It will be top versus bottom when Torquay United go to Weymouth on Boxing Day – for the last game of a dramatic 2024.
The Gulls went top of the National League South table by beating Farnborough 2-0 at home – and stayed there with a 1-0 win against Hemel Hempstead Town, again at Plainmoor, last Saturday. The team is now 10 games unbeaten (in the league, 11 if you include the FA Trophy) and will be desperate to make it 11 ahead of their big promotion derby at home against Truro City on New Year’s Day.
Christmas and New Year can be a busy time for footballers – and fans. But one player who will be hoping to be less busy than the others will be goalkeeper James Hamon, who has kept five clean sheets in the last seven games and made some important saves as well.
After the win against Hemel, which came courtesy of a second-half penalty by Cody Cooke, Hamon said: “We have definitely made this place a bit of a fortress. We are hard to beat at home, or away. We are hard to score against at home especially.
“So that’s something that I myself take a lot of pride in. I know the Gaffer and the rest of the team do also. If we keep that up for the rest of the season, then hopefully we will be on to a successful thing.”
Paul Wotton made two changes at half time against Hemel, bringing on new midfielders Jack Wood and Dylan Morgan to replace Oscar Threlkeld and Jordan Young, two players who didn’t have the best of first halves. And it was another substitute, Matt Carson, whose run into the box led to the trip that gave Cooke the chance to score his ninth goal of the season.
So Wotton might have some changes in mind to the starting 11, especially as another midfielder, Lirak Hasani, is available again after his three-match suspension. Hasani was playing really well before being sent off in the 4-2 win against Weston-super-Mare – and he will be champing at the bit to get back into the team.
But there are injury doubts with right back Jordan Thomas greatly missed in the Hemel game. Thomas, on loan from Yeovil Town until the end of the season, has made the right back spot his own since joining the club last month. He was 50-50 before the Hemel game in which Finn Tonks played instead. Another right back, Finlay Craske, is also available again after his injury – and was on the bench last weekend.
Another doubt is the current left back in the 4-3-3 that Wotton has been playing, Jay Foulston. The defender tried to run off what looked like a problem with a knee in the second half on Saturday but in the end he had to come off. He will be missed if he isn’t available, but then Carson came on and made the goal. That could be a natural swap.
Weymouth, like Hemel, have a new manager, so for a second game in a row Torquay must be wary of a ‘new manager bounce’.
Wotton was up against his friend Lee Allinson on Saturday and played with Weymouth’s new boss Warren Feeney at Plymouth Argyle. They were beaten by Hemel on December 14 but had a much better result in Feeney’s first game, a 0-0 draw at home against Chelmsford City on Saturday.
"It was a battling performance and I was pleased with the clean sheet. It is a good platform for us to build on and I can't fault the players at all, they were superb," said Irishman Feeney.
After the Hemel win that made sure Torquay were top for Christmas day, Wotton said: “That’s a long unbeaten run now – and what is it, four wins on the spin? It’s good. I’ll try to enjoy tonight and deal with Weymouth tomorrow when I wake up.”
