United’s Under-18s continued their near-perfect start to the season, as three goals from in-form forward Ben Aldous secured a 3-1 win at Swindon Supermarine.

Despite the convincing scoreline, the first hour of the game was a closely-fought affair, with neither side willing to give an inch to their opponents.

The turning point for Ryan Dickson’s charges came following the introduction of substitutes Noah Al-Sedani, William Brennan and Kai Swann, with their fresh energy turning the game in Torquay’s favour, and gave Aldous the opportunity to add a hat-trick to his already impressive seasonal tally.

After the game, U18s manager Dickson reflected on a good win against determined opponents.

“It was a good squad performance, showing a mental toughness for the lads in a physically and mentally testing week.

“There were some very strong individual performances.”