Following the release of the 2022/23 National League fixtures this morning, boss Gary Johnson gave his reaction to the news that his side will begin the campaign at home to Oldham Athletic on August 6th.
“Well, I only looked at one game ahead, and it’s a great game for us,” said Johnson.
“It’s a great game to have at home. It’s a team that has just come out the League, so there will be good support for them, and there will be good support for us, so it’s a great opening day fixture for me. It’s one that you can look forward to in the build up.
“I’m sure that every one of the boys that are here will want to be in that opening game of the season, and that will create good competition amongst us.”
With Athletic being one of the founder members of the Premier League, their presence on the National League fixture list is sure to grab the attentions of many club’s supporters, with the Torquay boss anticipating a challenging – but exciting – match against John Sheridan’s Latics.
“Unfortunately they’ve fallen on hard times since the Premiership. I know them well, because obviously Lee, that was his first managerial job at Oldham, and Downesy’s worked under John Sheridan, so we know he’ll have a box of tricks. His teams try to play in his image, and he was a very, very good footballer.
“It’ll be a tough start but a great one.”