TALKING POINTS

Dom Roman – @DomRoman

Dom discusses the home win

A STRONG PERFORMANCE ALL ROUND

In the end there were some nerves at Plainmoor as Ebbsfleet knocked on the door in the second half of Saturday’s encounter, but my overriding feeling walking out of the ground from Bristow’s was contentment at a strong all-round performance from the Gulls.

We’ve scored more goals in previous games, but we’ve also been soft defensively and showed weaknesses that were not often evident last season. This 90 minutes was much more focused and concentrated in denying Ebbsfleet chances. For much of the game we were in charge territorially as well, and on another day United would have been 2 or 3 nil up by the time the away team gathered themselves in the 2nd half.

There was determination all round the park, and the reward was 3 points and an elusive clean sheet, Paul Wotton would have been very pleased with both.

BETTER AT THE BACK

There was initially some wobbles at the back and Sam Dreyer handed Ebbsfleet a sight of goal that could have altered the outlook of the entire game. But once the defence had settled in, the organisation and efficiency was similar to what we saw regularly in 2024/25, and that could be vital as the team looks to find consistency.

Jay Foulston and Sam Dreyer both had their best games of the season, winning challenges, pushing forward when the opportunity arose and getting the Gulls on the front foot. Jordan Dyer also looked more comfortable, let’s hope those 3 can use this as a springboard as we head further into the season.

At right back Denzel Akyeampong clearly enjoys a battle, and his tigerish tackles kept Ebbsfleet’s winger at bay. Maybe I’m being greedy but I’d like to see more attacking overlap from the full back (not enough came down that right hand side), but overall a good job from the defender.

DOLAN SHOWS HIS CLASS

As we awaited his return from injury, I don’t think there has been any doubts that Callum Dolan would be good enough for this level of football. If not for injuries he’d be playing at a much higher level, and on his return to the side, he showed plenty of those qualities.

It was an interesting decision from PW to position him on the left of Cody Cooke and in the early minutes Callum looked a little puzzled about where to be. But once involved, the sparkle was definitely there. Composed touches, unhurried pieces of skill, careful prompting and a low drilled cross that found Jordan Young perfectly for the goal. He dovetailed well with Louis Dennis in particular and left the field to deserved acclaim in the 2nd half.

Can we keep the midfielder fit? I hope so, CD can bring an awful lot to this Torquay United team.

LOUIS IS A KEY MAN

Speaking of players who bring a lot to the team takes me neatly onto Louis Dennis, and I thought our number 7 was terrific on Saturday afternoon.

Louis has game intelligence and just knows where to be around the football field. Finding space to help his team mates, he caused Ebbsfleet all sorts of problems, and the performance really deserved a goal. Had Cody Cooke found him darting into space rather than shooting, then I think he’d have had it. Thankfully no harm was done!

Dennis also possesses a delicate first touch and loves nothing more than nutmegging an incoming defender, oh and he can play left, right, central…and is strong defensively to boot. Key Man? I should coco!

A MARKER FOR AWAY DAYS

Saturday’s performance included some important attributes I want to see in our away fixtures.

Let’s start with defensive resilience and organisation. Keep things tight and allow your attack the chance to strike first – minimize the defensive mishaps and do your jobs on set pieces.

Aggressive pressing. Ebbsfleet were clearly ruffled by our work rate in this area (until a drop off in the last 20). Often two or three players pressurised the Ebbsfleet defence and possession was won on numerous occasions in their half. We can definitely be braver and do more of this on our travels.

Finally we need to find the positive mindset we have at Plainmoor. We should be looking forward to an away day battle and relish the chance of going for 3 points. That’s what proper teams do.

The squad is getting fitter and with valuable bench options now available, so I’m hoping in two weeks time we can consign our miserable away form to the bin and give the Yellow Army an enjoyable trip to Salisbury.

I have a lot of belief in this squad, maybe just maybe October will be the time when it all clicks…