Match: Torquay United vs Hampton & Richmond Borough.
Score: Torquay won 4-1 after comeback.
Goals: Scored by four different Torquay players.
Aaron Lacey’s goal for Hampton in the 20th minute was a shock to Torquay, who had dominated the game for extended stretches of time. However, Callum Dolan tied the score before halftime, and the outstanding Sonny Blu Lo-Everton scored early in the second half before Jordan Young and Dylan Morgan joined in.
Fans were watching Salisbury, where leaders Worthing were playing, since there were just four games in the National League South this afternoon. Surprisingly, it was 5-4 there, which means Torquay, who are currently in third place, has cut the lead to three points.
Fit-again Matt Worthington was given a start by manager Paul Wotton, while Lo-Everton advanced to the No. 10 spot behind Louis Dennis. Matt Jay was therefore on the bench of replacements. Worthington returned, but Sam Dreyer kept the captain’s armband.
Torquay got off to a terrific start, penetrating forward with nice balls and playing some neat football in the middle of the field. Dolan, in particular, looked lively down the left. Dennis had a fantastic ball down the line that nearly paid off. Junior Dixon used an overhead kick to blast the ball high over James Hamon’s crossbar. Lo-Everton sent the rebound over the bar after goalkeeper Matt Rowley parried a Worthington shot in the sixth minute.
In the twentieth minute, Hampton scored. Lacey was able to redirect the ball into the corner of the net after Alan Massey’s mild free kick into the box was inadequately defended. However, Torquay persisted in controlling the match, and minutes later, Young cut in from the right and missed. With the goalie beaten, Dennis’ cross for Lo-Everton was simply too high. Dennis failed to catch a soaring Dolan cross.
Torquay continued to have a significantly higher possession percentage. In the thirty-second minute, Dennis missed a first-touch sitter from a low Dolan cross. A superb cross from Young went wide for Dennis.
In the 55th minute, Lo-Everton dropped back into midfield as Torquay Wotton substituted Worthington for Cooke after Sam Deadfield’s goal for Hampton went wide. In the 58th minute, Young was hauled down directly on the edge of the box, but the referee ruled it was not a foul. Most likely, it was. After that, Dolan received on-field treatment for an injury. Soon later, Morgan came on for him.
Young found the ball on the left side of the box in the sixty-third minute. The winger hit the ball once with his left foot, but it returned to him after hitting a Hampton stomach. The second strike was outstanding, and Rowley was well beaten as the ball sailed into the far corner.
Cook made a beautiful cross for Dennis in the final five minutes, but it wasn’t the striker’s day, and his header bounced off the bar. Rowley then turned the ball around the post by getting a hand on a Young shot. Young then used a 22-yard free kick to strike the wall. Another Young shot was deflected by a body. When Dennis was called off, he was onside.
They extended it by five minutes. And what a goal Morgan scored to make it 4-1. The winger struck the ball powerfully into Rowley’s net’s far corner from the right side of the area. It was a beautiful goal to finish off the Gulls’ strong showing.
How did Hampton respond tactically after going behind?
Hampton & Richmond Borough failed to mount an effective political response after Torquay United evened and surged ahead in their 4- 1 National League South master at Plainmoor on January 10, 2026, returning to a protective shell that exposed their sides.
Running 1- 0 at the break, Hampton director Tom Bonner introduced attacking mounts around the 55th nanosecond, switching from a compact 4-4-2 to a more aggressive 4-2-3-1 with wide forwards stretching Torquay’s backline.
Hampton’s press intensity dropped markedly after going before, allowing Torquay midfielders clean possession development launches. Negotiations prioritized energy over cohesion, with full- tails pushed high but lacking overlaps, performing in insulated forward holds and 38 alternate- half possession.
