Home comforts could be the crucial factor in Torquay United’s promotion dream

Torquay United’s promotion fate will almost certainly be decided in front of the National League South’s biggest crowds at Plainmoor.

The Gulls’ next two matches are away from home, at Eastbourne Borough on Saturday and Worthing next Tuesday night.

That will leave Paul Wotton’s squad with 13 games to go, of which EIGHT are at Plainmoor and only FIVE on the road.

The home fixtures are against Chelmsford City, Farnborough, Salisbury, Chesham United, Dorking Wanderers, Horsham, Bath City and Hemel Hempstead Town.

The away games are at Ebbsfleet United, Dagenham & Redbridge, Weston-super-Mare, Slough Town and Tonbridge Angels on the last day of the regular season (Apr 25).

Torquay have one of the best home records in the division (W10 D3 L2), and their attendances are easily the biggest.

Contrast the crowd for last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Maidenhead United (3,171) with their rivals.

Seven of the top nine teams played at home at the weekend, and the other gates were: Dorking (top) 1,654 (v Farnborough), Hornchurch (3rd) 770 (v Tonbridge), Ebbsfleet (4th) 1,215 (v AFC Totton), Weston-super-Mare (6th) 1,026 (v Eastbourne), Hemel Hempstead (7th) 678 (v Worthing) and Dagenham (9th) 1,259 (v Bath City).

Dorking and Hemel, both of whom have already beaten the Gulls, stand out on the home list.

Ebbsfleet and Weston-super-Mare (Good Friday) – United have beaten them both at Plainmoor – should be six-pointers away.

Several features of the campaign still stand out. The first remains the unpredictability of the division.

Even United have just experienced it – they looked to be on a roll (W5 D2) before they dropped five points to Chippenham (0-1) and Maidenhead (1-1).

Second is the slump of Worthing.

The Rebels won eleven out of 12 games and looked to be going clear at Christmas, but are now winless in eight matches which have yielded only four points.

Third is the way that relegation-threatened sides are suddenly fighting back.

Enfield, Eastbourne, Chippenham, Farnborough and Hampton & Richmond have all upset the odds in recent weeks, to the point where none of them can be taken lightly whoever they’re up against.

You can add a fourth factor, and that’s the number of matches that most clubs have to play over the next six weeks, because of postponements.

Between this Saturday and Easter Monday, United have to play 12 games in 45 days.

But Dorking, Hornchurch (they faced each other at Meadowbank last night) and Weston-super-Mare must play 13 games in the same period.

That’s Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday more or less every week, and it’s going to place an enormous strain on squads that are, in many cases, part-time.

As someone once said, it’s going to be a marathon, not a sprint..!