Match Report: Wimborne Town 0 Torquay United 3

(FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round)
by Dave Thomas from the New Cuthbury Ground

Torquay United avoided an FA Cup ‘banana-skin’ against Tim Sills’ Wimborne Town, stamping their authority with first-half goals from Brett McGavin and Jack Stobbs.

Tom Lapslie clinched the Gulls’ place in the 3rd Qualifying draw after injury had reduced the Southern League Magpies to ten men in the closing stages of an entertaining tie.

In front of a near-2,000 crowd swelled by one Harry Redknapp in the small grandstand, Torquay did the job on a potentially difficult afternoon.

But without several fine saves at important moments by recalled goalkeeper Rhys Lovett and some wayward finishing by United, it would have been a lot closer.

Johnson made two changes, recalling Lovett in goal and Ryan Hanson at right-back with Mark Halstead and Shaun Donnellan dropping to the bench.

Former United centre-forward Sills had signed former Gulls midfielder Josh Carmichael on loan from AFC Totton in time for the tie, and he made the home bench.

Most of the first half might have gone according to plan, but United would have been a goal down in the first minute without Lovett.

Some slick passing from Wimborne around the box gave Lewis Beale a shooting chance from ten yards, and only an acrobatic fingertip save by Lovett stopped the visitors from taking the lead.

It was all the Gulls needed to get into gear, which they did with McGavin and Will Jenkins Davies pulling the strings in midfield.

Brad Ash could only have been inches offside as he finished a Tom Lapslie cross in off the bar. Then, after some top-drawer work by Dean Moxey on a Hanson pass had forced two corners in quick succession, United scored from the second in the 17th minute.

Wimborne couldn’t quite clear either Stobbs’ flag-kick or his follow-up cross and McGavin seized on the loose ball and coolly sidefooted it into the bottom right-hand corner from 18 yards... 1-0

It wasn’t quite as spectacular as his long-range volley against Chelmsford seven days before, but it was a classy effort.

In the space of a couple more minutes United could and should have been further ahead. Ross Marshall had a set-piece header disallowed for another very tight offside and Jarvis, clean through, lobbed over the advancing Albert White and the bar when he should have hit the target.

No matter, in the 22nd minute it was 2-0 anyway.

Jarvis’ diagonal through-ball split the Magpies’ defence, sent Stobbs clear on the right, White was caught in no-man’s-land and Stobbs clipped the ball past him from 15 yards.

Torquay ran the show for most of the rest of the half, apart from a good save, low to his left, by Lovett from a Matt Neale 25-yarder and a near-miss from a home corner in the 28th minute.

Connor Cocklin’s free header on Beale’s flag-kick flew across goal for Jack Lovell at the right-hand post, but he was just off-target.

Jarvis, with a much better chip than his earlier miss, drew a good save from White on the half-hour and an inviting Stobbs cross went begging – any touch and it must have been 3-0.

Just as United could have been a goal down at the start of the first half, so they nearly conceded in the second minute of the second.

Ollie Tomlinson dwelt on the ball 40 yards out, was robbed by Neale and he was left with the advancing Lovett to beat – he shot narrowly wide.

It was a big chance missed, and there was more to come.

Lovett had to be smart off his line to clear an unconvincing backpass by Tomlinson and, in the 53rd minute, Scorey crossed from Town’s right and Neale blazed over with the goal at his mercy.

Roberts, enjoying a good old tussle with Jarvis, headed just wide across goal from Neale free-kick. It was not the restart that Johnson must have been hoping for, but the missed-chance bug was catching.

On the hour McGavin slipped Stobbs away on the right, Stobbs crossed low and this time it was Jarvis off target with the keeper to beat.

Johnson promptly took off Ash and sent Lewis Collins on in attack.

Wimborne’s cause wasn’t helped when, moments after he had replaced Scorey, sub Harry Morgan sustained a head-knock in a clash with Jarvis and had to be helped off – the hosts down to ten men with all subs used.

Luke Pearce also took the place of Jarvis, although he’d walked off unaided. A man short they may have been, but Wimborne hadn’t given up, far from it.

In the 78th minute Jez Bedford’s 18-yarder was deflected just over with Lovett beaten. Lovett then came up with a terrific reaction save with his legs to deny Sam Jackson, moments before Bedford was a foot or two away from scoring from outside the area.

Wimborne had enjoyed no luck in front of goal, and in the 82nd minute United killed them off for good.

McGavin came up with another through-ball, Lapslie was onto it and his clip-shot went in off the advancing White... 3-0.

In stoppage-time McGavin also hit the bar with a sweetly-struck long-range shot – that would have been up there with his Chelmsford ‘special’, but it would also have been a touch harsh on Sills’ game Magpies.

Wimborne Town (4-4-2): White; Scorey (Morgan 69), Roberts, Cocklin, Jackson; Lovell (Carmichael 46), Bedford, Neale, Satterley; Beale (Rees-Dotton 57 62), Baker; subs not used – Walker, Arnold, Flitney.

Booked: None.

Torquay United (4-1-3-2): Lovett; Hanson (Donnellan 75), Marshall, Tomlinson, Moxey; McGavin;
Stobbs, Lapslie, Jenkins Davies; Ash (Collins 62), Jarvis (Pearce 73); subs not used – Halstead, Martin, De Silva, Thomas.

Booked: None.

Referee: Steven Hughes (Sussex).

Attendance: 1,852.