1. Feed the Fish.
After missing pre-season through injury, the
Plainmoor faithful had to wait a while to see a glimpse of Sonny Fish in
action. As part of his recovery, he was loaned out to Folkestone Invicta in the
Isthmian League and he started for the first time against Salisbury FC in
midweek following injuries to Louis Dennis and Cody Cooke.
In his second start for the Gulls against
Chesham, he slotted home his first for the club on 36 minutes following good
work from Matt Jay. He was unlucky not to score a second in the 65th minute
when he connected with a corner from Jordan Young, but it was ruled out for a
push.
Hopefully he will score a few more between now
and the end of the campaign.
2 Matt Jay excelling as a number ten.
In the 2025-26 season, Matt Jay has found
himself down the pecking order - in part due to the form of Louis Dennis and
Sonny Blu Lo-Everton - and mainly used as an impact sub.
However, with United light on numbers in the
centre of midfield, which has meant that Lo-Everton has been playing more
centrally, and Dennis currently injured Jay has been restored to his preferred
number 10 role.
He showed a good range of passing throughout and
it was his ball that teed up Sonny Fish for United's equaliser in the 36th
minute and in the second half he turned provider for a pass to Dylan Morgan on
59 minutes, which was turned behind for a corner.
Jay later ended up playing as a central midfielder
following right-back Will Tizzard’s dismissal after receiving two yellow cards,
alongside Lo-Everton. He ended up playing almost as a ‘quarter back’ as he
played a key role in helping United retain possession, in what became a ‘10 versus
10’ game as Chesham’s Alfie Young had earlier seen red for an ‘off-the-ball’
incident.
3. Dan Hayfield.
Not only did Dan Hayfield pick seemingly the
perfect moment to score his first goal of the 2025-26 campaign when he turned
home Dylan Morgan’s low cross on 74 minutes, he only played a key role in
keeping Chesham at bay at the other end.
After Will Tizzard was dismissed for being awarded
two yellow cards in quick succession, Hayfield dropped back to play at
right-back in his place and made an important block in injury time to deny the
Generals a dramatic late equaliser.
When you are in the hunt for the play-offs, as
United still are, your unsung players can have a big say in the outcome, and
Hayfield is one such player who maybe goes under the radar a bit, but is an
important part of the team nonetheless.
4. Stacey saves.
In his second game after joining the Gulls on loan
from Milton Keynes Dons, goalkeeper Seb Stacey made a number of important saves
in the second half.
On 50 minutes, he made a stunning one-handed stop
to deny Chesham’s leading scorer Mitchell Weiss and also made two more saves
that kept the Generals at bay.
5. Resilience.
United’s win took the number of points that they
have won after conceding first to 24, a record that includes seven wins and
three draws.
6. Ronnie Jepson's 100% record.
In 1983, a disagreement between then manager
Bruce Rioch and Steve Cooper and John Turner on the team coach resulted in Dave
Thomas, then of the Herald Express, being placed in charge of an away trip to
York City. United duly won 3-2 and Thomas 'retired' with a 100% record as
Torquay United manager.
That record is now shared by Ronnie Jepson
following United's 2-1 win over Chesham United, after he stepped in due to Neil
Warnock being unavailable due to a prior commitment. However, as the Gulls'
search for a permanent replacement to Paul Wotton goes on, might United turn to
Jepson, with Warnock advising him, until the end of the campaign?
