Torquay United resume their South West Regional Women’s Premier League campaign this weekend, as they travel to bottom side, AFC St Austell Ladies, knowing they need both a win and performance, after a lack of games in the first three months of the season.
Both sides have managed just seven league games up to the tun of the year because of the plethora of storms that battered the south west, and will now have hectic 2025 programmes, though currently with totally opposite targets.
St Austell have struggled and are yet to earn a point this campaign, and having scored just three goals, all of those away from Poltair Park. By contrast, United were going great guns, until the lack of matches and training sessions, saw the wheels come off in spectacular fashion, in the 3-0 home defeat by Sherborne Town Ladies, at Ivybridge, before Christmas.
So, United start the year in fourth spot, and with two games in hand on the three sides above them (leaders Marine Academy Plymouth, Forest Green Rovers and Sherborne), and four points off top spot, remain in the box seat, but only just.
And with games to come at home to both M.A.P and Forest Green later this month, they can ill-afford another slip, especially to a team who few outside of the Cornish Town, will believe can claim an unlikely win.
Arguably, Torquay had just hit full stride when they dismantled Sunday’s opponents 12-0, in the corresponding fixture, at Devon F.A. headquarters, back at the start of October. Lucy Solloway (against her former side) and Emily Elliot both scored hat-tricks that day and Ellie Bishop chipped in with a brace.
United boss, Lee Mann, made it clear after the Sherborne defeat, that the lack of training and competitive matches, resembled pre-season, but, hopefully, with those two big top-of-the-table clashes looming, it won’t take more than the outing to Cornwall and a few training sessions to get back in stride.
With Forest Green sitting this weekend out, and the top four all set to meet one another next week, January promises to shape the remainder of the season, and Torquay must get it right at St Austell!
If you can make the trip to Cornwall to support the ladies for the 2 pm kick-off, then the postcode for Poltair Park in St Austell is PL25 4LR. But, if you can’t be there, then live commentary is on-air from 1.45 pm at https://tufcwomen.mixlr.com