HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS

2010 has seen many great highs and lows for our South West sides, many of which that have been commented on in his blog, and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has logged on to read these postings.

Now I wonder what 2011 will have in store for us.

South West Football in 2011-bring it on!

THE GREENS VERSUS THE GREENS

Plymouth Argyle and Yeovil Town go into their first ever league meeting on New Year's Day at Home Park needing the three points at stake for very dfifferent reasons.

The Pilgrims currently find themselves in the middle of well documented financial troubles that have recently forced them to sell star wide man Craig Noone to League One leaders Brighton and Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee.

Other players including leading scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips are expected to leave Home Park during the January transfer window.

Argyle have recently welcomed Peter Ridsdale, the former Leeds United and Cardiff City Chairman, to Home Park who will be working as an adviser to the board on an unpaid basis to help resolve their financial difficulties ahead of a second appearance in the High Court to face a winding up petition on February 9th 2011.

Meanwhile Yeovil come into the game searching for their first win since October as they look to climb off the bottom of the League One table and battle their way to safety.

Manager Terry Skiverton captained the Glovers when they last faced the Pilgrims in the Carling Cup first round in the 2004-05 season.

That encounter was notable for a sporting gesture made by the then Glovers boss Gary Johnson after he allowed Argyle striker Steve Crawford to score an equaliser after Lee Johnson opened the scoring for Yeovil whilst attempting to play the ball back to Pilgrims keeper Luke McCormick following an injury to the Pilgrims' then skipper Graham Coughlan.

If Yeovil can return to Somerset following the similar score line, no one will be more delighted than Skivo, who is desperate to revive the Glovers fortunes.

MARINER DEPARTS WITH NOONE SET TO FOLLOW

Plymouth Argyle Head Coach Paul Mariner has become the first departure from Home Park ahead of the January transfer window after asking to have his contract terminated to leave him free to pursue a new opportunity.

Mariner made 135 appearances and scored 56 goals for the Pilgrims between 1973 and 1976 before going on to enjoy a successful career Ipswich Town, Arsenal and England. He returned to Home Park last season, initially as assistant to Paul Sturrock before taking overall charge of first team affairs prior to the appointment of Peter Reid.

This news comes at the same time that Argyle are in talks with Brighton and Hove Albion over the sale of winger Craig Noone.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR # PLYMOUTH ARGYLE

For Plymouth Argyle, 2010 has proved to be something of an ‘annus horribilis’-horrible year.


The Pilgrims were relegated from the Championship following a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of champions elect Newcastle United on April 19th 2010, which brought their six year stay in the division to an end.

Despite a brief resurgence under Paul Mariner in a spell that saw them record wins over Bristol City, Ipswich Town and Doncaster Rovers, it was not enough to save their Championship status.

In the close season, there was another managerial change at Home Park as Peter Reid was appointed as manager with Mariner remaining with the club as Head Coach. Mariner’s assistant John Carver also remained until the early stages of the 2010-11 campaign before he accepted a coaching role at Sheffield United.

There were also a number of playing departures during the close season as Jamie Mackie was snapped up by former Argyle boss Neil Warnock for Queens Park Rangers and Ashley Barnes joined Brighton and Hove Albion.

Northern Irish midfielder Damien Johnson signed for Huddersfield Town on a season long loan deal.

Also in the summer, Rory Fallon became the first Argyle player ever to appear in the World Cup Finals as he was ever present for New Zealand, in their first finals appearance since 1982, in South Africa.

Following their return to League One, the Pilgrims have remained a work in progress on the pitch, with Peter Reid so far only able to add Stephane Zubar, Anton Peterlin and loan signings David Button, Dean Parrett and Conor Clifford to his squad.

Off the pitch, life seems less certain with the club due to appear in the High Court regarding an unpaid tax bill in the region of £760,000 on February 9th 2011. At the original hearing on December 9th, the Pilgrims successfully fended off a winding up order, but they will need to come up with the full amount at the new date in February.

The club are also facing another winding up order on January 12th ahead of their scheduled February court date.

Their financial difficulties have also seen the non-playing staff at Home Park go without being paid in the build up to the festive season.
England’s failed bid to host the 2018 World Cup also had a knock on effect for the Pilgrims’ re-development plans for Home Park.
It also seems likely that star players Bradley Wright-Phillips, currently the leading scorer in League One with 12 goals, could be sold in the January transfer window along with winger Craig Noone who has produced a number of impressive displays for Argyle this season.

Another three players who also look likely to leave Home Park are Steven MacLean, Marcel Seip and Rory Fallon who are currently on loan at Oxford United, Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town respectively.

There are also talk of potential new investors with former Leeds United and Cardiff City Chairman Peter Ridsdale-who has been a guest at a number of Argyle matches this season-being strongly linked with the Pilgrims.

This coincides with a number of changes that have taken place at boardroom level with Keith Todd resigning as Executive Director and Sir Roy Gardner standing down from his position as Chairman.

One ray of light for Argyle followers this year has been the emergence of a number of promising youngsters from the club’s youth system.

Striker Joe Mason has continued with his development after making his debut in December 2009 against Sheffield United and has received international recognition from the Republic of Ireland at Under-21 level.

He has been joined in the Argyle side in 2010 by Ryan Leonard, Curtis Nelson and Jack Stephens who have all made their debuts this year and they could well receive further first team opportunities in 2011.

Another was the Devon derby win over Exeter City on December 11th, which the Pilgrims secured with a brace from Wright-Phillips to avenge their Johnstone’s Paint Trophy exit at the hands of the Grecians.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR # TORQUAY UNITED

During the year 2010, Torquay United made the transition from being a newly promoted club from the Conference to a competitive League Two side in contention for a Play-Off place.

The January transfer window saw a number of Conference campaigners of the previous season depart as skipper Chris Hargreaves joined Oxford United, Chris Todd returned to his native Wales to sign for Newport County and Tim Sills was snapped up by Stevenage.

A number of new faces arrived including Northern Irish playmaker Eunan O’Kane who was plucked from Northern Irish side Coleraine and experienced centre half Guy Branston joined on loan from Burton Albion.

Chris Zebroski also signed permanently from Wycombe Wanderers for a fee of £20,000 following a second loan spell at Plainmoor.

The new changes took some time to take effect as the Gulls did not record their first win of the calendar year until late February when they beat Accrington Stanley 2-1.

Paul Buckle’s men gradually began to turn things around and finished the campaign strongly and didn’t concede in their final eight games of the season to set a new club record for the highest number of consecutive clean sheets.

This run included a 5-0 win over Rochdale and a goalless draw with eventual champions Notts County on the final day of the season.

During the close season, the club were dealt a shock following the untimely death of Vice-Chairman Paul Bristow.

A former lottery winner, Mr Bristow’s involvement with the consortium that purchased the Gulls from former Chairman Mike Bateson was for the greater good of Torquay United and the wider community, instead of ego or for prestige which are reasons many owners of football club’s invest in the game for, and without his backing Torquay United would not be the club it is today.

Also in the summer, Paul Buckle strengthened his side with the permanent acquisition of Guy Branston, former promotion winning striker Martin Gritton returned on loan from Chesterfield and Northern Ireland Under-21 striker Billy Kee was snapped up following his release from Leicester City.

He would later help create a small piece of Torquay United history in November when he and Eunan O’Kane both appeared for Northern Ireland Under-21’s against Scotland in Glasgow. Their appearances increased the number of Torquay United contracted players to have been selected for home international side to three. O’Kane also managed to find the target for the Irish to become the first Gulls contracted player to score for one of the home countries.

The Gulls made a flying start to the season and won their opening four games of the campaign which earned Paul Buckle the Manager of the Month award for August.

Torquay then embarked on a nine match run without a win which came to an end with a 3-1 win over Morecambe in October.

At the time of writing, the Gulls are currently 7th in the League Two table and have an FA Cup third round tie with Carlisle United on January 8th to look forward to.

However, the big freeze has left the club facing a considerable fixture pile up in the New Year as their last three home matches have fallen victim to the cold weather.

The Gulls will also be hoping that they can hang on to leading scorer Elliot Benyon during the transfer window as he has attracted interest from a number of League One sides including Swindon Town.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR # EXETER CITY

The year 2010 has seen many great highs for Exeter City, consolidation in League One following two consecutive promotions, beating Plymouth Argyle in the first meeting between the two sides in eight years and finding themselves two games away from a Wembley final.

However, it was also the year that striker Adam Stansfield passed away after he lost his battle with bowel cancer. The news came as a shock to everyone associated with the Grecians and since his passing the Adam Stansfield Foundation has been set up to help encourage Youth Football across Devon.

When the Grecians faced his former club Yeovil Town, both sets of fans observed a minute's applause for the striker who earlier in his career played a key role in helping the Glovers win promotion to the Football League.

The club also decided to retire his Number 9 shirt as a permanent tribute to him.

On the field, the Grecians have enjoyed an impressive run in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy which started with a win over Yeovil before defeating Hereford United in the next round. The Southern Area Quarter Finals saw them paired with local rivals Plymouth Argyle and the game, which was marred by crowd trouble that saw 20 arrests made, saw Exeter come out on top to win 2-1 with goals from Ryan Harley and Daniel Nardiello.

In the following round they defeated Bristol Rovers and Exeter will now face Brentford over two legs in the Southern Area Final with the winner going through to the final at Wembley.

Meanwhile in the league, the Grecians find themselves within touching distance of the League One after their impressive 5-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on December 19th and many fans will be hoping they are able to turn down any potential bids for highly rated midfielder Ryan Harley in the January transfer window.

2010 REVIEW # YEOVIL TOWN

Yeovil Town end 2010 fighting to retain the League One status which they earned in 2005 as they currently lie in 24th place in the division six points adrift of safety.

Glovers boss Terry Skiverton is currently in discussions with five players regarding possible moves to Huish Park in the January transfer window.

One player hotly tipped for a move to Yeovil is former Torquay United and Bristol City midfielder Alex Russell who has been plying his trade with Bath City in the Blue Square Premier on a short-term deal following his release from Exeter City in the summer.

It is hoped that Aggy will add plenty of experience to a midfield that already includes Jean-Paul Kalala and Shaun MacDonald, who has indicated he is interested in staying with the Glovers when his loan deal from Swansea City expires in January.

The 2009-10 season ended with Yeovil finishing 15th in League One with young loanees playing a key role in the Glovers' side including Steven Caulker, Ryan Mason and Alex McCarthy.

Caulker virtually swept the board at the Glovers' Player of the Year and has been continuing his footballing education at Bristol City and the Robins have enjoyed an upturn in their fortunes following his arrival after he made his debut for parent club Tottenham in the Carling Cup against Arsenal.

His performances at Ashton Gate have earned him a call-up to the England Under-21 squad and he made his debut against Germany in November.

Mason joined Doncaster Rovers on loan this season, but returned to White Hart Lane following injury problems after only making five appearances.

Dean Bowditch finished the season as Yeovil's top scorer with ten goals in 30 appearances with a dislocated shoulder sustained on the opening day of the campaign against Tranmere Rovers, a game in which he also scored in, preventing him from adding to his tally.

After making a promising start to the current campaign with started with a 2-1 win over Leyton Orient on the opening day of the campaign, the Glovers have found results hard to come by and currently prop up the League One table.

This season's batch of loans have not proved to be as successful as last years did and the likes of Luke Freeman, Cameron Stewart and Rob Kiernan have returned to their parent clubs earlier than many expected them to.

A lot will depend on the acquistions that Skivo makes in the transfer whether they can get themselves out of trouble.

The year 2011 will start on New Year's Day with a trip to Home Park for their first ever league meeting with Plymouth Argyle in what will be the first ever league meeting between two sides who predominantly wear green as their club colours.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

I would like to thank everyone who reads this blog for visiting the site and, at the same time, wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

It has been great fun putting this blog together and between now and New Years Eve, I will be doing a review of the year of South West football looking back at the highlights of 2010.

Until then: Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Froue Weihnacht'n, Zalig Kerstfeast, Sretan Bozic, Feliz Natal
Vesel Bozic in screno Novo leto, Nollaig Shona Dhuit, Sung Tan Chuk Ha, Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth, Nadolig Llawen and Glædelig Jul.

TRANSFER WINDOW PREVIEW

With the transfer window due to re-open on January 1st, I will take a look at possible movements on the transfer front for the four South West league sides.

Due to their current financial situation Plymouth Argyle could lose a number of players during the current window.

The Pilgrims have a £760,000 tax bill to settle with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs by February 9th and there has been much speculation concerning the futures of Bradley Wright-Phillips and Craig Noone.

Wright-Phillips, who is Pilgrims’ leading scorer with 12 goals, has been linked with moves to Millwall, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic and is seen as Argyle’s most prized asset.

Winger Noone has been mentioned as a possible target for Gus Poyet’s Brighton and Hove Albion, who also have former Pilgrim Ashley Barnes in the ranks.

Exeter City’s Ryan Harley is another player that could generate a lot of interest from clubs and has enjoyed an impressive 2010-11 campaign so far for the Grecians.

It is likely that Exeter boss Paul Tisdale will be looking for a fee in the region of £500,000 for his midfield dynamo, who has been revelation for the Grecians since joining from Weston Super Mare midway through the 2007-08 campaign.

There could also be a few more departures from Plainmoor after Torquay United boss Paul Buckle allowed Danny Senda and Wayne Carlisle to fly the Plainmoor nest.

Defender Kieran Charnock is currently on loan at Morecambe and looks likely to join the Shrimpers on a permanent basis.

Another player who could be tempted away from Plainmoor is striker Elliot Benyon who was the subject of interest from Swindon Town on the loan deadline day in November.

The Robins’ offer was rejected by Buckle but if Swindon were to sell star striker Charlie Austin during January, it is likely that Robins' boss Danny Wilson could be in a position to put an offer to the Gulls boss that he couldn’t refuse.

One former Gulls star who looks set to be on the move in January is Alex Russell, a key performer in the Torquay side that won promotion in 2004, who seems set to sign for Yeovil Town.

Russell is currently plying his trade in the Blue Square Premier with Bath City, which he has combined with training for the Glovers, and his vast experience could prove to be vital for Terry Skiverton’s side who currently prop up the League One table.

GRECIANS BEAT BIG FREEZE TO PRODUCE FIVE STAR SHOW

Exeter City were the only South West team to beat the big freeze on Saturday and they did so in emphatic fashion as they defeated Sheffield Wednesday 5-1 at St James Park.

After enlisting the help of the fans to help clear the pitch of snow, the Grecians put the Owls to the sword with goals from Liam Sercombe, Richard Logan and John O'Flynn which were sandwiched between a brace from Jamie Cureton.

The win moves Exeter to within one point of the Play-Off zone.

Elsewhere, Plymouth Argyle, Yeovil Town and Torquay United saw their respective fixtures fall victim to weather conditions which have left the league's fixture planners with a few headaches.

TALKING TORQUAY #6

Following the recent cold snap, Torquay United will now face a fixture back log in the new year.
The Gulls are still looking for a new date to play their League Two encounter with Burton Albion, which was originally due to take place on December 5th before being postponed because of a frozen pitch.

They are also still waiting for details of the re-arrangement of their St Lukes Westinsurance Devon Bowl match against Tavistock Town of the Peninsula League.

Plus should they prevail against Carlisle United in the FA Cup Third round on January 8th, tthen United's League Two clash with Gillingham will need a new date as the Fourth round matches will take place on January 22nd, which is the day they are due to face the Gills.

It could be argued that an increase in fixtures could be described as the price of success, but it's something that many of United's Conference campaigners including the likes of Lee Mansell, Kevin Nicholson, Danny Stevens, Chris Zebroski and Elliot Benyon will have been accustomed to during the Gulls two-year exile in the Blue Square Premier.

In fact Nicholson played in everyone of United's 58 games in the 2007-08 season, which were made in the Blue Square Premier, FA Trophy, FA Cup and the Setanta Shield and not to mention two Play-Off Semi Finals against Exeter City. Then, in the following summer, he captained the England C side in a summer tour of the Carribean.

GRECIANS TWO GAMES AWAY FROM WEMBLEY

Exeter City made up for the disappointment of their Devon derby defeat against Plymouth Argyle to reach the Southern Area Final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy by beating Bristol Rovers.

After drawing 2-2 in 90 minutes, the Grecians found the target through an own goal from Pirates defender Byron Anthony and an 89th minute strike from Ryan Harley, who only featured from the subs' bench against Plymouth due to illness.

In the spot-kick shoot out, Harley, Billy Jones, Daniel Nardiello and David Noble all kept their cool to score from the spot before Richard Duffy stepped up to score the Grecians' fifth and decisive penalty as they equalled their best ever run in the competition.

Exeter will now face Brentford over two legs with the winner facing the victor of the Northern Final that will feature Carlisle United and Huddersfield Town.

ARGYLE REGAIN LOCAL BRAGGING RIGHTS

A goal in each half from Bradley Wright-Phillips gave Plymouth Argyle a 2-0 win over Exeter City on Saturday at the end of the week that saw the Pilgrims face a winding up order in the High Court.

The win was also a measure of revenge for their Johnstone's Paint Trophy exit at the hands of the Grecians and it was only the second clean sheet Argyle have kept since the opening day of the season against Southampton.

After the match, Pilgrims boss Peter Reid expressed his delight at bringing pre-festive cheer to the fans, but wasn't getting too carried away.

"We have won two on the trot, but we haven't done anything yet." said Reid.

"We have won a derby game, but we need to kick on from here. You don't get anything for results before Christmas. You have got to keep it going.

"We have had a good result but, hopefully, that's only the start.

"It's our second clean sheet in the league, since Southampton in the first game of the season, so that hasn't been good enough."

"I'm delighted we have won a derby game for the fans, without a doubt, but it's still only three points.

"If we win at Leyton Orient next Saturday you still get that same three points."

Grecians boss Paul Tisdale, who lost a number of his players to illness before the game, refused to make excuses for his side and said the better side won.

"We had to make changes because of illness in the camp, which didn't help.

"We ended up changing the shape of our team, but so be it.

"We made those changes on Saturday morning, so we changed from our normal routine. But, all in all, it was a good game and a fair result."

"We played well and I am disappointed to lose, but based on the chances on goal it was a deserved win by Plymouth.

"There is no denying that we didn't threaten the Argyle goal enough."

GULLS FIXTURE PASSES INSPECTION

Torquay United's League Two fixture with Chesterfield will go ahead tomorrow after the Spireities B2net Stadium passed a morning pitch inspection.

The pitch had been covered with snow during the week and it was feared that the Gulls would face a second successive Saturday without a game.

With the match set to be played, it will help ease the concerns of fixture congestion which were potentially affecting the Gulls-who are still to re-arrange last Saturday's meeting with Burton Albion, which was called off because of a frozen pitch.

ARGYLE VS CITY PART TWO

Encounters between Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City seem to be like buses, you wait ages for one to come along and then, in a short space of time, two appear at once.

Saturday's meeting will be the second time that the two sides have met this season, and the second time in eight years, after their clash in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, which the Grecians won 2-1 with goals from Ryan Harley and Daniel Nardiello, with Argyle replying through Chris Clark.

With the Pilgrims suffering from the disappointment of England missing out on hosting the World Cup in 2018 and their recent appearance in the High Court, where they faced a winding up order, a win would provide the club with a major feel good factor.

Manager Peter Reid, himself a veteran in his career of Merseyside, Manchester and North East derbies, will not doubt be aware of the significance of the game to Argyle followers. Although their clash earlier in the season was only the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, he will know the Pilgrims fans wouldn't have been happy to lose to their local rivals.

Exeter, on the other hand, will see a win as an opportunity to boost their outside chances of making the Play-Offs and to record their first league win over the Pilgrims since 1993. It would also reflect just so far they have come since the dark days that saw them relegated from the Football League in 2003.

ARGYLE GIVEN MORE TIME BY COURT

Following their hearing in the High Court, Plymouth Argyle have been given 63 days to settle their tax bill with HMRC.

The Pilgrims owed the taxman in the region of £760,000 and today’s hearing could have seen Argyle face liquidation. There was also the possibility of being placed in Administration which would include a ten-point deduction that would have put Argyle at the foot of the League One table.

If the money is not found by the end of those 63 days, then the Pilgrims will appear again in court February 9th 2011.

A legal team acting on behalf of the Pilgrims told the court that they are seeking new investors, one of whom is believed to be former Leeds United and Cardiff City Chairman Peter Ridsdale, and would be able to sell players, if necessary, in the January transfer window to raise the funds.

However, despite these problems, manager Peter Reid is remaining positive ahead of Saturday’s Devon Derby with Exeter City and has said that the players will do everything they can to get through their current situation.

GLOVERS AND GRECIANS FORCED TO WAIT AGAIN

Yeovil Town and Exeter City will have to wait to do it all again after their respective Tuesday night FA Cup and Johnstone's Paint Trophy clashes after both meetings fell victim to the weather.

The Glovers are still waiting to play their FA Cup second round tie against Hartlepool, which was called off because of snow on Saturday 27th November because of snow. When the two sides eventually play each other, the reward for the winner will be a trip to Championship side Watford in Round Three.

For the second time in the space of a week, a frozen pitch at the Memorial Stadium has prevented Exeter City from taking in their Johnstone's Paint Trophy Southern Area Semi-Final against Bristol Rovers.

The Grecians, who have beaten Yeovil, Hereford United and Plymouth Argyle in this season's competition, will equal their best ever run in the tournament should they overcome the Pirates when the two sides finally play each other.

TALKING YEOVIL #7

For the second time in the space of two weeks, Yeovil Town find themselves without a fixture as their League One encounter, which was due to take place tomorrow, fell victim to the cold snap.

The meeting between the two sides would have seen Glovers' boss Terry Skiverton go head-to-head with one of his predecessors Gary Johnson for the first time in his managerial career.

With the Glovers sitting second bottom in the League One table, Skivo has admitted he feels the personal pressure to get results and that Yeovil can get those results by sticking together.

This view is perhaps not surprising given the fact that Skivo was a totemic figure in the Glovers' rise from non-league football to establishing themselves as a League One outfit. Indeed he skippered Yeovil to FA Trophy, Conference title and League Two title glory, under Johnson, in his 11-year playing stint at Huish Park.

One difference between the current campaign and the previous one for the Glovers is the impact made by the loan signings that Skivo has made. Last season Steven Caulker, Jon Obika, Ryan Mason, Shaun MacDonald, Alex McCarthy and Gavin Williams all made positive contributions during their temporary stints in South Somerset.

This time around, many of Skivo's crop of loan players have since returned to their parent clubs including Luke Freeman, Rob Kiernan and Cameron Stewart who were borrowed from Arsenal, Watford and Manchester United respectively.

MacDonald and Gavin Williams both returned to Huish Park on temporary deals with Williams due to leave again shortly before the transfer window as his parent club Bristol City look to possibly cash in on him before his contract at Ashton Gate expires. Meanwhile MacDonald's deal currently runs out on January 3rd.

Skivo has been busy bringing in new loanees including Robert Philip from Chelsea, Northern Ireland midfielder Ivan Sproule from Bristol City and Ian Parkes from Leicester City.

If any of them are looking for inspiration for what a loan spell at Yeovil Town then they need look no further than Steven Caulker who is continuing the fine form he displayed at Huish Park at Bristol City.

Caulker will spend the remainder of the season with the Robins who have pulled themselves clear of the Championship relegation zone since his arrival. His performances at Ashton Gate have seen him called into Stuart Pearce's England Under-21 squad and he made his debut last month in a friendly against Germany's Under-21 side.

TALKING TORQUAY #5

For many Torquay United fans, the feeling of reaching the FA Cup third round for the fifth time in six seasons was met by the anti-climax of being drawn at home to Carlisle United when the draw was made.

The tie itself will see the Cumbrians make the longest journey of the round, but it is also a contest that both sides will view as a chance to progress through to the fourth round.

It could also be argued that the two teams have a lot in common. In the last ten years, they have both experienced relegation to the Conference before making a swift return to the Football League and emerging stronger and better organised from the experience.

Carlisle bounced back from the Conference after spending just one season, the 2004-05 season, outside the league whilst the Gulls memorably re-gained their league status at Wembley in 2009 after beating Cambridge in the Blue Square Premier Play-Off final, which kept their exile from league football down to just two campaigns.

Prior to this, both the Cumbrians and Torquay had Ian Atkins to thank for guiding them to safety in difficult circumstances (Carlisle in the 2000-01 season and the Gulls in the 2005-06 campaign).

Then there is the other factor of geographical isolation, which means there is a great deal of travelling involved for both sets of players and supporters during the course of the season.

And finally, from a personal point of view, reaching the FA Cup third round for the fifth time in almost as many seasons is an achievement that should be celebrated whatever the level of opposition you have been drawn against.

Especially when prior to this run, defeats against the non-league sides such as Farnborough, Yeovil Town, Sutton United, Enfield, Burton Albion and Hinckley United had been regular occurences, although Yeovil and Burton have since won promotion to the league.

Mind you, there is no denying that the revenue from drawing Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool would have come in handy though!

GRECIANS FORCED TO WAIT ANOTHER WEEK

Exeter City's Johnstone's Paint Trophy Southern Area Semi-Final against Bristol Rovers will now be played on Tuesday December 7th after the Memorial Stadium pitch failed a pre-match inspection.

FA CUP THIRD ROUND DRAW

Unfortunately there were to be no glamour ties for the South West sides left in the FA Cup as Torquay United and Yeovil Town were both paired with Coca-Cola Championship opposition.

The Gulls' reward for defeating Walsall is another home tie against another League One side in the form of Greg Abbot's Carlisle United.

Should Yeovil Town overcome Hartlepool United in their re-arranged second round match, they will be facing a trip to Championship side Watford.

The Third round takes place on January 7th/8th/9th 2011.

GULLS AND GLOVERS IN THIRD ROUND DRAW

Torquay United and Yeovil Town will both be in today's FA Cup third round draw following yesterday's second round matches.

The Glovers will still have to play their second stage tie with Hartlepool United after the Victoria Park pitch failed a pre-match inspection following the snow and ice that hit the North East.

However Torquay United are definitely through after beating Walsall 1-0 at Plainmoor courtesy of a 41st minute penalty from Billy Kee.

The Gulls will be ball number 56 in the draw and Yeovil or Hartlepool are ball number 49.

Here are the key numbers to watch out for:

1 Arsenal
11 Chelsea
22 Liverpool
23 Manchester City
24 Manchester United
49 Hartlepool United or Yeovil Town
56 Torquay United

LOAN WINDOW ROUND-UP

Following the end of the loan transfer window, Plymouth Argyle were the biggest movers in the market as three players left Home Park on temporary deals before Thursday's deadline.

Striker Steven MacLean had already joined Oxford United and he was later followed out of Home Park by Marcel Seip and Rory Fallon who signed for Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town respectively.

Yeovil Town manager Terry Skiverton was able to add to his squad before the 5pm deadline on Thursday by drafting in Northern Ireland winger Ivan Sproule from Bristol City and central defender Ian Parkes from Leicester City.

Torquay United saw defender Kieran Charnock leave for Morecambe on loan with a view to a permanent deal in January, but, despite speculation about his departure, striker Elliot Benyon remains at Plainmoor.

There were no comings and goings at St James Park as Exeter City did not make any last ditch signings, nor were there any departures.

The loan window is now shut until January 1st 2011 when clubs will also able to make permanent acquisitions again.

ALAN NICHOLLS REMEMBERED

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the untimely death of former Plymouth Argyle and England Under-21 goalkeeper Alan Nicholls and I will take a look back at Alan's career at Home Park.

Alan Nicholls arrived at Plymouth Argyle in 1993 after Peter Shilton paid £5,000 to Cheltenham Town for his services.

A former schoolboy prodigy in his native West Midlands, a young Alan had been watched by several of the big clubs in the region, including West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Wolves.

He eventually signed schoolboy forms with Wolves and made rapid progress that saw Graham Turner put him on standby for the first team at the tender age of 15.

Unfortunately for Alan, his involvement in a ticket-touting scam saw him dismissed from Molineux. He was then forced to drop down into non-league football with CradleyTown as Wolves retained his registration, thus preventing him from signing for another league side.

His performances for Cradley brought him to the attentions of Argyle's neighbours Torquay United who offered Alan a trial. However, because his registration was still retained by Wolves, he was unable to sign for the Gulls.

Alan later joined for Cheltenham and his performances for the Robins brought him to the attentions of Peter Shilton who signed for the Pilgrims prior to the start of the 1993-94 season.

He made his debut for Argyle in a Coca-Cola Cup tie against Birmingham City, which the Pilgrims won 2-0, and kept his place in the side for their next league encounter against Port Vale that they also won 2-0.

As the season went on Alan continued to produce a number of outstanding performances and many of his Argyle team-mates would draw comparisions between him and Shilton in terms of stature, build and ability.

In March 1994, he was called up to the England Under-21 squad to face Denmark, but he was forced to pull out of the squad because Argyle were playing Barnet on the same night.

He would have to wait until the summer to make his debut for his country as he was selected in the England Under-21 squad for the Toulon Tournament in France.

The squad also featured future England internationals Robbie Fowler, Jamie Redknapp, Sol Campbell and Trevor Sinclair and Alan was selected to play in England's second group game against the host nation.

Sadly Alan was to endure a nightmare debut as France defeated England 3-0 and he was substituted later in the name and replaced by Aston Villa's Michael Oakes.

Following his return to Home Park ahead of the 1994-95 campaign, Alan struggled to recapture the form that saw him selected for the Under-21 side and struggled for form and fitness for much of the season.

He also became involved in a number of off-the-field incidents, which later led to his departure following the appointment of Neil Warnock as Shilton's replacement.

After leaving Home Park, Alan had a trial with Gillingham before eventually returning to non-league football with Stalybridge Celtic.

A few months after joining the Cheshire club Alan was involved in the fatal motorbike crash which claimed both his life and the life of Matt Lindsey, brother of his Celtic team-mate Scott Lindsey. It was a tragic end for a player who had shown much promise early in his career.

Alan is buried in St Paul's Parish Church in Blackheath, Birmingham and his headstone is engraved with a Three Lions crest and an image of him making an spectacular save in full Plymouth Argyle kit.

He is still fondly remembered by those who saw him appear for the Pilgrims and many of them rank him as one of the best goalkeepers they have seen play for Plymouth Argyle.

TALKING TORQUAY #4

There is a saying that time is a great healer and that is certainly the case for Torquay United fans at the moment.

It is now just over three years ago that the Gulls were relegated from the Football League following the disastrous reign of Chris Roberts.

The events which followed, including Mike Bateson's return as Chairman and Leroy Rosenior's return as manager for ten minutes before the club was sold to the current owners, served to reduce the club to a laughing stock.

Since then Torquay have returned to the Football League after winning the Blue Square Premier Play-Off Final against Cambridge United in May 2009.

At the time of writing, the Gulls are currently challenging for a Play-Off spot in League Two and last Wednesday that two players involved in international action for Northern Ireland's Under-21 side.

Eunan O'Kane and Billy Kee were both named in Steve Beaglehole's side to face their Scottish counterparts at the Firhill Stadium, the home of Partick Thistle.

The fact that Torquay can now boast two current international hopefuls amongst their ranks illustrates just how far they have come as a club in a short space of time.

O'Kane also managed to get himself on the score sheet to become the first Torquay United contracted player to score for one of the home nations at international level as Northern Ireland went down to a 3-1 defeat.

This feat represents just how far the Gulls have come in a short space of time and hopefully if O'Kane can continue to progress in the manner in which he has since he arrived at Plainmoor from Coleraine last January, full international honours with the province may be just around the corner for Eunan.

EUNAN AND RORY HIT TARGET ON NORTHERN IRELAND DUTY

Rory Patterson and Eunan O'Kane created a unique double tonight as they were both on target for the Northern Ireland's senior and Under-21 sides during tonight's international matches.

O'Kane and Gulls team-mate Billy Kee increased the number of contracted Torquay United players who have appeared for the home nations at international level to three when they started for Northern Ireland Under-21's against Scotland.

The pair joined former Gulls right back Alex Lawless who represented Wales at Under-21 level in 2006. Another piece of history was also created as Eunan became the first Torquay contracted player to score for the home nations when he grabbed a 35th minute equaliser for the Irish as they went down 3-1 at the Firhill Stadium Glasgow.

On the same night, Plymouth Argyle striker Rory Patterson was on target for the senior Northern Ireland side with a late penalty that salvaged a 1-1 draw for the province against Morroco at Windsor Park.

Here is the full list of players contracted to South West clubs who have played international football for the home nations.

Plymouth Argyle

Norman Piper England Under-23
Alan Nicholls England Under-21
Tony Capaldi Northern Ireland Full & Under-21
Damie Johnson Northern Ireland Full
Rory Patterson Northern Ireland Full
Stevie Crawford Scotland Full
Moses Russell Wales Full
Chris Twiddy Wales Under-21

Torquay United

Alex Lawless Wales Under-21
Eunan O'Kane Northern Ireland Under-21
Billy Kee Northern Ireland Under-21

Yeovil Town

Arron Davies Wales Full and Under-21

Exeter City

Chris Holloway Wales Under-21

PETER SHILTON: THE ARGYLE YEARS #4

In the concluding part of Peter Shilton: The Argyle Years, we look at the former England keeper's final season in charge.



After coming agonisingly close to automatic promotion in the previous season, Peter Shilton went about strengthening his Plymouth Argyle side ahead of the 1994-95 campaign.




One area of his side earmarked for improvement was his side was the defence that conceded a huge 56 goals in 46 league games.



Shilton looked to rectify this by paying a club record £300,000 for Port Vale defender Peter Swan, it was widely hoped that Shilton had found the missing piece in his jigsaw.



Unfortunately for Shilton and all Argyle followers, the signing of Swan would turn out to be a disaster.



On his arrival, Swan was appointed as captain in succession to Steve Castle, who handed in a transfer request prior to the start of the campaign. This was a decision that did not sit comfortably with either the Pilgrims’ fans or players. In the previous season, Swan had played a key role in helping Port Vale win promotion at Argyle’s expense.



Many fans pinpointed a tackle which he made on Paul Dalton as a decisive moment in the Pilgrims missing out on the second automatic promotion spot to the Valiants.



Unfortunately for the Pilgrims, a huge injury list meant they would be starting the season without Castle, Dalton, Steve McCall, Alan Nicholls, who appeared for England Under-21’s during the previous summer in the Toulon Tournament, and Dominic Naylor.



Their absence was felt on the opening day of the campaign as the Pilgrims were soundly beaten 5-1 by Brentford at Home Park.



Far from being a blip, Argyle’s poor form would continue into September and by the middle of the month they would find themselves in the bottom three in Division Two.



At the same time, John McGovern resigned as assistant manager following a break down in relations between him and Shilton over a sum of money he was owed by the former England keeper.



This would later lead to a public fall out and breakdown in relations between Shilton and Chairman Dan McCauley.



McCauley later gave an interview to the sun newspaper regarding Shilton’s financial problems. The article highlighted the full extent of Shilton’s gambling problems and would prove to be the beginning of the end of his tenure as Plymouth Argyle manager.



On January 2nd 1995, Shilton was dismissed as Argyle manager and replaced by Steve McCall on a temporary basis.



McCall found it difficult to make the transition from team-mate to manager and was replaced by Russell Osman after 15 matches.



Osman was unable to save the Pilgrims from relegation to the Third Division, the basement division of the Football League, for the first time in the history.



In the summer of 1995, Neil Warnock was appointed as manager of Plymouth Argyle and led the Pilgrims to promotion to Division Three at the first attempt via the Play-Offs with a 1-0 win over Darlington at Wembley.



However, Argyle would have to wait until 2004 before they returned to the level they were at the time of Shilton’s appointment.



Shilton himself went on to hit the 1,000 league appearances mark whilst with Leyton Orient in the 1996-97 season, but never worked as a manager again.

His only current involvement with football is limited to after-dinner speaking and the occasional national media interview. He recently appeared as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

ARGYLE FINALLY LAND ZUBAR

Stephane Zubar has officially become a Plymouth Argyle player, two months after Peter Reid first announced that he had signed the Frenchman from Romanian side SC Vaslui.

However Reid was unable to secure international clearance for his new signing, which meant that Zubar was unable to make any competitive appearances for the Pilgrims. This only taste of first team action came in a friendly against Peninsula League side Newton Abbot Spurs in September.

But now that the deal has been completed, Stephane can now look forward to the possibility of making his debut for Argyle on Saturday against Brentford.

KEE ADDED TO NORTHERN IRELAND UNDER 21 SQUAD

Torquay United striker Billy Kee will be joining Gulls team-mate Eunan O'Kane in the Northern Ireland Under-21 side to face Scotland this week after receiving the late call-up to join the squad.

The game will be played on Wednesday at the Firhill Stadium, Glasgow, home of Partick Thistle and we will bring you any news of their involvement in the match.

PETER SHILTON: THE ARGYLE YEARS #3

On the eve of the 1993-94 season, Peter Shilton found himself wheeling and dealing in the transfer market as he looked to improve on the Pilgrim’s disappointing final league finish of 14th.




Gary Poole and Warren Joyce were transferred to Southend United and Burnley respectively and they would later be followed out of Home Park by defender Andy ‘Jock’ Morrison who signed for Blackburn Rovers.


Full back Steve Morgan also moved to the Premier League and he was snapped up by Coventry City for a fee of £110,000.



Incoming players included Wayne Burnett, who was a makeweight in the deal that took Morrison to Ewood Park, left back Dominic Naylor arrived from Barnet and Andy Comyn and Mark Patterson both joined from Shilton’s former club Derby County.



However, there was one signing that Shilton made who would prove to be a very astute capture by the former England keeper. Alan Nicholls, a teenage goalkeeper who cost Argyle a mere £5,000 from Cheltenham Town, who would later receive international honours from England at Under-21 level during the season.



Off the field, Shilton drafted in his former Nottingham Forest European Cup winning colleague Ian Bowyer as Youth Coach.



Although the Pilgrims didn’t get off to the best of starts after losing 3-2 on the opening day of the season to Stockport County, a 2-2 draw against Hull City would prove to be the start of an upturn in their fortunes.



This was followed a week later with a 2-0 win over promotion candidates Port Vale and Argyle were soon souring up the table.



Central to their success was the quality of skipper Steve Castle who netted 21 goals from midfield during the campaign. He remains the only Plymouth Argyle player since Tommy Tynan to have achieving the feat of scoring 20 or more goals in any season.



Castle also achieved the distinction of scoring the fastest ever Plymouth Argyle hat-trick when he found the net three times in a 3-2 away win over Stockport County on Friday 17th December 1993 in the space of six minutes and seven seconds.



Scoring goals proved to be a great forte of Shilton’s side as they finished the season scoring 88 goals, more than any other team in the English leagues.



However, their goals against column read that they conceded 56, a figure which would later come back to haunt them at the end of the season.



A dip in form after the turn of the year would mean that the Pilgrims would enter their final game of the season away to Hartlepool United needing to win to secure the second automatic promotion spot. They were also hoping that fellow promotion contenders Port Vale and Stockport failed to win.



The Pilgrims would hammer Hartlepool 8-1, with Richard Landon netting a hat-trick and Paul Dalton scoring a brace, to equal their club record league win.



Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough in relation to their automatic promotion ambitions as Port Vale beat Brighton and Hove Albion to finish second in Division Two. The Pilgrims had been beaten 2-1 by the Valiants in February 1994 and that defeat came back to haunt them in the end as it proved to be the difference between winning automatic promotion and a Play-Off spot.



This meant that Argyle were consigned to the Play-Off lottery where they would face Burnley, who had finished the season with 12 less than them, over two legs.



In the first leg, the Pilgrims held the Clarets to a goalless draw despite the dismissal of centre-back Adrian Burrows, which left them playing much of the game with ten men.



Going into the return leg at Home Park, Argyle looked to be very much in the driving seat.



Sadly for the Pilgrims, they collapsed to a 3-1 defeat. After taking the lead through an early effort from Dwight Marshall, John Francis bagged a brace for the Clarets before former Pilgrim Warren Joyce added a third as Burnley booked their place at Wembley at Argyle’s expense.

THE GRECIANS GO MARCHING ON

An early effort from Ryan Harley and a late strike from Daniel Nardiello helped to secure the local bragging rights for Exeter City in their Johnstone's Paint Trophy clash against Plymouth Argyle.

Chris Clark replied for the Pilgrims, but it was the Grecians who march on to the Semi-Finals in front of a crowd of 9,460.

The win now leaves Paul Tisdale's men within three matches of reaching the final at Wembley.

They are also one game away from equalling their best ever run in the competition of reaching the Southern Area Final, which they achieved in 1993 and 2000.

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT

Tonight's Johnstone's Paint Trophy Southern Area Quarter Final clash between Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City will be the first time that the two sides have faced each other since February 26th 2002.

Argyle, at the time, were on their way to clinching the Division Three title with a record 102 points and Exeter were later to lose their league status just over a year later.

Since then the Grecians have regained their league status and, following back to back promotions, are now establishing themselves as a League One club. The Pilgrims, on the other hand, were relegated from the Championship last season and have been extremely inconsistent during the current campaign.

It will also be the first time that the respective managers Peter Reid and Paul Tisdale have faced each other.
During his career as a player and as a manager, Reid has experienced derby matches in Merseyside, Manchester and the North East, so his experiences may prove to be beneficial to his players.

Tisdale has enjoyed consecutive promotions with the Grecians and guided them to a league win over Leeds United last season, only a week after the Yorkshire side had knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup, so he is no stranger to big occasions.

For whoever does come out on top, they will be within three matches of a possible trip to Wembley and will also hold local bragging rights. However, the loser will be even keener for revenge when the two sides meet in the league on December 11th.

PETER SHILTON: THE ARGYLE YEARS #2

Following their relegation on the final day of the 1991-92 season, Peter Shilton set about trying to assemble a squad that would lead the Pilgrims to promotion from the 'new' Division Two at the first attempt.

New faces soon arrived at Home Park, including Warren Joyce, Paul Dalton and Steve Castle who arrived from Preston North End, Hartlepool United and Leyton Orient respectively.

Right back Gary Poole later joined from Southend United and he was to be later joined by Paul Boardman, son of the comedian Stan. and former Everton goalkeeper, and understudy to Neville Southall, Ray Newland.

There were also a number of departures from Home Park as Nicky Marker joined Blackburn Rovers, with Keith Hill and Craig Skinner moving in the opposite direction and Rhys Wilmot joined Grimsby Town.

Argyle were installed by the bookmakers as the third favourites to win the Second Division title and that confidence seemed justified as the Pilgrims drew 0-0 with Mansfield Town on the opening day and they followed up that result with a 3-0 win at home to Bradford City.

However, the wind would soon be knocked out of Argyle's sails as Shilton received the first red card of his career against Hull City for bringing down the Tigers' Graeme Atkinson.

Their form also wasn't helped by injuries to key summer signings Paul Dalton and Steve Castle as the Home Park treatment read like a who's who of the Pilgrims squad.

The club's inconsistent form on the pitch wasn't helped either by the tempteous relationship between Shilton and Chairman Dan McCauley. This came to a head following a 3-0 defeat at home to Exeter City, which prompted an angry rant from McCauley in which he threatened to stop the players' wages.

Their response to the defeat and the criticism of the Chairman was defeat promotion chasing West Bromwich Albion 5-2 at the Hawthorns. However, their inconsistencies during the season meant that the Pilgrims would finish the campaign in 14th place, a position which arguably wasn't truly reflective of the talent of the players at Home Park at the time.

O'KANE TO ANSWER NORTHERN IRELAND UNDER-21 CALL

Torquay United midfielder Eunan O'Kane has been called up to the Northern Ireland Under-21 squad for forthcoming international with Scotland on November 17th.

If selected, Eunan will become only the second Torquay United contracted player to play senior level international football for one of the home nations. The only other player to achieve this feat was Alex Lawless, who appeared for Wales Under-21's against Northern Ireland in February 2006.

Eunan has represented Northern Ireland at all levels from Under-16's to the Under-21's, for whom he currently has three caps, and we would like to take the opportunity to wish him well with his future international prospects.

GULLS AND GLOVERS CONTINUE TO FLY THE FLAG

Torquay United and Yeovil Town remain the only South West teams left in the 2010-11 FA Cup following yesterday's 1st round matches.

The Gulls came away from Field Mill with a 1-0 victory over their former Conference rivals Mansfield Town courtesy of an 87th minute strike from Elliot Benyon. Today's second round draw saw Torquay rewarded for their efforts with a home tie against either Walsall or Fleetwood Town.

Yeovil will on their travels again in the second round after defeating Rushden & Diamonds by a single goal at Nene Park from Andy Williams. A trip to either Hartlepool United or Vauxhall Motors awaits the Glovers in round two.

Exeter City and Plymouth Argyle both bowed out of the competition in disappointing fashion. The Grecians were beaten 2-0 at League Two promotion chasers Bury and Argyle were comprehensively beaten 4-0 by Swindon Town at Home Park.

However, both the Grecians and the Pilgrims will have the chance to make amends for their disappointing cup exits when they face each other in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Southern Quarter Finals on Tuesday.

FA CUP 1ST ROUND PREVIEW

This Saturday will see all four South West league sides embark on the road that will lead to Wembley in May as they get their 2010-11 FA Cup campaigns under way.

Plymouth Argyle were the only side given a home draw in the first round and they take on Swindon Town at Home Park. who they defeated 3-2 at the County Ground earlier in the season.

The Robins will no doubt be looking for revenge for that defeat but Peter Reid and Paul Mariner, both FA Cup winners during their playing days with Everton and Ipswich respectively, will be keen for the Pilgrims to enjoy a good run in the competition to boost their finances.

Torquay United have enjoyed good runs in the cup in recent years and have got as far as the second round stage in the past three seasons under Paul Buckle. In the 2008-09 campaign, the Gulls memorably beat Blackpool in the third round before narrowly bowing out to Coventry City in the fourth round.

This season, the Gulls travel to their former Conference rivals Mansfield Town, a side who are striving to get back into the Football League under David Holdsworth, who feature former Gulls Adam Murray and Tyrone Thompson in their ranks. It is also worth noting that under Buckle, the Gulls have only ever lost one cup tie against a side in a lower league than themselves ( St Albans City in the Setanta Shield in the 2007-08 season).

Another side tackling one of their former Conference contemporaries is Yeovil Town who face Rushden & Diamonds at Nene Park. Back in the 2000-01, the Diamonds pipped the Glovers to the Conference title, which meant Yeovil would have to wait a further two seasons before they realised their dream of achieving League status.

However, the wait proved to be worthwhile as the Glovers quickly established themselves as a Football League side. Sadly for the Yeovil faithful, their cup form in recent years has been poor and they have been knocked out by non-league sides in three of the last four seasons, including a defeat at the hands of the Diamonds in the 2006-07 campaign. This is a record which Terry Skiverton will be looking to improve on.

Finally Exeter City travel to Greater Manchester to face League Two high flyers Bury. Grecians boss Paul Tisdale will have Jamie Cureton, Richard Logan and Richard Duffy available again after illness.

It is nearly six years since Exeter famously reached the third round and held Manchester United to a goalless draw and Tisdale will be looking to the Grecians side that appeared that day as a great source of inspiration.

PETER SHILTON: THE ARGYLE YEARS #1

With Former England goalkeeper and Plymouth Argyle Peter Shilton recently appearing on Saturday evening's on Strictly Come Dancing, we will be looking back at his reign as manager of the Pilgrims as part of a four part series.

On March 2nd 1992, England goalkeeping legend Peter Shilton was unveiled as the new manager of Plymouth Argyle.

He replaced David Kemp after new Chairman Dan McCauley decided it was a time of fresh direction at Home Park following a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of John Beck's Cambridge United.

At the time of his appointment, Argyle were battling against relegation from the 'old' Division Two, the Championship in new money, and had spent a number of seasons treading water after winning promotion under Dave Smith in 1986.

Although Shilton had little in the way of managerial experience and despite the old saying in the game that goalkeepers don't make good managers, he had played under managerial greats such as Sir Alf Ramsey, Brian Clough and Sir Bobby Robson, so many followers of the Pilgrims were keen to see what he had learnt from playing under such names.

One of his first acts as manager was to appoint his former Nottingham Forest team-mate John McGovern as his assistant.

Shilton's managerial debut came against one of his former club's Derby County as the Pilgrims picked up a creditable 1-1 draw.

New signings were quickly made as striker Kevin Nugent was recruited from Leyton Orient and midfielder Steve McCall, a UEFA Cup winner with Ipswich Town in 1981, arrived from Sheffield Wednesday.

However, despite the new arrivals, Shilton was unable to pull Argyle clear of the relegation zone as they went into their final game of the season at home to promotion Blackburn Rovers, then managed by Kenny Dalglish, needing a win to stay up.

A crowd of 17,459 poured into Home Park to witness the encounter which the Pilgrims lost 3-1 as David Speedie bagged a hat-trick for Rovers which propelled them into the Play-Offs, which they later won to secure promotion to the Premier League, and condemned Argyle to a place into the 'new' Division Two.

The next task for Shilton was to build a side that could lead the Pilgrims to promotion at the first attempt.

JOHN BENSON 1942-2010

Many followers of Torquay United will no doubt be shocked by the recent death of former skipper John Benson.

Born in Arbroath in 1942, John was brought to Plainmoor in 1964 by Eric Webber and became a cornerstone of the United side that enjoyed much success under Webber's predecessor Frank O'Farrell.

Prior to the arrival of O'Farrell, John appeared in the Torquay side that held Tottenham Hotspur to a 3-3 draw in the FA Cup Third Round in the 1964-65 season.

Originally signed as a wing-half, John was converted into a sweeper by O'Farrell and skippered the Gulls to promotion from Division Four in O'Farrell's first full season in charge, the 1965-66 campaign.

He then became a cornerstone of the United side that became an established force in the 'old' Third Division before he joined AFC Bournemouth in 1970, becoming one of a number of Torquay players who were enticed to Dean Court by his former Gulls team-mate John Bond.

After he retired from playing, John managed Bournemouth, Manchester City and Wigan Athletic and also coached at Norwich City and held roles in Dubai and Kuwait. In recent years, he was part of Steve Bruce's backroom staff at Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and Sunderland.

KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU

This time last week, Plymouth Argyle loanee Conor Clifford hadn't even trained with his new team-mates- nevermind played alongside them.

The following day saw the Republic of Ireland Under-21 midfielder, who arrived at Home Park on a youth loan from Chelsea, make his Argyle debut in the Pilgrims 2-1 victory over Huddersfield Town and was amongst the stand down performers for Argyle.

An FA Youth Cup winner with the Blues last season, Conor is unsurprisingly some way down in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge at the moment and an arrangement such as the one he currently has with the Pilgrims will be of great benefit to his future career prospects.

He is currently available for another five matches before his current loan expires and he has already stated that he wishes to stay beyond the initial one month deal agreed between the two clubs.

Even though last Saturday was a case of him getting to know his new team-mates, there was one member of the Pilgrims squad  that he was more than familiar with and that was his fellow Eire Under-21 colleague Joe Mason. In his last appearance for the Republic last month against Turkey, he was replaced by Mason during the closing stages of the match.

TALKING YEOVIL #6

The FA Cup first round draw last weekend paired Yeovil Town with their former Conference rivals Rushden & Diamonds.

During their final days in non-league football, the Glovers competed with Rushden on a regular basis. In the 2000-01 season, the Diamonds pipped Yeovil to the Conference title. This was despite the fact that the Glovers took four points off the Northamptonshire side during the campaign.

This meant it would  be two years before league football finally came to South Somerset when Terry Skiverton finally got to lift the Conference title in 2003 and similarities can be found between the two sides in their early days in the football league.

Both the Glovers and the Diamonds won the League Two title in the second season as members of the Football League, but whereas Yeovil were able to establish themselves in League One, the Diamonds would experience two relegations in the space of three seasons thus returning to whence they came.

The last competitive meeting between the two sides came in the 2007-08 season in the FA Cup when Rushden came out on top against an injury hit Glovers side to record an emphatic 3-1 victory. Current Glovers' boss Terry Skiverton was absent that day through injury, but will be keen to get a win to help erase the memory of that day.

Meanwhile, on the former Glovers loanee watch, Steven Caulker has settled into life well at Bristol City where he is continuing his footballing education. He has even managed to find the back of the net, as he opened the scoring in their 3-2 defeat against Cardiff City, which was the only thing he failed to do at Huish Park during his stay last season.

If he carries on his current vein, he may even practically sweep the board at the Robins' Player of the Season awards at the end of the campaign, just as he did whilst with Yeovil.

FA CUP 1ST ROUND 2010-11

Three of the four South West football league sides will start their 2010-11 FA Cup campaigns with away trips.

Torquay United, who reached the third round last season, face an away trip to their former Blue Square Premier rivals Mansfield Town. Under the reign of Paul Buckle, the Gulls have enjoyed several good cup runs and will be looking to continue that fine recent run.

Former non-league giant killers Yeovil Town, now of League One, will be a potential scalp as they take on Rushden and Diamonds of the Blue Square Premier at the Nene Park. Last season, The Glovers were beaten in the first round by Oxford United and a win over their former Conference rivals will help to exorcise those memories.

Exeter City face a trip to Greater Manchester after they were paired with League Two promotion contenders Bury. The Shakers currently lie in third place in League Two and are likely to provide the Grecians with a stern test.

Meanwhile, Plymouth Argyle are only South West side to be awarded a home draw against fellow League One side Swindon Town.

REID VS CLARK ROUND ONE

Tomorrow's meeting between Plymouth Argyle and Huddersfield Town will mark the first ever managerial meeting between Peter Reid and Lee Clark.

In 1997 Reid paid £2.5million to bring Clark to Sunderland from their arch rivals Newcastle United. He remained at the Stadium of Light for two years before moving to Fulham.

Clark has spoken of his admiration of Reid and his connection to him is not the only link between the respective coaching staffs of the Pilgrims and the Terriers.

His assistant, at the Galpharm Stadium, Terry McDermott played for England alongside Argyle head coach Paul Mariner and the Pilgrims assistant coach Adam Sadler once worked alongside Clark at Newcastle United's Academy and succeeded him as manager of the Magpies' reserve side.

However, putting friendships to one side, it promises to be a keenly fought contest as both sides need the three points for very different reasons.

Argyle are currently lying 19th in the table and are looking to improve a disappointing home record that has seen them only win once at Home Park in the 2010-11 campaign in six league matches. In contrast to this, Huddersfield are currently 5th in League One and have eyes on a place in the top two of the division.

TISDALE EYES CITY PLAY OFF BID

After seeing his side move within touching distance of a Play-Off spot in League One, Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale has refused to rule out a promotion push from his side.

The Grecians are only being kept out of the top six on goal difference after beating fellow promotion hopefuls Carlisle United 2-1 last Saturday and whilst Tisdale has not gone on record saying that his side will be promoted, he has bracketed the Grecians as one of a number of clubs that could reach the Play-Offs.

In recent years, League One has been a home to a number of 'fallen giants' who have slipped down from the Premiership and the Championship and into the division. Last season Exeter faced Leeds United, who they famously beat at St James Park, Norwich City, Southampton and Charlton Athletic.

They are just some of the teams to have graced League One in recent seasons. Other former members include Nottingham Forest and Leicester City and the division is currently home to Sheffield Wednesday who were amongst the top sides in the country in the early 90's.

However, smaller clubs have proved that they are capable of competing effectively with these more illustrious names. For example, Colchester United, Doncaster Rovers and Scunthorpe United have all won promotions to the Championship during the past decade.

Although it may sound outlandish to suggest that Exeter could reach the second tier of English football for the first time in their history, they can draw inspiration from the achievements of Colchester and Doncaster, who like the Grecians, have returned to the Football League after being relegated from the Conference.

The Grecians own rise from the Conference has been overseen by Paul Tisdale and with two promotions in the last three seasons, they have created a winning mentality during that time. But, whatever the outcome at the end of the season, they look set to enjoy another memorable campaign to add to the others they have enjoyed under Tisdale's reign.

MALCOLM ALLISON 1927-2010

Following the death of former Manchester City manager Malcolm Allison, we will now look back at Malcolm's managerial career and the influence he had on Football in the South West .

In the early 50’s, Malcolm Allison, then a defender with West Ham United, started a revolution that would change the face of English football forever.

From a greasy spoon café in East London called Cassetari’s, where the Hammers’ players congregated after training, he headed a number of lengthy discussions on football that would start a footballing revolution.

This was at a time when English football was reassessing itself following England’s disastrous showing at the 1950 World Cup, which saw them lose to the USA, and their first ever defeat at Wembley against a Ferenc Puskas inspired Hungarian side in 1953.

Amongst his team-mates who joined in with these discussions at Cassetari’s were future managers David Sexton and Noel Cantwell. They also helped to lay the foundations for the well renowned West Ham Academy.

As well as having an impact on the game at national level, Malcolm’s methods would have an impact of the fortunes of South West Football. Malcolm himself would later manage Plymouth Argyle and his band of followers included two future Torquay United managers in Frank O’Farrell and Malcolm Musgrove.

O’Farrell cut his managerial teeth at Weymouth Town before taking charge at Plainmoor in 1965 and lead Torquay to automatic promotion from Division Four in his first full season in charge.

He established the Gulls as a force to be reckoned with in the ’old’ Division Three with the help of former Hammers’ players John Bond and Ken Brown who themselves were both disciples of Malcolm from their days at Upton Park.

Like O’Farrell, Malcolm’s managerial career started in non-league football, with Bath City, before moving on to Devon as he then took charge of Plymouth Argyle for the first time.

His first stint at Home Park saw Malcolm take the Pilgrims to the Semi-Finals of the League Cup in the 1964-65 season before resigning at the end of the season. During his first spell at Home Park, he blooded a number of youngsters including Mike Trebilcock, who went on to score for Everton in the 1966 FA Cup Final, Norman Piper and John Hore who would later manage Argyle to the Semi-Finals of the FA Cup in 1984.

Malcolm then embarked on a spell at Manchester City, firstly as assistant to Joe Mercer and then as manager in his own right. During this time, City enjoyed one of the most successful periods in their history as they won the League title, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup.

Whilst at Maine Road, he would again cross paths with O’Farrell, who had by now become manager of City’s arch rivals Manchester United.

Following a spell with Crystal Palace, which saw him take the Eagles to the Semi-Finals of the FA Cup in 1976, Malcolm returned to Home Park where he helped the Pilgrims avoid relegation to Division Four before returning to Manchester City for a second spell in charge.

As with his first spell at Home Park, Malcolm also handed opportunities to a number of promising young players including Kevin Hodges, who went on to become the Pilgrims record appearance maker.

Malcolm also had an influence on two of the England national side’s greatest achievements. During his time at West Ham, he nurtured the talent of Bobby Moore, who captained England to World Cup glory in 1966. When he was manager of Crystal Palace, Allison gave Terry Venables his first taste of coaching as he embarked on a career that would later see him guide England to the Semi-Finals of Euro 96.

WROE LISTED BY BUCKS

Paul Buckle is now open to offers for Nicky Wroe after deciding to place the midfielder on the transfer list.

The former Barnsley and York City schemer had become a key member of the Gulls side that won promotion back to the Football League and found the target in Torquay's 2-0 Blue Square Premier Play-Off semi final first leg win over Histon.

Last season, Nicky found himself amongst the goals again as he scored 13 goals as the Gulls re-established as a Football League side. This included a hat-trick in Torquay's 3-1 FA Cup first round victory over Cheltenham Town. He also took over the captaincy of the side following the departure of Chris Hargreaves.

Following news that his playing budget will be cut, Bucks has admitted that he will have to shuffle his pack a little and the recent emergence of Northern Irish youngster Eunan O'Kane could well lighten the blow of Nicky's impending departure.

Whoever does take on Nicky's role, whether that be his place in the centre of midfield or as captain of the side, they will be taking on the responsibilties of a player who played an important part in helping Torquay United get back to their current level.

ARGYLE VERSUS THE GRECIANS IT IS THEN

The two South West sides remaining in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy will be whittled down to just one after Plymouth Argyle were paired with Devon rivals Exeter City in the Quarter Finals of the competition.

It has been over eight years since the two sides last met each other in a competitive fixture and it promises to be a keenly fought contest. On that night on February 26th 2002, the Pilgrims came out on top, winning 3-0 courtesy of a brace from Marino Keith and another effort from Steve Adams. The Grecians were reduced to ten men on the night when their former Pilgrims striker Sean McCarthy was sent off for elbowing the then Argyle skipper Graham Coughlan.

However, whilst history shows that Argyle have had the upper hand in the meetings between the two sides (they have won 29 of the 74 meetings since their first encounter in 1908), it is City who have the better record in the JPT.

They have played each other four times and the Grecians have won two of these ties, whilst there have also been one draw and just a solitary win for Argyle.

The tie takes place in the week commencing November 8th and nearly a month before the two sides face each other in the league on December 11th.

So for whoever wins it will be an historic victory and the loser can console themselves with the fact that they will have the opportunity to gain swift revenge.

ARGYLE AND GRECIANS MARCH ON BUT GULLS GO OUT

Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City continue to fly the flag for South West Football in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, but Torquay United unfortunately bowed out of the competition.

The Pilgrims came away from the Abbey Business Stadium with a 2-0 win over Cheltenham Town courtesy of goals from Craig Noone and Steven MacLean.

Exeter recorded the biggest victory of the round as they brushed aside Hereford United 3-0 at Edgar Street. Daniel Nardiello opened the scoring from the penalty spot before John O'Flynn and Richard Duffy added further goals for the Grecians.

After defeating AFC Bournemouth in the first round, Torquay couldn't repeat those heroics in the second phase as they went down 2-0 against Swindon Town at the County Ground. Strikes from David Ball and former Argyle loanee Vincent Pericard proved to be enough to see off the Gulls.

JOHNSTONE'S PAINT TROPHY PREVIEW

Tonight sees sides from Leagues One and Two battle it out in the second round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

After defeating AFC Bournemouth on penalties, Torquay United will be facing Swindon Town at the County Ground. Following the recent announcement of Paul Buckle's playing budget being cut, a good run in the competition could just the tonic for the Gulls.

Exeter City's reward for beating Yeovil Town in the previous round is a trip to League Two Hereford United who yesterday parted company with their manager Simon Davey.

Plymouth Argyle will be looking to bounce back from their weekend defeat at the hands of Hartlepool United as they travel to Cheltenham Town. With one of the best away records in League One, Argyle will fancy their chances against the Robins.

TALKING YEOVIL #5

Despite picking up a useful point against Southampton in midweek, Yeovil Town still slipped into the League One relegation zone.

After their 1-1 draw with the Saints, Terry Skiverton has ordered his players to concentrate on stopping goals rather than dropping points. Prior to the Southampton clash, the Glovers had conceded 12 goals in four games, which, as a former defender, would have been particularly alarming to Skivo.

Last season Yeovil came away from the Bescot Stadium with all three points as they won 1-0 courtesy of a Sam Williams effort and a repeat result would be just the tonic for the Glovers at this moment in time.

On the playing front, Skivo was impressed with Luke Ayling's performance at right back and he believes the former Arsenal starlet can become a key member of the Yeovil side.

This week also saw loanee Rob Kiernan return to his parent club Watford, a move that will give Skiverton the option to bring in new face should he be required to.

Since our last Glovers' update, one of last season's crop of loan signings Steven Caulker has joined Bristol City on loan shortly after making his debut for parent club Spurs in the Carling Cup against Arsenal. The defender, who virtually swept the board at last season's Player of the Year awards, joins Spurs's other former Yeovil loanees currently continuing their footballing education in the Championship, including Ryan Mason, Jon Obika and Andros Townsend who are on loan with Doncaster Rovers, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town respectively.

BRADLEY ON VERGE ON CREATING HIS OWN HISTORY

With a former Arsenal legend as his dad and a current England international for a brother, Bradley Wright-Phillips has had a lot of live up to in his career.

Bradley arrived at Home Park looking to make a fresh start after a spell at Southampton, but a number of injury problems prevented him from getting a regular run in the side under Paul Sturrock and he only appeared as a substitute under Luggy.

It was not until Paul Mariner had assumed control of first team affairs that Bradley was given his first start in a 1-1 draw with Coventry City in March 2010. In his next start, in a Westcountry derby clash with Bristol City, he was on target as the Pilgrims won 3-2.

Bradley then went on to strike up a useful partnership with Jamie Mackie, who has recently been called into the Scotland squad, prior to Argyle's relegation to League One.

However, having scoring his fourth goal in as many games for the Pilgrims, following his brace against Swindon Town, he has given himself the chance of doing something that no Pilgrims striker has done since Tommy Tynan, which is to score 20 or more goals in a season.

Tynan hit 24 goals for Argyle in the 1988-89 season and only midfielder Steve Castle, who found the back of the net 21 times during the 1993-94 campaign under Peter Shilton, has been able to hit more than 20 goals for the Pilgrims since then.

A number of strikers have managed to hit double figures for Argyle following Tynan's 1988-89 haul including Robbie Turner, Dwight Marshall, Kevin Nugent, Adrian Littlejohn, Mickey Evans, Carlo Corazzin, Paul McGregor and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. However, the player with the best goal return in the aforementioned list is Littlejohn who found the back of the net 17 times in Neil Warnock's Play-Off winning side in the 1995-96 campaign.

In the modern area, prior to Tynan, who also scored 31 goals in the 1984-85 season, Argyle's only other 20 goal-a-season men in the modern era have been Dave Kemp who scored 24 times in the 1980-81 campaign, Fred Binney, who hit 26 in the 1978-79 season, and Billy Rafferty who struck 23 times in the 1974-75 campaign.

WRIGHT-PHILLIPS AT THE DOUBLE FOR ARGYLE

A brace from Bradley Wrught-Phillips helped Plymouth Argyle to their second away win of the season as the Pilgrims defeated Swindon Town 3-2 at the County Ground.

Reda Johnson opened the scoring for Argyle before Wright-Phillips doubled their advantage before David Prutton and Michael Rose replied for the Robins. The former Manchester City and Southampton striker then struck again in injury time to wrap up the points for the Pilgrims.

Yeovil Town dropped into the bottom four in League One despite securing a point against Southampton at Huish Park. Guilherme do Prado gave the Saints the lead before the Glovers levelled through an Adam Virgo penalty.

Also in League One, Exeter City slumped to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of AFC Bournemouth at the Fitness First Stadium. A Michael Symes brace and another strike from Marc Pugh sealed victory for the Cherries.

Torquay United have now five games without a win after losing 1-0 to Aldershot Town at Plainmoor courtesy of an 86th minute strike from Marvin Morgan. However, the Gulls still remain in the League Two Play-Off zone.

MIDWEEK PREVIEW

A number of our sides go into matches tonight looking to bounce back after disappointing performances at the weekend.

Torquay United will be hoping to erase memories of their 3-1 defeat at the hands of Macclesfield Town with an improved display at Aldershot Town.

In League Two, Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City both face South West derbies against  Swindon Town and AFC Bournemouth respectively. The Pilgrims picked up a point against Rochdale on Saturday and will be looking to cliuch all three points at the County Ground. The Grecians are searching for a win that will see them move into the Play-Off zone.

Yeovil Town, meanwhile, host Southampton at Huish Park and Glovers Terry Skiverton will be hoping for an improvement from his side after their disappointing 3-1 home defeat by Exeter at the weekend which now means they have conceded 12 games in their four league encounters.

GRECIANS TAKE FIRST DERBY HONOURS

In the first Devon-Somerset league meeting of the season, Exeter City came out on top as they defeated Yeovil Town 3-1 at Huish Park. A brace from Richard Logan and another from Ryan Harley ensured that the Grecians came out on top as both sides said a final farewell to the late Adam Stansfield. Sam Williams scored the Glovers consolation goal.

Plymouth Argyle recovered from their 2-0 midweek defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion to draw 1-1 with Rochdale at Spotland. Bradley Wright-Phillips put the Pilgrims in front with a first half strike before Dale, who are managed by former Argyle defender Keith Hill, equalised in the second half through Craig Dawson.

Meanwhile in League Two, Torquay United slipped to a surprise 3-1 defeat at home to Macclesfield Town. Hamza Bencherif gave the Silkmen the lead in the 12th minute before Elliot Benyon turned in a cross from Eunan O'Kane on 40 minutes. However, Ross Draper and Emile Sinclair struck in the 76th and 78th minutes respectively to wrap up the points for Macclesfield.

A FINAL FAREWELL TO ADAM

Tomorrow's League One encounter between Yeovil Town and Exeter City will be an emotional occasion for both clubs as it marks the first league meeting between the two sides since the death of Adam Stansfield.

When the two sides met for the corresponding fixture last season, the Glovers came out on winning 2-1 with goals from Stefan Stam and Ryan Mason. The scorer for the Grecians that afternoon was Adam Stansfield and sportingly he refused to celebrate his goal. Sadly, it would prove to be his last ever appearance at Huish Park.

Adam was given his first taste of professional football by Yeovil in 2001 when Gary Johnson signed him from Western League side Elmore. During a three year stay at Huish Park, Adam helped the Glovers to win the FA Trophy in 2002 and, a year later, played a major role securing Yeovil's promotion to the Football League in 2003.

Ubfortunately for Adam, a leg break in a pre-season friendly meant he was unable to play a major role in the Glovers' debut season as a league club and he was released at the end of the 2003-04 campaign.

In 2006, Adam joined Exeter City where he was an influential member of the Grecians that achieved back to back promotions under Paul Tisdale before consolidating their League One status last season.

Both sides will be wearing commemorative shirts tomorrow and Adam's brother Paul will be attempting to run to the game along with fan Nick Bryant to mark the final on-field commemoration for Adam.

ARGYLE CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT

After producing their first win in front of their own fans in six months with a superb 3-2 victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, Plymouth Argyle were brought back down to earth last night with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion at Home Park.

To rub further salt in the wounds, Ashley Barnes, who left the Pilgrims to join the Seagulls in the close season, was on target for the visitors.

After the win over Wednesday, Peter Reid stated that his side needed to push on after picking up their first three points of the season. However, this defeat will surely see the former Sunderland boss heading back to the drawing board.

The 2010-11 campaign looks very much like a season of transition for Argyle and, with many high earners still currently on the Home Park payroll, Reid may not be able to make this team his own until the 2011-12 season at the very earliest.

There is also the ongoing waiting for the international clearance of Stephane Zubar, which will enable the right back, who arrived at Home Park on transfer deadline day, to appear in competitive matches for the Pilgrims.

Of the current squad, Bradley Wright-Phillips made one goal (Carl Fletcher's opener) against Sheffield Wednesday before finding the back of the net himself and if he continues to perform in that vein, he may yet have a long term future at Home Park.

Marcel Seip was another player who impressed against the Owls, when he came on to fill in at right back following the dismissal of Bondz N'gala. After a period in the wilderness which saw him loaned out to Blackpool and Sheffield United last season, the Dutchman could also have a chance of forcing his way back into the team.

One player whose form and fitness will have a big say on Argyle's fortunes is right winger Craig Noone, who despite not being the tallest of players, is more than capable of winning aerial battles with larger opponents.
This was most evident when he rose highest in the Sheffield Wednesday penalty area to head home Argyle's winning goal on Saturday.

ARGYLE UP AND RUNNING

Plymouth Argyle recorded their first home league win of the season as they came out on top in a five goal thriller against Sheffield Wednesday.
Skipper Carl Fletcher opened the scoring before James O'Connor equalised for the Owls. The Pilgrims were reduced to ten men on the stroke of half-time following the dismissal of right back Bondz N'gala.
Bradley Wright-Phillips restored Argyle's lead on the stroke of half-time, but Wednesday were back on level terms later in the game when substitute Tommy Miller curled home a 30-yard volley. However, this was not the end of the scoring for the afternoon as Craig Noone nodded home a Jim Paterson cross to make it 3-2 to the Pilgrims.
Afterwards, Plymouth boss Peter Reid hailed the performance as one of the best performances that he had been involved in as a player and manager.

Elsewhere, Yeovil Town's topsy turvy season continued as they lost 4-2 to League One leaders Huddersfield Town at the Galpharm Stadium after leading 2-0 at one stage. Goals from Dean Bowditch and Paul Huntington gave the Glovers a two goal advantage going into the half-time break before the Terriers struck back in the second half through Scott Arfield before centre back John McCombe bagged a brace. Gary Roberts later added a fourth from the penalty spot for Lee Clark's side as they soared to the top of the League One table.

A late equaliser from Lee Tomlin secured a point for Peterborough United against Exeter City at St James Park. An own goal from Troy Archibald-Henville put the Posh ahead in the first half before the Grecians struck back through Daniel Nardiello and Jamie Cureton before Tomlin scored his late leveller.

In League Two, Torquay United dropped out of the automatic promotion places after they were held to a goalless draw by their former Blue Square Premier rivals Stevenage.

WEEKEND PREVIEW

This weekend's matches sees Plymouth Argyle, who are still searching for their first home win of the season, take on Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

Argyle have so far only managed to pick up one point at Home Park so far this season and haven't won in front of their own fans since 16th March 2010, when they recorded a 3-2 victory over Bristol City.

Peter Reid will be sweating on the fitness of skipper Carl Fletcher who missed their 1-1 draw at Colchester United last week with a thigh strain.

The Owls, meanwhile, have lost their last two league encounters after winning three of their opening four League One fixtures of the campaign.

Exeter City will be looking to make it three wins out of three when they play host to League One leaders Peterborough United at St James Park. Manager Paul Tisdale has no new injury worries, but skipper Matt Taylor and Player-Coach Marcus Stewart remain sidelined.

After beating Tranmere Rovers 3-1 last week, Yeovil Town travel to Huddersfield Town as Terry Skiverton's men look to go on a run of wins. His counterpart at the Galpharm Stadium Lee Clark has stated he believes his side will not get a easy ride against the Glovers.

In League Two, leaders Torquay United take on their former Blue Square Premier rivals Stevenage at the Lamex Stadium. After picking up the Manager of the Month award for August, Paul Buckle will be looking to see the Gulls return to winning ways against a team they recorded three wins and a draw against during their stint in the Conference.

One name amongst the Stevenage ranks who will be familiar to Torquay followers is that of Tim Sills, a player who played a key role in helping the Gulls return to the Football League.

GRECIANS LEAD THE WAY IN WESTCOUNTRY

After winning two league games on the trot, Exeter City currently find themselves as the highest placed team in the South West.

This is a far cry from the dark days the Chairmanship of John Russell which saw the Grecians relegated from the Football League in 2003 and nearly go out of business at the same time.

However, under the managerial reign of Paul Tisdale Exeter have won back to back promotions from the Conference to League One between 2008 and 2009. Following the consolidation of their League One status last season, Tisdale will be looking to help the Grecians to establish at this level during the 2010-11 season.

Recently the club has been in the media limelight following the death of striker Adam Stansfield from bowel cancer. But following a home win over Charlton Athletic and an impressive 3-2 away victory over Hartlepool United, the Grecians currently lie 12th in League One.

Summer signing John O'Flynn bagged a brace in their win at Hartlepool and if he can maintain his scoring form then the Grecians could surprise a few people.

TORQUAY REMAIN TOP OF LEAGUE TWO

Despite being held to a goalless draw at Plainmoor by Accrington Stanley, Torquay United remain top of League Two on goal difference.

The Gulls are currently on 13 points for the 2010-11 campaign and lead the table by virtue of having a superior goal difference to Shrewsbury Town and Port Vale.

Yeovil Town bounced back from their 4-0 defeat at hands of Notts County to win 3-1 at home to Tranmere Rovers. Goals from Dean Bowditch, Paul Huntington and Andy Welsh secured all three points for the Glovers before Rovers grabbed a late consolation goal through a penalty from Ian Thomas-Moore.

Exeter City made it two wins out of two with a 3-2 away win over Hartlepool United. Ryan Harley opened the scoring for the Grecians, their lead lasted until Pool equalised through Ritchie Humphrey. Anthony Sweeney then gave Hartlepool the lead before John O'Flynn bagged a second half brace to clinch all three points for Paul Tisdale's side.

A second half strike from defender Reda Johnson earned a point for Plymouth Argyle as they travelled East to face Colchester United. Johnson's effort cancelled Dave Bond's opener for the U's to move Argyle clear of the relegation zone.

TALKING YEOVIL #4

After last week's 4-0 away defeat at hands of Notts County, Yeovil manager Terry Skiverton issued an apology to Glovers fans' via social networking site Twitter and vowed to turn the club around.

He also stated in the media that the club being placed in the relegation zone could be a 'kick up the backside' for his squad and they have a chance to make amends at home to Tranmere Rovers tomorrow.

In the week that followed, Skivo re-signed Gavin Williams on loan from Bristol City who, of course, enjoyed a successful loan stint at Huish Park towards the end of last season.

'Super Gav' will be looking to make his third Glovers debut, as will Shaun MacDonald who missed the Notts County debacle because of international duty with the Wales Under-21 side.

If Yeovil are to climb the League One table, their home form will be crucial and if they need any source of inspiration then they could do a lot worse than look to the memories of last season's home fixture with Tranmere on the opening day of the campaign.

The Glovers came out on top with a 2-0 victory with goals from Dean Bowditch and a penalty from Gavin Tomlin. The match also saw Spurs loanees Steven Caulker and Ryan Mason make their debuts at the start of what improved to be a useful learning curve for both players.

It was also John Barnes' first match as Tranmere boss and he didn't stick around to face the assembled media afterwards.

BUCKS WINS MANAGER OF THE MONTH AWARD

Torquay United manager Paul Buckle has been voted as the Npower League Two manager of the month for August after leading the Gulls to five wins from a possible six matches in all competitions.

This sequence also saw Torquay complete a run of 998 minutes without conceding a league goal, which carried over from last season.

Bucks beat off competition from Shrewsbury Town manager Graham Turner and Rotherham United boss Ronnie Moore to become the first Torquay United manager to win a manager of the month award since Kevin Hodges in February 1998.

It could still be a double celebration for the club if Mark Ellis wins the Player of the Month award for which he has been nominated for.

NEWTON SPURS 0 PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 3

Goals from Bradley Wright-Phillips, Anton Peterlin and Matt Rickard gave Plymouth Argyle a 3-0 victory over Newton Abbot Spurs at the Recreation Ground.

The match, which was staged to mark the unveiling of Spurs' new floodlights, proved to be a useful exercise for the Pilgrims who handed a start to new deadline day signing Stephane Zubar, who featured at right back.

Argyle used the match as an opportunity to give to some of their fringe first teamers, including rookie professional Ryan Leonard whose pass picked out Wright-Phillips for Argyle's first goal of the night on 25 minutes, a taste of first team action.

Wright-Phillips later spurned an opportunity to double his tally for the night on the stroke of half-time when he missed the target from 20-yards.

In the second half, Argyle's extra fitness levels began to make the difference as American midfielder Peterlin scored a second for the Pilgrims in the 54th minute.

On 85th minutes, Argyle extended their lead to three goals when Rickard turned the ball home after Spurs' keeper Neil Comerford had parried his initial effort.

After the match, Plymouth Head Coach Paul Mariner praised the hospitality of Newton Spurs as well the performance of the Pilgrims side.

He said: "The people of Newton Abbot put on a good show for us and they saw some nice football. It could have been difficult game for us, but we were very professional. The development of players was more important than the result, some of the lads have been coming back from injury and needed a run out."