Asa Hall, the club captain, had recovered from an injury that saw him miss a big chunk of the season, scored the winner from the penalty spot
Playing midfielder Asa Hall as a centre back against Hampton & Richmond Borough was a bold decision made by Torquay United’s interim manager Aaron Downes on Saturday, and it paid off with a clean sheet, a goal from the captain, and a 1-0 victory.
The club captain, Hall, had returned from an injury that had kept him out of the game for much of the season, but he spent the majority of the two appalling losses to Tonbridge Angels and Taunton Town standing by Downes in the dugout.
However, Downes decided to play Hall at centre back alongside the far more seasoned Dean Moxey and give young defender Ollie Tomlinson a break after a strong season but a few subpar performances. This time, Downes had Robbie Herrera, the youth academy manager, standing next to him. And both of them were excellent at the back. Hall, who is 37 years old and only six months younger than Downes, scored the team’s first goal in the 28th minute from the penalty spot, giving them a lead they successfully maintained in the second half.
With Duane Ofori-Acheampong and Aaron Jarvis, a crucial striker, sidelined due to injury, Brad Ash, a tireless worker, took the stage up front, with Tom Lapslie providing cover in front of a commanding midfield. Overall, it was a good showing in front of the Devon Day supporters of Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City, leading up to a big Friday and Monday double over Easter weekend that will be crucial for Downes & Co. in their attempt to stay in the Southern League.
Asa has been a tremendous player for this football team, and he demonstrated that today, according to Downes. Today, the seasoned boys on the pitch performed incredibly well. The team’s spine was incredibly strong, and that was evident, especially throughout our outstanding first half.
We had to play two halves today. The first half saw some excellent football played by us, as we moved the ball well and entered dangerous situations without really having a cutting edge. Despite this, we still produced two or three excellent opportunities. After scoring our goal, we had to demonstrate our tenacity in the second half.
and they, together with [keeper] Mark Halstead, were able to lead us to a win and a clean sheet with players like Asa and Mox at the back. Those three years of experience were incredibly important today.
Not only did Torquay move up one spot to 17th in the National League South after that 10-point deduction, but they are currently five points clear of the relegation zone. The Gulls have seven games remaining, and this weekend they play Yeovil Town away and Weston-super-Mare at home.
They have one week to see whether they can be ready to play against National South leaders Yeovil on Friday. Ross Marshall also hobbled off late in the game, and midfielder Kevin Dawson retired injured during the match. It will be disappointing if he is added to the injury list.
“That is the standard that we have to try and achieve every week now,” stated Downes. They can have fun tonight, but we’ll get back to it the following week because there’s still work to be done and a huge game coming up.
