After their exit from the Devon County Women\u2019s Premier Cup last weekend, United return to league action this weekend, as they head to face Sherborne Town Ladies, one of two vital fixtures remaining on Torquay\u2019s crowded 2025 match schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Promotion back to the National League is the aim this season, so, in the great scheme of things, the cup defeat at Marine Academy Plymouth Ladies on Sunday matters little. But United will be smarting that in a generally even encounter, levelled further by the conditions, they gifted two goals to their opponents, and looked beaten with nearly 20 minutes to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee Mann and his coaching team will address that in training this week, as United set out to right one of the two wrongs that do threaten to derail their promotion aspirations.\u00a0 That was the pre-Christmas 3-0 reverse to Sherborne Town, in a game relocated to Ivybridge and the narrow 3G pitch in bleak conditions.\u00a0 Yes, it\u2019s been that sort of winter and Torquay needed a match!\u00a0 But they went into the encounter without a competitive fixture in the previous month, and having had little opportunity to train because of the series of winter storms.\u00a0 They looked ill-prepared, and the performance bore that out too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite that defeat, United sit in second place in the South West Regional Women\u2019s Premier League, a point above Sherbone, having both played eleven matches.\u00a0 Torquay have an immensely superior goal difference.\u00a0 It actually means that a draw in Dorset on Sunday, would keep United\u2019s fate in their own hands, as far as Sunday\u2019s opponents are concerned \u2013 win out and Sherborne wouldn\u2019t be able to overtake the Gulls girls in the table.\u00a0 Defeat in Dorset would mean United lose that control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, Torquay will be out for all three points, to prove the December home defeat was a blip, to gain a bit of revenge, and to keep up pressure on leaders M.A.P. who they can overhaul via their four games in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sherborne is not an easy place to go and get three points though, and some of United\u2019s squad will recall their only defeat of the 22\/23 league season. They were caught cold and 2-0 down inside ten minutes on the opening day, and despite outplaying their hosts for large swathes of the game, eventually lost 3-0!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hosts also boast two of the division\u2019s top scorers. Chloe Snook has 15 to her credit, while the unrelated Kelly Snook has just one less. It\u2019s a formidable pairing, and one that punished United in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Torquay though, boasts the number one.\u00a0 Lucy Solloway\u2019s five goals in the last three games, including last week\u2019s wonderful volley in Plymouth have her atop the scoring charts with sixteen.\u00a0 Add in double digits for Anthea Kaptein and nine for Ellie Bishop, and there\u2019s proof United know where the goal is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their supply though, relies on all departments doing their job properly.\u00a0 So, last weekend needs to be chalked down to experience and forgotten.\u00a0 \u00a0Torquay need to click back into the top gear they were finding with three successive league victories and twenty-two goals before that.\u00a0 If they do, and play to the standards that they can, the standard of the champions they want to be, there isn\u2019t a team in this division that can live with them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sunday\u2019s match is at Sherborne Town\u2019s ground with a 2 pm kick-off.\u00a0 If you\u2019re travelling the ground is in Raleigh Grove, Sherborne, DT9 5NS. As always, your support of the ladies is appreciated if you can make the trip to Dorset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can\u2019t get there, then live radio commentary returns at tufcwomen.mixlr.com and we will be on air from 1.45 pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"