On Saturday August 29th Hampton & Richmond Borough take the trip down to Devon to take on Torquay United.
Last time out the Beavers welcomed fans back to Beveree this season after a summer of renovations and it was a blockbuster of a show, winning 5-3 against Slough Town after conceding 3 in six minutes only to score three times in the 85th, 91st and 97th minutes.
HRBFC now have their first win after four matches, and the last time the team scored five was in April 2025, but it still leaves the Beavers towards the bottom of the table in 21st with 13 goals conceded.
Saturday’s opponent’s Torquay find themselves in 13th after one win, two draws and a defeat in their opening four matches, most recently falling to Dagenham & Redbridge 0-2 away from home.
Despite an underwhelming start given the Gulls ambitions to return to the National League, they have recruited well to give them the best chance at improving on last season’s third-placed finish.
There are already a host of weapons at manager Jimmy Ball’s disposal:
Louis Dennis: After signing from then-league Two Bromley in the summer, experienced forward Dennis went on to score 15 goals and add a further six assists in 38 league games in his first season at Plainmoor.
Deon Moore: Ball’s first signing in March 2026, he continued his fine form from Maidstone with four goals in eight league games, adding a further four in two games in the playoffs.
Dylan Morgan: The dangerous winger registered 13 goals and three assists last campaign, including this screamer against the Beavers on our last visit to Plainmoor.
Sonny Blu Lo-Everton: The creative midfielder won United’s player of the season award, and players’ player of the season for his performances which included five goals and seven assists, as well as two more assists in the playoffs.
The new recruits of Isaac Westendorf and Callum Morton only add to Ball’s arsenal.
Born in Germany, Westendorf has played in Malta, as well as the Irish and Northern Irish leagues, even featuring in both Champions League and Europa Conference League qualifying ties for Larne FC.
Morton, 26, already has a wealth of experience from League’s One and Two, playing 62 times for Fleetwood Town in the former scoring nine goals and seven assists in the former and 51 appearances in the latter, scoring nine goals and two assists. Overall in his career he has made 151 league appearances and scored 43 goals. However, the hometown boy hasn’t made more than 15 league appearances in a season since the 22/23 season.
Our last visit to Plainmoor was a 4-1 defeat in one of Alan Dowson’s first since his return, but despite the scoreline it was a decent away performance, with all four Torquay goals coming from great finishes.
In our last ten matches against the south coast side Torquay has come away with five wins but two of our three wins have come at Plainmoor, most lately returning to TW12 with all three points in January 2025.
Let’s hope we add a fourth this Saturday before returning to Beveree to face Maidstone on August 31st!
Get your tickets for the Maidstone match HERE!