TT PREVIEW
Steve Harris – @steveharris84
MATCH DETAILS
Match details: Torquay United vs Ebbsfleet United
Competition: National League South
Venue: Plainmoor
Date: Saturday 20th September 2025
Kick-off: 3pm
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Torquay: 4
Draw: 2
Ebbsfleet: 3
CURRENT FORM (LAST 6)
Torquay (W2 – D1 – L3):
L 1-2 Horsham A
W 3-2 Dover Athletic H
L 1-2 Hemel Hempstead Town A
D 2-2 Hampton and Richmond A
W 4-2 Slough Town H
L 0-2 AFC Totton A (FA Cup)
Ebbsfleet (W2 – D3 – L1):
W 1-0 Chippenham Town H
D 1-1 Bath City H
L 2-3 Hampton and Richmond Borough A
D 0-0 Hemel Hempstead Town A
D 1-1 Hornchurch H
W 5-0 Ashford H (FA Cup)
TOP GOAL-SCORERS
Torquay: Jordan Young (5)
Ebbsfleet: Josh Coley/Toby Edser (2)
EBBSFLEET FACT FILE
Year founded: 1946 (as Gravesend & Northfleet)
Nickname: The Fleet
Last season’s league finish: 24th in the National League
Slough Town notable honours:
FA Trophy:
Winners: 2007-08
National League South:
Champions: 2022-23
Isthmian League:
Champions: 2001-02
Southern League:
Champions: 1957-58
MANAGER – JAKE WRIGHT
A Fleet midfielder who made the step up into management in December 2024 following the departure of Harry Watling, having served one game previously as caretaker manager earlier that season, he stopped his playing career to focus solely on his new management role.
As a player, he amassed more than 400 games in the EFL and signed for the Fleet from Billericay Town in summer 2022. A former Charlton Athletic and England international youth who spent two seasons in the Championship with Scunthorpe United, he also played for Millwall, Leyton Orient, Gillingham, Southend United, Bradford City and Crawley Town.
He won promotion with the Fleet in his first campaign as a player and took over the captain’s armband in 2023/24, making just shy of 100 appearances for the club before his move into the dugout.
PLAYER PROFILE – MAX EHMER
German-born centre-back who arrived at the Kuflink Stadium in summer 2025 having played almost 600 senior games, with nine of the last 10 seasons at Priestfield, making him the record appearance holder this century for the Gills. Ehmer came through QPR’s youth system, making his Championship debut in 2013.
Before that, he had gained plenty of loan experience elsewhere in the EFL with Yeovil Town in 2010/11, where he was a teammate of United boss Paul Wotton, and later Preston North End, Stevenage and Carlisle United. Team captain at the Gills from 2017, he was a permanent fixture in the side for a decade.
He had a season at Bristol Rovers in League One in 2020/21 but returned to skipper the Gills once more after that.
PLAYER STATS – Position: Centre Back, DOB: 03/02/92, Height: 1.88m, Previous Club: Gillingham
NLS Stats 25/26: Appearances: 7, Goals 0, Assists 0, Yellow/Red Cards 1/0
OLD BOYS
Torquay: None
Ebbsfleet: Ronny Nelson
LAST MEETING
Saturday 25th January 2020, Torquay United 0 Ebbsfleet United 0
Despite conceding 117 goals between them in the 2019-20 campaign, Torquay United and Ebbsfleet United played out a goalless draw at Plainmoor.
Both sides cancelled each other out in the opening exchanges before Torquay finally managed to carve out an opportunity in the 25th minute, as a counter attacking move ended with Ben Whitfield curling a low shot wide from the edge of the penalty area. Whitfield missed the target again for the Gulls on 39 minutes when he headed a Joe Lewis cross into the side netting from point blank range.
Four minutes later, Ebbsfleet went close as leading scorer Gozie Ugwu saw a long range effort turned behind for a corner by Torquay keeper Lucas Covolan. A minute later, Fleet had a penalty appeal turned down, following a challenge on John Goddard by Gulls’ left-back Jackson Longridge that resulted in Goddard being booked for diving by referee Lewis Smith.
In the second half, Longridge looked well placed to pick out Jamie Reid with a cross from the left for the hosts, but Fleet keeper David Gregory was able to smother it on 52 minutes. In the 62nd minute, Josh Umerah appeared to be through on goal for the visitors – however United’s on loan central defender Gary Warren rushed back in time to clear.
The Gulls finally breached the Ebbsfleet backline on 78 minutes as Reid raced through on goal, but he was denied by the reflexes of Gregory. Two minutes later, it was the hosts’ turn to have a penalty appeal turned out after sub Jake Andrews appeared to have been felled – as the game ended in stalemate.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Torquay United (4-2-3-1): James Hamon; Denzel Akyeampong, Jordan Dyer, Sam Dreyer, Jay Foulston; Matt Worthington, Keane Anderson; Jordan Young, Louis Dennis, Dylan Morgan; Cody Cooke
Ebbsfleet United (3-5-2): Mark Cousins; Mustapha Olagunju, Max Ehmer, Jamie Fielding; Charlie Seaman, Jake Hessenthaler, Toby Edser, Ben Chapman, Ben Coker; Josh Coley, Aaron Cosgrave
COYY – STEVE
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