One doesn’t need to talk up tomorrow’s home game with Torquay  to realise it’s as big as they come.

With over 400 visiting Gulls likely, we are looking at by far our largest attendance of the season against the best supported team in the league and one with the most prestigious history and stature.

None of us who travelled to Devon for the corresponding fixture on the very first day of the season will ever forget the sense of anticipation for our Step 2 debut. It was the tallest of orders and although no-one likes to lose, coming away with a creditable 2-1 defeat was certainly encouraging given the status of the opposition.

Torquay’s 4-2 midweek defeat of Weston-Super-Mare in a top-of-the-table clash sent them up to third in the league as they bid to regain Step 1 status but Gavin Macpherson is quietly optimistic we can raise our game against full-time opposition who have lost only one in seven in the league but have proved more vulnerable on the road than at home.

Town had a light training session on Thursday following the rigours of Tuesday night and although there were one or two more knocks against Hornchurch, no decision will be made on the Torquay starting line-up until Saturday morning in what is our final home game before Christmas.

“Our form has actually been pretty good of late apart from a mad 15 minutes on Tuesday,” said Gavin.

“I accept that as clubs Torquay and us are chalk and cheese but that doesn’t mean we’re just making up the numbers. We’ve planned and prepared as we always do to try and will get at least something from the game.”

“If you’d told our fans a year ago that we’d be playing Torquay the following season, most of them wouldn’t have believed you. Of course it’s going to be difficult. We’re all still licking our wounds from Tuesday.”

Wheels are still in motion to improve us up front but Gavin is conscious of continuing banging the same drum.

 “I know it’s like a broken record but forwards are extremely difficult to bring in. As soon as they become available everyone is in for them. I’d be an absolute genius if I got all my recruitment right but believe me no stone is being left unturned to add some more quality.”

AW