnerable.
Although it is still seven points to seventh and that all-important last play-off place, the Gulls did move above Boreham Wood to ninth after they were beaten by Wealdstone. But with five games to go, Torquay are five points adrift of eighth-placed Dagenham & Redbridge with a tough away trip to sixth-placed Grimsby Town to come next weekend. A defeat there and it may be all over bar the shouting.
There was one change to the 11 that started the win at Woking with Keelan O’Connell coming in for Chiori Johnson, who wasn’t in the 16. Again, there was no Mark Halstead on the bench, so youth goalkeeper Matt Wonnacott was included among the substitutes.
Some bad news coming out of the club before kick off was concerning loan midfielder Stephen Wearne. He has returned to Sunderland after the injury he picked up in the Notts County game turned out to be ankle ligament damage. During his time with the club, the 21-year-old played 14 games and scored three goals. His loss is a blow for the run-in.
Torquay started well, Danny Wright playing a lovely through-ball for O’Connell, which was just cut out, and Asa Hall shooting tamely from distance - but Dan Martin had to block a powerful Danny Hollands strike on sx minutes.
Stephen DukeMcKenna was brought down by Harry Pritchard on the left-angle of the
Eastleigh area on 13 minutes - but Armani Little’s low cross was deflected out for a corner.
A clever Little free kick into the box on 21 minutes, and a neat DukeMcKenna flick, almost found Connor Lemonheigh-Evans, and the same player got the ball stuck under his feet in front of goal a couple of minutes later.
Eastleigh had the ball in the back of the net on 26 minutes after a really good move - but Danny Whitehall was offside when he got his foot to the ball to turn the cross in.
The referee Tom Bishop stopped a Torquay attack in the 45th minute when Pritchard went down with a leg injury - much to the disgust of Torquay’s player. The referee wasn’t making himself popular with either team with a stream of yellow cards.
On 60 minutes, Ali Omar came on for Dean Moxey, who had been solid at the back, but walked gingerly from the field. Klaidi Lolos came on for O’Connell soon after.
It was end-to-end stuff now and Lolos had a shot blocked by the goalkeeper’s legs, with Wynter’s followup stopped by a body in the box. A Duke-McKenna shot was deflected wide.
On 84 minutes it looked like Brannan Camp might see red for a challenge on Duke-McKenna, but instead the referee gave Eastleigh a drop ball.
MacDonald made a save with his feet when Ronan Silva was clean through - he really should have scored that one.
Seven minutes were added and Duke-McKenna put a free kick over. Eastleigh had a free kick of their own after a dive was rewarded by the ref but Silva headed the cross into the box over.
For a 0-0 it was certainly an entertaining game - but not one that anyone will look back on too fondly.