Every Wednesday in the Herald Express, our Torquay United correspondent Richard Hughes takes a sideways look at what's going on in the world of the Gulls. This week, he talks the successuve defeats and how the Gulls need to score goals

Outside where I live is a huge metal gate that opens with a little electronic clicker that us residents keep in our cars – or by way of a code that can be tapped into a panel.

When it’s all working OK, it’s all fine. No problems. But when it goes down, the system fails, there is no getting in or out for anyone – if you can’t find the magic key!

READ MORE: Exeter City's U21s 'must do more' to make step to first team

READ MORE: Exeter City 'self-inflicted' mistakes as Grecians beaten heavily again

I watched a couple of my neighbours trying to figure out what was wrong while a woman coming home from a late shift had to stand on the wrong side of the gates twiddling her fingers.

You see, there is a key to open the gate that turns off the mechanism so you can swing the gates open. However, this morning, the key was missing from its hook in its special place ... hence the drama, and my minor heart attack as I watched Ray climb over a wall with a huge drop to one side!

It feels a bit like Torquay United have lost their key, too! How many times in the last four games have the Gulls done everything right, only for it all to go wrong at the end of a move? Without the key it feels like there has been a lot of climbing over dangerous walls and then, like Ray, a lot of head scratching about how to get back to the other side – because the return journey is trickier.

I counted 23 opportunities to score a goal in the 1-0 home defeat by Hampton & Richmond Borough, but the Gulls still failed to find a way through a determined defence and a Chelsea loanee goalkeeper, Max Merrick, who was having a wondergame.

On Saturday though, it was quite different. It was a worrying performance from a Gulls team that really should have been able to win all three points. Maidstone might have been a tough nut to crack, but they could only score one goal themselves.

Two defeats on the trot after a run of games unbeaten that stretched back to late October is bad news if you are trying to stay ahead in a promotion race – but Torquay have only conceded two goals in those two games. They just need to start scoring more. Easy for me to say, I know...

The introduction of striker Matt Jay should make a difference. The 27-year-old is better than the National South and is a good fit. But it may take him a few games to get going. Young loanee striker Manny Ilesanmi is strong and tough and direct, and may be a better option than Omar Mussa this weekend.

Mussa is a frustrating player. We all know he is talented and his close control and movement must scare defences half to death, but the final product is mostly missing and even his corners were going too long at Maidstone.

We might all worry about the fitness of Jordan Dyer and Jordan Young this week, too. Dyer and Young have been two of the best performing players in the squad during this tender patch. Dyer has been by far the best defender this season – and that is an accolade considering his centre back teammate Sam Dreyer, and full backs Jay Foulston and Jordan Thomas have been excellent – while Young has been Torquay’s most attacking player: cutting inside from the right to whip balls at goal with a wand of a left foot and playing seemingly without the fear of others. So count those two out and anyone would be worried.

Wotton was frank in his interview after the Maidstone defeat. “You can’t sugar coat it and you can’t hide behind it – we weren’t good enough today!”

I imagine there has been some tough talking and reminders of the basics going on in training. But one thing no one should be doing is losing faith. This team will be up there in the top seven, somewhere, at the end of the season – even if they don’t take the top spot. And for anyone who remembers last season with any element of reality will have been happy with a play-off place before the first game of the season.

It’s the promise that we have seen, the fans that have been turning up, and with all the right stuff going on off the pitch, in the boardroom, that has created so much positivity and therefore expectation this season.

Wotton is an emotional interviewee. You can tell it hurts when the Gulls lose, you can tell it hurts more when they lose like they did in Maidstone. But once the Gulls find the key again, and get those gates open, then there won’t be many defences who will be able to cope with them.

There are 15 games to go and 45 points to win yet. Torquay are three points off the top – well, they were until Dorking played last night – in a table that is probably the tightest I can ever remember. (It is now four points after Dorking's draw)

With Eastbourne and Worthing away on the horizon, Wotton said: “We are fortunate there are an awful lot of games to go. We have lost back-to-back games which is always very disappointing. We have got to regroup, focus and work hard in training. As I said, I think our performances in the three games before have been good. The results haven’t been but the performances have. But today I thought the performance was poor. The boys have always reacted to that before and hopefully we will react to it again on Saturday.”