Torquay United have to get over disappointment of 'imaginary offside'

Torquay United manager Paul Wotton said his team would have to get over the disappointment and frustration of having that late winning goal disallowed for an imaginary offside on Saturday - with Maidstone United coming to Plainmoor for a second home game in the National League South on the trot this evening.

Wotton was hugely frustrated that young striker Keke Jeffers’ 89th minute goal was ruled out in the goalless draw against Tonbridge Angels - but was quickly looking forward to today’s game in his post-match interview. Maidstone - who have been something of a bogey team for United in the club’s recent past - are 16th in the table, while Torquay are sixth, but the Gulls’ manager is constantly reminding the fans how tough games in this division are.

“The disappointment and frustration, we have got to get over it quickly, because we have a game on Tuesday against Maidstone,” he said.

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Jeffers, signed on loan from Stoke City, came into a squad short of one important player on Saturday: striker Cody Cooke. Cooke was suspended after picking up five yellow cards but will be back for this one and will surely start ahead of the new boy, and fellow striker Brad Ash, who worked hard but failed to find that spark up front that Torquay needed against Tonbridge. Ben Seymour has even been missing from the bench for the last two games.

Wotton said he might have started with 19-year-old Jeffers on Saturday had he not had a long journey down from Stoke on the Friday. At the back, the manager has been rotating defenders Jordan Dyer and Ed Palmer, who have both recently come back from injuries - and Palmer did well when he came on late in the 0-0, so may be the choice to start today.

Meanwhile, midfielder Lirak Hasani has done well from the bench in recent games and must be pushing for a start again. It is a squad game these days for Torquay with the manager able to call on five substitutes at any time.

Maidstone come to Plainmoor after beating Hornchurch 1-0 at home on Saturday. They will be a threat but manager George Elokobi pointed out in his post-match briefing on Saturday: “The only thing lacking was that clinicality in front of goal with the amount of chances we created.”

That is perhaps something that rings true of the Gulls this season, but with Torquay now three points off the top of the National South table after Weston-super-Mare's win on Monday - and with a big crowd behind them under the lights - they really should be favourites, as long as they have hot their shooting boots on, are no more bad decisions by officials.