Johnson delighted as Torquay open campaign with dramatic late win
TORQUAY United manager Gary Johnson says his team were not at their best when they beat Stockport County on the opening day of the National League on Saturday – so to prise all three points from a team expected to be one of the frontrunners was a brilliant way to kick things off.
It was Connor Lemonheigh-Evans who scored Torquay’s winner in injury time – but the Gulls still had to defend ‘like Trojans’ with Aaron Nemane clearing the ball off the line at the death.
Ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Eastleigh, game two of eight in October, Johnson will be wondering if he needs to switch things around from the 3-5-2 that he played against Stockport – especially if more players become available - and after the impact of his three late substitutes.
Three loan players were unveiled before the game, and with some key injuries and the three-game suspension for Dean Moxey having restricted the manager’s choices, all three – defender Sam Sherring from
Bournemouth, midfielder Adam Randell from Plymouth Argyle, and striker Louis Britton from Bristol City – played their part.
Sherring started and Randell and Britton were excellent when coming on for the last ten minutes. Midfielder Asa Hall also made a difference coming for the last ten minutes to add some stability to the centre of the park.
Johnson said: “It was very exciting for the last ten or 15 minutes, just before we scored we had three or four good chances, so we finished strong which I was pleased with.
“Stockport are a very difficult team to play against. They are a big solid team and they have got a lot of experience, as you can hear with all the screaming that comes off the line and on the pitch – and it’s a very good result for us because they are going to be there or thereabouts.
“We had to defend and we did defend like Trojans, and I was proud of them for that – but we didn’t attack like Trojans, not until the end.
“That’s not the best we are going to play – even though we have played one of the top teams and won the game.”
It was a fairly even contest in first half with some good chances for Jake Andrews and Stockport’s big summer signing John Rooney. But it was the efforts of Torquay goalkeeper Lucas Covolan that stood out in the 90 – the Brazilian made some wonderful saves in both halves and was dominant in his area.
Britton made the biggest impact of the three subs when he came on – heading a first chance straight at the goalkeeper, before winning the ball in midfield and hitting the crossbar with a fine strike. Britton was also fed by Randell and his shot from the right was tipped over the bar.
In time-added-on, Hall found Nemane with a wonderful cross-field pass and the ball was whipped into the area with Lemonheigh-Evans getting the final touch to force the ball over the line.