BY LAURA HOWARD
Hampton & Richmond will look to extend their winning record to five games on the bounce as they take on Torquay United on Saturday.
Torquay currently sit ahead of the Beavers, inside the play-off places in sixth position. Just one point separates the two sides, however, with Hampton & Richmond climbing the table at a rate of knots to now sit in ninth.
The Beavers boast the second-best form in the league, only behind league leaders Yeovil Town, with 12 points from their last five games. Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over Worthing extended the winning run to four games in total.
Meanwhile Torquay’s midweek clash saw them defeated on the road by Weston-Super-Mare. They suffered a 3-2 defeat at Woodspring Stadium.
The Gulls have picked up just six points from their last five matches having won two and lost three. With the Beavers catching up in the league, they could move ahead of their opponents and into third place should they take all three points.
Both teams’ top scorers were once more on the scoresheet in their Tuesday matches. Torquay feature the league’s joint third top scorer, Aaron Jarvis, who brought his tally to an impressive seven league goals for the season.
The Beavers’ very own Ben Seymour also pushed his way onto the goalscoring charts with a brace against Worthing and which puts him on five league goals this season. He will hope to bring this form in front of goal into Saturday’s match.
It will be a 400-mile round trip for the Gulls, though it is a journey that has never phased them before, having won both previous contests with Hampton & Richmond at Beveree Stadium.
The sides have met four times in total in their history, Hampton have had more luck on the road with a win and a draw in their other two matches against Torquay.
Most recently, the Beavers suffered a 2-1 defeat in the replay of an FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying tie in 2022. They had held the Torquay to a 2-2 draw away at Plainmoor, goals coming from Jake Gray and Temi Babalola.
Torquay boast a long history in the football league which inevitably brings with it an association with a few big names. Former managers include the likes of Neil Warnock and Bruce Rioch, notable for bringing Dennis Bergkamp to these shores.
The Gulls have also had six trips to Wembley in their 124 years of existence, but surely no venue can top a trip to Beveree Stadium.
Regardless, the Bev will be waiting to welcome the Gulls on Saturday and home fans will be hopeful they can watch a fifth victory in a row for Hampton & Richmond. GRAB YOUR TICKETS NOW, CLICK HERE