FA Cup home draw incentive for United
NOT QUITE the money-spinning draw that they were hoping for, but at least Torquay United will be at home in the Third Round of the FA Cup — if they can beat Stockport County in next Tuesday night's rearranged tie at Edgeley Park.
Two years after they lost 2-0 to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Second Round at Plainmoor, United and the Seagulls were paired together again on January 2.
But after Saturday's original tie at Stockport was called off because referee Geoff Eltringham ruled that the Edgeley pitch was waterlogged, everything is on hold until the outcome of next Tuesday's match.
The Tyne & Wear official said: "We had a football on the field, and it wouldn't run more than four or five yards.
"It's far too dangerous for players to commit themselves 100 per cent.
"First and foremost it's the players' safety, and then you look at things like the game as a spectacle."
Before the 'replay' United have two important League Two games to play — at home to Cheltenham Town tomorrow night and away to Accrington Stanley on Saturday.
And those matches are uppermost in manager Paul Buckle's mind.
"Even if we'd drawn Manchester United, the most important game for us would have been Cheltenham at home," he said.
"It's exciting for us and fans to be sitting waiting for our name to come out of the draw.
"And we're at home again if we beat Stockport, which is great.
"But the only game that counts is the next one, and that's Cheltenham in the league."
When United were sent to Stockport, it was the first time that they had been drawn away from Plainmoor in eight ties.
So Gulls fans can hardly be disappointed at the prospect of another tie on home soil.
United had already knocked out League One Yeovil Town 4-1 in a live TV tie at Plainmoor in November 2007 when Brighton came here three weeks later.
Two second-half goals by Nicky Forster won that tie.
Now Brighton, who beat Blue Square Premier side Rushden & Diamonds 3-2 on Saturday, have a new manager in Gus Poyet to lead their fight to pull away from the League One relegation zone.
At the weekend, alarm-bells started ringing about the prospects for the Stockport v Torquay match when the Sale v Wasps rugby union game was postponed on Friday night.
Sale effectively own the ground, with Stockport as tenants.
Wasps refused to play their Guinness Premiership fixture because they claimed that the heavy rain had rendered the pitch, especially in one area in front of the old Grandstand, dangerous for their forwards to pack down.
There was more rain on Friday night, and referee Eltringham called off the Cup-tie after a mid-morning inspection.
The United team coach headed straight back down the M6 as soon as the news of the postponement came through.
Buckle ordered his players in for an unscheduled, and muddy, training session at Newton Abbot Racecourse yesterday morning.
"The staff did well to find us a decent area to train on, and the lads got stuck in well," said Buckle.
"Everyone is focused on Cheltenham, and nothing else."
United's Devon neighbours Exeter City are already out of the Cup, after losing a 3-1 lead in a 4-3 defeat away to League One rivals MK Dons.
But Plymouth Argyle have a tasty draw in Round Three — the Pilgrims will meet Championship leaders Newcastle United at Home Park.
3 Comments
by KEITH WILLIAMS, CARDIFF
Tuesday, December 01 2009, 9:56AM
“Dave, the match should have been called off Friday night when they knew they could not play the rugby match. It would not have mattered whether, or not, there would have been further rain, there was no time for it to have dried out, epecially overnight. We were all thoroughly let down by incompetence, or complete thoughtlessness. Steps should be taken to stop a repetition of this. If a ground is deemed unfit to play at a specific time, it should be ruled unfit automatically for at least 36 hours, if not 48 hours. There needs to be at the least, one whole day's notice to supporters that the proposed match may not take place. That would allow supporters to make up their own minds whether they want to risk wasting their time and money. At least one would be able to take a considered view and be aware of the need to make enquiries of the situation by 'phoning the club for latest information. Please don't say that I should have known the Sale match was called off as I did not appreciate their association with the ground..”
by Dave Chapman, Torquay
Monday, November 30 2009, 6:14PM
“I couldn't agree more - I arrived at Stockport train station only to find out that the game had been called off less than an hour earlier. Why was the inspection not done first thing in the morning?? Instead most travelling fans were well on their way when the decision to call off the game was made - disgusting 'respect' for the fans.”
by KEITH WILLIAMS, CARDIFF
Monday, November 30 2009, 4:34PM
“It is all well and good suggesting that no one was put out, and that by stopping off at Bristol a good day was had by all. For those of us who travelled to Stockport from other parts of the country ,on a sunny morning with no rain all day, to find the match was called off only 'an hour ago' on arriving, is nothing short of a disgrace. On learing that the rugby game could not go ahead the previous night, one has to ask why the Stockport club would not have realised then that there was no hope of playing on the same pitch some eighteen hours later. What was ever going to dry the ground out in that time? Clubs that don't give more thought than that to those who pay at the gate and travel miles to do so, don't deserve support. It was a long day's travel for nothing, not helped by Mr 'It's more than my jobsworth' ticket collector insisting I wait four hours for the return train I was booked on, and then making absolutely sure that I had alighted at Crewe. The only saving grace to the day was that I was able to miss the Wales v Australia match on TV!
Risk the cost of another rail ticket to Torquay tomorrow? I don't think so, but .if it goes ahead, I wish he team every success and shall expect three points.”