Gulls gutted by Evans late show

BRADFORD City substitute Gareth Evans scored a stoppage-time winner to claim an unlikely 2-1 Coca-Cola League Two win for Stuart McCall's Bantams and stun Torquay United and their supporters.

Evans swooped to crash home a nod-down in the box following skipper Simon Ramsden's free-kick from the right, just inside the Torquay half.

The goal was predatory striker Evans' second in eight minutes that changed the complexion of the game, which the home side dominated for long spells without adding to Chris Robertson's 15th-minute opener.

Frustrated Torquay boss Paul Buckle said: "We had to be stronger in the box there at the end. This game is a tough game, we've had it good and I have had it good for a long time and, trust me, this is testing me to the full."

United – who have now lost four of their last five League games – visit Crewe Alexandra in a rescheduled game tomorrow night, with Buckle admitting: "We have to start winning games but we have been very hard done by of late – and I don't normally like hard luck stories.

"We don't look like a team that is struggling, we really don't, and we have just got to remain positive and keep going."

United began the game positively from the outset, with Danny Stevens – who has just signed a contract extension to keep him at Plainmoor until summer 2011 – restored to the wing in the sole change from the side that started last Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Barnet.

Bradford – who beat United 2-0 at Valley Parade – included former Torquay attacking midfielder Chris Brandon in their starting XI but it was United who made the early running when the ball was inadvertently sliced across field to Stevens in the ninth minute.

He cut inside and laid the ball back to supporting right-back Lee Mansell, whose defence-splitting run enabled him to pass back to Stevens, whose shot on the spin in the box was blocked by City goalkeeper Matthew Glennon.

Glennon had to be on his toes to snatch a ball away from Elliot Benyon as the ball bounced towards the edge of the Bradford box and United upped the ante.

The 'keeper resorted to a superb diving save to flap out Benyon's next effort, a thumping angled drive from the left corner of the box. From the resulting corner, taken by Stevens, central defender Chris Robertson cracked the ball home low through a sea of legs in a crowded box for his second home goal in the 15th minute in a week.

Glennon saved a scuffed Scott Rendell effort seconds later but had to watch as Tyrone Thompson whistled over a thumping half-volleyed effort from the edge of the box in the 22nd minute.

Without injured target man James Hanson, Bradford resorted to trying to get Michael Boulding in on goal but struggled to find the right pass to release their lone striker.

Torquay profited, holding Boulding and doing their best to release their own front men.

Brandon did his best to remind Torquay of what they are missing, spinning Charnock 25 yards out and sending a shot just over.

With half-time approaching and the game in a state of attrition, Stevens thumped a shot just over from Chris Zebroski's low cross from the right.

In the 41st minute Benyon did well to win the ball off City right back Ramsden and then set Stevens on his way. The winger responded with a shot on the run that flew just wide.

From Thompson's next through ball, Benyon was bundled over by marker Steve Williams, who was booked.

It was Williams' last involvement as he was replaced at half-time by Zesh Rehman, with Evans replacing Brandon as City changed from a 4-3-3 formation to 4-4-2. However, it was United who carried on taking the game forward, with Rendell putting Benyon away down the left and sending the return pass just past a post from inside the box.

Glennon had to be quick down at his post to keep out Zebroski's header from an angled cross by Stevens as United went in search of a second goal.

United 'keeper Michael Poke did well to turn a Ramsden cross-cum-shot off the line and the Gulls countered with skipper Nicky Wroe and Stevens having shots blocked.

Charnock's superb diving header, to greet Stevens' corner, was hooked off the line by City midfielder Michael Flynn in the 65th minute, just after Eunan O'Kane was introduced for injured target man Rendell.

Ramsden then made a 77th-minute goal-line block to deny Stevens, whose measured side-foot shot looked destined for the corner as United swept forward, with Benyon and O'Kane prominent alongside Zebroski.

Poke saved from substitute Peter Thorne and then in the 83rd minute denied Omar Daley, but from the resulting corner Evans hooked the ball home at the far post.

Eight minutes later Thorne again used all his experience to be head-first to Ramsden's raking free-kick and Evans was first to the bounce, lashing the ball home to send City supporters in raptures behind the goal, leaving their United counterparts in stunned and disbelieving silence.