Torquay newbie De Silva relishing new campaign

National League South gets underway

New Torquay United signing Dillon De Silva is relishing the prospect of rejoining the Plainmoor ‘family’ as the Gulls’ National League South season begins at Dover on Saturday.

De Silva played 26 games for the Gulls on loan from Queens Park Rangers last season and scored four goals before he was recalled to Loftus Road.

Now the Sri Lanka international has rejoined Gary Johnon’s Torquay squad on a permanent contract, and will be part of the squad for the long trip to Kent.

“It feels like home,” he said. “Coming back to where I was last season. 

“It feels like a family, I love it. I can’t wait to play again. With the size of the club we deserve to be much higher, so hopefully we can do that this year.
“I love the fans at Torquay. I can’t wait to get started.”

Johnson will be without midfielder Kevin Dawson, who has had an operation on a hamstring injury, but has no fresh injury worries as he embarks on a campaign in which his team starts among the hot favourites for promotion. The last time Johnson led a Torquay team in a National League South campaign - in 2018/19 - they finished as champions, and he is looking forward to the challenges ahead.

“I know we are among the favourites but there are five or six other teams that are going to be quite strong,” he said. “We’re going to embrace this league and enjoy the games, then see where it takes us.”

Johnson and his players are buoyant after a successful pre-season friendly campaign, but are taking nothing for granted despite Dover’s struggles of last season, when they only avoided relegation on goal difference on the last day of the campaign..

“We have learned lessons from all our pre-season games and we have come out unscathed,” he said. “But Dover are no mugs, and we mustn’t go there thinking that.

“We need to be on song for when we come back to Plainmoor for the next two home games.

“We need to hit the ground running.”