FAC1: Torquay Utd v Harrogate Town 3 Nov 2012

After the count of three I would like you to all close your eyes. Are you ready? Here we go, one, two, three, now keep them shut and no peeping please. Put the picture I have right now in my head in your head.

Our lads are running around Wembley holding the FA cup above their heads and are being cheered on by 45.000 people all wearing Torquay United colours. Scattered all around the pitch are Manchester United players all lying on the ground hold their heads in their hands as the tears roll down their faces.

Back at Plainmoor the office staff are busy doing the sums and are staggered to learn little old Torquay United made over 20 million pounds from the FA cup. Fans are already talking about the players we can now afford to bring in and believe it won’t be too long before they will be watching championship football at Plainmoor.

Now please open your eyes and lets stop all this foolish dreaming because we are never ever going to see our team winning the FA cup, let alone get to the final. It’s true you have to be in any competition to stand a chance of winning it, but the odds are stacked so high against a club of our size, the best we can hope is for, to go as far as possible in the competition.

Get through these first few rounds and get a plum draw against one of the big boys, has to be the aim and the money that could earn the club, really would make such a huge difference. But we are Torquay United and do we ever get the luck when we need it? Maybe last season we could have, only we went and let that horrible side we don’t like, knock us out of the cup and to rub salt into our wounds, they did it at our place and then drew Manchester United away. Boy did that hurt.

But that was last season and as they say it’s no good crying over spilt milk, we start afresh this season and all we have to do is simply beat every team that is put in front of us. But it’s not that simple as we know and we have played FA cup games like this in the past against non league opposition and found we were not in the hat for the second round.

No we are not Manchester United, but to Harrogate we must look a very big club and make no mistake, they will come here with every intension of winning the match. No they will not be as fresh as our players after having that game on Wednesday night, hoe will they be any where as near as fit as our players. They won’t be as skillful and will start to feel drained as the game goes into its final stages.

But one thing they will do is fight and work hard as we would be a wonderful scalp for them and then they would be certain to get another big payday, if they were able to win the game.

On paper this game might look like a walk in the park for our lads, but they had better not starting thinking that way or they might be in for a nasty surprise. I happen to believe a good number of teams have lost games, simply because they gave no respect to the opposition, due to their standing in the football pyramid.

Martin Ling will know all to well, that the players need to treat this game the same as if they really were playing Manchester United in the cup final at Wembley and they need to start the game and show from the very start, why they are the league club.

Its going to be a cold and damp day in the Bay and this is one of those games were it won’t matter so much if the football is pretty or not, only the result really matters. Win the game and collect the prize money and look forward to the next round.

I do expect this is going to be one of those games where a result will have to be ground out, it might as I said not be pretty and it might not be until the later stages of the game that our fitness will tell and really make the difference.

I still feel we will end up comfortable winners in the end and think we will win by three goals to one. If you are going to the match wrap up warm and I hope you enjoy the match. Please consider sharing your thoughts and views on the match here on the TFF.

You would have thought that Harrogate playing extra time on Wednesday after all the postponements and then travelling down to Devon for today's match will take its toll on them. I am assumimg they are all part-timers as well? They sure will be up for it but we have been strong at home this season and we should see them off without too much fuss. Nothing should be taken for granted thought, afterall this is the FA Cup.

This match reminds me of our time in the Conference when we were normally seen as a big scalp and the opposition the underdogs. It's normally the other way round now we're back in the Football League. It makes a nice change. But we know shocks can happen so until we take the lead I won't relax today.

...sounds like mainly yer man Bodin in the doghouse after that lot so far.........

0-1 f/t

Can't wait for ling's comments
I thought it was embarassing

First of all I must congratulate a well organised and purposeful Harrogate who were undoubtedly worthy winners today.
They out thought, out passed and unforgivably out battled us all over the pitch. This was a truly embarrassing and ineffective performance in poor conditions. We ran around for most of the game like headless chickens without a leader or as Michael Pallin may describe as lost lambs in an abattoir. Lee Mans, or Lamby as he is known to his friends in the slaughter house probably epitomised that description best with an all action headless chicken performance, lots of effort with no end product and he was by no means alone in that category. What did they expect from a non league side, way down the pyramid that had played a tough match just two days earlier to reach this stage? There goal was worked for with determination and skill to rob our defenders after twenty minutes with a cross shot that skidded along the ground and went in off a post. Nothing special other than giving them the belief that maybe Torquay Utd was nothing to fear, and how right they were.
Plenty of time the brave 1800 thought to get back into the match and win 5-1 comfortably this bunch of part timers could never match our passing and fitness for the remainng 70 minutes could they?
A few glaring free header misses remained of the first half as most of the side continued with the headless chicken impersonations a lot of huffing and puffing and Harrogate generally coping well and easily breaking up our predictable play. The second period would surely mark an upturn of effort and purpose and for a few early minutes in the second half there was a feint hope that we could raise our game wit a couple of moves and efforts that never really threatened there keeper. Howe got through the defence just the once and put the ball in the net only for the linesman to flag for a questionable off side. Basically that was as good as it got . A woeful performance once again from "Our Billy" capped by some awful misses and shooting led to him and Danny Stevens being replaced by Thompson and Jarvis who again lifted things just briefly before we once again lost our way and started to caught up the pitch and bare at the back. I could see this coming after an awful performance last week resulted in a narrow and unconvincing win, but didn't want to believe it but there it was right in front of my eyes, My team looking like the non leaguers and lowly Harrogate divisions apart,making a mockery of Lingy's World Beaters. Once again I found myself questioning my sanity but this was the FA Cup where blood is spilled and limbs are sacrificed to get to get to the next round and prospect of that BIG tie. In the end we were the ones who appeared to run out of ideas and gas. Not that we had many ideas in the first place. The lack of creativity and leadership was glaring particularly in midfield with square or backward passes being the order of the day and one occasion where Leadbitter actually ran at defenders and made them back pedal a bit. The lack of width., a cross from the by line - Oh for some creative and expansive football to watch! Well after this Im going to watch some expansive decorating I just cannot be arsed to watch this negative and inefective garbage. and once again the half time entertainment was a shambles and summed up the whole afternoon.
Oh and by the way he answers are in the squad and club I believe,