TT PREVIEW
Steve Harris – @steveharris84
MATCH DETAILS
Match details: Torquay United vs Tonbridge Angels
Competition: National League South
Venue: Plainmoor
Date: Saturday 6th December 2025
Kick-off: 3pm
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Torquay: 2
Draw: 1
Tonbridge: 2
CURRENT FORM (LAST 6)
Torquay (W5 – D0 – L1):
W 3-1 Farnborough A
W 2-1 Maidenhead United A
L 0-2 Maidstone United H (FA Trophy)
W 7-0 Eastbourne Borough H
W 3-2 Worthing H
W 2-0 Chelmsford City A
Tonbridge (W1 – D1 – L4):
L 0-1 Hornchurch H
D 1-1 Bath City A
L 0-4 Worthing H (FA Trophy) H
L 0-1 Chippenham Town A
W 3-0 Hampton and Richmond Borough A
L 1-3 Hemel Hempstead Town H
TOP GOAL-SCORERS
Torquay: Jordan Young (12)
Tonbridge Angels: Eddie Simon (4)
ANGELS FACT FILE
Year founded: 1947 (as Tonbridge)
Nickname: The Angels
Last season’s league finish: 17th in National League South
Tonbridge Angels notable honours:
National Step Three Super Play-off winners: 2018-19
Isthmian Premier Division Play-off winners: 2018-19
MANAGER – ALAN DUNNE
Alan Dunne arrived at the Yeomans Stadium after working as assistant manager to Andy Woodman at Bromley.
Prior to that, the 43-year-old earned cult status at Millwall where he played almost 400 senior games. Joining the youth set up, he rose through the ranks to become first team captain.
After a spell at Leyton Orient, he joined Bromley in 2017 where he made 38 appearances before being promoted into Andy Woodman’s management team.
He was Woodman’s assistant from 2021-25, during which time Bromley won promotion into the EFL in the 2023-24 campaign.
PLAYER PROFILE – ALFIE PAVEY
Experienced forward Alfie Pavey joined the Angels on loan from Bracknell Town in October 2025 until the end of the 2025-26 campaign. Alfie spent his formative years at Maidstone, where he scored 300-odd goals in youth football, before joining Millwall on a two-year scholarship as a 19-year-old. He went on to make six EFL appearances for the Lions, spending several loans before joining Dartford in 2017, from whom he had spent one of those loan spells.
His time at Dartford was massively successful, scoring 22 times in 38 appearances, winning the National League South Player of the Year award and earning him a move into the National League with Havant and Waterlooville. After further spells in the National League with Dover, Barnet and Braintree Town, he found his scoring boots again at Farnborough in the South, quickly earning him a move to Woking.
Last season was another successful one, this time at Eastbourne, scoring six times before starting this season at Bracknell Town.
PLAYER STATS:
Position: Striker
DOB: 02/10/95
Height: 1.86m
Previous Club: Bracknell
NLS Stats 25/26: Appearances: 8, Goals 0, Assists 0, Yellow/Red Cards 1/0
OLD BOYS
Torquay: None
Tonbridge: None
LAST MEETING
Last meeting: Saturday 8th March 2025, Tonbridge Angels 0 Torquay United 1
Torquay United made it back-to-back wins on their travels for the first time since August 2024, as they followed up their midweek success at Chippenham Town with victory over Tonbridge Angels.
Jordan Young took his tally for the season to ten in the 35th minute, which ultimately proved to be the difference for the Gulls against the Angels, who saw manager Jay Saunders dismissed late on, and they remain in sixth placed – just four behind leaders Worthing.
For the third game in a row, United manager Paul Wotton named an unchanged starting XI, as Offrande Zanzala shrugged off the knock that he sustained whilst netting the Gulls’ second goal against Chippenham Town in midweek. However, there was a change on the bench – as left-back
Jay Foulston returned from injury to take the place of leading scorer Cody Cooke. Former United loanees Ronny Nelson and Jack Wood lined up for the Angels.
In the opening exchanges, the Gulls conceded a corner on four minutes, which was cleared away by Sam Dreyer following a scramble in the penalty area. On 14 minutes, Young looked to tee up Lirak Hasani for a chance, but Angels keeper Matt Rowley snuffed out the danger. Wood, who made four appearances for the Gulls early in the campaign on loan from Southend United, got the better of the Gulls’ backline and went close for the Angels in the 16th minute with a shot that drifted wide.
The game was paused briefly on 28 minutes following a clash of heads between Hasani and Tonbridge Angels’ Mikey Berry. Berry was later replaced by Mo Dabre. Once play resumed, Hasani picked out Zanzala in the 32nd minute – but he was adjudged to have been in an offside position.
United took the lead on 35 minutes after a cross from Matt Carson was deflected into the path of Matt Jay, whose shot hit the post and rebounded invitingly to Young, who curled home his tenth goal of the campaign. Three minutes before the break, Zanzala looked well placed to score a second for the Gulls, but he was denied by Tonbridge defender Jamie Fielding.
Early in the second half, Angels leading scorer Sean Shields went close for the hosts, with a shot which clipped the outside of the post on 48 minutes. In the 53rd minute, Zanzala went down in the penalty area – but was adjudged to have dived by referee Dan England and received a yellow card.
Eight minutes later, the Gulls forced their first corner of the match as Carson saw his cross turned behind. From the resulting delivery, Matt Jay had a shot blocked on the line by Liam Vincent before Angels keeper Matt Rowley palmed the ball away to keep United at bay. On 79 minutes, Dabre went down in the box following a challenge from United keeper James Hamon, but referee England waved play on.
With six minutes to go, the Gulls made a double change as Foulston replaced Carson at left-back while club captain Oscar Threlkeld entered the fray in place of Hasani in midfield. Deep in injury time, Hamon made an important save to deny the Angels an equaliser and more drama followed late on, as Angels manager Saunders saw red in the dying stages of the game – but United held on to clinch all three points.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Torquay United (4-2-3-1): James Hamon; Jordan Thomas, Jordan Dyer, Sam Dreyer, Jay Foulston; Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, Dan Hayfield; Jordan Young, Matt Jay, Dylan Morgan; Louis Dennis
Tonbridge Angels (3-5-2): Laurence Shala; Kyle Smith, Arthur Penney, Ethan Sutcliffe; Nazir Bakrin, Bailey Akehurst, Matthew Warren, Alfie Pavey, Bradley Williams; Tom Leahy, Brody Peart
COYY – STEVE
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