TT PREVIEW
Steve Harris – @steveharris84
Match details: Torquay United V FC Halifax Town – FA Trophy 2nd Round
Venue: Plainmoor
Date: Saturday 11th January 2020
Kick-off: 3pm
Previous FA Trophy form this season:
Torquay United:
First round: W – 5-1 Aldershot Town
FA Trophy best – Runners-up 2008
FC Halifax Town:
First round: W – 4-0 Wrexham
FA Trophy best – Winners 2016
Last time the two teams met: National League, FC Halifax Town 2 Torquay United 4 – 2nd November 19
A goal in each half from Jamie Reid helped to ease the Gulls to a 4-2 win over Halifax at The Shay – and denied the hosts the chance to go top of the National League in the process. Torquay – who went into the game looking for their third successive win – quickly took control thanks to two early goals.
Kyle Cameron headed home a corner from Jake Andrews on eight minutes to score his first goal of the season. The Gulls were awarded a penalty after Frank Vincent was brought down by Jacob Hanson and Reid stepped up to convert the spot-kick for a 2-0 lead in the 17th minute.
Saikou Janneh spurned two good chances to add a third for United, before he turned provider to enable Reid completed his brace in the 64th minute when his low cross was turned home by the Gulls’ leading scorer. Liam McAlinden scored ten minutes from time to pull one back for the Shaymen.
Substitute Kalvin Kalala then made the result even more convincing when he found himself in a one-on-one situation with Halifax keeper Sam Johnson in the 90th minute, which he duly converted to score United’s fourth before Michael Duckworth notched Halifax’s second in stoppage time. This proved to be a mere consolation as the Gulls made it six wins out of seven.
Manager: Peter Wild
Former Oldham Athletic manager Peter Wild took charge of the Shaymen during the close season, following the resignation of Jamie Fullarton three weeks before the National League campaign got under way. Under his guidance, Halifax have defied pre-season expectations and have emerged as one of the surprise packages of the 2019-20 National League campaign. A life-long Oldham fan, Wild had two caretaker spells in charge of the Latics; firstly in succession to Frankie Bunn and then Paul Scholes. Following Scholes’ departure, he took over on a permanent basis until the end of the 2018-19 season before resigning citing ‘personal reasons’.
One to watch: Jack Redshaw
One-time Manchester City youngster Jack Redshaw reignited his career in North West non-league circles with Salford City and Altrincham to secure a return to the professional ranks with Morecambe in 2012. He later moved onto Blackpool in 2015, where he stayed for two years before returning to Salford and helped them to win back-to-back promotions from National League North in the 2017-18 season – scoring 17 goals. He joined the Shaymen in the summer following his release by the Ammies, after missing the entirety of the 2018-19 campaign through injury.
Classic encounter: Division Four, Halifax Town 2 Torquay United 4 – 21st March 1987
Paul Dobson’s late equaliser on the final day of the season against Crewe Alexandra in the extra time added on, following Bryn the Police Dog’s bite on Jim McNichol, has been enshrined in Torquay United folklore. However, another goalscoring feat of Dobson’s from the 1986-87 season often gets overlooked, as he netted four times for the Gulls as they came away from the Shay with a 4-2 win. This further boosted United’s survival prospects and proved to be important come the end of the season.
Possible line-ups:
TUFC (4-4-2)
Lucas Covolan
Joe Lewis – Gary Warren – Kyle Cameron – Jackson Longridge
Ben Whitfield – Connor Lemonheigh-Evans – Asa Hall – Jake Andrews
Ruairi Keating – Jamie Reid
Halifax (3-5-2)
Sam Johnson
Niall Maher – Nathan Clarke – Matthew Brown
Jeff King – Charlie Cooper – Danny Williams – Josh Staunton – Cameron King
Jamie Allen – Jack Redshaw
COYY – Steve
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