Gary Johnson: Torquay United must not panic after dropping off top spot

Gary Johnson's Torquay United side have lost just six league games all season

Torquay United boss Gary Johnson says his team must not panic after dropping off the top of the National League.

The Gulls have won just two of their last nine league games and are third in the table, having led since October.

They are three points behind leaders Sutton United and one behind second-placed Hartlepool United.

"We've still got 19 games to play. It's not to panic right now, if we were in this position with two games to go then you've got to liven up," he said.

"At the moment there's room for improvement with us, the boys that are injured should be back maybe with 10 games to go let's say, so we'll hopefully have a full squad, which is like having five or six first team signings at a very important time."

Torquay have been hit by injuries to senior players such as Dean Moxey, Liam Davis, Gary Warren, Danny Wright and Lucas Covalan.

"Sutton have had a great run, and a very unusual great run considering most teams have got their injuries, they've been able to play more or less the same team, week in week out and that's obviously an advantage, especially if it's a decent team which it is," Johnson told BBC Radio Devon.

"We've got to hang on to their coattails, try and get a little bit closer between us and hopefully by the time we play them in nine games time we'd have picked up enough points to be ahead of them, that's what our focus has got to be.

"But you've got to keep looking where Hartlepool are, where Notts County are, Chesterfield are putting in a run, so there's more teams than just Sutton in the race."