Torquay edging to safety after taming White Tigers
AARON Downes said he was delighted to be able to send the Torquay United fans home from Gloucester happy on Monday night - after the Gulls beat Truro City 2-1 to push themselves a little bit closer to National League South safety. There were more away fans than home ones in the crowd of 384, with Truro playing their remaining ‘home’ games on the artificial pitch at Gloucester City’s Meadow Park. And the three points, ahead of a trip to Bath City on Saturday, were so important in Torquay’s race to avoid the drop into the Southern League. “I am relieved, really happy, and really proud of the players,” said interim manager Downes. “We were superb in that first half. We had the better of the conditions in the first half, but they had the better of the conditions in the second half. “I thought we were good value for the two-nil at half time, we dominated territory and we dominated possession, dominated the opportunities and looked really comfortable. So we knew they were going to come at us in the second half and we had to stand up to that – and we did. “I am gutted that we didn’t keep a clean sheet but it’s all about results at this stage of the season, and three points is massive, away from home.” Torquay were the better team all evening but there was an early setback when striker Duane OforiAcheampong picked up an early yellow card, got a second talking to by the referee, and then hurt a heel. Downes decided to replace him with Ethon Archer in the 19th minute. But Archer had a great game and came away with the visitors’ player of the match, presumably from a neutral committee at Meadow Park. Torquay, playing in their pink away shirts, went 1-0 up in the 23rd minute when right-back Arkell JudeBoyd found some space on the right, cut inside, and shot past James Hamon in the Truro goal. It was a fifth goal in 13 games for the Gulls for the on-loan Queens Park Rangers player. The second goal came from a counter-attack, with the final touch being applied by Brad Ash, who got on the end of a Dean Moxey cross after a brilliant ball to the left back by Brett McGavin.
Truro didn’t really look like threatening Torquay’s goal at all in the first half. In fact, they really only looked a threat when they scored, three minutes into injury time, when Ed Palmer pounced to give the ‘home’ side a slither of hope.
It wasn’t to be, though, and with six games still to go, two in two days, tomorrow and Thursday, Truro have little time to think about this result now.
“It’s disappointing. It was obviously a big game at the bottom of the league,” Truro boss Paul Wotton said.
“I thought we started really, really well in the first 15 minutes and were on the front foot. I spoke about us being brave and positive and we were and I thought Torquay were there to be beaten, I really did.
“The first goal, we have let the boy inside and shoot, which we shouldn’t do, but it was a great hit to be fair to the lad. But I have spoken about it many times - we just don’t get over the disappointment. Our heads go down, the second one goes in and we looked beat.
“At half-time, I changed a couple of things, we have our rear up, believe in ourselves, move the ball better, win second balls. Things didn’t fall for us in the box and we had a stonewall penalty. We scored late at the end, but it wasn’t our night.
“But there is no time to dwell on it, we have another game on Wednesday, so we have to recover, do the right things and go again.”
The White Tigers are again in action tonight when they host Eastbourne Borough at Meadow Park.