Torquay United come from behind to rescue point on opening day
Martin Ling breathed a sigh of relief this afternoon after his Torquay United side clawed their way back from 2-0 down to salvage a point against Burton Albion at Plainmoor.
The blushes of the new manager were spared when both new and old players netted to prevent the Brewers leaving the English Riviera with all three points.
Martin Ling's men piled on the pressure after trailing 2-0
The Staffordshire men looked in control of the game after two goals in four second-half minutes from new signing Justin Richards gave them a comfortable lead. Uncertain defending in the United back four left Richards onside and able to muscle his way beyond Joe Oastler before smashing the ball past the Yellows’ new stopper Robert Olejnik to make it 1-0 on 49 minutes.
Four minutes later, the number nine was on target again from close range after more unconvincing defending from Torquay enabled him to meet a Tom Parkes cross and loop a header into the far-right corner. However, the wiry summer signing from Port Vale’s quick brace was not enough to clinch an opening-day win for Paul Peschisolido’s men.
Eight minutes after Richards’s second goal, Torquay’s new frontman Rene Howe reduced the deficit after latching onto a threaded Lee Mansell ball and dribbling past the Brewers’ keeper before calmly side-footing the ball into an unguarded net…1-2. The home side had the wind in their sails and nearly 3,000 United fans were in fine voice as Ling’s men attacked the Ellacombe End.
The Gulls continued to probe and a few examples of unsporting behaviour from the away side increased the encouragement from the vociferous home supporters, packed into only two sides of Plainmoor.
Ling’s first league game in charge was levelled in the 81st minute by captain Lee Mansell who, after a scramble in the Albion penalty area, neatly slotted the ball into the bottom-right corner of Ross Atkins’s goal…2-2.
Time-wasting from some of Peschisolido’s players resulted in five minutes of extra time being awarded by the fourth official and United were looking to put three points on the new Npower League Two table. A saved Kevin Nicholson shot in the 89th minute from a free kick was the closest Torquay came to turning the game on its head.
Despite the Yellows’ efforts, they were unable to convert their pressure into a third goal which means that Ling will try and record his first league win as Torquay boss next week when his side take on Westcountry rivals Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium.
