NICE ONE, CYRIL

As today marks the 25th anniversary of the passing of former Torquay United manager Cyril Knowles, we will now take a look back at the career of the Spurs and England left back, who also become the first man to lead Torquay United to Wembley in 1989.

Of all the names associated with both Torquay United and Darlington, the most famous one is surely that of Cyril Knowles.

The popular former Spurs and England left back enjoyed successful and memorable spells as manager of the two sides during the 1980’s.

Cyril led the Quakers to promotion from Division Four in the 1984-85 campaign, and also kept them in Division Three, prior to his arrival in South Devon in the summer of 1987 following the departure of Stuart Morgan.

Before his appointment at Plainmoor, the Gulls had endured a number of difficult seasons that had seen them only retain their Football League status through re-election and a last day escape against Crewe Alexandra.

Cyril galvanised the club in his first season in charge and led the Gulls to brink of promotion one year after they were almost relegated to the Conference, as they lost out to Swansea City 5-4 on aggregate in the Division Four Play-Off Final.

And achieved it with largely the group of players that inherited, with the addition of Phil Lloyd, who followed him from Darlington, his assistant Sean Haslegrave and barnstorming Scottish striker Dave Caldwell.

He also masterminded a memorable 1-0 win over his former club Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup courtesy of a goal from Derek Dawkins. However, Torquay were beaten in the return leg at White Hart Lane 3-0 and were knocked out of the competition.

His reign at Plainmoor also coincided with the emergence of a talented teenager from the West Midlands by the name of Lee Sharpe. In his 2005 Autobiography, My Idea of Fun, Sharpe accredits Cyril’s ‘Murderball’ sessions for providing him with some extra toughness which stood him in good stead in a career that saw him play for Manchester United, Leeds and England amongst others.

The 1988-89 season saw Cyril etch his name permanently into the folklore of Torquay United when he guided the Gulls to the final of the Sherpa Van Trophy. This meant Torquay became the first of the three Devon Football League sides to play at Wembley.

After trailing Wolves 2-1 in the Southern Area Final first leg on aggregate, the Gulls produced a memorable 2-0 victory at Molineux in the second leg. Goals from Mark Loram and Dean Edwards as well as a memorable goalkeeping display from Kenny Allen ensured Torquay would face Bolton Wanderers in the final.

Another hallmark of the Gulls’ display was the tactical awareness that Cyril showed to keep Wolves’ prolific strike force of Steve Bull and Andy Mutch at bay.

Sadly, the Gulls were unable to repeat the heroics of Molineux and, despite taking a first half lead through Dean Edwards: they were defeated 4-1 by the Trotters.  

Cyril resigned as manager in the 1989-90 campaign following a disagreement with Chairman Lew Pope and later became manager of Hartlepool United. He looked set to guide the Pools to promotion from Division Four before he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in March 1991.

Sadly, the brain tumour would claim his life and Cyril passed away on August 31^st 1991. Following his death a floral tribute was placed outside Plainmoor which read “Thank you for showing us that Wembley was more than just a dream.”

An abridged version of this article appeared in the Torquay United vs Darlington programme on Saturday 12th December, 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE GULLS HAVE GOALS IN THEM

Yesterday's 2-1 victory over Dover Athletic was the first time that Torquay United have twice or more in a game this season, but the signs are that there is more to come from the Gulls.

Jamie Reid and Dan Sparkes both opened their respective accounts for United, in a game that they could have won by a larger margin than their single goal score line.

Whilst former Northern Ireland Under-21 international Reid, who is currently on loan with the Gulls from Exeter City, hasn't been able to establish himself as a first team regular in Paul Tisdale's side but did manage to score three times in five appearances during a loan spell with Truro City in National League South.

Sparkes will always be remembered for the hat-trick that he scored against United for Braintree in the Iron's 5-1 demolition of the Gulls at Plainmoor in the 2014-15 season. He scored a further seven goals for Braintree during that campaign, as well as another six last season as he helped the Iron to reach the National League Play-offs where they were beaten by Grimsby Town.

Although last season's leading scorer Nathan Blissett hasn't been able to get off the mark yet so far this season, the eight goals in 17 appearances - an average of just under a goal every other game - suggests he has goals in him.

Fellow striker Brett Williams also has plenty of goal scoring pedigree at National League level, having netted 24 times for Aldershot Town during the 2013-14 campaign.

Luke Young netted six goals in his first season at Plainmoor and also found the back of the net four times in his final campaign with Plymouth Argyle, prior to his move to United.

So if the Gulls can get their shooting boots on, the goals will flow and they could start to fly up the National League table.

GRECIANS IN THE EYES OF THE TIGERS

The last time Exeter City played Hull City was on January 11th, 2003 and the two clubs would soon find themselves travelling in opposite different directions in the footballing pyramid.

Exeter were relegated from the Football League on the final day of the campaign, whilst the Tigers - then managed by one-time Grecian Peter Taylor - would win back-to-back promotions in the following seasons as they embarked on a journey that would eventually take them all the way to the Premier League.

Now, in 2016, the Grecians face Hull tonight in the Capital One Cup - in what will be their third meeting with top-flight opposition in the space of 12 months after facing Sunderland in the same competition last season and after taking Liverpool to a replay in the FA Cup in January.

The Tigers have faced a summer of uncertainty over their ownership issues which saw Steve Bruce resign as manager, but Bruce's assistant Mike Phelan has stepped into the breach and has overseen two winning displays in the opening games of the Premier League season - against reigning champions Leicester City and Swansea City.

Meanwhile Paul Tisdale now embarking on his tenth campaign in charge at St James Park and will be looking to add a cup upset to his list of achievements as Grecians manager - something that he wasn't far away from achieving last January against Liverpool.

RED DEVIL TO A GULL

Sean McGinty's arrival at Plainmoor this summer from Aldershot Town saw him join a select group of connections between Torquay United and Manchester United.

And McGinty finds himself in good company, as he joins a group that includes Les Lievesley (who would find greater fame as the coach of the Torino team who perished at Superga in 1949), Tommy Spratt - Torquay's leading scorer in the 1965-66 campaign, Frank O'Farrell - the only man to manage both teams and Lee Sharpe.

Former Republic of Ireland Under-21 international McGinty's links with the Red Devils of Manchester began when Sir Alex Ferguson paid £1million to bring him to Old Trafford in 2009 from Charlton Athletic.

Whilst with the Red Devils he helped them to win the FA Youth Cup in the 2010-11 season against Sheffield United, as part of a team that included Jesse Lingard and recent world transfer record signing Paul Pogba, before signing his first professional contract.

McGinty made his league debut for Morecambe during a four-match loan stint, which was later cut short due to a dislocated shoulder, and all seemed to be going well.

However, he later became the last player to be released by Sir Alex Ferguson after he was sent back to Old Trafford from Tranmere Rovers after failing to turn up to training.

Permanent spells with Sheffield United, Rochdale and Aldershot Town followed before he arrived at Plainmoor during the close season.

All the players who have appeared for the United's of both Manchester and Torquay have served the Gulls with some distinction, having all left their mark on Plainmoor and, if he can get his career back on the right track, then there is no reason - given time - why McGinty cannot do the same.

GLOVERS LOOKING TO MAKE LIFE STICKY FOR THE TOFFEES

As a reward for their EFL Cup victory over Walsall, Yeovil Town will be travelling to Merseyside to face Premier League giants Everton -  a club that the Glovers have had strong connections with in recent years.

This relationship was largely built through Yeovil manager Darren Way's friendship with former Toffees' boss Roberto Martinez, which have enabled to bring a number loan signings to Huish Park from Goodison Park.

Perhaps the most notable of these players is Irish central defender Shane Duffy - now of Blackburn Rovers - who made 37 appearances for the Glovers during the course of two loan spells in their Championship campaign of 2013-14.

Duffy went on to make his debut for Eire against Costa Rica in the summer of 2014 and was part of Martin O'Neill's squad for their Euro 2016 campaign in France - appearing against Italy in their final group and the host nation in the last 16, when he was dismissed for a foul on Antoine Greizmann.

Also on loan at Yeovil from Everton during the 2013-14 season was midfielder John Lundstram, who made 14 appearances for the Glovers, scoring two goals. Lundstram is currently with Oxford United in League One.

Way also used his connections with the Toffees last season to help keep the Glovers in the Football League when he signed young midfielder Liam Walsh on loan.

Walsh helped to add a touch of class to the Glovers' midfield, and whilst he may not feature against Yeovil at Goodison a number of his contemporaries such as Ryan Ledson and Jonjoe Kenny - who enjoyed loan spells in League Two with Cambridge United and Oxford United respectively last season - as well as highly rated midfield pair Tom Davies and Kieran Dowell could.

It promises to be an intriguing contest, as the Glovers look to make life sticky for the Toffees.

SEASON PREVIEW 2016-17: PLYMOUTH ARGYLE

After losing to AFC Wimbledon in last season's Play-off final, Plymouth Argyle will be aiming to go a step further in the 2016-17 campaign and win promotion.

However, the Pilgrims will be going into the campaign with a much changed side to the one that lined-up under the Wembley archway for only the second time in the club's history last May.

As well as seeing many of their loan signings - including Jamille Matt, Hiram Boateng and Jordan Houghton - return to their parent clubs, the Pilgrims also lost many of their permanent fixtures - perhaps most notably long-serving captain Curtis Nelson.

Goalkeeper Luke McCormick has been named as Nelson's successor as captain.

In addition to Nelson, other players including Reuben Reid, Peter Hartley, Gregg Wylde and Carl McHugh also decided to move on, thus ensuring Derek Adams - who recently signed a contract to keep him at Home Park until 2020 - had a busy summer on the recruitment front, making 12 new signings.

It is also worth noting that when Argyle lined-up for their pre-season friendly with Torquay United, only McCormick, Gary Sawyer and Graham Carey remained from their Play-off final defeat.

Adams' new signings include a number of players who played under him during his time as Ross County manager, such as Yannick Songo'o, Gary Miller and Jordan Slew.

They also feature a mix of youth and experience, all of whom have a point to prove which could be an important factor in helping the Pilgrims go one better in the forthcoming campaign, as they look to end their stay in League Two which started in 2011.


In: Ryan Donaldson & Jimmy Spencer (Cambridge United), Connor Smith (AFC Wimbledon), Yannick Songo'o (Blackburn Rovers) David Goodwillie (Aberdeen), Oscar Threlkeld (Bolton Wanderers), Gary Miller (Partick Thistle), Jordan Slew (Chesterfield),  David Ijaha (Whitehawk), Sonny Bradley (Crawley Town), Naurus Bulvitis (Spartaks Jurmala), Karleigh Osborne (Bristol City), David Fox (Crewe Alexandra), Marc McCallum (Livingston)

Out: Kelvin Mellor (Blackpool), Gregg Wylde (Millwall), Peter Hartley (Bristol Rovers), Curtis Nelson (Oxford United), Carl McHugh (Motherwell), Tyler Harvey (Wrexham), James Bittner (Newoort County), Deane Smalley, Callum Hall, Reuben Reid, Josh Simpson,

Player to Watch: David Goodwillie

As former Pilgrims' manager Dave Smith once said 'to win promotion, you need to score goals lots of em', and David Goodwillie is a player who has the pedigree to do just that.
Now 27, if Goodwillie can re-capture the form that saw Blackburn Rovers pay £2million for his services and earned him a Scotland call-up then Plymouth Argyle might just have the player who could become only the second 20 plus goals a season striker since the great Tommy Tynan - the departed Reuben Reid was the other.

SEASON PREVIEW 2016-17: EXETER CITY

After ten years and over 500 games in charge, Paul Tisdale will be hoping to lead Exeter City to an improvement on last season's 14th placed finish.

Over the summer, Tisdale has overseen a number of large changes in personnel as Christian Ribiero, Alex Nicholls, Aaron Davies and David Noble were all released as the Grecians looked to freshen up his squad.

Amongst his new arrivals former Wales Under-21 international Lloyd James will add some extra steel into a midfield that already includes Ryan Harley and Matt Oakley, whilst Robbie Simpson and Liam McAlinden could potentially increase their firepower in attack.

David Wheeler and Lee Holmes will once again add plenty of width and Ollie Watkins (See Player to Watch) remains one of the lower league's hottest young properties.

Tisdale's commitment to youth development is also as strong as ever as Nick Grimes, brother of former Grecian and Swansea City midfielder Matt Grimes, was amongst a number of players who signed their first professional contracts with the club.

In: Robbie Simpson (Cambridge United), Lloyd James (Leyton Orient), Liam McAlinden (Wolves), Troy Archibald-Henville (Carlisle United), Pierce Sweeney (Reading)

Out: Christian Ribiero (Oxford United), Alex Nicholls (Barnet), Aaron Davies (Accrington Stanley), Clinton Morrison (Redditch United), Jamie Reid (Torquay United loan), David Noble, Will Hoskins

Player to Watch: Ollie Watkins

Amongst the number of highlights of the Grecians' 2015-16 campaign was Watkins' late brace against Plymouth Argyle, which secured City's second league double against their fierce local rivals in recent seasons. During the course of the close season, Watkins has been linked to a number of Championship sides, including Brentford and Derby County, and it remains to be seen if he is still at St James Park when the summer transfer window closes at the end of August.

SEASON PREVIEW 2016-17: YEOVIL TOWN

Whilst much has been made on this blog of the great escape pulled off by Kevin Nicholson at Torquay United, but across the Somerset border Darren Way also masterminded another  'Houdini act' to keep Yeovil Town in League Two.

After back-to-back relegations from the Championship and League One - a third successive demotion, which would have seen the Glovers return to the Conference for the first time since 2003 - appeared to be on the cards when Way was appointed as successor to Paul Sturrock last December.

However, Way, who joined the coaching staff at Huish Park in 2009 following a car accident that ended his career, galvanised the club and after making key signings, such as French target man Francois Zoko and Liam Walsh on loan from Everton, the Glovers pulled away from the drop zone.

When he was appointed as Yeovil manager, the Glovers were bottom of the league and hadn't won in 12 matches, but by the time he was awarded a new-three year contract they were 14 points clear of the relegation zone.

Way will be looking to take that momentum into the 2016-17 campaign, which begins with the visit of Notts County, now managed by former Plymouth Argyle manager John Sheridan.

Other fixtures to keep an eye out for include the visits of Luton Town, where Way's former team-mate and backroom staff member Nathan Jones is now in charge, and Cheltenham Town managed, of course, by former Yeovil manager, and mastermind of all of the Glovers' promotions as a Football League club, Gary Johnson.

After only scoring league goals last season, a lot will rest on Francois Zoko and Tom Eaves' ability to strike up a prolific partnership, and hopefully new arrivals Ryan Hedges and Otis Khan will chip in with a few goals from midfield.

In: Liam Shepherd & Ryan Hedges (Swansea City, both loans),  Tom Eaves (Bolton Wanderers), Alex Lawless (Luton Town), Otis Khan (Barnsley)

Out: Wes Fogden (Havant & Waterlooville), Jack Compton & Ben Tozer (Newport County), Mark Beck (Darlington 1883), Ryan Bird (Eastleigh), Shaun Jeffers (Chelmsford City), Jordan Gibbons (Retired), Jakub Sokolik (Southend United), Simon Gillett, Chris Weale, Leroy Lita, Marc Laird

Player to Watch: Nathan Smith

Whilst most footballers jet off abroad on their summer holidays, Yeovil Town defender Nathan Smith spent ten days mediating in India during his close season break. The former left-back who has now moved into the centre of defence will be hoping to display the same level of calmness and assurance on the pitch.

BAGGIES' TOUR ENDS IN DEFEAT

Tony Pulis' West Bromwich Albion ended their pre-season tour of the South West without a victory, after they followed up their goalless draw with Plymouth Argyle by losing to Torquay United.

During their tour, the Baggies fielded the likes of James Chester, Jonny Evans, Gareth McAuley and James McClean who are featured for Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, as well as former England goalkeeper Ben Foster - who is also a one-time Tiverton Town loanee.

Making an appearance as a trialist for the Gulls was ex-Liverpool starlet and Paraguay international Ronald Huth, who starred in the centre of defence for United.

Although Albion had demonstrated their undoubted quality in the first half, the game was poised at 0-0 when referee Neil Bromley blew his whistle for half-time.

However, all of that changed on 51 minutes when trialist left-back Callum Hall - who entered the fray as a substitute at the interval - beat Foster from 25-yards to open the scoring.

Seven minutes later, the Gulls doubled their advantage when summer signing Brett Williams beat Baggies' defender Craig Dawson just inside the Albion half of the field and made a bursting run towards goal before firing past Foster from 15-yards.

Highly rated striker Saido Berahino nearly pulled one back for the Baggies in the 81st minute, but his effort was deflected behind for a corner by United defender Sean McGinty.

Moments later, Darren Fletcher - a Champions League winner with Manchester United in 2008 - picked out Albion substitute Matt Phillips who took a touch before beating the Gulls' Gibraltar international keeper Jamie Robba.

In the dying minutes of the game, Robba was called upon to deny Berahino and young full-back Kyle Wilson as United held firm for a morale boosting victory ahead of their opening league fixture with Macclesfield Town on Saturday in front a crowd of just over 3,000, a figure that would surely provide a timely boost to the club's finances.