FA CUP hero Jake Gosling has returned to Exeter City with Phil Simkin full of gratitude for the impact he made during his two-month loan stay with the Magpies.

The midfielder’s name will forever live on in Dorchester Town folklore following his winning goal against Plymouth Argyle in the first round of this season’s competition.

His goalscoring exploits gave Dorchester a first-ever victory over league opposition and saw the club hit the headlines as Simkin’s men caused a famous upset.

And the Magpies’ boss has nothing but praise for Gosling, whose last appearance of his loan spell came as a second-half substitute in Tuesday’s draw with Truro City at the Avenue.

“Jake has been tremendous for us and we’ll always be grateful to him and Exeter,” Simkin told Echosport.

“And I’d like to think he has gone back to his parent club a better player than he was when he left them.

“He will always go down in history as the guy who scored the goal that put Plymouth out of the FA Cup.

“He’s a lovely lad and has come on in bundles since being with us. I hope he recognises that and Exeter do as well.

“We’ve got a very good relationship with Exeter and particularly Steve Perryman and we’re very grateful to them and wish Jake all the best.

“I hope he will go on to make a living out of the game. I’d like to think he’s got a chance of going far but it’s not really for me to say.

“I’ve never played or managed in the Football League but all I know is that he has been a very good player for us and I’ve watched him improve game by game.

“I’m disappointed to lose him but he did a great job for us.”

Gosling’s second-half winner against Plymouth was his only goal in Dorchester colours but it’s one that he and the fans will always remember.

“You can picture it in your mind,” added Simkin. “He will never forget it and neither will we.

“He will go down in history because it was the first time Dorchester had beaten a league side. He’ll remember that for the rest of his career.”

Hayes & Yeading are the visitors to the Avenue tomorrow (3pm) in the first game for Dorchester post-Gosling.

Centre-back pair Charlie Clough and Arran Pugh are both back from suspension and go straight into the starting line-up.

“Every game is vital,” said Simkin. “We have got to take something out of every game. If it’s a point, it’s a point. We’ve got another 26 games to play and if we draw them we’ll get to 49 points.

“The league is as open as it’s ever been. If we had beaten Truro we would have gone 10th but that’s all pie in the sky because every team is thinking the same thing, the only difference is that we’ve got five or six games in hand on them.”

Magpies (from): Matthews, Walker, Martin, Clough, Pugh, Gleeson, Crittenden, Nicholls, Colson, Watson, Thompson, Logan, Smeeton, Symes, Bell, Malsom