Torquay striker Moore 'has point to prove' in final
Deon Moore has scored six goals in his last four appearances [Shutterstock] Torquay United striker Deon Moore is playing with a "point to prove" according to manager Jimmy Ball. The 26-year-old was Ball's first signing when he took over as Gulls boss in March, agreeing a deal until the end of the season after leaving Maidstone United. Moore has repaid the faith Ball has shown in him - scoring six goals in nine appearances as Torquay finished third in National League South.
Moore has found the net six times in the last four games, including a brace in the 4-2 play-off semi-final win over Dorking Wanderers last week that set up Saturday's play-off final at Hornchurch. "I like Deon as a player. I experienced playing against him a couple of times," Ball told BBC Radio Devon.
"I'd heard some really good things about him, there was obviously a falling out at Maidstone and some not nice things said about him. "But I trusted my gut after meeting him, talking with him and he's shown to be what he was and he's playing with a bit of a point to prove and a chip on his shoulder, which I love. " 'These games are very, very difficult' Torquay United won 2-1 at Hornchurch when the sides played one another on 31 January [Shutterstock] Moore is likely to be Torquay's biggest goal threat as they try and end their three-year stay in the sixth tier.
They travel to a Hornchurch side that finished one place above them in the table. Torquay won the last meeting between the sides with a 2-1 victory at the Hornchurch Stadium at the end of January that sent them top of the table. But a dreadful run of form in February saw an injury-hit Gulls lose five times in a seven-game winless run that cost then-manager Paul Wotton his job and ended their hopes of the title and automatic promotion.
Ball comes in having guided AFC Totton to promotion to National League South via the play-offs last season. "There's little bits that I've used again, I've recycled, the players wouldn't know that or what they were, no one would really, just little things, little habits, little things I've said and done," Ball said of his preparations for the final. "I've had a lot of enjoyable play-off games so you've got to draw upon all the things you did to help create that and try and replicate them.