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.
Friday, 10 December 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
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.
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.
Monday, 6 December 2010
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.
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.
Friday, 3 December 2010
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.
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.
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!
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!
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
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.
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