Torquay United aim to entertain in crucial double-header

Welling are the visitors to Plainmoor this Saturday

Torquay United manager Gary Johnson has called on his players to crank up the entertainment for Saturday’s crowd at Plainmoor as the Gulls welcome Welling United in National League South.

The attendance will be boosted by hundreds of fans using discount tickets as the club hosts one of its regular Community Days. Members of local sports clubs were eligible for the offer.

“The away end will be full of enthusiastic young supporters, and that always creates a bit of an atmosphere,” said Johnson. “It’s great for the club to bring the community in.”

The Gulls are still seventh in the table despite defeats in their last two league games, and Johnson knows this week’s double header - United go to Weston-super-Mare on Tuesday night - will be crucial.

He said: “We lost the two games in the league and the cup to Maidstone, but they could comfortably have been two wins. In the first half of the cup match we played really well, and we have got to find that standard for the whole game.

“We are in a play-off position with 35 games to go, just four points behind the leaders. We mustn’t let those defeats mess us up.”

The manager has not ruled out looking into the loan market again to strengthen his squad, but stresses that he needs to find the right ‘quality’ players to fit straight into his squad.

And, he said, that squad is showing its own strengths.

“We have got some good players we can rely on to get us the success we want,” he said. “And we are trying to entertain rather than just sitting behind the ball for 90 minutes and hoping for a break.”

Midfielder Kevin Dawson and winger Dillon De Silva remain injured, but apart from that Johnson has a full squad to choose from for the Welling game. Skipper Asa Hall continues his return from injury, and is likely to feature again on Saturday, although probably not for the full 90 minutes.

Welling are 22nd in the league and have not won since August, but Johnson and his players know they won’t make it easy for the Gulls on Saturday, however much they want to entertain.