Buckland 0
United 0
United’s pre-season schedule got underway on Friday evening, as Paul Wotton’s Gulls played out a scoreless draw with Buckland Athletic at the VX3 Stadium.
Despite plenty of chances for Torquay, Athletic proved stern opposition on the night, and both sides eventually cancelled each other out at Homers Heath.
It may have only been a warm-up match – and United’s first at that – but The Gulls wasted little time in letting their opponents know they would be taking things very seriously.
Twice within the opening ten minutes Torquay struck the woodwork, with Matt Carson producing two excellent deliveries which Lirak Hasani and Austen Booth just failed to profit from.
The chances kept coming, as Brad Ash fired wide from the edge of the box on 25 minutes, before Hasani did likewise following a neat ball from Ben Seymour just short of the half-hour mark.
Two former Gulls combined to go close for the home side shortly after, with Jared Lewington and Sammy Stayt both putting the Torquay backline under pressure, before the latter saw his effort clear the crossbar.
Another link-up between Carson and Hasani created another opportunity for the visitors on 37 minutes, with captain Oscar Threlkeld the latest player to see his shot go the wrong side of the upright.
Despite United’s territorial dominance, Buckland were clearly not content with playing a supporting role in proceedings, and it was to their credit that the two sides were level-pegging after a goalless first 45 minutes.
You won’t be surprised to hear there was a whole host of changes in personnel following the change of ends, as Wotton ensured his whole squad got a taste of match action. Lirak Hasani and Austen Booth were the only two players to reappear for the second period, with a trio of trialists adding another level of intrigue for the large number of Gulls fans in attendance.
By comparison, the second half took a little longer to get going.
The weather certainly didn’t lend a hand to the cause, despite Torquay’s new palm tree-inspired kit doing its best to remind the Yellow Army of the English Riviera.
It wasn’t until the 70th minute that a clear opening arose again, with Hasani latching onto a lashed clearance to fire another effort narrowly off-target.
Although United continued to enjoy the bulk of the possession and chances, in truth, the Athletic goalkeeper hadn’t been too troubled. Adam Seedhouse-Evans was called into action with nine minutes left though, as Trialist B fired in a close-range effort following a Jay Foulston free-kick.
Buckland continued to have their say though, with Ben Carter nearly landing a sucker-punch on 86 minutes, with a free-kick that only narrowly clear the ‘bar.
Trialist C sent a late header into Seedhouse-Evans’ palms in a final bid to break the deadlock, however it wasn’t to be, as United’s first outing in this brave new era ended scoreless.
It wouldn’t be right to end without paying tribute to both the crowd and our hosts – with both earning maximum points on a rather wet July evening.
Next up, Tavistock!
UNITED 1st Half: James Hamon, Dean Moxey, Austen Booth, Ollie Tomlinson, Lirak Hasani, Matt Carson, Finley Craske, Oscar Threlkeld, Ben Seymour, Brad Ash, Dan Hayfield.
UNITED 2nd Half: Trialist A, Roddy Collins, Trialist B, Trialist C, Jay Foulston, Jordan Dyer, Sam Dreyer, Ed Palmer, Lirak Hasani, Jacob Wellington, Austen Booth.