FA CUP FIRST ROUND PREVIEW: 2022-23

Grimsby Town vs Plymouth Argyle

After their thrilling 4-2 Devon derby win over Exeter City on Monday night, Plymouth Argyle head north to fac Grimsby Town in the FA Cup first round. 

Manager Steven Schumacher has been given permission to field his loan quartet of Sam Cosgrove, Nigel Lonwijk, Bali Mumba and Morgan Whittaker have been given permission to play by their parent clubs. However, Fin Azaaz misses out with a broken ankle. 

Argyle reached the fourth round last season, where they enjoyed a memorable tie with Premier League side Chelsea - taking the Blues to extra time at Stamford Bridge - so they will be looking to enjoy a similar run again this time.

Milton Keynes Dons vs Taunton Town 

Taunton Town's reward for defeating Somerset neighbours Yeovil Town is a trip to League One outfit Milton Keynes Dons. 

The Peacocks currently occupy 16th place in National League South whilst the Dons are 21st in League One - and find themselves in the relegation zone - but, as in the previous round, they are not overawed by bigger reputations.

Should Taunton pull off a shock it will be the first time ever that they have reached the second round of the competition.

Port Vale vs Exeter City

For a third time in the current calendar year, Exeter City will face Port Vale. The Grecians lost 1-0 to the Valiants on the final day of the 2021-22 campaign, which saw them miss out on the League Two title to Forest Green Rovers. 

Nevertheless, City then gained revenge on Vale with a 4-0 win at St James Park earlier in the season. 

Manager Gary Caldwell will no doubt be keen to enjoy a good run in the FA Cup, after having won the competition with Wigan Athletic in 2013 and he also won the Scottish Cup with Celtic earlier in his playing career.

Weymouth vs AFC Wimbledon

Weymouth's first appearance in the first round proper draw for 15 years sees them face AFC Wimbledon of League Two and looking pull off an upset. 

Bobby Wilkinson's side have already made £18,375 so far from the competition and another £41,000 is available if they shock the Dons at the Bob Lucas Stadium. 

The Terras will be without Ben Gerring who is cup-tied, but Exeter City have given young defender Ed James permission to play. 

Torquay United vs Derby County

The first ever competitive meeting between Torquay United and Derby County will be televised live on ITV with the Gulls aiming to cause what would be a major shock. 

Their League One opponents, winners of the competition in 1947, will be competing in the first round stage for the first time in 37 years and are aiming to avoid what would be a proverbial 'banana skin' in the form of United. 

All of the Gulls' available loan players - Mark Ellis (Barrow), Lucas Ness (Charlton Athletic), Stephen Wearne (Grimsby Town), Dillon De Silva (QPR), Scott Smith (Wigan Athletic) and Will Goodwin (Stoke City) - have been granted permission to play by their parent clubs. 

However, they won't be the only players who will be eagerly anticipating the tie: Gulls' left back Dean Moxey spent two years at Pride Park between 2009 and 2011 - after joining the Rams from Exeter City for £200,000 in 2009. Moxey was also part of the Grecians' side who memorably took Manchester United to a replay in 2004-05, and any wisdom that he is able to impart will certainly prove useful to his younger teammates. 

TORQUAY UNITED AND DERBY COUNTY PLAYING CONNECTIONS

Torquay United's first round FA Cup tie with Derby County will be the first time that the two have faced other in a competitive fixture. 

However, over the years, a number of players have appeared for both clubs, including some extremely well known figures.

John Turner: 

Now found working behind the bar in the Gulls’ Nest on match days, John Turner was one of the most popular goalkeepers ever to appear for Torquay United. He arrived at Plainmoor in the summer of 1978 with a fine pedigree – he'd started out as an apprentice at Derby County under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor. Whilst with his former club Reading, Turner became one of the few keepers to displace the legendary Royals’ keeper Steve Death – albeit temporarily. 

After winning the Gulls’ player of the year award in the 1979-80 season and being named in the PFA Division Four team of the season, Turner secured a £80,000 move to Chesterfield. However, Turner would later return to Plainmoor ahead of the 1983-84 season, but became one of the first victims of Dave Webb’s cost-cutting measures. He later found his way to Peterborough United, who he joined as a replacement for a certain David Seaman. 

Bruce Rioch: 

After making his way in the game with Luton Town and Aston Villa, Bruce Rioch first joined Derby County in February 1974 when the Rams paid Villa £200,000 for his signature as manager Dave Mackay looked to put his own stamp on the side that he had inherited from Brian Clough. In the subsequent 1974-75 season, he helped Derby to win their second league title - three years after their first triumph under Clough. 

In December 1976, he left the Baseball Ground to join Everton for £180,000, but he would return to the Rams in November 1977 for a fee of £150,000. Rioch would go on to captain Scotland in their ill-fated 1978 World Cup campaign, and appeared against Peru and Holland, before heading stateside to sign for the Seattle Sounders. 

He returned briefly to England to join Torquay under Mike Green in the 1980-81 season, and would return to Plainmoor as player-coach under Frank O'Farrell following Green's departure. In the 1982-83 campaign, he was named as Gulls manager in a move that saw O'Farrell move upstairs to become general manager. Rioch remained in charge of United until January 1984 following an altercation with Colin Anderson; highlights of his reign included a run to the fourth round of the FA Cup in 1982-83 where the Gulls were beaten 3-2 by Sheffield Wednesday at Plainmoor. He would later manage Middlesbrough, Millwall, Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal, Norwich City, Wigan Athletic and Danish side Aalborg.

John Sims: 

Another player who served the Rams under the Clough/Taylor partnership, John Sims made a handful of appearances for Derby County, including a European Cup semi-final against Juventus in the 1972-73 season. He found himself loaned out to Luton Town, Oxford United and Colchester United before he joined Notts County in 1975. Three years later he headed for the Westcountry to sign for Exeter City under Bobby Saxton and would later follow Saxton to Home Park a year later when he became Plymouth Argyle manager. In the 1983-84 campaign, he became part of the select band of players to have played for all three Devon clubs when Bruce Rioch signed him for Torquay United. Sims would later rejoin the Grecians, as he became another victim of Dave Webb's cutbacks, but he would rejoin the Gulls and briefly became player-manager in 1985 for 33 days. 

Don O'Riordan:

Don O'Riordan started his career with Derby County after being spotted in his native Dublin and joined the Rams as an apprentice in 1972 under Brian Clough. He would later make his debut under Clough's successor Dave Mackay and was later released by Tommy Docherty. 

Spells with Tulsa Rougnecks in America, Preston North End, Carlisle United, Middlesbrough and Grimsby Town followed before he signed for Notts County where he enjoyed something of an Indian Summer under Neil Warnock. O'Riordan helped the Magpies win back to back promotions between the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons between the 'old' Third Division and the 'old' First Division - and he also scored in the FA Cup quarter finals against Tottenham Hotspur in 1990-91. 

He linked up with Warnock at Plainmoor towards the end of the 1992-93 season, and his experience proved vital in helping the Gulls to pull off a 'great escape'. During the summer of 1993, O'Riordan succeeded Warnock as manager - and guided United to the Division Three play-offs in the 1993-94 campaign.

O'Riordan remained in charge of the Gulls until October 1995, when he was dismissed following an 8-1 defeat to Scunthorpe United. He then went onto enjoy a varied career as a coach which has seen him coach in a number of countries, including China, the USA and South Africa.

Darren Moore: 

A product of the Gulls' youth set-up, Darren Moore broke into the Torquay United side as a teenager and won the club's player of the year award for the 1992-93 season. He was also part of the United squad that reached the play-offs in the subsequent 1993-94 campaign. 

Moore left Plainmoor a year later to join Doncaster Rovers and later appeared for Bradford City, Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion. He would appear for the latter in the Premier League before joining Derby County in 2006. 

Whilst with the Rams, Moore won another promotion to the Premier League in the 2006-07 season after beating West Brom in the Championship play-off final. However, they would make a swift return to the second tier, as they finished the 2007-08 campaign with a record low Premier League points tally of 11. 

Spells with Barnsley and Burton Albion followed before Moore retired as a player. He then embarked on a coaching career with West Brom and succeeded Alan Pardew as manager in 2018. 

After leaving West Brom during the 2018-19 season, Moore was appointed as manager of Doncaster Rovers before taking charge of Sheffield Wednesday, who he is presently manager of. 

Paul Trollope:  

The son of Swindon Town record appearance holder, John Trollope, Paul Trollope initially joined the Gulls on loan from the Robins in the 1991-92 season before making the move permanent. 

He became a regular in United's midfield under Don O'Riordan, as the Gulls made the play-offs in the 1993-94 season. 

Midway through the 1994-95 campaign, he joined Derby County under future United manager Roy McFarland and helped the Rams to win promotion to the Premier League under Jim Smith in the 1996-97 season. 

Stints with Fulham, Coventry City, Northampton Town and Bristol Rovers followed for Trollope, who was also capped nine times by Wales. In the 2005-06 season, he became first team coach of the Pirates with Lennie Lawrence as director of football. 

He remained in charge at the Memorial Stadium until 2010, during which time he led them to promotion from League Two in 2006-07 via the play-offs. Coaching spells with Birmingham City, Norwich City, Cardiff City and the Welsh national side followed before he became manager of Cardiff in 2016.

Dean Moxey:  

One of the first prospects to emerge from Exeter City's now famed youth academy, Dean Moxey was part of the Grecians side that famously drew 0-0 with Manchester United in the 2004-05 campaign. He would later help City win back-to-back promotions between the Blue Square Premier League and League One between 2007-08 and 2008-09.

His form prompted Derby County to pay £300,000 for his signature in 2009; he remained at Pride Park until 2011 when he joined Crystal Palace, who he appeared for in the Premier League in 2013-14 before joining Bolton Wanderers in 2014. 

After helping the Trotters win promotion from League One in the 2016-17 season, Moxey returned to St James Park in the summer of 2017. He remained with the Grecians for three years until he joined the Gulls in 2020, and he is currently United's third longest serving player.

A DERBY WITH AN EXTRA EDGE TO IT

The first Devon Expressway derby of the 2022-23 season between Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City promises to be a memorable encounter for a number of reasons. 

Probably the biggest reason is that the two sides head into the match at Home Park occupying their highest respective league positions prior to any such fixture. The Pilgrims are currently top of League One while the Grecians are seventh in the table - just outside the play-off zone. 

Argyle will be heading into the meeting looking to avenge their 4-0 defeat at St James Park in October 2019 - the suspension of football due to the Covid-19 pandemic meant that the return fixture at Home Park couldn't take place. Manager Steven Schumacher was working as assistant manager to Ryan Lowe at the time and will surely be mindful of the fact that this is no ordinary game to the 'Green Army.' 

Grecians new boss Gary Caldwell has experienced some of the more fierce rivalries in British football, including arguably the fierciest of them all - having played in the Old Firm derby for Celtic against Rangers. 

The match will also mark Caldwell's second game in charge, after he was appointed as the successor to the Rotherham United bound Matt Taylor. The derby gives him the chance to make a lasting early impression on the Grecians' faithful. 

Nevertheless, with live TV Coverage provided by Sky, it has all the making of a classic, and hopefully it will prove to be box office viewing. 

 

CALDWELL TAKES CHARGE OF GRECIANS

Exeter City have appointed former Scotland international defender Gary Caldwell as the successor to Matt Taylor. 

Caldwell, 40, started his playing with Newcastle United, but after failing to break into the Magpies' first team he joined Hibernian in 2004. His form for Hibs earned him a move to Celtic in 2006 and he won all three domestic trophies (the SPL, the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup) before moving to the Premier League to sign for Wigan Athletic in 2010. He was part of the Latics' squad that shocked Manchester City to win the FA Cup in 2013; he was an unused sub, but he lifted the trophy together with playing captain Emmerson Boyce. 

In addition to this, Caldwell was capped 55 times by Scotland and scored twice. 

As a manager, Caldwell was appointed as Wigan Athletic manager in April 2015 and was unable to stop the Latics from being relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2014-15 campaign. However, under his guidance, Wigan bounced back to win the League One title in the 2015-16 season. 

After a poor start to the 2016-17 campaign, Caldwell was dismissed by the Latics before he was appointed as Chesterfield manager in 2017, but was unable to prevent the Spireites being relegated from League One at the end of the 2016-17 season. Nevertheless, after a poor start to the 2017-18 campaign he was dismissed by Chesterfield. 

A spell in charge of Partick Thistle followed before Caldwell had a brief stint as Under-23's manager at Newcastle United. He then returned to Hibs as assistant manager under his former Celtic and Wigan teammate Shaun Maloney, a post which he held until Maloney was sacked in April 2022 following an Scottish Cup game semi-final defeat to city neighbours Hearts. 

 

SIX TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS ALTRINCHAM

1. 'Gary time' is back. 

Throughout Gary Johnson's four and a bit years as Torquay United manager, the Gulls have developed a habit of scoring goals late on in what has become known as 'Gary time.' In the seventh minute of injury time. right-back Dylan Crowe added his name to the list of players who've found the target for United during this time period when he fired home from 25 yards after being set up by Aaron Jarvis. The only shame was that it only sealed a single point for the Gulls, instead of all three.

2. Asa at the double. 

When Torquay United and Gary Johnson needed their experienced players to step up to the plate, skipper Asa Hall duly delivered as he scored his first goals of the 2022-23 season. After trailing 2-0 at half-time, Hall headed home Brett McGavin's corner two minutes after the restart and then slotted home a short pass from Will Goodwin in the 71st minute to equalise. Hall is now United's joint second highest scorer with McGavin and Aaron Jarvis.

3. Aaron Jarvis led the line well. 

After some promising displays in pre-season, Torquay United fans had to wait a while before seeing striker Aaron Jarvis in action as he suffered a double dead leg, which ruled him out for several months. However, now back fit and firing, Jarvis is starting to show the Plainmoor faithful what they were missing. The former Luton Town and Scunthorpe United man led the line well for the Gulls, constantly putting the Alty backline under pressure and he teed up Dylan Crowe for United's last gasp equaliser. If he can add a few more goals to his tally - he has netted twice already this season - then United will begin to climb the table. 

4. Dean Moxey rolled back the years. 

He might have been the oldest player on the pitch at the age of 36, but United left-back Dean Moxey had a hand in three of four of United's goals. For United's second goal his blocked cross fell into the path of Will Goodwin who squared the ball to Asa Hall to score, sub Tom Lapslie turned home his cross to put them 3-2 up and then finally for United's fourth his low shot found Aaron Jarvis who then in turn found Dylan Crowe who struck to score the Gulls' fourth. 

5. Ross Marshall's red card. 

Had Dylan Crowe not scored his late equaliser deep in injury time then it is likely that Ross Marshall would have been the villain following his 88th minute dismissal for a dangerous stamp on Altrincham skipper Jordan Hulme. It was the second time that Marshall has seen red this season, after previously being sent for an early bath against Bromley earlier in the season. 

There have been a number of players with suspect disciplinary records; two who spring to mind include Gary Brabin and Angus MacDonald. Brabin was sent off twice for the Gulls during his brief five match stint at Plainmoor in the 2001-02 season and left after seeing red in a Devon derby defeat to Exeter City. MacDonald, on the other hand, overcame his disciplinary issues to become a leading figure in United's 'great escape' in 2015-16 under Kevin Nicholson. MacDonald spent much of the season trying to avoid receiving a 15th yellow card, which would have seen him face a three-match ban, but he successfully avoided reaching that tally until United were safe, and in the following summer he joined Barnsley for £100,000. Which direction Marshall now takes is completely down to him. 

6. Survival is achieveable, but changes need to be made. 

In eight league and cup matches, Torquay United are yet to achieve a victory at Plainmoor. Even during some of the worst leagues in the club's history have they ever gone that long without achieving a win in front of their own fans. 

One area of the side that surely needs addressing is the defence, which conceded four goals, and with Ross Marshall (22), Ali Omar (23) and Chin Okoli (19) the only other centre backs available to Gary Johnson other than Dean Moxey (36) an experienced figure would help in that regard. When United completed their 'great escape' of the 1992-93 season, Neil Warnock returned to his old club Notts County to sign Don O'Riordan to bolster an inexperienced backline that featured a young Darren Moore and a relatively young Chris Curran. In the end, United lost only two of their final nine matches of season and secured survival with a 1-0 win over Carlisle United in their penultimate game of the campaign.

 

GORDON SPARKS 1961-2022

BBC Radio Devon presenter and former Plymouth Argyle commentator Gordon Sparks has died after a battle with Cancer.

Tributes have poured in for Sparks from a variety of people, including former Plymouth Argyle players and managers as well as celebrity fans, former colleagues and civic figures in Plymouth. 

Sparks' career as a football commentator began in 1984, when he was asked to cover Argyle's FA Cup semi-final against Watford at Villa Park for hospital radio. He later commentated on the Pilgrims' fortunes for Plymouth Sound before moving to the BBC in 2001. 

His transfer to BBC Radio Devon coincided with Argyle's rise to the Championship under Paul Sturrock and this was of course followed by the managerial reigns of Bobby Williamson, Tony Pulis and Ian Holloway. 

By the end of the decade, Sparks was combining his commentary duties with presenting Radio Devon's breakfast show. At this stage Argyle were gripped by the financial crisis that saw them slide down the leagues and into Administration. During this period, Sparks wasn't afraid to ask members of the club's hierarchy difficult questions when they appeared on his show about the situation affecting the Pilgrims. 

In 2016, Sparks decided to concentrate solely on the breakfast show and left his role as a commentator with his final match he covered being the 2016 League Two play-off final where the Pilgrims were beaten 3-0 by AFC Wimbledon. 

After retiring from commentating, Sparks remained a regular at Home Park and wrote a regular column for the Plymouth Argyle website - he wrote a similar column for the Plymouth Herald for many years previously - and the Press Box in the newly redeveloped grandstand was named in his honour. 

He is survived by his wife Heather, his two daughters Holly and Kirsty and his granddaughter. 

From a personal point of view, Sparksy was always a welcoming presence in the Argyle Press Room at Home Park and would often entertain allcomers with numerous jokes and funny stories. He would often that former Pilgrims defender Danis Salman was his twin! (they were both born on exactly the same day). 

He was a true one-off and unlikely that we will ever see his like again.

Footnote: As well as being born on the same date as Danis Salman, the pair also share the exact date of birth with former Pilgrims manager Ian Holloway - March 12, 1961.

SIX TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS HAMPTON AND RICHMOND

1. Shooter McGavin strikes again. 

United midfielder Brett McGavin's spectacular second goal for the Gulls helped to spark a comeback  which saw them overturn a two goal deficit to force a replay against Hampton and Richmond. The Beavers defence only half cleared a cross from Dylan Crowe and the ball fell invitingly to McGavin, who found the top corner with a half volley from 25-yards. His effort now makes him United's second highest scorer for the current campaign.

During his season-long loan spell with King's Lynn Town from Ipswich Town in the 2021-22 season, McGavin found the back of the net four times in 41 appearances in all competitions. He still appears well placed to surpassing that return for the Gulls, but still has some way to go to match the goalscoring hauls of Armani Little and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans.

2. Donnellan's equaliser. 

After switching from defence to midfield following the introduction of Ali Omar in place of Tom Lapslie, Shaun Donnellan found United's equaliser when he headed home Dillon De Silva's 81st minute cross. The former Republic of Ireland international was one of United's brighter performers on the game, and could he become the regular in the centre of the Gulls midfield as the season progresses?

3. Wyatt strikes the upright. 

One of United's brightest attacking threats in the first half, left wing-back Ben Wyatt forced a save from Beavers keeper Matteo Saloman in opening minutes and on the half hour mark he struck the upright from 25-yards. Had his long range effort gone in, it would have seen the Gulls equalise earlier in the game and the match could have had a different complexion. Nevertheless, Wyatt only remained on the pitch for 45 minutes, as he went off with an injury at half time, and United will be crossing their fingers that he will be fit for the replay.

4. Okoli's block. 

After getting the score back to 2-2, United came agonisingly close to losing the tie as Hampton and Richmond looked well placed to score - only to be denied by a block from the Gulls' Millwall loanee Chin Okoli. Whilst only a teenager, Okoli appears incredibly powerful for a young defender and is very similar to a young Darren Moore, who played for United between 1992 and 1995 before reaching the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion.

5. Dillon De Silva on his way to emulating Sinclair Armstrong and Stephen Duke-McKenna. 

Last season, Sinclair Armstrong and Stephen Duke-McKenna enjoyed successful loan spells with the Gulls with QPR and were instrumental in helping the Gulls to finish the 2021-22 season strongly. The early signs are that Dillon De Silva could emulate them after a promising debut from the sub's bench. 

6. Keep an eye out for ball number 64. 

Both the Gulls and Hampton and Richmond will go into Monday night's draw as ball number 64. Therefore both sides will know the prize at stake when they face each other in Tuesday night's replay.