Brett McGavin adds a touch of class to midfield
During United's two league fixtures against King's Lynn Town last season, it is likely that Brett McGavin would have caught the eye of many Gulls fans who witnessed him in action. Therefore many of the Plainmoor faithful would have been delighted that Gary Johnson had managed to secure his signature when searching for a replacement for Armani Little and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans, following his release by Ipswich Town. After impressing in United's previous two friendlies against Buckland Athletic and Exmouth Town, McGavin once again stood out for the Gulls against Newport County. He always displayed a eye for a pass and nearly provided an assist for Ross Marshall on 48 minutes when the former Stevenage defender connected with his free-kick, but he glanced his header wide.
Mark Halstead's saves
After spending much of last season playing as an understudy to Shaun MacDonald, Mark Halstead looks set to battle it out with new signing Rhys Lovett for the goalkeeper's position. The former Morecambe man staked his claim with two important saves; the first was deep in first half injury time to deny Newport left back Adam Lewis and the second came in the 70th minute when he tipped a free-kick from Omar Bogle onto the bar and over for a corner.
Competitive and Spirited
Competitive and spirited was perhaps an apt way to describe the Gulls' encounter with Newport. Referees are often reluctant to issue yellow or red cards in pre-season friendlies, but referee Marc Whaley awarded two yellow cards to Torquay (Dylan Crowe and Alex Moyse) and one to Newport (Declan Drysdale).
3-5-2 again
If Torquay United's pre-season friendlies to date are anything to go by then the Gulls will be following a similar tactical trend to some of their best sides in recent times by adopting a 3-5-2 formation.
The 3-5-2 formation was employed to good effect by the late Cyril Knowles in the 1987-88 season and again by Kevin Hodges ten years later in 1997-98. It was also used by Don O'Riordan in the 1993-94 campaign and also on occasions by Wes Saunders, Roy McFarland and Leroy Rosenior.
