Torquay United disappointment after defeat at Yeovil Town

Interim manager Aaron Downes said 'there is nothing we can do about it now' after Torquay United were beaten 3-0 by Yeovil Town as Good Friday turned into a bad one.

Yeovil can win the National League South title - and secure promotion with three weeks of the season to go - if they beat Weymouth on Easter Monday (tomorrow) and other results go their way, while Torquay will take on Weston-super-Mare at Plainmoor as they try to avoid dropping into the relegation zone, with six games to go.

So it was no surprise that Yeovil beat Torquay, in front of a record crowd for the National South of 6,462 - and Downes says they must concentrate on beating Weston now and forget about that last game. Torquay started well, but Yeovil got a lucky break in the 39th minute when Johmari Clarke scored after the ball fell to him in the box. Torquay were furious because Jack Stobbs was certainly 'fouled' by Jay Foulston in the run-up to the goal.

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Jordan Young made it 2-0 to Yeovil in the 57th minute with a great strike - the ball going in off the underside of the crossbar, and it was 3-0 in the 62nd minute when Clarke took on Moxey and beat the Torquay defender before stroking the ball past Mark Halstead.

At that point Downes began to 'rest' players, with Tom Lapslie going off, and already-booked duo Will Jenkins Davies and Arkell Jude-Boyd following him. Torquay were already without Aaron Jarvis, Kevin Dawson and Ross Marshall - and with these players on yellow cards, this was probably a wise move with the points already gone.

Downes said: "Until the goal we felt comfortable. We had a good set-up, a good shape. We didn't have the ball as much as we would have liked to have - but Yeovil at home are going to be a team that tries to dominate the ball anyway. The goal had an element of luck, we get a block on it and it just drops to their player and he puts it in, and we have got a bit of an uphill battle from there.

"Second half, the second goal kills us really. We are trying to stay in the game and make sure we are still solid - and we gave ourselves the last 15 minutes to have a go at it. And we didn't quite do that, and when you are three-nil down my mind quickly turned to Monday, because that becomes an important game for us now.

"Yes, there are elements to learn from this, but we have to move on. There is nothing we can do about it now. We are frustrated and disappointed, but we have to get rid of that ego and get rid of that disappointment because Monday is the most important thing - that's the only thing we can control now.

"The players will be in tomorrow (Sunday) making sure we get everything right. So we will move on from this very quickly."

Downes said before the game at Yeovil that Dawson and Marshall were close, but not close enough to play or sit on the bench. They may or may not be available for the Weston game - but don't expect Jarvis to return just yet. He is still suffering from the knee injury he picked up in the game against Tonbridge Angels.

Torquay go into the game against Weston in 18th, four points and three places above the relegation zone. Three points on Monday is a must before a run of four away games - and a final one against Havant & Waterlooville at home on April 20.

Downes said: "We have to make sure that we go into Monday refreshed, energised, enthusiastic and ready to put a really good performance in. With six games to go it is really important that we are all focused and going the same way."

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