Tavistock 0
United 4
(Ash 6′, Carson 11′, Seymour 41′, 65’)
United claimed their first win of pre-season on Wednesday evening, as they ran out 4-0 winners at Tavistock.
After a goalless opening to pre-season against Buckland on Friday evening, it didn’t take United long to open their account at Langsford Park.
A driving run into the right-hand side of the Tavy penalty area saw Brad Ash quickly find himself a sight of goal, with last season’s top-scorer duly delivering with a firm right-footer that found the roof of the net.
1-0 quickly became 2-0.
Another break down the right this time saw Seymour make steady progress down the wing before sending in a low delivery towards the unmarked Matt Carson, who fired home to double The Gulls’ advantage.
The left wing-back nearly turned provider for Ash moments later, however this time his left-footer corner saw the Torquay striker fire wide through a crowd of home defenders.
A goal-line clearance robbed United’s No. 11 again on 17 minutes, with Dan Hayfield’s cut-back presenting him with the latest opportunity.
The visitors continued to call the shots thereafter, and the chances kept coming, with Carson and Collins firing shots a little too high and wide respectively.
Ash followed suit again twice more before the break, as Wotton’s side failed to let up in the intensity stakes.
The third goal eventually came four minutes before the interval.
A cross-field ball from Oscar Threlkeld set Carson away down the left, and after his dinked ball over the top allowed Jay Foulston to hook a cross towards Ash, his blocked volley dropped straight onto Ben Seymour’s head, who looked almost apologetic as his header found the bottom corner from six yards out.
He nearly doubled his tally a minute later following a near-post flick from another threatening Carson set-piece, however it remained 3-0 at the change of ends.
Following the restart, the pattern remained very much the same.
Wotton’s side continued to make plenty of inroads into Tavistock territory, with Lirak Hasani just unable to stretch far enough to tap home a ball across the face of goal just before the hour mark.
Hasani’s ball over the top saw Hayfield fire into the side netting, before the latter provided the assist for United’s fourth.
After breaking into the box, his diagonal shot across goal may have been heading in anyway, however, Seymour’s striking instinct made sure, as he tapped home to make it 4-0.
It was just reward for the former Exeter man’s hard work.
The hosts kept plugging away, but United maintained complete control over proceedings up until the final whistle, without quite managing to stretch their lead even further.
There will be a break for a bit now – in terms of match action, at least – before things move up a gear when Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle head to Plainmoor on Saturday week.
UNITED: 1. James Hamon (13. Trialist A, HT), 3. Jay Foulston, 5. Sam Dreyer, 6. Austen Booth (16. Ollie Tomlinson, 60′), 7. Lirak Hasani (12. Jacob Wellington, 68’), 8. Rod Collins (22. Andrew Ellis, 75’), 9. Ben Seymour (17. Tom Chastey, 68’), 11. Brad Ash (15. Jadyn Crosbie, 60′), 14. Matt Carson (21. Dean Moxey, 60’), 18. Oscar Threlkeld (c), 20. Dan Hayfield.
SUB NOT USED: 4. Jordan Dyer.
Attendance: 352