Maidstone survive Storm Austen to bring a point back from Devon, as Frankie Hvid scores at both ends. Report by Tom Rogers. Picture by Helen Cooper.

TORQUAY UNITED 1 MAIDSTONE UNITED 1

The Stones battled the elements and took a deserved point from Plainmoor in a game where the weather prevented either side taking control. After scoring an unfortunate own goal, Frankie Hvid made amends deep into the second half with an excellent header to get the Stones level and earn the point which kept Craig Fagan’s side top of the table going into Tuesday night’s Kent Derby.

On our previous visit to Torquay, a wonderfully inquisitive, and not at all nosey, bastard challenged my belief that there isn’t a lot to do down in Torquay. So, this time I put my money where my mouth was and stayed in the land that time forgot to further inspect the home of Basil Fawlty. Our friend at Devon Live will be pleased to know that it was actually alright. I wasn’t brave enough to stay in one of the many hotels which seem to serve as inspiration for Fawlty Towers, and are endless in the town. However, I am pleased to announce that Torquay is no longer in my bottom four on the ‘Places I’d want to live in the National South’ table.

The game itself was just about playable. The extreme winds from Storm Austen which went against us in the first half, then with us in the second, had a major impact on the game. The pitch was close to waterlogged, and had it been any other grass pitch in the league, it would have been unplayable.

Neither side established control in the opening exchanges. Torquay’s balls over the top often skidded out of play, with gusts of wind carrying them far out of the reach of Deon Moore. We also struggled, with Lenny Holden’s clearances being thwarted by the wind. A long goal kick would be caught in the wind, swirl high in the air and then drop short of the halfway line, making it almost impossible for us to clear our lines directly. Playing out across the ground was difficult too. The pitch was heavy and sticky, meaning balls out wide to the likes of Leone Gravata would slow down, bringing the attack to a snail’s pace and making it impossible to beat a full back because the ball became so heavy in the wet ground it was like dribbling a bowling ball.

Torquay took the lead midway through the first half. Harry Shield put in a teasing ball from the right-hand side towards Moore in the centre. Frankie Hvid, back in the team in place of a suspended Leo Hamblin, did well to get across but made a hash of his clearance, hooking the ball back onto his outstretched hand and deflecting it into an empty net past a helpless Holden. Had it not gone in it would almost certainly have been a penalty.

Less than five minutes later the Gulls did have a penalty. Shield did brilliantly once more, controlling a Toby Savin goal kick on the right and gliding past Dermi Lusala before sending a piercing ball across the pitch to find Matt Jay in space inside the area. As George Fowler looked to make up the ground, he sent Jay to the ground in what looked like a coming together rather than a cynical trip. At this stage, as I sat in the freezing, wind battered away end, I thought ‘fuck this’ and was expecting a 4-0 hiding, followed by an atrocious trek through rural A-roads home in the dark. Holden, however, made an excellent save to keep the score at 1-0. Cody Cooke’s penalty was well struck but at a comfortable height for the keeper to get down to his left and parry it away.

The second-half was equally weather affected, however, the wind was with the Stones which made for a welcome advantage. Holden made a couple more excellent saves: first getting down well to palm away a Matt Jay cross-cum-shot a few minutes into the half before beating away a Deon Moore effort after a promising Torquay counterattack.

Finally, a much-needed leveller arrived. Riley Court’s initial ball was a poor one, but Cooke shanked his clearance at the front post, putting the height and pace on the delivery needed to find Hvid at the back post. He out-jumped Tyler Hill to send a looping header into the Torquay net and restore parity.

As the game ticked towards its conclusion Ryan Hanson and Court both overhit freekicks from semi-promising areas as we searched for a winner. For a game that could have so easily slipped away when Torquay had their penalty, a point was a decent result. It’s impossible to judge a side’s performance in a game made unique by challenging conditions. One thing I’d like to add is that, although it was cold, wet and miserable, the matchday experience was significantly enhanced by sitting sat within earshot of the fan who kept offering insights like “we need to drop Riley Court to teach him a lesson” and “Stan Leech is lazy and I can’t stand him”.