United 1
(Goodwin 8′)
Solihull 4
(Dallas 13′, 56′ pen, Sbarra 28′, Maycock 90+1′)
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The Gulls lost out on Tuesday evening, as Solihull Moors secured a 4-1 win at Plainmoor.
An early strike from Will Goodwin got United off to the perfect start, however an almost instant response from Andrew Dallas has the visitors back on level terms during a frantic start to proceedings. The game was swiftly turned on its head when Joe Sbarra put Solihull ahead midway through the first period, and although Torquay continued to fight on, a second Dallas goal – via the penalty spot – ultimately sealed the outcome, before Callum Maycock added further gloss in injury time.
Having triumphed at Southend last time out, the Gaffer celebrated his fourth anniversary in charge of The Gulls by naming an unchanged line-up, although Mark Halstead did make a welcome return to the matchday squad following injury, as he took his place on the substitutes bench.
Both teams began brightly as they exchanged pacy attacks, however when the opening goal arrived on eight minutes, it came as the result of a mistake in the visiting camp.
With goalkeeper Louie Moulden looking to get a quick attack going by feeding James Clarke to his right, Corie Andrews seized upon the opportunity in a flash, as he picked the pocket of The Moors right-back before feeding Goodwin in a central position, who fired home confidently from the edge of the box.
That made it goals in successive games for the on-loan Stoke man, but sadly, the lead didn’t last long.
Just two minutes later, a surge down the middle saw Dallas drive in between Torquay’s central defensive partnership, with the Solihull striker then composing himself enough to round Rhys Lovett and lift the ball into the unguarded net, despite the best efforts of Ali Omar on the goalline.
Having got back on level terms so quickly, Neal Ardley’s side threatened to go ahead soon after, with a disallowed goal, followed by an unanswered penalty appeal causing sizeable frustration in the away dugout.
The men in yellow were unable to heed those warnings though, and in the 28th minute, Solihull went in front.
Having repelled an initial Moors effort, United’s backline could only watch on as Sbarra worked enough space to take a high ball down on the left of the box, before sending a low right-footed drive past Lovett’s outstretched palm from 18 yards.
The visitors began to enjoy a measure of control over the game for a period thereafter, but as the match headed towards the interval, Johnson’s men created a few openings themselves.
On 36 minutes, Andrews used power and pace in equal measure to get himself into shooting range, however with the angle against him, Moulden’s near-post smother was just about enough to keep the Torquay striker’s firm strike at bay.
That was followed up by an ambitious 30-yarder from Dylan Crowe five minutes before the break, and although it was ultimately gathered at the second attempt by Solihull’s glovesman, the on-target effort clearly troubled him more than he initially expected.
On the stroke of half-time, they so nearly levelled things up.
A scintillating move involving Andrews, Kieron Evans and Goodwin saw the move switched from right to left, and ended with the latter holding off a despairing defender before sending in a drive from just inside the box that Moulden did well to keep out.
A goal behind at the change of ends, but hopes were high that The Gulls would start the second half in the same way they ended the first.
The beginning of the second period followed much the same pattern as the first, with the action switching from one end to the other, until a controversial decision in the 56th minute saw the match edge away from United.
A determined run on the right wing saw Ryan Barnett beat several men before the ball was dispatched to Josh Kelly, and despite Ben Wyatt coming up with what looked like a decisive challenge on the edge of the penalty area, the referee thought otherwise and pointed to the spot.
A whole host of fervent appeals followed – both in the crowd and out on the pitch, however the officials wouldn’t be swayed, leaving Dallas to send Lovett the wrong way and make it 1-3.
To their credit, Johnson’s men responded by forcing their opponents to soak up a sustained period of pressure, although they couldn’t quite turn that territorial advantage into the type of openings needed to drag themselves back into contention.
A wonderful run down the left by Keiron Evans saw the on-loan Cardiff midfielder jink inside before firing a shot into Moulden’s midriff with twelve minutes left, however a threatening Barnett delivery from the right just evaded the finishing touch at the opposite end of the field shortly after.
The majority of the remainder of the match continued to be played out in the Solihull half, however Torquay couldn’t make any inroads into the deficit.
Further salt was rubbed into the wounds in stoppage time, as Maycock picked up on a loose ball eight yards from goal, before taking aim and lashing home at the near post beyond the exposed Lovett.
The final whistle confirmed a disappointing evening for the Yellow Army, with all thoughts swiftly moving on to Wealdstone on Saturday.
United: 22. Rhys Lovett, 2. Dylan Crowe, 5. Ali Omar, 6. Ross Marshall, 7. Ryan Hanson, 10. Corie Andrews (26. Nelson Iseguan 84′), 11. Kieron Evans, 14. Brett McGavin (9. Aaron Jarvis, 62′), 15. Ben Wyatt, 19. Will Goodwin, 21. Dean Moxey (c) (3. Dan Martin, HT).
SUBS NOT USED: 1. Mark Halstead, 8. Asa Hall.
Yellow Cards: McGavin 38′, Wyatt 57′, Andrews 58′, Hanson 63′
Solihull: 18. Louie Moulden, 2. James Clarke, 3. Ben Coker, 5. Callum Howe (c), 7. Joe Sbarra, 8. Callum Maycock, 9. Andrew Dallas, 10. Jamey Osborne (4. Kyle Storer, 56′), 14. Josh Kelly (20. Callum Whelan, 69′), 15. Fiacre Kelleher, 19. Alex Reid (11. Ryan Barnett, 10′).
SUBS NOT USED: 12. Reiss McNally, 27. Connor Parsons.
Yellow Cards: Storer 62′, Moulden, 83′
Attendance: 1,711 (36 away)