The low ebb for Torquay United must not define their entire season

A 3-0 defeat at Ebbsfleet, in isolation, is not a season-defining outcome but it was a rough result in the context of a turbulent spell for Torquay United.

The Gulls have now failed to win in their last seven outings and sit perilously close to dropping out of the play-off positions, as a depleted side succumbed to a powerful Ebbsfleet performance.

Interim boss Neil Warnock conceded his team were beaten by a better team on the day, but thoughts must now turn to the appointment of a new permanent manager to succeed Paul Wotton at Plainmoor.

“I would imagine a new manager will be in by the end of the week and he’s going to be looking at not just a play-off position but also pushing on for next season, so the lads are playing for their positions,” said Warnock.

Fielding just four subs from the allocated seven at Ebbsfleet, United’s injury problems are a major concern and definitely not helped by a red card for Matt Worthington, who is looking at a three-match ban.

The upside for Warnock was the effort and endeavour from the players, but the theme of conceding really sloppy goals reared its head again.

“The result was disappointing but I thought the lads gave everything, I’ve got no complaints about the effort, Ebbsfleet were just better than us on the day,” said Warnock. “One or two things went against us as well but we’ve just got to get on with it.

“We haven’t got much choice at the moment, we only had three outfield players on the bench and they were all forwards, and I can’t see anybody being back for Tuesday either, so we’re very threadbare, which makes it quite easy to pick the team.

“The goals we conceded were terrible and the goals we’ve conceded over the past few weeks have been really poor from our point of view.”

Next up is the visit from Salisbury on Tuesday night and then Chesham at home on Saturday, so two Plainmoor fixtures for the Gulls to get back on track.

If the season is to find some positive momentum, the Yellow Army will be a key factor.

“On Monday, we will have a training session and pick a team to try and win the game,” said Warnock.

“The fans were superb today and they’ve seen a lot worse than this situation in the last few years. We’ve got to get behind the team, two home games on the trot and things always turn up in football.”