MATCH PREVIEW: Torquay United vs Chippenham Town | National League South | Tuesday 3rd September 2024

Harry Minton previews our away trip to Devon.

On Tuesday night our Bluebirds will travel down to Devon to face Torquay United at Plainmoor. The Gulls are a massive club for National League South level, having been the only team in the division to have history in the EFL, and quite an established amount of history there as well.

Torquay spent 79 seasons in the EFL, during this time they became a yo-yo team between the fourth and third tier. Even being involved in a Fourth Division playoff campaign in 1991 where the Gulls beat former two-time First Division and former FA Cup winners Burnley in the semi-finals, and then beat Blackpool on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Wembley to gain promotion to the Third Division.

However, the side from Plainmoor were last relegated from League Two in 2014 after finishing bottom of the league. Relegated alongside Bristol Rovers, that would be their last appearance in EFL. The closest the Gulls have come to being promoted back to League Two was in the 2020/2021 season where Gary Johnson’s side reached the National League playoff final. Their opponents at Ashton Gate were Hartlepool United and when it looked like they were down and out, being 1-0 down in injury time, their goalkeeper Lucas Covolan scored a last-minute equaliser to send the tie to extra time. Unfortunately, Covolan could not prove to be the hero in the penalty shootout as Torquay lost on penalties and had to settle for National League football for another season. Gary Johnson then suffered relegation with Torquay to the National League South in 2023 they were in the sixth tier for the first time since 2019.

But things would get even worse for the Gulls as the next season they would be hit with an initial ten-point deduction for entering administration and then a further one-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player. They would survive relegation finishing in 18th and seven points above the bottom four, however it would go down as their lowest league finish for the first time in nearly 100 years.

Looking to put last season’s troubles behind them, Torquay are in fine form this season as they have only lost one game so far, a 1-0 defeat away to Farnborough in the second game of the season. They are unbeaten in their three games at Plainmoor so far, with two wins and one draw. Meanwhile, our boys have picked themselves up recently, having lost our opening two games, we have since maintained a four-game unbeaten streak , with two wins and two draws propelling the boys in blue up to 12th place. Last time out it was a spirited comeback to claim all three points at home against newly promoted Enfield Town, twice going behind but coming back to win 3-2. With Aaron Amadi-Holloway’s late strike sealing all the points for us in Wiltshire.

Our two games we have played at Plainmoor have ended in a win and a defeat for the Bluebirds. We beat the eventual champions home and away in 2018/19, stating with a win at Plainmoor back in September 2018 with a goal from midfielder Matt Smith on 25 minutes, a bullet header from a corner. Torquay put the pressure on the Bluebirds for most of the game, but we dug deep, and we earned a hard earned three points in Devon.

The most recent encounter between these two sides in Torquay ended in a late 2-1 defeat for us just at the start of last season in August. The Gulls opened the scoring not long into the second half after a good cross was met by the head of Ross Marshall, who guided his effort into the far corner past Will Henry in goal. The Bluebirds responded almost immediately though Matt McClure’s dangerous cross. The subsequent scramble in the penalty area until Craig Fasanmade tapped the ball home to make things all square in Devon. We would soon go down to ten men though when Luke Spokes got sent off for a second bookable offence. That red card proved to be costly as deep into injury, the Bluebirds were far too stretched with ten men as Aaron Jarvis’ 93rd minute goal sealed the win for the home side as Plainmoor erupted in jubilation.

Torquay do have four of our former players in their squad. Ollie Tomlinson spent time with the Bluebirds on loan from Torquay United in the second half of the 22/23 season. He scored once for us from a corner in a 2-1 win near the end of the season at home against Farnborough in our 15-match unbeaten streak towards the end of the season.

Fellow defender Jay Foulston is another former Chippenham player, he was on loan at Hardenhuish park in the 2019/2020 season. He was part of that squad that qualified for the FA Cup first round proper that year, unfortunately losing out in the opening stage to then League Two side Northampton by 3 goals to nil at home. He scored one goal as a Bluebird, away to Chelmsford in a crazy game which saw our boys 3-1 up with ten minutes to go. However, the Clarets would soon break our hearts with two late goals to snatch a point in a 3-3 draw in Essex that day. Foulston signed for the Gulls this summer from Taunton Town, who got relegated last season to the Southern League. He impressed in his season long loan spell with Yeovil Town as the Glovers won the league and won promotion back to the National League at the first time of asking.

Jordan Dyer is another player who had a brief spell with us in the second half of the 2019/2020 season, making four appearances for Mike Cook’s side before the season was cut short due to COVID. He was also signed as a Torquay player just this summer, signing from our neighbours Bath City after enduring a successful season with the Romans as they reached the playoffs in his final year with the club. However, Bath lost out in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Braintree Town 1-0.

Striker Bradley Ash is another former Bluebird, as he was with us during the 2020/2021 season where he scored 5 goals for the club in all competitions, again in a season that got cut short due to COVID. He then transferred to then National League side Weymouth and signed with the Gulls in the summer of 2023. He currently has two goals for Torquay so far this season.

One player we would highlight from the opposition is striker Cody Cooke. The new summer signing from Bath scored 18 goals in Somerset last term, making him the fourth highest goal scorer from last season.

As for us Bluebirds it looks like Matt McClure has found his form in front of goal with 2 goals in his last two games, our joint highest goal scorer this season so far alongside Tom Owen-Evans. I’m sure he would love to make it 3 goals from 3 when we travel to Plainmoor on Tuesday night.

It’s going to be one of our boy’s biggest test of the season so far no doubt. The Gulls currently sit in 4th place, four points off top spot. However, we have a bit of form we can take into this game with us as well, being unbeaten in our last four games, and scoring six goals in those four games as well. Both sides have proven that they can score goals this season, so it looks to be an absolute cracker under the lights in Devon.

Up The Bluebirds!!!