ON THIS DAY

2020 – United thrash Yeovil at Plainmoor

Prior to the 2019-20 campaign, Torquay United and Yeovil Town had only played in the same league as each once – in Division Three during the 2003-04 season. The Gulls, of course, won promotion under Leroy Rosenior in 2003-04 before they were relegated from the newly re-branded League One after just one season. Meanwhile, the Glovers, who had won promotion to the Football League in 2002-03 under Gary Johnson, won the League Two title in 2004-05 and bypassed the Gulls in the process.

Fast forward to 2019, and Yeovil’s tenure as a Football League club finally came to an end in the 2018-19 season, whilst the Gulls, now managed by Johnson, won the National League South title – ensuring they would be in the same division as each other for the first time in 16 years.

On Boxing Day, the Glovers smashed United 6-2 at Huish Park before winning the return fixture 2-0 at Plainmoor on New Year’s Day 2020, before the 2019-20 campaign was curtailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When they met again on Boxing Day 2020, in front of a Covid restricted crowd of 1,323, the Gulls were firmly in the driving seat for promotion, while the Glovers were in mid-table.

United started brightly and were ahead in the fifth minute when Armani Little curled a home free-kick from the edge of the box, after he had been felled by Yeovil’s Charlie Lee. Four minutes later, Danny Wright doubled the Gulls’ lead when he turned home a Ben Whitfield cross with an angled effort to score his eighth goal of the campaign.

On 21 minutes, United further extended their lead when a downward header from Sam Sherring, following a corner from Connor Lemonheigh-Evans, took a deflection off Lee before finding the back of the net. Unfortunately, Little’s afternoon ended prematurely as he limped off in the 34th minute and was replaced by Josh Umerah.

Umerah then played a key role in the Gulls’ fourth as he kept the ball in play on the right-hand side, which enabled Aaron Nemane to race through and score while the Glovers’ defence were expecting a goal kick to be given. In the 39th minute, Wright was also forced to exit the field to play and Jake Andrews took his place. Early in the second half, Yeovil reduced their arrears on 49 minutes after Albi Skendi bundled home following a goal mouth scramble. United restored their four-goal cushion four minutes later when Nemane fed Whitfield on the left, and his low cross found Lemonheigh-Evans who flicked home his fourth of the season.

With seven minutes to go, Kyle Cameron added the Gulls’ sixth as he nodded home a free-kick from Jake Andrews, as United gave their fans the perfect late Christmas present as they strengthened their lead at top of the National League. It was also the Gulls’ biggest ever win over the Glovers, who won the return fixture at Huish Park on New Year’s Day 2021 2-1. United and Yeovil would meet again on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns, with the Gulls’ record reading won two, drawn one and lost one.