Torquay United edged to a win on home soil to keep their 100% record at Plainmoor this season thanks to a first-half goal but had to cling on in the second-half as the Fleet went in search of the equaliser.
With a couple of illnesses in the camp, Josh Wright made four changes to the side that won in the Emirates FA Cup last week, with Mark Cousins, Charlie Seaman, Mustapha Olagunju and Josh Coley returning, with places on the bench for Kwesi Appiah and Maxx Manktelow.
In a busy and windy opening, it was the visitors who started on the front foot: Lennon Peake dragged his effort wide from the edge of the area whilst Aaron Cosgrave got through the middle thanks to a misplaced pass at the back and he tried to chip goalkeeper James Hamon who was able to take that out of the air.
Ronny Nelson also hooked one wide from a corner as the game slowed before Torquay found the opener on 21 minutes with their first real serious effort. It came down the left as Callum Dolan’s low pass found its way into the path of Jordan Young who struck the ball across Cousins. He got a hand to it but couldn’t stop it travelling on into the far corner.
The hosts looked to double their advantage but a strong Fleet backline of Nelson, Ehmer and Olagunju cleared a couple of set-pieces and the Gulls went into the break 1-0 ahead.
Torquay continued the second half in lively fashion, with Louis Dennis and Young forcing the Fleet defence into action but after that the visitors – playing into a strong wind – enjoyed their best spell of the match, dominating possession for the last half-hour and seeing a penalty shout turned down.
Substitute Josh Passley’s effort from a tight angle was cleared for a corner and an equaliser came close again when Josh Coley leapt to head the ball on target but Torquay managed to block that. Another header, this time from Passley, went marginally wide as the home side sat back and looked nervous on their 1-0 lead.
They did force Cousins into action late on, though, with a close-range effort from Young brilliantly denied but Fleet’s last chance went when Ben Coker whipped a ball into the area to pick out Appiah on his return but that was over.
EUFC: Cousins, Seaman (Passley 56), Coker, Nelson (Manktelow 84), Olagunju, Ehmer, Kennedy (Chapman 61), Edser, Peake (Appiah 56), Coley (Barnes 75), Cosgrave. Subs: Fielding, Bellagambi
TUFC: Hamon, Akyeampong, Foulston, Dyer (Palmer 90), Dreyer, Dolan (Morgan 64), Worthington (Hayfield 82), Anderson, Cooke (Carson 90), Dennis (Lo-Everton 86), Young. Subs: Jay, Wonnacott
Attendance: 3,246 (104 EUFC)
Photos: ©EUFC / Tom Harris
