FA CUP FOURTH QUALIFYING ROUND PREVIEW: 2022-23

Yeovil Town vs Taunton Town

County bragging rights will be at stake when Yeovil Town host their Somerset neighbours Taunton Town at Huish Park. It wasn't that long ago that the Glovers reached the Championship whilst the Peacocks were in the lower reaches of the Southern League; however, just one division seperates them - with Yeovil in the National League and Taunton plying their trade in the National League South. 

Nevertheless, the Glovers have a fine pedigree in the cup - having beaten a record 21 league sides in the competitions. Manager Chris Hargreaves also has some fond memories of playing in the FA Cup himself, having featured against Manchester United for Northampton Town and helped Torquay United reach the fourth round of the competition in the 2008-09 season, so he will be keen to add to those.

Torquay United vs Hampton and Richmond Borough

Torquay United's FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie with National League South side Hampton and Richmond Borough will provide a certain amount of respite for the Gulls, who find themselves bottom of the National League. 

Although performances have improved of late, but United haven't tasted victory since September 3, when they beat Southend United 2-1 at Roots Hall. However, should they secure a win it would provide them with a confidence boost and some momentum that they can take into their league campaign. 

Barnet vs Weston Super Mare

After a strong start to their Southern League Premier South campaign,  Weston Super Mare will surely be looking forward to testing themselves against National League side Barnet. The Seagulls' squad possesses a number of individuals with Football League experience including Reuben Reid (Plymouth Argyle, Rotherham United, Forest Green Rovers, Exeter City) and Dayle Grubb (Forest Green Rovers). 

Havant and Waterlooville vs Weymouth

Weymouth will be looking to end their 15-year wait for an appearance in the FA Cup first round when they face their fellow National League South outfit Havant and Waterlooville. 

Manager Bobby Wilkinson has received the boost from the return to fitness of Xander McBurnie and Cam Murray, as he also aims to reach the first round proper for the first time as a manager.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

In the wake of Torquay United's struggles at the foot of the National League, it has been suggested whether it would be a good idea to move the Gulls training base further up country in order to help them to attract better players. 

For many United managers of yesteryear their main priorities have been 'contacts, contacts and contacts' and 'recruitment, recruitment, recruitment,' in their aim to secure the signatures of potential signings, but could 'location, location, location' soon be the new buzz words for the Gulls? 

Moving a club's training ground to a different geographical location certainly isn't unheard of in modern times. For example, Barrow, now of League Two, train just outside Manchester in Salford and many of their players only visit the Cumbrian town on matchdays and Hereford FC, currently of National League North and managed by former Gulls defender Josh Gowling, have moved their training base to Warwick University.

Both clubs have stated that their choice of locations has enabled them to increase the catchment area of players that they could potentially recruit - and Gowling has even gone on record as saying that Hereford don't have the budget to be able to get players to relocate. 

Nevertheless, whilst these plans have been beneficial to both Barrow and Hereford, it is also worth considering a couple of points before we start working out whether a similar modus operandi would work for Torquay United. 

Firstly, United have use of the Lodge in Marnham Road, which used to provide accomodation for United's trainees and is currently home to many of the Gulls' first team. 

Secondly, in the past a number of United managers have got around the issues posed by relocation by allowing players to train with clubs nearer to their home during the week. For example, during the late 1960s under the reign of the late Frank O'Farrell, who made use of his contacts with his former club West Ham United. O'Farrell reached a special agreement with the likes of John Bond and Ken Brown which allowed them to train with the Hammers during the week with Ron Greenwood and join up with their teammates in Torquay a day or two before each home game - if relocation was an issue for them. 

Several years later when Wes Saunders persuaded the legendary former Everton and Wales goalkeeper Neville Southall to sign for the Gulls following an injury to Kenny Veysey, Southall combined his playing role at Plainmoor with coaching the goalkeepers at Huddersfield Town and Tranmere Rovers. Indeed Southall would very often train with his teammates on a Friday before home matches and spend the evening at the Palace Hotel in Torquay. Whilst warming up with his teenage understudy Ryan Northmore, Southall was often seen sporting a Tranmere Rovers tracksuit top!

Of course, we live in a very different times now with United now a non-league club and currently operating in what is a very competitive environment. However, surely reviving the aforementioned agreements, which have served the Gulls well in the past, should be worth considering first ahead of any plans to relocate the club's training facilities.

 

TAYLOR MADE FOR ROTHERHAM

In the end they was perhaps an inevitability about it, but this week Rotherham United succeeded in prising Matt Taylor away from Exeter City as he was installed as manager of the Millers. 

The South Yorkshire outfit had lost their own highly talented manager in the form of Paul Warne, who moved to Derby County to replace Liam Rosenior; after having guided the Grecians to 11th place in League One following promotion from League Two, Taylor's reputation attracted their interest. 

Since succeeding Paul Tisdale in 2018, Taylor, who also won back-to-back promotions with City between 2007 and 2009 as a player, kept up the momentum that the Grecians had created by reaching two successive League Two play-offs finals (2017 and 2018) before eventually leading City into League One. 

He also maintained their reputation of bringing players from thieir youth academy into the first team in the form of Joel Randell, who they sold to Peterborough United in 2021, Josh Key and Alex Hartridge. 

His assistant Wayne Carlisle also follows him to the New York Stadium - and it is likely that the Grecians will look outside the club to find Taylor's successor. However they choose part of their remit will be to continue with the club's ethos.

SIX TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS SCUNTHORPE UNITED

 1. A step in the right direction. 

After losing 6-0 to Wrexham last week at the Racecourse Ground, the last thing that Torquay United boss Gary Johnson would have wanted is another defeat against Scunthorpe United. Thankfully United averted managed to get at least some points on the board this time round against the Iron.

2. Last ditch defending. 

Instrumental in helping the Gulls to secure a point were goalkeeper Mark Halstead and substitute midfielder Brett McGavin late on in the game. Deep in injury time, Halstead turned a shot from Iron leading scorer Joe Nuttall behind for a corner, and from the resulting flag kick Scunthorpe centre back George Taft was denied by a goal line header from McGavin before Halstead gathered a rebounded effort from Reagan Ogle. Halstead's effort also helped to earn him a place in the Non-League Paper's team of the day.

3. Kieron Evans becoming 'Torquay-fied.'

Cardiff City loanee Kieron Evans continues to improve as he produced a display that eanred him the sponsors man of the match. Evans displayed a great range of passing and always looked to get on the ball and make things happen. If he can develop a greater end product then he has the potential to have the same level of influence on games as his near namesake Connor Lemonheigh-Evans and Armani Little once did.

4. First goal for Dan Martin. 

Dan Martin's wait for a first Torquay United ended inside four minutes as he played one-two with Scott Smith in midfield before racing down the left hand side to drill the ball past Scunthorpe keeper Marcus Dewhurst. Martin and his fellow wing-back Dylan Crowe aren't being talked about in the same breath as Andy Gurney and Paul Gibbs yet, but it's still early days.

5. Aaron Jarvis close to scoring against his former club. 

Due to a double 'dead leg' suffered in pre-season, striker Aaron Jarvis hadn't started a game at Plainmoor since United's pre-season friendly against Plymouth Argyle. In the Gulls' defeat to Wrexham, which was his first 90 minutes for the club, he showed that he could hold the ball up effectively and against his former club Scunthorpe he was unlucky not to find the target. On 28 minutes, he was denied by the reflexes of Marcus Dewhurst after being teed up by Kieron Evans; and then three minutes he connected with a free-kick from sub Ben Wyatt which looped over the bar.

6. Scott Smith settling in well. 

Wigan Athletic loanee Scott Smith continued to impress in the centre of midfield for the Gulls since he arrived on loan. The Wales youth international made off the line clearance to deny Scunthorpe striker Caolan Lavery and he made several surging box-to-box runs - as he brings a new found energy to United's midfield.

TO STREAM OR NOT TO STREAM

 To stream, or not to stream? 

That is the question facing the National League Board - and it took a tweet from a Hollywood star owner of one of its member clubs to bring the matter into the open. 

With a sponsor deal with social media site Tik Tok already secured and a fly-on-the-wall documentary, Welcome to Wrexham, currently been shown on Disney+ brand awareness isn't a concept that is lost on Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds. 

Former EFL Chief Executive Shaun Harvey, who works as a strategic advisor to Reynolds and Red Dragons co-owner Rob McElenney, has sent a memo to all other 23 clubs in the National League outlining their proposals. It is believed that the interim proposal would see any club who can meet the National League's minimum criteria should be allowed to stream games with immediate effect. 

Additional provisions also include the observing of UEFA's Article 48 (which prevents matches being televised between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturdays except during the FIFA international calendar), the streaming of games should not be compulsory, the home club should decide if the game is to be streamed - so their own gate receipts aren't at risk, the home club should meet the costs of streaming and any games selected for coverage by BT Sport (who hold the rights to show National League matches) would be exempt from streaming. 

The statement also adds that Wrexham would charge £10 to domestic subscribers and make the games free of charge to overseas subscribers until a centralised solution is put in place by the National League board.

During the 2020-21 season, when clubs were forced to play games behind closed doors due to the Covid 19 pandemic, many National League clubs set up their own streaming services, which fans could subscribe to, with varying degrees of success. Notable successes of this period included Notts County and Wrexham. 

It also provided clubs with crucial income during a time when they weren't able to make any money on the gate. In addition to this, it also meant that exiled fans would have been able to tune in and watch the games and contribute to the club fianancially - something which will ring true with Torquay United and Yeovil Town. 

With the National League still harbouring the long term ambition to introduce three up, three down between themselves and League Two, the ability to earn extra income from streaming their matches might act as a potential sweetener for the EFL to agree to it.

GARY JOHNSON'S FOUR YEARS AS TORQUAY UNITED MANAGER

Since he was appointed as Torquay United manager on September 13, 2018, Gary Johnson has taken the Gulls from 14th in National League South to the brink of a return to the Football League. In the 2018-19 season, he led United to the National League South title and two years later he followed up this achievement by guiding the Gulls to the National League Play-offs, where they lost out to Hartlepool United on penalties at Ashton Gate. 

Johnson is now of the longest serving United managers in recent times – having surpassed both Paul Buckle (June 2007 to May 2011) and Leroy Rosenior (June 2002 to January 2006). In addition to this, he is the fourth longest serving manager in the National League, behind Alan Devonshire (Maidenhead United), Luke Garrard (Boreham Wood) and Phil Parkinson (Altrincham). Also, only nine of the 92 managers in the Premier League and the Football League have been in their current roles longer than Johnson has been in charge at Plainmoor. 

In addition to this, his reign as United manager is third longest spell of his career, behind his first stint in charge of Yeovil Town, which lasted for four years and three months (June 2001 to September 2005), and his tenure as Bristol City manager of four years and six months (September 2005 to March 2010) – which is the longest spell of his career. 

• Games managed: 183 (33 in National League South, 129 in National League, ten in the FA Cup, nine in the FA Trophy, one National League Play-off semi-final, one National League Play-off final). 
• Goals scored (all competitions): 335 Goals against (all competitions): 217 
• Points won: 267 
• League titles won: 1 (2018-19 National League South) 
• Biggest win: 7-0 vs Lymington Town (A) FA Cup second qualifying round 2018-19 
• Biggest defeat: 2-6 Yeovil Town (A) National League 2019-20 
• Most number of games won in a row: 10 (13 November 2018 – 5 January 2019 – a club record).
• Longest unbeaten run in the league: 16 (22 September 2018 – 5 January 2019 – a club record).
• Highest individual goal scorer: Jamie Reid 66. 

Position on the list of the Gulls’ longest serving managers: 

1. Eric Webber 13 years and 7 months (October 1951 – May 1965) 
2. Frank Brown 6 years (May 1932 – May 1938) 
3. Mike Green 4 years and 2 months (March 1977 – May 1981) 
4. Gary Johnson 4 years (September 2018 – present) 
5. Paul Buckle 3 years and 11 months (June 2007 – May 2011) 
6. Leroy Rosenior 3 years and 7 months (June 2002 – January 2006) 
7. Frank O’Farrell 3 years and 5 months (May 1965 – October 1968) 

(All figures correct prior to United’s home fixture against Solihull Moors on September 13, 2022)

AN EMOTIONAL HOME COMING

Many signings completed in the summer 2022 transfer window would have been accompanied by greater fees, but none would have matched by Jay Stansfield's loan move to Exeter City from Fulham for poignancy. 

Stansfield, 19, is of course the son of former Grecians' striker Adam Stansfield who sadly passed away in 2010 from bowel cancer. As a mark of respect for Stansfield, City opted to retire his number nine shirt; however, the now iconic shirt number has now been handed to Stansfield junior for the 2022-23 season, as he returns to the club, who he appeared for as an academy player, on a season-long loan. 

Prior to his cancer diagnosis, Stansfield senior had helped City to win promotion from League Two in the 2008-09 season, where he was a teammate of current Grecians manager Matt Taylor, before helping the club establishing themselves in League One in the 2009-10 campaign.

Stansfield's junior, who has appeared for Fulham in the Premier League this season - and even managed an assist in their recent win over Brentford, made his debut for the Grecians from the sub's bench against MK Dons. Fittingly, they marked it with a 1-0 win - their first victory in five matches - and hopefully he will play a starring role in many more victories.