LEAGUE 2 Torquay United 1 Wycombe Wanderers 2
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- Created on Wednesday, 27 February 2013 09:28
- Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 February 2013 14:20
- Published on Tuesday, 26 February 2013 09:28
Torquay United interim manager Alan Knill will bid to strengthen the plummeting Gulls ahead of Saturday's crunch match at third from bottom Accrington Stanley.
Bereft of midfield dynamo Lee Mansell and central defender Aaron Downes (hamstring) United lost 2-1 at home to Gareth Ainsworth-inspired Wycombe Wanderers last night.
Torquay have tumbled to 20th in the 24-team League Two table following seven successive defeats.
With Downes set to miss out for two to three weeks, Knill's priority in the loan market will be to find an experienced central defender before Saturday as talismanic skipper Mansell (pictured) is likely to be fit.
Pro-active Knill also wants to create more competition within the squad in the hope it will act as a catalyst to turnaround Torquay's season.
After last night's defeat he said: "I just feel we need experience but we could not get anyone in before the game but will continue to look until Downesy is fit and it's important we have competition for that position as well.
"We lost Manse through illness and had to reshuffle the team.
"I just think we need game changers, off-the-bench game changers."
Wycombe's off-the-bench game changer was 39-year-old player-manager Ainsworth, a 50th minute substitute introduction.
The former QPR playmaker crossed for Matt McClure's 81st minute winner and also played a major role in Sam Wood's 76th minute leveller as Wanderers halted a three-match losing streak.
Ryan Jarvis scored Torquay's first goal in four games in the 37th minute after some wing wizardry from Wales U21 international Billy Bodin.
It ended Torquay-nil quips but when United experienced midfielder Craig Easton (calf) was forced off on 65 minutes, the door opened for playmaker Ainsworth to take centre stage, albeit down the right wing, for Wanderers.
SWSN star Gareth Ainsworth
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