United 0
Weston-super-Mare 0
United had to settle for a point at home to Weston-super-Mare on Tuesday evening, despite The Gulls dominating proceedings at Plainmoor.
Manager Jimmy Ball made two changes to the side that beat Tonbridge in Kent on, with Dan Hayfield and Saturday’s matchwinner Matt Jay both seeing their substitute appearances upgraded to starting slots.
Torquay began the match strongly, with Weston glovesman Max Harris called into action early on – a fine parry to keep out Deon Moore’s low drive from the edge of the box was the pick of the bunch.
That pattern continued thereafter, with another Harris save denying Isaac Westendorf on 25 minutes, after the towering frontman wriggled through a host of Weston defenders before making space for the shot inside the box.
Weston had no answer to United’s slick passing moves and powerful forward play, but somehow it remained goalless at the halfway point.
The second half started in much the same vein, with the men in yellow bossing possession and territory.
The chances were falling quite so freely this time though, although the Seagulls were offering little in attack themsleves.
Wave upon wave of attacks forced Weston’s backline to work overtime, with numerous blocks preventing the ball from testing Harris in between the posts.
As the match entered injury time, substitute came within a whisker of applying the final touch his team so richly deserved, only for a visiting boot to intervene at the last and hack the ball off the goalline.
Toby Savin, who had been a spectator for most of the match, did have to produce one late parry – which he did smartly – to prevent The Seagulls committing a spot of daylight robbery, as Louis Britton sent in a low drive from the edge of the box.
It wasn’t quite to be, but not too many teams will escape Plainmoor without punishment when Ball’s men are in this mood.
UNITED: 1. Toby Savin, 2. Dom Bernard, 5. Sam Dreyer, 14. Deon Moore (9. Cody Cooke, 83′), 15. Kian Jenkins, 16. Jake Wannell, 18. Matt Worthington (c), 19. Isaac Westendorf (11. Dylan Morgan, 62′), 20. Dan Hayfield (7. Louis Dennis, 74′), 27. Matt Jay (10. Sonny Blu Lo-Everton 67′), 39. Callum Morton (8. Jordan Young, 62′).
SUBS NOT USED: 13. Tyler Hill, 6. Munashe Sundire.
Yellow Card: Worthington 59′, Bernard 63′
WESTON: 1. Max Harris, 2. Michael Smith (11. Will Dawes, 51′), 4. Jacob Jagger Cane, 6. Sam Avery (c), 12. Jason Pope, 14. Brad Ash (10. Oliver Hulbert, 69′) , 16. Louie Derrick (9. Louis Britton, 69′), 21. Dan Martin, 24. Sean Long, 26. Liam Sercombe, 27. Scot Bennett (7. Luke Coulson, 61′)
SUBS NOT USED: 13. Jakob Glover, 22. George Robertson, 23. Ricardo Thompson.
Yellow Card: Avery 55′, Jagger Cane 72′
Attendance: 4,136 (262 away)
