Gary Johnson’s side head to Exmouth Town for their next pre-season match, as United continue their preparations for the upcoming campaign.
Following on from Friday evening’s 1-0 victory at Buckland Athletic, Gary Johnson’s squad will now head a little further afield, to East Devon, to meet Exmouth Town managed by a very familiar face in their second pre-season game.
Who’s the Boss?
Exmouth’s manager needs no introduction to the Yellow Army, as United legend Kevin Hill is currently at the helm of the East Devon side. The Exmouth Manager remains United’s record appearance holder after tallying up 474 appearances during his 11 year stint at Plainmoor, during which he played in almost every outfield position to establish him as an all-time fan’s favourite.
The former midfielder took charge at Exmouth in 2018 and guided The Town to promotion in his first season, before two seasons of curtailments followed. A second place finish last campaign secured his side another promotion – this time to the Southern League – following 23 wins, 8 draws and 5 losses.
How have they been doing?
Last time out Exmouth achieved history by securing automatic promotion to the Southern League for the first time in Club history.
The final fixture saw the East Devon side host league leaders Tavistock, which saw one of the Club’s highest ever attendances recorded with 728 supporters present. A 1-0 victory was enough to secure second place, with their promotion being confirmed a few days later.
Player to Watch
Jordan Harris enjoyed much success last season. The Club’s top goalscorer last time out, Harris scored 29 goals, and was awarded the top goalscorer accolade during the Club’s Presentation Night in May.
A prolific marksman, he played a pivotal role in Exmouth’s biggest away win since their return to the Western League Premier Division, with the forward bagging himself a hat-trick in the side’s 6-1 victory at Bradford Town.
Played for Both
Martin Rice enjoyed two spells at Plainmoor, first signing on in June 2007, before moving permanently to Truro City in the 2009/10 season. The goalkeeper returned for his second stint in the English Riviera in July 2011 before departing four years later, accumulating 72 appearances for United.
Martin began his career as a trainee at Exeter City, where he went on to sign his first professional contract in December 2002, and made his debut the following year.
His career also saw him enjoy two stints at Truro, where his first three-year spell saw Martin tally 122 appearances in 3 years, and re-joined the Cornish side ahead of the 2015/16 campaign where he tallied 39 appearances.
The shot-stopper has also played for the likes of Gosport Borough and Tiverton Town, before signing for Exmouth March 2018.
Previous Encounter
Exmouth Town 0 – 6 Torquay United, 17 July 2004, Pre-Season.
You have to go back nearly two decades for this previous encounter, with the two teams last meeting 18 years ago.
Goals from Gareth Owen, Dean Canoville (trialist brother of then-Gulls right-back Lee), Martin Gritton, Adebayo Akinfenwa (2), and Craig Taylor saw United run out 6-0.
Ticket Information
Ticketing details for Tuesday’s match is shown below, whilst those unable to make the trip can keep up to date on the warm-up action, with full live commentary available on TUFC Radio here.
Exmouth Town v TUAFC | 12/07/2022 7.30pm KO | Southern Road, Exmouth, EX8 3EE |