Torquay United are beginning to develop a habit of making things difficult for themselves. Solid and dependable last season, this campaign has seen the Gulls perform something of a u-turn and instead of making life hard for their opponents, have decided to make life hard for themselves.
It’s entertaining to watch though, if nothing else, and the Gulls’ last two matches have provided great value for money, and more importantly put points on the board.
Tuesday’s entertaining 2-2 draw with last season’s playoff rivals Cheltenham saw the Robins score first, the Gulls equalize and subsequently take the lead with two quick-fire goals in as many minutes, only for ex-Gull Chris Zebroski to break Torquay hearts with an equalizer just ten minutes from time.
The same theme continued on Saturday. Rochdale were the visitors, relegated from League One last season and now managed by the experienced ex-Accrington boss John Coleman. It was another pulsating game at Plainmoor, which saw the Gulls fall behind to an early goal once again, equalise, take the lead, and go into the half time break with a 2-1 advantage.
And it got better still for United; a brace from Rene Howe increased his tally to three for the season and put Martin Ling’s team 4-1 up with 22 minutes remaining on the clock.
Easy? Not so. On 73 minutes, Dale’s George Donnelly was felled in the box, Rochdale had a penalty, and Aaron Downes, impressive for the Gulls in the heart of defence, was given a red card for a professional foul. It was a potential turning point in the match, and a goal for Rochdale could have certainly changed the match in their favor.
It wasn’t to be. Michael Poke guessed right, the spot-kick was saved, and the Gulls saw the game out, though the final 17 minutes were not without their scares, and United secured their first win of the season. It seems likely that both Cheltenham and Rochdale will be in the promotion mix come the end of the season, along with last season’s Blue Square Premier champions, Fleetwood Town. The Gulls have faced all three in their opening three games, and five points from a possible nine will be seen as a satisfactory return in what has been a tough start to the season.
The real feel good story from Saturday, however, came in the shape of Niall Thompson. Just eighteen years old, a lengthly injury list had forced manager Martin Ling’s hand in starting the young winger who was yet to start a competitive game for United, and a player who was seen as an ‘impact sub’ at the beginning of the season by Ling.
And didn’t he do well? The youngster showed no fear or trepidation against some experienced opponents, and was confident using his pace and trickery to take players on, always looking for the ball. Not just a one trick pony either, the 18 year old showed craft and vision to release Howe early in the first half with a sumptuous through-ball, only for the forward to fluff his lines.
Nonetheless, it was a confident debut that warranted the man of the match award from the youth product - the first to start a competitive league match for the Gulls since the youth academy re-opened in 2007. More impressive performances like this will vindicate the board’s decision to re-open the academy, and from a fan’s perspective, there’s nothing quite like seeing one of your own come through the ranks.
Careers aren’t built on just one solitary appearance however, and it was telling just hours after the match that club captain Lee Mansell tweeted Thompson with the words ‘the hard work starts now.’ It’s a message that he would do well to take on board from a player with over 360 appearances to his name and the respect of his peers that saw him nominated into the PFA team of the season during the last campaign.
It wasn’t a bad start though.
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