It was an action-packed weekend for our youngsters, with most of our age groups in action.
Our Under 8s fought out an exciting 6-6 draw with KM United. Early goals from Alex Moss (2) and George Kelly put the Young Gulls 3-0 up, before KM hit back with a three goal burst of their own to level the scores. Charlie Waller re-established United’s lead before KM scored twice to put themselves ahead for the first time. Substitutes Miko and Keano both scored in the last quarter to regain Torquay’s advantage, before a late KM equaliser ensured the match ended all square.
Meanwhile, our Under 9s took part in a mini tournament against regional sides from Saints South West and Alphington. Despite facing strong opponents, United won all of their matches. The first encounter against Saints South West saw our youngsters fall two goals behind, before goals from Man Of the Match Oscar Mills (2) and Ben Dyke turned the game around. Mills was again the goal hero in the second match against Saints South West, as he notched both in a 2-1 victory. The final match saw the lads face a physical Alphington side, however United once again secured victory thanks to a brace from Thomas Ross.
Our Under 12s secured a marvellous 2-0 away win in their Shield clash against Bristol, thanks to a goal in each half. Despite soaking up a lot of pressure from the home side, our youngsters held on to secure their place in the next round.
Despite going down to a 5-1 home defeat in their Trophy clash with Ignite Sport FC, our Under 14s will look back on a game of missed chances. After falling behind inside 15 seconds, United responded in perfect fashion, with Sean Brown equalising four minutes later. George Collins came within inches of putting the Young Gulls ahead, but his long-range effort struck the post. The visitors survived that scare and grabbed two goals before the interval to leave Torquay with a mountain to climb. Despite starting the second half well, United couldn’t make their pressure count, with Sam Bishop, Alfie Lloyds and Collins once again all coming close. Goalscorer Brown also struck the woodwork once more, before two more goals from Ignite saw them safely through to the next round.
The Under 15s were involved in a thrilling encounter with Worcester in their Elite South league encounter at South Devon College. United started the game in the worst possible fashion by conceding two goals inside 17 minutes. Last-ditch interventions from Collings and ‘keeper Marshall prevented further damage, and our youngsters nearly reduced the deficit when Ollie Hardiman played in Louis Pascoe, however his strike hit the frame of the goal. United finally grabbed a foothold in the game just short of the hour mark, when Alex Cherry’s long ball out of defence was pounced upon by Tom Burt, who then rounded the keeper and rolled the ball into the empty net. Nine minutes later, the scores were level as McKenna fed Burt to grab his second of the game. With the result now up for grabs, Hardiman cleared off the line to ensure parity, before McKenna looked to have won the game for Torquay with an injury-time strike. Worcester though, were not finished and grabbed a last-gasp equaliser to ensure a share of the spoils and deny United their first league win of the season.
Last but not least, Torquay’s U16s travelled to RTC South Gloucestershire A for their West South Division clash, and came away with a marvellous 4-2 victory.