TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS WELLING UNITED

 1. Aaron Jarvis takes his tally to eight for the season. 

A brace of penalties took Aaron Jarvis' goalscoring tally for the 2023-24 campaign to eight. Jarvis stepped up to convert in the 34th minute after he was felled by Welling goalkeeper James Holden. He then completed his brace on 64 minutes when he struck from the spot after referee Tom Ellsmore spotted that he had been pushed by Wings' right-back Crossley Lema. 

Remarkably, Jarvis' haul of goals includes six successfully taken penalties. However, they all count and the former Luton Town and Scunthorpe United striker is now one goal short of reaching 50% of his 2022-23 campaign of 18 after only 12 games. 

2. Brett McGavin's long range strike. 

Brett McGavin's third goal of the campaign in the 40th minute was also his third from long range. McGavin, who has excelled in his new role as a deep lying midfield playmaker, found the back of the net four times in the 2022-23 season, but is currently one goal away from equalling it. 

3. Donnellan on target. 

After only finding the back of the net against Hampton and Richmond in the FA Cup last season, Shaun Donnellan scored his first league goal for the Gulls against Welling. 

Donnellan connected with a diagonal free-kick from left to right from Jack Stobbs before lobbing Wings' keeper James Holden, who later saw red for a second yellow card. 

4. United's second five goal haul of the season so far. 

The Gulls' five-goal haul against Welling was the second time that they have found the back of the net five times in 2023-24, after also putting five past Hungerford Town in the third qualifying round of the FA Cup. 

It was a display reminiscent of United's previous season in the National League South in the 2018-19 season, when they defeated Oxford City 7-2, Dulwich Hamlet 5-2 and St Albans City and Slough Town 4-0. Hopefully there will be more similar results to come across the remainder of the current campaign. 

5. Coming from behind to win. 

United's win over Welling was also the third time that the Gulls have won this season after falling behind. In August, United came from behind to beat Slough Town and Braintree Town 2-1 on both occasions. However, neither of them were as emphatic as the Gulls' victory over Welling.

6. The Gulls now up to fourth. 

The result sees United move up three places after Aveley and Maidstone United drew with Truro City and Farnborough respectively and Worthing were beaten by leaders Yeovil Town. 

If the Gulls were to miss out on clinching top spot in National League South at the end of the campaign, finishing second would give them home advantage not only in the semi-finals of the NLS play-offs, but also in the final itself should they reach it. 

However, everything is still to play for as far as winning the league is concerned.

TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS MAIDSTONE UNITED FA CUP

 1. Maidstone's first goal. 

If VAR was in use for the FA Cup fourth qualifying round, then it would have been called into action to review Maidstone's opening goal. 

Torquay keeper Mark Halstead appeared to have gathered the ball with both hands when Levi Amantchi pounced to score the Stones' opening goal. However, should Maidstone's opener have been disallowed. 

The laws of the game state that a goalkeeper is deemed to be in control of the ball if the ball is between the hand or any surface (e.g ground, own body) or by touching it with any part of the hands or arms, except if the ball rebounds from the goalkeeper or the goalkeeper has made a save; when holding the ball in an outstretched open hand or bouncing it on the ground or throwing it in the air. A goalkeeper cannot be challenged by an opponent when in control of the ball. 

A similar incident occured during a Premier League fixture between Aston Villa and Leicester City in the 2021-22 season, which Villa won 2-1 - but saw Jacob Ramsey seeing a goal disallowed because of Foxes keeper Kasper Schmeichel had a hand on the ball. 

The reaction of Maidstone fans, who were seated in the far end of Bristow's Bench nearest to the away end - and would therefore had a clear view of the goal, to the scoring of the goal was decidely low key. However without VAR we will never know whether the goal would have been disallowed or not.

2. If the Gulls had taken the lead could the outcome had been different? 

For long periods of the first half, Torquay were on top and could, and possibly should, have been in front before Maidstone took the lead. Tom Lapslie had looked well placed to score in the 17th minute and Aaron Jarvis had a hooked shot blocked on the line following a Jack Stobbs corner were amongst the better chances that Torquay created in the first half.

When the Gulls have taken the lead this season they have gone on to win on four occasions and draw once. However when they have conceded first, they have won twice and slipped to defeat four times. 

3. Free to concentrate on the league. 

Now that United have exited the FA Cup, they are now free to concentrate on their National League     South, aside from when they enter the FA Trophy, where promotion remains their ultimate aim. 

Instead of lining up in the FA Cup on November 4, the Gulls will be entertaining fellow promotion hopefuls Bath City, who themselves were eliminated from the cup by fellow National League South side Worthing.  

Just as in the 2018-19 campaign when Torquay clinched the National League South, they had to win promotion and the same is just as true now. 

4. Reinforcements needed. 

In the FA Cup, clubs are allowed to name seven subs on the bench, two more than they are allowed in the league, but United were only able to name five. Amongst them were the returning captain Asa Hall, second choice goalkeeper Rhys Lovett, Ryan Hanson, Dan Martin and rookie pro Callum Thomas. 

With loan duo Will Jenkins-Davies and Luke Pearce have returned to their parent clubs, Plymouth Argyle and Southampton respectively,

TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS MAIDSTONE UNITED

 1. Ross Marshall's sending off. 

Ross Marshall's 30th minute dismissal for a shirt tug on Maidstone's Sol Wanjau-Smith meant that the Gulls were playing more an hour - including injury time - with ten men. 

Marshall had already been left in trouble by a poor throw in from Shaun Donnellan, which allowed Wanjau-Smith to get in front him and referee Jack Bloxham deemed that Marshall had denied a clear goal scoring opportunity, and promptly pointed to the penalty spot.

Gulls boss Gary Johnson also admitted in his post-match interview that it was probably a red card and Marshall is now set to face a three-match ban.

2. Mark Halstead's penalty save. 

Once the penalty was awarded, Maidstone's leading scorer Levi Amantchi stepped up to take the spot-kick and Gulls' keeper Mark Halstead guessed its direction and palmed it away to safety. 

It was Halstead's third penalty save during his time at Plainmoor; last season he saved a penalty in United's 2-2 draw with Hampton and Richmond, before the Beavers scored from the rebound, and he famously denied Paul Mullin from the spot in the Gulls' 1-1 draw with Wrexham on the final day of the 2022-23 campaign.

3.Ollie Tomlinson came to the fore in defence. 

One of the few plus points from the Gulls' display against Maidstone was the performance of Ollie Tomlinson in the centre of defence. 

Whilst United were still playing with eleven men, he made an important block to deny Stones' midfielder Michael Petrasso. Once the Gulls were down to ten men, Tomlinson found himself playing in a back three with Shaun Donnellan and Dean Moxey and he duly stepped up to the plate. 

4. United still had chances. 

Despite going down to ten men, United still managed to carve out chances to win the game. In the 45th minute, Aaron Jarvis had an angled effort tipped away by the returning former Gulls keeper Lucas Covolan and early in the second half he connected with a cross from Brett McGavin, but missed the target. His striker partner Brad Ash later looked well placed to score as he found himself in a one-on-one situation with Covolan, but he lifted his shot over the bar. 

On another day, one or more of those chances might have gone in.

5. The return of Asa Hall.

Saturday's match also marked the return from injury of United club captain Asa Hall, as he came off the bench to replace Brett McGavin in the 77th minute. 

It was Hall's first appearance since he went off injured against Chippenham Town in United's third game of the campaign, and it will probably get a few games for him to be '90 minute fit'.

6. A chance to put things right. 

With the two sides due to meet again in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round, the Gulls have a chanc to put things right, and an opportunity to avenge their defeat.

GULLS GEAR UP FOR MAIDSTONE DOUBLE HEADER

For the second time in two seasons, Torquay United will be hosting the same opposition in the space in two weeks  - as Gary Johnson's side prepare themselves for a 'double header' against Maidstone United at Plainmoor. 

Last February, the Gulls faced Barnet in the FA Trophy and the National League in the space of a fortnight - losing 1-2 in the trophy before winning 2-1 in the league - and they will now be facing the Stones in National League South before they re-acquaint themselves with one another in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round. 

United were relegated with the Stones from the National League last season; Maidstone quite literally dropped like a stone - pardon the pun - before finishing rock bottom of the division whereas the Gulls kept the fight going until the final day of the campaign when relegation was finally confirmed with a 1-1 draw with champions Wrexham. 

The most recent meeting between the two sides occurred on January 28, 2023, which saw the Gulls win 1-0 with Aaron Jarvis' 79th minute strike ultimately proving to be difference, in what was their first win over the Stones since 1989. 

However, it will be a much changed Stones team that will be facing United this time round, which included former Gulls' keeper Lucas Covolan, who famously headed home a dramatic equaliser for United in the 2021 National League play-off final against Hartlepool United at Ashton Gate.