As a reward for beating Aldershot Town on Tuesday night in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, Plymouth Argyle have been drawn at home to Oxford United in the competition's Southern Area Quarter Finals.
It will be the first time that the U's have visited Home Park since the penultimate home game of the 2012-13 season, which saw the Pilgrims secure the point they needed to secure their League Two status.
Meanwhile, a home tie with Wycombe Wanderers awaits either Torquay United or Yeovil Town, who meet each other this coming Tuesday after the original fixture was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
Both sides will see the match as a good opportunity to progress through to the Southern Area Semi-Finals should they come out on top should they emerge victorious at Plainmoor later this week.
Saturday, 13 October 2012
TRURO GIVEN EXTRA TIME
Truro City now have until October 18th to find the cash needed to ensure their membership of the Football Conference.
The White Tigers had faced explusion from the Blue Square South last Thursday if they failed to raise the £50,000 for the bond which would allow to compete in the League.
However, even if Truro are able to find the necessary funds to stay in the league, manager Lee Hodges will face a difficult task in persuading many of his players to remain at Treyew Road as many of them are owed three months wages.
The club is also on the outlook for a new owner after former Chairman Kevin Heaney was declared bankrupt earlier this year.
Also the club's Administrator, Walsh and Taylor, have said the Football Conference bond will depend upon getting security of tenure over the club's Treyew Road ground from current owners JoJo Investco Limited.
This weekend's trip to Dover Athletic, which was postponed earlier this week, has not been re-instated.
The White Tigers had faced explusion from the Blue Square South last Thursday if they failed to raise the £50,000 for the bond which would allow to compete in the League.
However, even if Truro are able to find the necessary funds to stay in the league, manager Lee Hodges will face a difficult task in persuading many of his players to remain at Treyew Road as many of them are owed three months wages.
The club is also on the outlook for a new owner after former Chairman Kevin Heaney was declared bankrupt earlier this year.
Also the club's Administrator, Walsh and Taylor, have said the Football Conference bond will depend upon getting security of tenure over the club's Treyew Road ground from current owners JoJo Investco Limited.
This weekend's trip to Dover Athletic, which was postponed earlier this week, has not been re-instated.
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
ARGYLE DOWN THE SHOTS WHILST GULLS AND GLOVERS RAINED OFF
Plymouth Argyle avenged their opening day defeat at the hands of Aldershot Town by knocking the Shots out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.
Paris Cowan-Hall's opener for the Pilgrims was cancelled out by Craig Reid before Andres Gurrieri sealed the victory for Argyle with the decisive second goal in the 2-1 win.
The Pilgrims, who fielded three debutants in the form of goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin, rookie defender Jamie Richards and on loan defender Scott Griffiths will now wait until Saturday to find out the identity of their opponents in the Southern Area Quarter Finals.
Also waiting on the draw will be Torquay United and Yeovil Town after their tie was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, they meet again next Tuesday at Plainmoor.
Paris Cowan-Hall's opener for the Pilgrims was cancelled out by Craig Reid before Andres Gurrieri sealed the victory for Argyle with the decisive second goal in the 2-1 win.
The Pilgrims, who fielded three debutants in the form of goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin, rookie defender Jamie Richards and on loan defender Scott Griffiths will now wait until Saturday to find out the identity of their opponents in the Southern Area Quarter Finals.
Also waiting on the draw will be Torquay United and Yeovil Town after their tie was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, they meet again next Tuesday at Plainmoor.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
TORQUAY AND YEOVIL: A RECENT HISTORY
Round two of the 2012-13 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy will see Torquay United face Yeovil Town in the competition for the second time, almost eight years to the date of their first.
On that day, 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 in what was only their second season as a league club.
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.
Footnote: Bayo Akinfenwa would join Swansea City at the end of the 2004-05 campaign and scored for the Swans in the 2006 LDV Vans Trophy final against Carlisle United.
On that day, 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 in what was only their second season as a league club.
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.
Footnote: Bayo Akinfenwa would join Swansea City at the end of the 2004-05 campaign and scored for the Swans in the 2006 LDV Vans Trophy final against Carlisle United.
Sunday, 7 October 2012
PADDY POWER HELPS GLOVERS END LOSING STREAK
A debut brace from loan signing Paddy Maddern helped Yeovil Town end their six match losing run with a win over Colchester United.
Maddern recently arrived at Huish Park on loan from Carlisle United and opened his account for the Glovers in the 20th minute before Jabo Ibehre levelled for the U's five minutes later.
The Irishman then bagged his double on 34 minutes and his strike partner James Hayter then added a third in the second half to clinch Yeovil's second victory over Colchester this season having previously beaten them in the Capital One Cup.
Paddy was one of three loan signings in Gary Johnson's starting eleven, the other two were defender Daniel Burn and midfielder Korey Smith who are on loan from Fulham and Norwich City respectively.
In recent years, Yeovil have used the loan market to good effect, to the benefit of both themselves and the players whom they have recruited.
One player for whom this policy has proved to be hugely beneficial for is Spurs defender Steven Caulker who, after virtually sweeping the board at the Glovers' Player of the Year awards in the 2009-10 season during a season on loan from White Hart Lane, is now been given a run of games by Andre Villas-Boas.
Earlier today he managed to do for Spurs the one thing that he failed to do during his time at Huish Park, which was to score a goal when he found the back of the net in their 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
Maddern recently arrived at Huish Park on loan from Carlisle United and opened his account for the Glovers in the 20th minute before Jabo Ibehre levelled for the U's five minutes later.
The Irishman then bagged his double on 34 minutes and his strike partner James Hayter then added a third in the second half to clinch Yeovil's second victory over Colchester this season having previously beaten them in the Capital One Cup.
Paddy was one of three loan signings in Gary Johnson's starting eleven, the other two were defender Daniel Burn and midfielder Korey Smith who are on loan from Fulham and Norwich City respectively.
In recent years, Yeovil have used the loan market to good effect, to the benefit of both themselves and the players whom they have recruited.
One player for whom this policy has proved to be hugely beneficial for is Spurs defender Steven Caulker who, after virtually sweeping the board at the Glovers' Player of the Year awards in the 2009-10 season during a season on loan from White Hart Lane, is now been given a run of games by Andre Villas-Boas.
Earlier today he managed to do for Spurs the one thing that he failed to do during his time at Huish Park, which was to score a goal when he found the back of the net in their 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
GULLS COME BACK FROM DEAD AGAINST SHOTS
When they found themselves three goals down against Aldershot Town on Tuesday night, most Torquay United fans feared the worse.
A Craig Reid hat-trick saw Aldershot, who featured former Gulls defender Guy Branston in the line-up, race into a comfortable lead before Billy Bodin pulled a goal back for Torquay.
Substitute Ryan Jarvis then reduced the deficit to one goal in the 69th minute before fellow sub Ashley Yeoman levelled on 84 minutes with his first goal for the Gulls.
This set Torquay up for a grandstand finish as leading scorer Rene Howe scored the decisive fourth for the Gulls with his seventh of the season as Martin Ling's completed a remarkable turnaround.
It is the first time the Gulls have cancelled out a three goal margin at Plainmoor since Adrian Foster's hat-trick from the substitutes bench saw them secure a 3-3 draw with Colchester United on September 4th 1993.
A Craig Reid hat-trick saw Aldershot, who featured former Gulls defender Guy Branston in the line-up, race into a comfortable lead before Billy Bodin pulled a goal back for Torquay.
Substitute Ryan Jarvis then reduced the deficit to one goal in the 69th minute before fellow sub Ashley Yeoman levelled on 84 minutes with his first goal for the Gulls.
This set Torquay up for a grandstand finish as leading scorer Rene Howe scored the decisive fourth for the Gulls with his seventh of the season as Martin Ling's completed a remarkable turnaround.
It is the first time the Gulls have cancelled out a three goal margin at Plainmoor since Adrian Foster's hat-trick from the substitutes bench saw them secure a 3-3 draw with Colchester United on September 4th 1993.
Monday, 1 October 2012
FINDING A FORMULA
Most Torquay United fans would be more than happy at the start of the season if they were told that, at this stage of the season, the Gulls would possess one of the best defensive records in League Two and star striker Rene Howe was amongst the division's most prolific strikers.
Whilst Torquay have the joint second best defensive record in League Two, which they share with Football League new boys Fleetwood Town, and Howe shares fourth place in the divsion's top scorer, after finding the back of the net six times in nine appearances, Martin Ling's side find themselves in mid-table.
In their nine league games thus far, the Gulls have won only once and have found the back of the net only ten times, which includes Howe's six strikes.
This is in stark contrast to last season when every regular starter found the back of the net apart from Joe Oastler and Damon Lathrope as Torquay found the back of the net 63 times in 46 league games.
Nearly half of that figure were scored by midfielders with skipper Lee Mansell scoring 13 times, Danny Stevens found the target ten times, the departed Eunan O'Kane scored five whilst Ian Morris hit the back of the net twice.
So far in the current campaign, Mansell and Stevens are both yet to get off the mark, whilst Morris has managed just the one goal.
It is also worth noting that the midfield area is one department where Ling has been forced to chop and change on a regular basis due to injuries.
Anchorman Lathrope, who was an influential for the Gulls when deployed as a holding midfielder in front of the back four, is yet to make an appearance so far this season due to injury.
As well as having to make do without Lathrope, Ling went into the Gulls' last game with Chesterfield without Nathan Craig, the former Everton starlet who has impressed since being given an extended run in the side, and Ian Morris, who is set to be out for several months with an achilles tendon injury sustained on the Friday before the game.
He then lost Craig Easton, a player who he knows well from his Leyton Orient days, to a hamstring injury within the first half hour and was forced to play Tom Cruise, who is primarily a defender, in central midfield.
With a settled midfield in place, there is no reason why Torquay can't improve on their current form, which has seen them emerge as a side who is tough to beat.
Once again, just like last season, the challenge of finding a winning formula is once again facing Martin Ling and his coaching staff.
Whilst Torquay have the joint second best defensive record in League Two, which they share with Football League new boys Fleetwood Town, and Howe shares fourth place in the divsion's top scorer, after finding the back of the net six times in nine appearances, Martin Ling's side find themselves in mid-table.
In their nine league games thus far, the Gulls have won only once and have found the back of the net only ten times, which includes Howe's six strikes.
This is in stark contrast to last season when every regular starter found the back of the net apart from Joe Oastler and Damon Lathrope as Torquay found the back of the net 63 times in 46 league games.
Nearly half of that figure were scored by midfielders with skipper Lee Mansell scoring 13 times, Danny Stevens found the target ten times, the departed Eunan O'Kane scored five whilst Ian Morris hit the back of the net twice.
So far in the current campaign, Mansell and Stevens are both yet to get off the mark, whilst Morris has managed just the one goal.
It is also worth noting that the midfield area is one department where Ling has been forced to chop and change on a regular basis due to injuries.
Anchorman Lathrope, who was an influential for the Gulls when deployed as a holding midfielder in front of the back four, is yet to make an appearance so far this season due to injury.
As well as having to make do without Lathrope, Ling went into the Gulls' last game with Chesterfield without Nathan Craig, the former Everton starlet who has impressed since being given an extended run in the side, and Ian Morris, who is set to be out for several months with an achilles tendon injury sustained on the Friday before the game.
He then lost Craig Easton, a player who he knows well from his Leyton Orient days, to a hamstring injury within the first half hour and was forced to play Tom Cruise, who is primarily a defender, in central midfield.
With a settled midfield in place, there is no reason why Torquay can't improve on their current form, which has seen them emerge as a side who is tough to beat.
Once again, just like last season, the challenge of finding a winning formula is once again facing Martin Ling and his coaching staff.
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