WIN WILL SET UP TOP OF THE TABLE CLASH

TORQUAY United are back within touching distance of National League leaders Sutton United in the run-up to playing them – a scenario which looked almost impossible when manager Gary Johnson predicted as much a month ago.

Sutton were 12 points clear of the Gulls in March but after three draws in their last three games, coupled with Torquay’s excellent six-point haul over Easter, it will be the leaders Sutton who are feeling the pressure, like maybe Torquay did when they were top from Christmas until March.

One-nil wins against Woking and Wrexham over the bank holiday weekend, coupled with those three draws for Sutton, has seen the gap at the top close to six points and, with Sutton not playing until Torquay turn up at Gander Green Lane next Tuesday, a Torquay win at Weymouth today and in London on Tuesday evening will see the Gulls go above Sutton.

Second-placed Hartlepool United would go top if they beat Notts County this afternoon, but ‘Pool have played three more games than Torquay and will be left vulnerable as the new leaders.

Talking after Torquay’s excellent 1-0 win at Wrexham, where Sam Sherring scored the winner in the 93rd minute, Johnson said: “Everybody is under pressure at the moment to get results. And I think we have made up six points back on Sutton over the last three games now.

“We knew that if they were to have a dodgy spell we had to make sure we could take advantage.

“In fact, I called the lads over [in the Wrexham game] when Connor [Lemonheigh-Evans] was down with his injury and just said Hartlepool were losing, Notts County were losing, and Sutton were still drawing.

“I just said ‘at some stage we are going to have to take a chance, take a risk and get people forward, and try and get this winner, because these results are happening.

“I just put that in their mind in the hope that I could get another five or 10% out of them, with them knowing that three points would have been so handy as opposed to one.

“I don’t think they went up five per cent, maybe one and a half, but it was enough to get numbers in the box.

“I said four or five weeks ago that there was a possibility that by the time we played Sutton, that if they have a dodgy spell with all their away games, we could be playing to go back to the top of the league again.

“Weymouth will not be an easy game but if we were to win then that could be the case. I am pleased that we have followed up on our thoughts that that could happen.”

Weymouth are 18th in the table but have won two and drawn one of their last five games - and fans will remember the 4-3 win for Torquay along the coast on December 28.

Connor Lemonheigh-Evans scored the winner for Torquay that day but took a knock on a knee in the Wrexham game and had to come off. Initial signs were that it wasn’t too bad, but we shall see if he is ready for Saturday.

Also leaving the pitch at Wrexham was Sunderland loanee striker Benji Kimpioka. He was having had his hamstring injury assessed this week.

Torquay’s key striker Danny Wright reported no problems after playing another 60-odd minutes at Wrexham before making way for fresher legs. He is likely to start up front again with either Billy Waters or Josh Umerah getting the chance to play alongside him if Kimpioka isn’t ready.