Match Report: Torquay United 5 Hungerford Town 0

Torquay United strolled to the easiest of FA Cup victories over Southern League Hungerford, but missed a chance to break records at Plainmoor (writes Dave Thomas).

When Gary Johnson’s Gulls led 5-0 at half-time, the Plainmoor faithful expected them to go on and better the 7-0 scoreline they registered at Lymington Town soon after Johnson had taken over five years ago.

But United seemed to take their foot off the gas and ended up settling for goals by Jack Stobbs, Aaron Jarvis (2), Brad Ash and Tom Lapslie.

Jarvis took his tally for the season to six goals in another wholehearted display up front, but many of his teammates missed the chance to improve their own ‘stats’.

Johnson went for Mark Halstead in goal over Rhys Lovett, who done the job at Wimborne (3-0) in the last round.

Will Jenkins Davies had picked up a knee injury, but right winger Stobbs had recovered from illness, so he came straight back into the side.

It was one-way traffic almost from the first whistle.

Former Gulls keeper Ryan Clarke had to pull off two good saves, from Jarvis and Collins, and Lapslie, Collins and Shaun Donnellan all went close before United finally made their pressure count in the 20th minute.

Collins, cutting in from the left, hit a pass which hit Lapslie but fell into the path of Stobbs, who took a touch before stroking the ball over Clarke from 12 yards... 1-0.

In the 35th minute Stobbs put in a run from the right, looking for a shooting chance on the edge of the box.

He didn’t get it, eventually went past right-back Rhys Tyler, who slipped over as he went to block the ball and it was a penalty

Jarvis sent Clarke the wrong way from the spot, drilling the ball into the bottom right hand corner... 2-0.

Hungerford’s players tried to get their opponents booked at every opportunity, instead of concentrating in stemming the tide of attacks washing over them.

Referee Lewis Sandoe wasn’t impressed, but it was still only 2-0 in the 41st minute.

By the third and final minute of stoppage-time it was very much worse for the visitors. Brett McGavin sent Ash through, beating the offside trap, and deceived the advancing Clarke with a cool finish... 3-0.

Lapslie finished a pitch-length counter-attack between Collins and Ash, seizing on Clarke’s parry and it’s...4-0.

Berry-Hargreaves then pushed Jarvis as he tried to reach a Stobbs cross, another penalty and Jarvis this time roofed the spot-kick off Clarke’s despairing fingertip...5-0.

It was an obvious chance for United to go to town on outclassed opponents, but they failed to take it.

They had plenty of the ball, but they created nowhere near as much as they had done in the first half.

The contest was over, of course, but the Gulls still tried too often to play the ‘clever’ pass instead of the right one.

It turned into frustrating 45-plus minutes for fans who had rightly hoped for and expected more goals.

The nearest they came was a Jarvis header against the near post from Stobbs’ right-wing Cross in the 54th minute.

Donnellan was just wide with a 30-yarder on the hour and Collins pulled a fine reaction save from Clarke on another Stobbs centre.

If either side could have drawn much satisfaction from the second half, it was probably Hungerford.

They avoided complete annihilation, and they even hit the woodwork through Tyler, with a touch from Halstead, and went close through Medford-Smith.

Johnson was able to withdraw Moxey, Marshall and Jarvis.

They will definitely be needed next Saturday in the league against Maidstone United, who will pose a much more severe test.

Torquay United (4-4-2): Halstead; Donnellan, Marshall (Craske 69), Tomlinson, Moxey (Martin 65); Stobbs, Lapslie, McGavin, Collins; Ash, Jarvis (Hanson 74); subs not used – Lovett, Pearce, Thomas.

Booked: None.

Hungerford Town (4-5-1): Clarke; Tyler (Paget 74), Berry-Hargreaves, Carell, Medford-Smith; Moore (Spasov 46), Alexander, Davis, Hooper, Sambu (Shepherd 46); McDonagh ; subs not used – Wheeler, Thorp, Softley, Stanley.

Booked: Sambu 10, Berry-Hargreaves 45, Davis 53.

Referee: Lewis Sandoe (Dorset).

Attendance: 1,648 (110 Hungerford fans).