Torquay United need to repay fans for letting them down in FA Cup

Torquay United manager Paul Wotton says he has many good memories from when he was the manager of Saturday’s FA Trophy opponents Truro City - but this is a game in which the Gulls can repay the fans for ‘letting them down’ in the FA Cup.

Torquay will play Truro twice in the National League South this season, but the draw for the second round of the Trophy made a first meeting between the two clubs come sooner.

Wotton came to Torquay from Truro in the summer after spending five years as manager of the Cornish club. In that time he managed through the Covid-19 shutdown and won promotion to the National South from the Southern League Premier Division South.

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In the summer, after his appointment at Plainmoor, two players followed him to Torquay - goalkeeper James Hamon and defender Ed Palmer - but he knows most of the players at his old club, because he signed the majority of them. Truro are doing well under new manager John Askey, and after returning to a new ground in the Duchy following two seasons of playing at ‘home’ in Devon and even Gloucester. They are currently second in the National South table, a point ahead of Torquay who are fourth.

It will be an interesting match-up, that’s for sure, after Torquay drew their last two home games on Saturday against Tonbridge Angels and Tuesday against Maidstone United.

Wotton said: “It’s a competition we want to do well in and it’s a game we are looking forward to. It’s Truro at home, that’s what we have got, it will be a good game. It’s football, you get drawn against who you get drawn against and our paths are definitely going to cross with Truro again. When I left Plymouth Argyle, I played against them in the league; it’s football, it’s what happens.”

Reflecting on his time at Truro, which ended with a relegation battle at the wrong end of the National South table last season, Wotton said: “It was tough. We didn’t have a home ground and we didn’t have the fanbase that they have got now. But there are lots of good people at the football club. The remit was to get them out of the Southern Premier division, which we did, and then to stay up in the National South last year was a miracle really with the amount of games called off and the way the football club had to do it.

“But, overall, good memories and I learned an awful lot about myself and about management as well, so I have nothing but good to say about them.”

One man who will be a threat is goalscoring dynamo Tyler Harvey. The striker is part of the furniture at the club these days and his goals this season have helped propel the team up the table. But they have a strong squad, with Askey’s signing of midfielder Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain a great piece of business in the summer.

“They have obviously started this season fantastically well,” said the Torquay manager. “I know the vast majority of their players because I signed them. They play a similar formation to when I was there as well, and they have got a manager who has got a fantastic CV. He has managed in the Football League and has had lots of promotions - so we know we are in for a very tough game.”

Wotton is hoping Torquay’s experience in the FA Cup will prove to be a factor too - after the Gulls were beaten 3-0 at Southern League Division One South side Bishops Cleeve in October. That was an embarrassing result and so the manager feels the players owe the fans a good performance in a competition away from the league. Both Torquay and Truro are entering it at this stage, so it will be the first game for both.

Wotton said: “We let the fans down so we’ll be doing all we can to win the game and get into the next round. It’s as simple as that.” Wotton confirmed that Finley Craske is injured and he could be out for four to six weeks, while the only other player unavailable is second goalkeeper Matt Wonnacott, who is recovering from a broken arm. Otherwise, everyone else is fit.