“The problem he has got is proving to be more difficult to relieve him of pain than we thought"

Torquay United manager Jimmy Ball expects to have Jake Wannell back for Saturday’s big home game against National League South leaders Maidstone United – but there is still a question mark over Sonny Blu Lo-Everton.

Central defender Wannell was on the bench as the Gulls laboured to an FA Cup exit against Oxford City on Saturday – but should be fit to make a return to the team this weekend when Torquay welcome Maidstone to Plainmoor for a third home game on the spin.

While Wannell has been away, centre-backs Oludare Olufunwa and Luke Browne have done well, but Wannell’s experience has been missed. In midfield, things have not been clicking without Lo-Everton, who was last year’s Player of the Season, and must be odds-on for the same honour this time around.

The Gulls are 13th in the National League South going into this weekend's big game – with pressure mounting on the manager to turn things around. But Maidstone will be a tough nut to crack – sitting at the top of the table, like they are, with eight wins from their 12 games. Torquay have just four wins from 11 games.

“Jake will be available for selection, if selected, and I won’t know about Sonny Blu until Wednesday or Thursday this week,” said Ball, ahead of Tuesday night’s Devon FA St Luke’s Bowl second round game against Holsworthy at Plainmoor.

Ball will have used that game to get some minutes into players’ legs – and there will have been some time on the pitch for a few of the club’s youth players. But it was looking unlikely that Lo-Everton would get an outing against the North Devon team.

Ball explained: “The problem he has got is proving to be more difficult to relieve him of pain than we thought – and it’s causing a few people to scratch their heads, medical professionals.

“Everything we have done to help him, a lot of people are scratching their heads as to why he’s still in so much pain – but we are working on it very, very hard because he’s an excellent player.”

And what does the manager expect from leaders Maidstone? “Similar to today: no nonsense defending, aggressive mentality in how they attack and how they run through midfield,” said Ball.

“Similar to today and we have got to be better. We have got to stand up and win the fight and the few times we have done that this season we have won. And we have got to do it every game. We have got to turn up every game.”

In Monday night’s draw for the first round proper of the FA Cup, Oxford ended up getting Leicester City at home!