After back to back draws at Plainmoor over the past week, Gary Johnson’s men are back on the road to face Wealdstone on Saturday afternoon.
With the match taking place behind closed doors for ground safety reasons, United will be looking to replicate last season’s corresponding fixture, which was played in a similar environment, and saw The Gulls emerge as 2-1 winners.
Who’s the Boss?
Having initially been installed as caretaker manger following the dismissal of Dean Brennan twelve months ago, Stuart Maynard has continued to keep The Stones afloat in the National League since, with his team comfortably maintaining their place at non-League’s top table, whilst not being afraid to upset the odds against some of the more illustrious sides in the division along the way.
A former player for at Grosvenor Vale back in the 1990s, Maynard’s appointment was a popular decision with the Club’s fanbase, with Matt Saunders taking up a role alongside him as assistant boss.
How Have They Been Doing?
Currently in 18th place, Wealdstone may be placed in the lower reaches of the table, however a nine-point cushion over 21st-placed Weymouth does at least give them some breathing space from the dreaded drop-zone.
Last defeats in their past two outings against promotion chasing Solihull and Wrexham provided further proof of their ability to live with the best the division has to offer, much like the wins over Barnet (3-1 away) and Yeovil (2-1 at home) that preceded it.
Player to Watch
Leading the way with ten goals, former Torquay striker Josh Umerah began the season in sparkling form following his departure from Plainmoor, with the 24 year-old notching five goals in his opening seven matches.
Although his scoring rate has slowed slightly since then, goals in the recent victories over Yeovil and Barnet will serve as a timely reminder of the former Wycombe and Ebbsfleet centre-forward’s potential.
Played for Both
Another player to swap Devon for Middlesex last summer, midfielder Matt Buse enjoyed two seasons at Plainmoor with Gary Johnson’s side, with his impressive form in the 2019/20 campaign including a Vanarama National League Player of the Month award, prior to the season’s early curtailment.
2020/21’s promotion push unfortunately saw Matt reduced to a fringe role as United went within a whisker of EFL promotion, with Buse sadly missing the final spot-kick in the Promotion Final penalty shoot-out against Hartlepool.
Previous Encounter
Wealdstone 0 – 3 Torquay United, National League South, 2018/19
Goals just before and after half-time from Opi Edwards and George Essuman played a pivotal role in seeing United come out on top during The Gulls’ memorable championship-winning campaign, and when leading marksman Jamie Reid notched with eight minutes remaining, Gary Johnson’s men had sent out an early warning of their title credentials at the home of one of the promotion rivals.