REID ON TARGET ON NORTHERN IRELAND DEBUT

 Former Exeter City and Torquay United striker Jamie Reid became the latest South Devon born striker to score in international football, as he found the back of the net for Northern Ireland in their 1-1 draw with Romania. 

Reid, who hails from Torquay, joined Paignton's Kieffer Moore who has represented Wales and Newton Abbot's Ollie Watkins who, of course, has broken into the England squad. 

He only had to wait seven minutes until opening his account for Michael O'Neill's side after Liverpool's Conor Bradley broke down the right and then fed Southampton midfielder Shea Charles who squared the ball to Reid, who calmly slotted home. 

At the age of 29, Reid, currently with Stevenage in League One, also becomes the second oldest player to score on his debut for the province.

TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS HAMPTON & RICHMOND BOROUGH

 1. Asa Hall and Dean Moxey were immense at the back. 

For all of this season, Torquay United have been crying out for a wise old head at the back, but against Hampton and Richmond with Asa Hall and Dean Moxey, who have a combined age of 75, in the centre of defence, the Gulls kept their sixth clean sheet of the season in the league - and only their second in the current calendar year. 

Not only did skipper Hall convert United's 28th minute penalty, he also showed great leadership qualities throughout. In addition to this, he was a commanding aerial presence - winning numerous headers - allied with good positional sense. 

Meanwhile, Moxey once again proved himself to be excellent at reading the game and made a crucial goal line clearance to deny Hampton wide man Ruaridh Donaldson on 57 minutes. 

2. Brad Ash lead the line well. 

In the absence of Aaron Jarvis and Duane Ofori-Acheampong, it was left to Brad Ash to lead United's forward line as a lone striker. It's a role that requires a certain type of forward to play as the player in question has to play with their back to goal and rely on support from their attacking midfielders to make it work. 

However, Ash excelled in that position and went close to scoring on a number of occasions and it was a foul on him that won the penalty, which was converted by Asa Hall, that proved to be decisive.

3. Devon Day boosts attendance. 

With Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City not in action due to the international break, a number of fans of the Pilgrims and the Grecians headed to Plainmoor to offer their support to the Gulls in the light of the news of Clarke Osborne's intention to place the club in Administration.  

Their presence boosted the attendance, which stood at 3,029 - a figure that also included 66 Hampton and Richmond fans - which was the highest crowd of the day in the National League South. 

Also present was former United caretaker boss Neil Warnock, who would no doubt have been impressed by the resilience on display. 

4. Other results go in the Gulls' favour. 

The importance of United's win was further underlined by the fact all of the teams below them in the National League South table failed to win. Truro City, Taunton Town, Havant & Waterlooville and Dover Athletic all lost while Dartford and Eastbourne Borough both drew. 

This sequence of results leaves the Gulls five points clear of the drop zone.

DEVON DAY

 Football in Devon will unite on this coming Saturday in solidarity with Torquay United as supporters of Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City will attend the Gulls' National League South fixture with Hampton and Richmond Borough. 

United have been deducted ten points after former chairman and owner Clarke Osborne announced his intention to place the club in administration, which has plunged the Gulls into a relegation battle. 

However, as Argyle don't have a fixture in the Championship due to the international break and Exeter's away trip to Leyton Orient being postponed due to international call-ups.  

Both the Pilgrims and the Grecians have been in Administration in recent years , the Pilgrims in 2011 and the Grecians in 2003, and have since emerged stronger - and it's hoped that United will eventually be able to do the same. 

Another bumper crowd would be a major boost to United; It's also worth noting that they allowed the Grecians to keep all of the gate receipts from a friendly at St James Park on the eve of the 2003-04 season - shortly after they had just been relegated from the Football League at a time when their Supporter's Trust had recently taken ownership of the club. 

REID RECEIVES CALL-UP FOR NORTHERN IRELAND

 As a reward for his fine form with Stevenage in the 2023-24 season, former Exeter City and Torquay United striker Jamie Reid has been named by Michael O'Neill in the latest Northern Ireland squad for their friendlies against Romania and Scotland.

Reid, now 29, was capped twice by the province at Under-21 level in 2013  - and he will be hoping to add a senior cap to his collection. 

After starting his career at St James Park, Reid enjoyed the first truly prolific spell of his career once he joined the Gulls, his hometown club, in 2017. He memorably found the back of the net 33 times in the 2018-19 season, as United secured the National League South title - and he also won the division's player of the year award in the process.

Reid netted a further 21 goals in all competitions in the 2019-20 campaign, which was cut short due to the Covid 19 pandemic, before earning a move to the EFL with Mansfield Town in the summer of 2020. 

Whilst at Field Mill, he found harder to come by, but a move to Stevenage in 2021 re-ignited his career, as his goals helped fire Boro to promotion from League Two in the 2022-23 season. Reid then continued his fine form into the current 2023-24 campaign, which has seen him find the back of the net 21 times in 38 appearances in all competitions to date. 

It is often said that strikers who are prolific for Torquay United rarely are for anyone else. This has proved to be true for a whole range of forwards from Robin Stubbs to Rodney Jack to David Graham, but Reid has proved to be the exception to this rule.

Other players named in the squad include Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Conor Hazard, Liverpool full-back Conor Bradley and Middlesbrough centre back Paddy McNair.

TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS DARTFORD

 1. A first win for Aaron Downes as a manager. 

At the third time of asking, Torquay United secured their first win of Aaron Downes' reign as interim manager. 

Following creditable draws against Aveley and Weymouth, the Gulls ended a run of nine games without a victory in emphatic fashion. It was also only their second win of 2024, and timely one as the threat of a ten-point deduction should the club enter Administration hangs over the club.

2. Aaron Jarvis and Brad Ash's race to 20 goals continues. 

By finding the back of the net for the Gulls against the Dart's, Aaron Jarvis and Brad Ash have now both netted twice in their last three appearances. 

Jarvis opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 48th minute after he had been fouled by Joash Nembhard and Ash scored United's third on 52 minutes, when he reacted quickest to the rebound after Jarvis had seen his initial shot parried away by Dartford keeper Billy Terrell.  

The duo have also taken their respective tallies for the season to 11, as they look to make up for the time that they lost through injury as they look to reach 20 goals for the season in their remain ten games of the regular campaign. 

Former United boss Leroy Rosenior, a former striker himself, would surely have been impressed by their display.

3. Two in two for Arkell Jude-Boyd. 

By netting United's second goal of the afternoon, QPR loanee Arkell Jude-Boyd made it two in two, as he followed up his first for the club against Weymouth with another goal against Dartford.

After a move which started when Jarvis flicked on a goal kick from Mark Halstead to Jack Stobbs, whose cross found Lewis Collins, who then squared the ball to Jude-Boyd who duly slotted home. 

In recent years, the Gulls have had several talented youngsters on loan from QPR, most notably Sinclair Armstrong and Stephen Duke-McKenna, and Jude-Boyd looks set to join that list. 

4. Austen Booth produces his finest performance to date. 

When he signed for his hometown club, centre back Austen Booth was achieving a life-long ambition, and against Dartford he delivered arguably his finest performance to date for the Gulls. 

Booth, 25, won a number of key tackles and also looked comfortable in possession when playing the back out of defence, and he appears to be making a seamless transition to full-time football. 

5. Duane Ofori-Acheampong's first goal of his second spell at Plainmoor. 

By rounding off the scoring with United's fourth goal against Dartford, substitute Duane Ofori-Acheampong found of the back of the net for the first time in his second spell with the Gulls. 

It was also his first goal for United since he netted against Bristol Rovers on New Year's Day 2015. 

DOWNES FOCUSING ON THREE POINTS

 With an extension agreed to their notice of entering Administration and talks with new owners ongoing, Torquay United interim manager Aaron Downes' attentions are firmly focused on achieving all three points in the Gulls' next two fixtures against Dartford and Taunton Town. 

Having earned creditable draws against Aveley at home and away to Weymouth since Downes took over the managerial reins from Gary Johnson - albeit on a temporary basis. However, United need wins to close the gap on the top seven, or even the bottom four should the worst come to the worst and they receive a ten point deduction for entering Administration. 

First up, Dartford, who finished as National League South runners-up in the 2022-23 season, visit Plainmoor in what will be new manager Ady Pennock's first game in charge. It won't be the first time that the paths of Downes and Pennock have crossed; Pennock was in charge of Forest Green Rovers during the 2015-16 season which they ended as runners-up behind a Cheltenham Town side who Downes captained. 

Then there is the Devon-Somerset Derby which sees Taunton Town visit Plainmoor for a game which finally gives the Gulls the chance to face the Peacocks, as the reverse fixture at Wordsworth Drive has already been postponed three times this season. 

Although Downes appears to have been thrown in the deep end as a manager, he had spent a number of years doing an apprenticeship through his role as head of coaching at Cheltenham before serving as assistant manager to Gary Johnson for a number of years. He had also played a number of notable managers including Johnson at Cheltenham, Roy McFarland and John Sheridan during his time at Chesterfield and Martin Ling and Alan Knill from his spell as a player at Plainmoor and he also featured in the Australia squad at the World Under-20 Championship in 2005 under current Spurs boss Ange Postecoglu - all of whom he can draw inspiration from.