TALKING POINTS

Joe Uglow – @joe_ugs

Joe discusses the key points

1 – GULLS IN THE GOALS!

Paul Wotton got labelled as a bit of a conservative 1-0 manager last season, but it’s safe to say that hasn’t been the case this season, especially at home. United top the goalscoring charts with 18 goals so far, and that must please PW as this looked to be a part of our game he was keen to improve on in the off season. It’s pleasing to see these goals shared around the side as well, with seven different players contributing to that total.

2 – DEFENSIVE FRAGILITY

Whilst we’ve been scoring plenty up one end, we have been lacklustre at keeping them out at the other end. We’re currently ranked 5th worst for most goals conceded, and that will need to improve as we continue the season.

PW tells us that no team has carved us open this season, and that the majority of goals have been mistakes, which should mean sooner rather than later we iron these out and the clean sheets will return. One things for sure, the likes of James Hamon, Sam Dreyer, Jay Foulston & Jordan Dyer are going to need to to cut out their errors if we are to have a chance at the title as we can’t be expected to score three every game.

3 – DENNIS THE MENACE

Eight games in and Louis Dennis looks like the signing of the summer, helped mainly by the fact all but one of the others are injured! But all jokes aside, Dennis has looked a class above the level, and is showing what a coup it was to bring him down to the Bay.

His first half against Slough was a joy to watch, a commanding headed goal and three neat assists. His ability to run in behind and stretch defences as well as being more than comfortable dropping deep to pick the ball up adds an exciting dynamic to our game, and Slough’s defence would have been the most relieved people inside Plainmoor as the teams returned for the second half with Louis on the treatment table.

He’ll be a real loss for our FA cup tie against AFC Totton but keeping Louis fit for our league encounters will be crucial to a successful campaign!

4 – THE TREATMENT TABLE

After a relatively straightforward season for United Physio Regan Miles last season, he’s definitely had his hands full this season. Sonny Fish, Callum Dolan, Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Dylan Morgan, Munashe Sundire have all found themselves requiring treatment for lengthy periods and you’d be hard pushed to find another NLS team where those five wouldn’t walk into their first team.

I’ve seen it mentioned in some circles that we’ve signed injury prone players or training on the 3G pitch has impacted our injury record. Well, we trained on the 3G all last season with relative injury success & two of those injuries are impact injuries so I’m not sure that’s true or fair in honesty. Not to mention the fact that if some of these players, for example Dolan, didn’t have their injury record, then there’s no way he’d be playing at our level.

Having listened to PW’s pre-Totton presser it sounds like Dolan, Morgan & Lo-Everton are well on their way to recovery with Fish not too far behind, so hopefully the end of the crisis is near, despite the disappointing news that Sundire is set to be on the sidelines for 4-6 months.

5 – COMPARING 25/26 TO 24/25

There’s been a fair bit of criticism levelled at Paul Wotton after the first eight games. The pressure certainly is on this season with an increased budget and a promise from the Manager during the pre-season Fans Forum that we would take the game to the opposition more often than not this season. For me, I’ll judge Paul once we have at-least three of those injured players back at his disposal, as I think recently its been a case of just getting through the games any way we can with the personnel available, with substance chosen over style.

We currently sit 4th in the table, with 14 points, 6 points off top spot. That compares with this point last season where we sat 5th with 16 points, 4 points off top spot. So not a million miles away from last season, whilst contending with what is probably one of the worst injury crisis’ we have had since the 2020/21 season. To put that into context, last season at this point Dorking, who were missing 5 or 6 regular starters for lengthy periods, were sat in 13th after 8 games, so to be 4th with everything that has been thrown at us, and players now starting to return from injury is a real positive in my eyes.

6 – JORDAN YOUNG RUNNING DOWN THE WING, SCORING GOALS, MAKES THE TORQUAY SING!

My tip for Top Goalscorer this season has wasted no time in notching five goals in eight games, and looks a sure bet to get 20 by the end of season. We know from last season how lethal Youngy’s left foot is but what’s impressed me most this season is that he’s started using his right foot too! In truth, if Jordan Young did have a decent right foot he’d be playing in League Two, but it’s been refreshing to see him try and go down the wing and whip a ball in with his right now and again, as well as scoring twice with his right too! Being less predictable on his left so much, is only going to help him add to his goal tally.

7 – A PROPER CAPTAIN

How refreshing has it been to have Matt Worthington taking the armband this season. He’s looked to be the leader we missed so much last season, both vocally on the pitch but also more importantly leading by example, getting on the ball and starting the majority of our attacks. So many times last season when the chips were down we would look to our skipper; Oscar Threlkeld, who sadly was more likely to go missing than grab the game by the scruff of the neck and I think we now have that leader in the middle of the park in ‘Worthy’!

8 – NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH UP FOR GRABS (AGAIN)!

Early days but none of the top sides tipped for the title have started on fire.

Hornchurch who recruited really well over the summer have started fantastically, finding themselves top. No team will look forward to visiting the Urchins but you’d like to think they may start to drop points once they suffer an injury or two. Looking at the rest of the Top 7, if you’d asked me at the start of season who else I’d expect to be in there, it would really only be ourselves and Maidenhead.

It looks like it’ll be a very similar table to last season with plenty of teams believing they can win the league, the likes of Ebbsfleet, Chelmsford, Worthing & Dorking are yet to really put a run together, but you know once they do they’ll be in those play off positions. Pre-season favourites Dagenham & Redbridge have struggled to adapt to life in the NLS with many of their fans calling for manager Lee Bradbury to go already, and don’t be surprised if Eastbourne Borough pull the trigger on new manager Matt Gray before long, a rumoured £1million budget current has them sitting rock bottom of the NLS.