Thursday, 2 December 2010

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!