FAREWELL TO 2021

Well, if anyone predicted that Torquay United would lose a play-off final on penalties after their goalkeeper scored an last gasp equaliser in injury time, then I think Nostradamus would like his glasses back. 

However, that was the exact scenario when the Gulls faced Hartlepool United in the National League play-off final at Ashton Gate - the home of manager Gary Johnson's former club, Bristol City - last June. United's Brazilian goalkeeper Lucas Covolan emulated his fellow compatriot Allison, who did the same for Liverpool, when he headed the Gulls level against the Pools in the 95th minute. While Covolan did help to force the game into extra time, and saved two penalties in the following sudden death shoot out, United fell to a 5-4 loss on penalties - thus ensuring that they remain in the National League. 

If you found the idea of a keeper scoring from open bizarre enough, the same could also be said for Joe Lewis' goal in their 5-0 win over Wealdstone in October. The former Wales Under-21 centre back, who was also one of United's four successful spot-kick takers in Bristol, won the ball inside inside his own half before rushing the full length of the pitch to score with a shot from 25-yards - not a goal which would be typically by a central defender. 

Elsewhere, across the South West there was the sad news of the tragic death of Yeovil Town captain Lee Collins in late March. The inquest into his death returned a verdict of suicid after Collins, who had previously appeared for Port Vale, Northampton Town and Forest Green Rovers amongst others, was found dead in his hotel room by Glovers' assistant manager Terry Skiverton.

Plymouth Argyle now have a new manager after Ryan Lowe left Home Park to take charge of Preston North End. Lowe was replaced by assistant manager Steven Schumacher, who takes on his first job in senior management. 

In 2021, Tiverton Town joint-manager Martyn Rogers announced that he would be standing down from his position from the Southern Premier South side, only to return to his role a few months later. 

All of these events, of course, happened against the continuing back drop of a Covid-19 pandemic - which hopefully we will see the beginning of the end of as we head into 2022. 

As well as the death of Lee Collins, we also said goodbye of a number of other figures who served the game in the far South West with distinction. Collins' namesake Tony Collins, the first black player ever to have appeared for Torquay United, who also led Rochdale to the 1962 League Cup final, died in February. 

Former Plymouth Argyle manager Derek Ufton and one-time Torquay assistant manager Alan Slough passed away in the following March. In April, former Gulls loanee Alan McLoughlin, who scored the goal that took the Republic of Ireland to the 1994 World Cup left us April, as did ex Exeter City manager Colin Appleton. 

In July, former England international Paul Mariner, who played for and managed Plymouth Argyle succumbed to a brain tumour. His death was followed in the same month by another ex-England international who managed in Devon in former Exeter City manager Terry Cooper. 

These are all people who added to the game and helped to bring joy to the teams that they played for and managed, and perhaps that's what we need to remember about football as we head into 2022 - that it's a game to be enjoyed.

600 NOT OUT FOR MOXEY

When a definitive history of professional football in the South West is eventually compiled, it will contain a number of favourable paragraphs devoted to Torquay United defender Dean Moxey. 

After making his debut for his hometown club Exeter City as a teenager, Moxey, who turns 36 next month, went on to appear at Championship level for Derby County, Crystal Palace (who he would also feature for 20 times in the Premier League) and Bolton Wanderers over a number of years. 

He returned to St James Park for a second spell with the Grecians before joining Gary Johnson's Gulls in the summer of 2020, for whom he made his 600th senior appearance for in their recent 2-1 defeat to Eastleigh. 

It is a journey that started for Moxey in the 2003-04 season, when he made his debut on October 18, 2003 against Accrington Stanley. He was one of a number of youngsters who were thrown into the Grecians' first team by then manager Eamonn Dolan due to the financial situation at the club which had arisen following their relegation from the Football League in 2003.

In the following 2004-05 campaign, he started to make a name for himself as he scored with a 45-yard strike against Doncaster Rovers in the second round of the FA Cup, which helped to set up City's memorable tie with Manchester United in round three. The Grecians famously held the Red Devils to a goalless draw at Old Trafford before losing the replay 2-0 at St James Park, and Moxey would feature in both matches. 

Over the next fews years, Moxey would remain an integral part of the Grecians under Alex Inglethorpe, and then under his successor Paul Tisdale and was part of the City side who would win back-to-back promotions between the Conference and League One between 2007 and 2009 before joining Derby County in the summer of 2009. 

Several strong seasons with the Rams earned him a move to Crystal Palace, who he helped to win promotion to the Premier League in the 2012-13 campaign under the guidance of Ian Holloway. His solitary season in the top-flight saw him make 20 appearances for the Eagles before he was on the move again, this time to Bolton Wanderers. 

While with the Trotters, he helped them to win promotion from League One in the 2016-17 season before he rejoined the Grecians. On returning to where it all began, he featured in two League Two Play-off finals - against Coventry City in 2018 and Northampton Town in 2020 - before he signed for Torquay United in the summer of 2020. 

In his first season at Plainmoor, he helped the Gulls to reach the 2021 National League Play-off final, where they were beaten on penalties by Hartlepool United. After starting out playing on the left wing or at left back, Moxey is currently appearing at centre back for United - and he is passing on the experiences he has gained throughout his lengthy career onto the Gulls' young pros.

SIX TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS YEOVIL TOWN

1. Joe Lewis was imperious in the heart of United's defence. 

Not for the first time this season, Joe Lewis was imperious in the heart of the United defence. The former Wales Under-21 international stood up to the physical threat posed by Yeovil centre forward Adi Yussuf incredibly well with a highly disciplined display - as had he been booked he would have earned himself a fifth yellow card and a one-match suspension. This is due to the fact that the Gulls are yet to reach the cut-off point of 23 games for players who receive five yellows, which they are due to reach when they face Dagenham & Redbridge on January 8, 2022. 

In addition to this, Lewis capped off a memorable display by heading home Connor Lemonheigh-Evans' cross in the 86th minute to score his fourth goal of the season - which makes him United's second highest scorer of the 2021-22 campaign.

2. Armani Little produced a disciplined display in the centre of midfield. 

Like Lewis, central midfielder Armani Little was also treading the disciplinary tightrope after four bookings, but it was a challenge that Little came through with flying colours. With Asa Hall only deemed to be fit enough to be named on the subs bench, there were more defensive responsibilities being heaped on Little's shoulders as he formed a central midfield pairing alongside Tom Lapslie, in addition to captaining the side on the day. However, it was a test that Little came through with flying colours as he kept possession well and always looked to play the simple pass when it was on. 

3. Lo-Everton's sending off proved to be a turning point

The ultimate turning point in the match came in the 65th minute when Yeovil attacker Sonny Blu Lo-Everton was dismissed for an off-the-ball incident with United midfielder Tom Lapslie. Watford loanee Lo-Everton appeared to kick out at Lapslie in a similar manner to which David Beckham kicked out at Diego Simeone when England played Argentina in the 1998 World Cup in France. Referee Scott Jackson initially hadn't seen the incident but after consulting with linesman Matt Eva then opted to issue a red card. Up until that point, the match had been fairly even, with Yeovil making a strong startto the second half.

In his post-match interview, Glovers' boss Darren Sarll described Lo-Everton's actions as 'petulant' - and Sarll also saw his side reduced to nine men after the final whistle after goalkeeper Grant Smith received a straight red card. 

4. Jack helps to spark Gulls into life. 

Exeter City loanee Jack Sparkes picked the perfect moment to score his first goal for the Gulls since arriving on loan from St James' Park. Sparkes found the back of the net with a volley from the edge of the area, which took a deflection off Yeovil left-back Morgan Williams that took it past Glovers' keeper Grant Smith. After appearing as a right wing-back for United in their last home match against Stockport County, despite being left-footed, Sparkes featured on the left-hand side of the Gulls' midfield on Boxing Day.

5. Moxey and Wright once again prove that there is no substitute for experience. 

Despite being two oldest players on the pitch at 35 and 37 respectively, Dean Moxey and Danny Wright were two of United's top performers against Yeovil. Moxey formed a solid central defensive partnership with Joe Lewis and proved why he reached the Premier League earlier in his career with Crystal Palace with some of the balls which he played out from the back. Meanwhile Wright used all his positional sense and know how to deal with Yeovil centre back combination of Max Hunt and Luke Wilkinson, winning numerous flick-ons and knock downs for his younger colleagues. He also showed why he was such a big miss during his absences through injury in the 2020-21 campaign.

6. Only five survivors from their 6-1 win a year earlier featured. 

A year ago, United routed the Glovers 6-1 in front of a limited crowd at Plainmoor, however only five players who featured for the Gulls on that occasion lined-up against Yeovil. They were goalkeeper Shaun MacDonald, experienced defender Dean Moxey, midfield duo Armani Little and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans and striker Danny Wright. Right-back Ben Wynter, who scored United's opening goal, missed out on that occasion through injury. 

TORQUAY UNITED AND YEOVIL TOWN: A RECENT HISTORY

For the third Boxing Day in a row, Torquay United will face Yeovil Town in a National League fixture. 

Remarkably, the current 2021-22 campaign is only the fourth season that the Gulls and the Glovers have played in the same division as each other. 

The first time they crossed swords as divisional opponents came in the 2003-04 season, which was Yeovil's maiden campaign as a Football League club. 

In their first meeting of the season in September 2003 at Huish Park, Torquay returned to Devon as 2-0 victors with goals from David Graham and Jo Kuffour. 

When the two sides met again at Plainmoor later on that season in front of a near capacity crowd of 6,156 in April 2004. The Glovers raced into a two-goal lead with Darren Way and Jake Edwards finding the target before United skipper Craig Taylor pulled one back with a free-kick shortly before half-time. The Gulls drew level in the second half through Steve Woods who slotted home after seeing his 59th penalty saved by Steve Collis. 

At the end of the campaign, the Gulls clinched automatic promotion for the first time in 38 years, while Yeovil finished eighth - narowly missing out on a Play-off spot.

The following 2004-05 season saw the pair were drawn together in the first round of the LDV Vans Trophy. On that occasion, only two league places separated the two sides as the Gulls lay 23rd in League One, after winning automatic promotion in the previous 2003-04 campaign, and the Glovers were top of League Two.

A crowd of 1,610 poured into Plainmoor to see Torquay take the lead through Jo Kuffour on 17 minutes before Latvian international Andrejs Stolcers, who had represented his country in Euro 2004 during the close season, levelled for the visitors three minutes before half-time.

Early in the second half, two goals from skipper Craig Taylor and Bayo Akinfenwa, his first for the Gulls, in the 53rd and 59th minutes respectively gave Torquay a 3-1 lead.

However, the Glovers, famed for claiming a number of higher division scalps during their non-league days, weren’t to be undone as strikes from Adrian Caceres and Bartosz Tarachulski saw Yeovil level at 3-3 and sent the tie into extra time.

With four minutes remaining, and the game set to be heading for penalties, Akinfenwa scored a late winner for the Gulls.

Then, as part of his celebration, ran into the Family Stand behind the goal and sat down in an empty seat, a decision which earned him a red card as Torquay played out the final four minutes with ten men, but they still hung on to their slender advantage to win.

Torquay would exit the competition in the next round following a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Northampton Town and at the end of the season.

The two sides would swap divisions at the end of the season as a 2-1 defeat at Colchester on the final day of the campaign saw the Gulls relegated to League Two, whilst the Glovers clinched the League Two title with a 3-0 victory over Lincoln City in their final fixture.

Two years later, both Torquay and Yeovil would experience further contrasting fortunes as the Gulls lost their Football League status for the first time in 80 years whereas the Glovers found themselves one game away from a place in the Championship after reaching the League One Play-Off final where they were beaten by Blackpool.

Their paths would cross again in the first round of the following season’s FA Cup, the most recent encounter between the two sides, which saw Torquay win 4-1 as Chris Todd and Danny Stevens both scored doubles to cancel out Marcus Stewart’s opener for Yeovil.

In the 2012-13 season, by which time the Gulls had re-established themselves as a Football League club, they met again in the rebranded Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Plainmoor. They drew 2-2 with Ryan Jarvis netting a brace for United and James Hayter doing the same for the Glovers before Yeovil won 5-4 on penalties. At the end of the campaign, Gary Johnson, then in his second spell in charge at Huish Park, guided the Glovers to an unlikely promotion to the Championship, as they beat Brentford 2-1 in the League One Play-off final, while Torquay avoided relegation from League Two. 

However, the subsequent 2013-14 season would see the Gulls relegated from the Football League for a second time. Nevertheless, they wouldn't face Yeovil in a competitive fixture until the 2019-20 campaign, which followed their National League South title triumph under Gary Johnson. The Glovers had gone into a sharp decline since their promotion to the Championship and experienced three relegations between 2014 and 2018 - which saw them return to non-league football after 16 years in the Football League. 

At Huish Park on Boxing Day 2019, Yeovil recorded their biggest ever win over the Gulls with a thumping 6-2 win, which was followed by a 2-0 victory at Plainmoor on New Year's Day. The Glovers would finish the 2019-20 campaign in 4th place - which cemented their place in the Play-offs in a National League that was decided by PPG (Points per game) following its suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, where they were beaten by Barnet. 

The following 2020-21 campaign saw the Gulls enact a modium of revenge on Yeovil, as hit the Glovers for six on Boxing Day 2020 at Plainmoor - in a game that saw them lead 4-0 at the half-time interval. It was Torquay's biggest ever win over the Glovers, but Yeovil secured a 2-1 win over United in their re-match at Huish Park on January 2, 2021. The Gulls would go on to reach the National League Play-off final, where they were beaten 4-3 on penalties by Hartlepool United after drawing 1-1 in normal time. 

What will their 2021-22 encounters bring?

 

SIX TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS STOCKPORT COUNTY

 1. Back-to-back wins for the first time this season. 

By following up their away victory over Weymouth with a home win over Stockport County, Torquay United recorded back to back wins for the first time in the 2021-22 campaign. It was also the first time that the Gulls have put a successive run of wins together since they beat Aldershot Town (2-1), Eastleigh (3-1) and Chesterfield (2-0) between late April and May 2021. 

2. Asa Hall is back. 

He may have lacked a bit of sharpness when he returned to the starting line-up against FC Halifax a fortnight ago, but United skipper Asa Hall was back to his best yesterday against Stockport. Hall was a commanding presence in the centre of midfield and scored the Gulls' decisive second goal from the penalty spot. In addition that he nearly netted a second deep in second half injury time with a volleyed effort which he fired straight at Stockport keeper Ben Hinchcliffe. 

3. Shaun MacDonald was imperious between the sticks. 

United goalkeeper Shaun MacDonald produced arguably his best performance since he returned to Plainmoor last September as he pulled a string of fine saves to help keep Stockport at bay. His reflexes denied the Hatters' former Plymouth Argyle and Bolton Wanderers midfielder Antoni Sarcevic and in the second half he was twice called upon to deny Stockport skipper Paddy Madden in the second half in the 47th and 79th minute - of all which proved to be crucial in keeping the Hatters at bay. 

4. Joe Lewis superbly marshalled the defence. 

With Ben Wynter to the right of him and Dean Moxey to the left, Joe Lewis also played a crucial role in restricting Stockport to just the one goal. The former Wales Under-21 defender made a number of important blocks, interceptions and clearances as the United back line nullified an attack consisting of Paddy Madden, a player with considerable Football League, and Ollie Crankshaw, the Hatters' current leading scorer. 

5. Dan Martin looked at home at left wing-back. 

After a slow start, the signs are that Dan Martin is slowly establishing himself at Plainmoor. The young left-back, who joined the Gulls in the summer from Cardiff City, produced a fine display in October against Wealdstone but suffered the ignomnity of being sent off in the Gulls' FA Cup fourth qualifying round against Havant and Waterlooville. However, he followed up a promising display against Weymouth to produce arguably his finest performance to date against Stockport as he consistently pressed the Hatters throughout the 90 minutes. 

The Gulls have been blessed with a number of fine left backs and left wing-backs over the years; it's a list includes the likes of John Uzzell, Tom Kelly, Paul Gibbs, Robbie Herrera, Brian McGlinchey, Kevin Nicholson, Liam Davis and Dean Moxey. If Martin continues in the same vein as yesterday, then he could yet add his name to that list. 

6. The first managerial clash between Gary Johnson and Dave Challinor since that Play-off final. 

Saturday's encounter was also the first managerial head to head between Gary Johnson and Dave Challinor since last season's National League Play-off final between the Gulls and Hartlepool United. On that occasion, United keeper Lucas Covolan memorably scored an equalising goal in 'Gary time' to take the game at Ashton Gate into extra time and then penalties. However, on there was no need for 'Gary time' on Saturday.

SCHUMACHER STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS

It is often said that a week is a long time in football, and seven days ago Steven Schumacher was Plymouth Argyle assistant manager and preparing for the Pilgrims' second round FA Cup tie with Rochdale. 

However, following manager Ryan Lowe's sudden departure to take charge of Championship side Preston North End Schumacher was quickly installed as his successor - after he opted to stay at Home Park instead of making the pilgrimage to Deepdale. 

In his first game in charge against fellow promotion challengers Milton Keynes Dons, the Pilgrims came away from Stadium:mk with a 1-1 draw - as a 66th minute strike from Conor Grant cancelled out Tennai Watson's first half opener.

A graduate of the Everton youth academy, where he was coached by current Pilgrims' Director of Football Neil Dewsnip, Schumacher didn't quite make the final step required to break into the Toffees' first team. However, he did manage to carve out a successful career in the lower leagues with the likes of Bradford City, Crewe Alexandra, Bury and Fleetwood Town amongst others. 

It was with Everton's academy that he started his coaching career and he has also had a spell as interim manager with Southport in National League North before he first linked up with Lowe at Bury in 2018.

Lowe and Schumacher were very much a partnership in the mould of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, who achieved great success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest, but now he has the opportunity to play Bob Paisley to Lowe's Bill Shankly, who won three European Cups with Liverpool after the legendary Scotsman retired as Liverpool manager.

 

 

FA CUP SECOND ROUND PREVIEW 2021-22

Cambridge United versus Exeter City

After overcoming Bradford City in their re-arranged first round replay, Exeter City travel to Cambridge United in the second round of the 2021-22 FA Cup. 

Both sides have faced the domestic game's elite in the last few seasons, the U's faced Manchester United in the 2014-15 season while the Grecians famously took Liverpool to a replay in the 2016-17 campaign. 

In the current season, City are aiming to emulate Cambridge by winning promotion from League Two, the U's finished third in League Two in the 2020-21 campaign and the Grecians are currently in contention for automatic promotion from the fourth tier at the time of writing. 

Their meeting will probably also rekindle memories of their 2008 Blue Square Premier Play-off encounter, which saw City book their return to the Football League with a 1-0 win. 

Yeovil Town versus Stevenage 

The BBC cameras will be heading to Huish Park on late Saturday afternoon as Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll prepares to do battle with his former club Stevenage. After going unbeaten in the National League during November the Glovers will be looking to add the Boro to their list of FA Cup scalps for the 2021-22 season which includes Weymouth and Yate Town. 

Meanwhile Boro manager Paul Tisdale will want to see an improvement on his first game in charge, which saw Stevenage lose on penalties to Sutton United in the EFL Trophy.

Rochdale versus Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth Argyle will once again be featuring on ITV as they travel to Rochdale in the second round. The Pilgrims needed a replay to see off fellow League One side Sheffield Wednesday. 

Both Dale and Argyle are set to receive £60,000 each in broadcast fees and also a further £34,000 in prize money should they progress to the third round, where a lucrative tie against a Premier League awaits the winner.