Full-strength Torquay United all set for the Christmas football programme

Torquay United are set to tackle their key Christmas and New Year programme with the strongest squad that manager Paul Wotton has enjoyed since the start of the season.

The Gulls, pipped for the National League South title on goal-difference last Spring, have weathered two bouts of serious injury problems to be up with the promotion pace again.

They briefly topped the table ten days ago, before results elsewhere and a surprise 2-1 home defeat by Tonbridge Angels last Saturday saw Hornchurch regain the leadership and United in third place ahead of the meeting of Weston-super-Mare (4th) and Worthing (2nd) at Weston last night (Tues).

Wotton has been forced into the transfer market for several loan signings, including current young starlets Sonny Sharples-Ahmed (Bolton Wanderers) and Kieran Wilson (Exeter City).

He was still without Munashe Sundire (hamstring op) and Cody Cooke (pelvic injury), plus ‘sanctioned’ duo Callum Dolan and Matt Worthington, for the Tonbridge match.

That was the last of four games that Dolan and Worthington were declared ‘unavailable’ for after an off-the-pitch incident.

But the good news is that both Dolan and Worthington have now resumed training with the Gulls, even if Worthington is still recovering from an injury and isn’t likely to be back in match action for another couple of games.

Centre-forward Cooke, 32, has been out, missing United’s last 12 matches, since early October.

But he had already resumed training until a sickness bug ruled him out of contention at the end of last week.

There’s every hope that Cooke and Dolan will be available for selection by the time Torquay go to AFC Totton on Saturday week (Dec 20).

The holiday programme sees them meet Weston at Plainmoor on Boxing Day, then Bath City (Dec 30) and Dover Athletic (Jan 3), both away.

But United could well tackle that spell with only Sundire still out.

The current ‘free’ fortnight, because United are out of the FA Trophy, may be a frustration for Wotton.

And the Gulls’ boss does say: “I would definitely have preferred a game.

“We did try to rearrange a league game, but without success.”

But United’s league position won’t be worsened any further this weekend, even though they’re not playing.

Of the top 13 clubs in the NLS, everyone is in Trophy Third Round action on Saturday except Torquay and Maidenhead United.