FC Halifax 2 Torquay 3: Burrow’s double fails to do trick for Halifax

FC Halifax Town manager Neil Aspin described his side’s defending as “diabolical” after they were beaten at The Shay.
Neil Aspin.Neil Aspin.
Neil Aspin.

Halifax are still without a point in the National League after a third consecutive defeat, with all three of Torquay’s goals coming through poor Halifax defending.

Aspin said: “It’s possibly the most disappointing of the three games, because we’ve scored two goals and still lost. You’d have to say again it was diabolical defending for the goals.

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“If you score two goals at home you’d expect to be getting something from the game, so it’s very disappointing. I’m down at the moment and we’ve got a difficult game on Tuesday (at Tranmere).

“We keep shooting ourselves in the foot with the goals we’re conceding.”

Angus MacDonald’s looping header gave Torquay the lead straight from Exodus Geohaghon’s uncontested long-throw, although Halifax hit back minutes later when Jordan Burrow prodded in Josh Macdonald’s free-kick.

Halifax’s defending got worse from Dan Butler’s free-kick and James Hurst turned the ball in.

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The half-time introduction of Connor Hughes sparked Halifax into life and his low cross was tapped in by Burrow.

Hughes’s low shot was kept out by Fabien Spiess, but Alex Fisher was left unmarked to convert a cut-back from the right after MacDonald had hit the bar from another long throw.

Jake Hibbs saw a late free-kick curl wide before Bayan Fenwick was sent-off for in stoppage time.

FC Halifax Town: Glennon, Bolton, Hutchison, Bencherif, McManus, Macdonald (Hughes 46), James, Hibbs, Tuton, Burrow, Bishop (Hattersley 62). Unused substitutes: Porter, Whitehouse, Roberts.

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Torquay United: Spiess, Hurst (Fenwick 55), MacDonald, Geohaghon, Butler, Briscoe (Fairhurst 59), Carmichael, Richards, Fisher, Smith, Quigley (Lavelle-Moore 77). Unused substitutes: Marsh, Murombedzi.

Referee: I Hussin (Merseyside).

Man of the match: Jordan Burrow.