Welling United 1 Torquay United 0 - Gulls beaten again and just two points above relegation zone

Torquay United are sitting precariously just two points above the National League South relegation zone after they were beaten 1-0 at Welling United this afternoon.

With four games to go now - starting with Monday night's game against Truro City in Gloucester - Torquay seriously need to win at least two, if not more, of those games, if they are going to avoid the drop into the Southern League. It didn't help that results for most of their relegation rivals - including Welling, of course - went against them - and that's what drew them too close for comfort to the bottom four.

It started OK, though, before Ross Marshall got himself sent off for a reckless challenge with just 20 minutes gone. He could end up having a four-game ban now and miss the rest of the season. Shortly after that, Kevin Dawson went off injured, and Welling got their goal. And, despite playing reasonably well at times in the second half, Torquay once again couldn't find the net away from home - and the damage was well and truly done.

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With two games in three days, it seemed interim manager Aaron Downes was using his squad wisely ahead of Monday's game. There were two changes to the team that started against Weston-super-Mare last weekend, with fit-again Dawson coming in for Brett McGavin, and Duane Ofori-Acheampong taking Brad Ash's place up front.

Dean Moxey had to clear an early chance from a Cameron Grant free kick into the box, Anthony Grant was unable to make the most of the opportunity. An Ofori-Acheampong cross was cleared before it reached Ethon Archer. Grant shot wide in the 13th minute. Ofori-Acheampong had treatment for a knock to his head around the quarter-hour mark, but was OK to continue.

It was cagey, punctuated by the referee's whistle. Will Jenkins Davies was pulled over on the edge of the box in the 21st minute and Jack Stobbs whipped the ball just wide with goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook standing still.

But things began to go wrong in the 22nd minute when defender Marshall was sent off after a bad challenge on Green. His studs were too high in a tackle he didn't have to make. Downes sent on Ollie Tomlinson for Archer. Dawson went down injured in the 27th minute and was replaced by McGavin, but the referee delayed the substitution for a couple of minutes, with Torquay down to nine men for a spell.

Welling took the lead in the 34th minute when Jason Adigun got on the end of a good through ball and shot past Mark Halstead all too easily. To be fair, Torquay rallied a bit after the goal and McGavin dug out a shot which went over the bar in the 40th minute. Another McGavin shot from distance was blocked in the 44th minute - with Jenkins Davies ending the counter-attack with a good tackle. Five minutes were added on at the end of the first 45, during which Jenkins Davies went into a challenge late to pick up a yellow card, but little else happened.

Torquay started the second half playing down the Park View Road slope. Tom Lapslie and McGavin linked up well in the 49th minute but McGavin's shot went across the front of goal. Lapslie turned the ball over the bar when the deflection from a Moxey throw-in fell to him, with the ball possibly going in anyway.

Torquay were attacking well and creating chances - but not taking them. Welling were looking a bit disorganised at the back. A McGavin shot was turned around the post in the 55th minute. Arkell Jude-Boyd fed Ofori-Acheampong but the striker skewed his shot and only got a corner from the great chance. Tomlinson's header from the corner was cleared off the line. A Jude-Boyd shot was hit wide. A great strike by Gene Kennedy went just wide of Halsetad's goal in the 63rd minute, on another counter-attack, Adigun shot wide from a good position.

The game was opening up and it was becoming end-to-end. Welling were getting back into it. Another Kennedy shot was sent wide in the 69th minute. Grant fired the ball over after at the end of a good move by Welling. Ash came on for Lapslie with 15 minutes to go. Torquay won a free kick in the 80th minute and McGavin sent the ball into the box, but Asa Hall's on-target shot was deflected wide.

Seven minutes were added onto the end - with Ash doing well but not getting a shot away. McGavin almost found Jude-Boyd but the Queens Park Rangers loanee couldn't quite get his foot to the ball. But the truth is, Torquay never really looked like recovering from going down to 10 men, and the subsequent loss of Dawson. Two late long throws by Moxey were cleared by Welling.

And that was that for another day - with Monday's trip to Gloucester to take on Truro (who are playing later tonight) becoming an even more important game than it was already.

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