Torquay in knockout mode as they target play-offs
Torquay United had led National League South in February before a drop in form that cost former manager Paul Wotton his job [Shutterstock] Torquay United manager Jimmy Ball says his side are treating Saturday's crunch game against Tonbridge Angels as a knockout game. The Gulls are fifth in National League South and travel to Kent to face the 14th-placed side in their final game of the regular season. A win for the Gulls could see them finish as high as second, meaning direct entry to the play-off semi-finals.
But a loss could see them miss the play-offs and if results go against them, they could finish as low as ninth, two places outside the play-offs. "It's a knockout game. Lose and I don't think we'll be in the play-offs, so it's a knockout, it's a final," Ball told BBC Sport.
"I said six weeks ago, we've got six finals to play, and I meant it. "Luckily the one we lost wasn't fatal, we live to fight another day and that's all you can have," added Ball, whose side were beaten 2-1 at home by Hemel Hempstead Town last week. Jimmy Ball has been in charge at Torquay United for five weeks [Shutterstock] Ball says "a few truths" have been told to his players after their disappointing defeat last week.
A victory over Hemel would have guaranteed a play-off place and put the Gulls second, one point off leaders Worthing, who host sixth-placed Ebbsfleet Town on Saturday. With so many permutations surrounding the result in Torquay's game at Tonbridge and the sides around them, Ball says he will not allow anyone to inform him or his players of scores elsewhere. "It's perfect because there's no distraction," he added.
"There's no phones around the pitch for the players or the staff, so we'll just win and then we'll find out what happens afterwards if we win. But we've got to win. "We can't change anything.