Rhys responds to the FA Cup challenge

Torquay United manager Gary Johnson was quick to praise the performance of ‘reserve’ goalkeeper Rhys Lovett as the Gulls saw off Wimborne Town 3-0 in the FA Cup – but he wouldn’t be drawn on whether Lovett will play in the next round.

Lovett has often deputised for Mark Halstead in cup ties and he again produced some big saves at key moments as the Gulls reached the 3rd Qualifying Round with goals from Brett McGavin and Jack Stobbs in the first half and Tom Lapslie near the end.

“Rhys and Mark, with Kenny Griffiths (keeping coach) who’s doing a fantastic job with them, are a real goalkeepers club,” said Johnson.

“We’ve got a very experienced goalkeeper in Mark and a relatively inexperienced one in Rhys, but they are both improving.

“It was nice for Rhys to make a couple of saves which showed what he can do.

“Whether he plays in the next round depends on the situation.

“Mark had a slight knock on his knee, so it was a good opportunity to play Rhys, with them not knowing if we were going to do it.

“The main thing in the Cup is always to get through, so I’m delighted with that.

“We scored three goals and had lots of chances, and I’m pleased that we’ve come all this way and got a result.

“When our subs went on, they gave us that extra energy again, when they were losing theirs, because they were down to ten men, which was unlucky for them.”

Wimborne manager Tim Sills, the former Gulls centre-forward, said: “We weren’t clinical enough in either box. If we had been, it might have been a different story.

“We had four or five chances and didn’t take them, and Torquay did.

“But if we play like that week-in and week-out in the league, we won’t have any issues, and that’s the message we’ve got to get across to our players now.”