Truro City 1 v 3 Torquay United

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1st January 2019

by Sport South Devon

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Truro City 1

Lewington (7)

v

Torquay United 3

Reid (22, 77), Kalala (86)

A Jamie Reid double and a Kalvin Lumbombo-Kalala strike, gave Gary Johnson’s Torquay United side a 3-1 victory away at Truro City and kept the Gulls at the top of the Vananrma National League South table, two points clear of Woking.

The victory was also a ninth straight league win for Torquay, which set a new club record for the Gulls. The result also equalled Torquay’s best run of games without defeat in the league, 15, set in the 1960/61 and 1990 seasons.

Johnson was forced into one change from the side that started on Saturday with Connor Lemonheigh-Evans returning in place of the injured Jean-Yves Koune Niate. Also, returning to the substitutes bench were Ryan Dickson and Ruairi Keating, following injury and suspension respectively.

With United having the better of the opening stages, Reid going close in the 2^nd minute, it was somewhat of a surprise when Truro took a 7^th minute lead following Liam Davis giving the ball away with a loose pass to Niall Thompson who broke down the right and produced a great cross for Lewington to head in from just 6 yards.

Torquay’s response to conceding was positive, first Saikou Janneh pulled a shot wide in the 9^th minute, before Kyle Cameron saw a close-range header saved by Harvey Rivers in the 11^th minute. Jamie Sendles-White then volleyed back across goal in the 12^th minute, but no-one could find that all-important final touch.

Nick Grimes went close for the home side in the 21^st minute following a good cross from Austen Booth.

A minute later and the Gulls deserved equaliser came. A diagonal cross from Andrews wasn’t cleared on the edge of the area by City and the ball fell nicely for Reid to end five game drought, from 30-yards.

United continued to dominate the possession in the first half and with that came further chances. Andrews hit an effort from distance on 29 minutes, before a fine move just after the half hour, that involved Reid and Janneh, couldn’t be converted by Andrews.

Just before the break MacDonald was forced into action, as Tyler Harvey shot on the turn from 20 yards.

The second half never really got going until United took the lead in the 77^th minute. However, as in the first the Gulls created the best chances.

Andrews fired over from the edge of the area just after the restart before Janneh shot wide in the 56^th minute. Lemonheigh-Evans and then Reid also had chances before Reid got the all-important breakthrough for Johnson’s team.

There was an element of luck to United’s second, as a miss placed pass was not cleared by the Truro defenders and the ball found Reid who fired low into the net from the edge of the area.

City were then reduced to ten men, as Thompson was dismissed for a second bookable offence, after pulling back Kalala in the 79^th minute.

Torquay substitute Keating should have got United’s third in the 85^th minute, but his effort hit the underside of the bar before being cleared. However, a minute later Kalala cut into the box from the left, before passing the ball into the far corner to seal the points for the away side.

Next up for the league leaders is a home game against Slough on Saturday afternoon, kick off 3pm.