Gary Johnson: Torquay United boss frustrated with injuries

Gary Johnson has been Torquay United manager for four-and-a-half years

Torquay United manager Gary Johnson says a lengthy injury list has hampered his side's bid to move away from the National League's relegation places.

The third-from-bottom Gulls are six points from safety and have won just one of their last eight games.

But they have seen influential players such as Aaron Jarvis, Dean Moxey, Asa Hall and Dylan Crowe missing with injury in recent weeks.

"It is frustrating of course it is," Johnson told BBC Sport.

"When you have a small squad it's very difficult to keep them 100% Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday.

"We have been unlucky in that injury sense. If you look at the lads that have been out like Jarvis, we've got Dean Moxey out, Dylan Crowe's out, Tom Lapslie was out for a little while.

"We never seem to get a good run with all our top players in. It'd be great if we could get that first team onto the pitch for the remainder of this season and then I think we'd probably see a difference."

Torquay have nine games left to try and avoid a repeat of 2018 when the club was relegated to National League South.

Former Bristol City, Yeovil and Cheltenham boss Johnson took over the Gulls in September 2018 after three wins in their opening nine matches in National League South and led them to the title that season before reaching the National League promotion final two years later.

"At the minute because of all the changes we're not consistent and until we can get consistency that's the time when you start getting a run of good games," Johnson added.

"We haven't played bad, I don't think anyone can say that the lads have not given 100%, no-one can say that we've been absolutely slaughtered in a game and looked the worst team, we've just let in more goals than our opposition on several occasions.

"But I don't think the lads have lost any hope, we certainly haven't as the staff and I know a lot of the supporters are very much behind what we're trying to do - some aren't but that's the situation we're in and we understand that.

"But we've got to give it a right go and that's the thing you've got to do now, you've got to get a run of games together now to pick up points now so you don't leave it too late."