Torquay United impress in beating Exeter City

Gary Johnson said Torquay United are now looking forward to a 'nice and smiley, hard-working week' after beating Exeter City 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. It was an unusually competitive game for a pre-season friendly with both managers treating it like a league game. And it felt like a league game with Torquay giving as good as they got against City, who won promotion to League One last season.

In Tuesday night's game against a League One team - Plymouth Argyle - Torquay were second best for most of the evening and lost 5-0. This time, things were different from the off. It was lively. There were tough tackles and no holds barred. They were face-offs and lots for the referee to think about. But there was sublime football too - and the midfielder gelled well with Ryan Hanson having his best game so far.

Impressing too was loan striker Will Goodwin, who alongside Corie Andrews up front, was strong and picked out some neat passes. Mark Halstead, whose confidence was shot in the second half against Argyle, played a blinder, making save after save. In the end it was Brett McGavin who struck when the midfielder pounced on a loose ball in the box after Scott Brown had only managed to parry a good Dean Moxey header.

Johnson, who will take his team to Bolitho Park in Plymouth next weekend to play a final pre-season friendly against Truro City of the Southern League, said: "You are always pleased for the boys when you get a result against a strong team. It is their last game before the first League One game.

"We were disappointed with ourselves. I said to you last week I put on the board that we'll get better. And I will point it out to them again and say 'same level and we won one-nil'.

"I thought there was a lot of effort that