TALKING POINTS

Dom Roman – @DomRoman

Dom discusses talking points ahead of the game at Plainmoor

A PROPER FA CUP TIE

Torquay’s FA Cup form over the last 10 years has been, to put it bluntly, absolutely woeful. We seem to have made a habit of playing our worst when the chance of Cup success comes along, and failing year after year to profit any proper financial gain from a competition that offers plenty. Well, after hobbling past Hampton we finally got a tie of some prestige, and coverage on ITV thrown in for good measure. This is a game that will see a big crowd at Plainmoor, a chance for us to create a fantastic atmosphere and a chance for the current players to create some special memories that will last for years. Bring it on!

FINDING CONFIDENCE

What a difference one game can make in Football! We were all happy about the Derby County cup draw, but times have been so tough in the league that positivity has been null & void, and the expectation of a cup thrashing loomed large. Not now though! Tuesday night’s performance came out of the blue, and had us all looking around in disbelief. The loan captures of Mark Ellis, Lucas Ness and Stephen Wearne were a big part of this, suddenly the side had defensive resilience, a better balance of youth and experience, and width to hurt an Aldershot Town team who looked shocked at what they had found. A turning point where the Gulls start climbing the table? Maybe, but in the short term we at least have a team in the right mood to have a crack at the Rams.

THE OPPOSITION

Derby County appointed Paul Warne in September in place of Liam Rosenior. The results have been mixed since then, the Rams sitting 7th in League 1 with 25 points from 16 games. Assuming Warne fields his strongest team, James Collins and David McGoldrick will lead the attack, whilst the pacey Nathaniel Mendez-Laing is a danger man on the wing. They do have the small matter of a League Cup tie at Anfield coming up on Wednesday, so it’ll be interesting to see if Warne juggles his line-up, and whether the County team have one eye on the next game. With ITV cameras about and a packed away crowd pushing them on, perhaps that’s just wishful thinking!

OPPOSITION Q&A – Derby County by Jonno Baker

FREE HIT

No pressure this Sunday, as Mark Ellis said in his post-Aldershot match interview this game is a free hit. All the expectations are on Derby County to take charge with their League 1 quality, and assert themselves over 90 minutes. For the United team it’s about harnessing Tuesday night’s momentum and using it as a springboard to give County a run for their money. The Yellow Army can play their part. Plainmoor still has some magic when the Yellow Army are in full song, and even higher level players can be disturbed out of their rhythm by a rowdy home crowd. Enjoy the afternoon, get behind these lads (forget our league position) and who knows…