TALKING POINTS

Danny Burnell – @dannyburnell_92

Danny discusses talking points ahead of the Trophy clash.

THE PITCH

For anyone who saw the Halifax game, they’d agree with me when I say the pitch took a bit of a battering. The Bristows side in particular, as it often does in treacherous conditions, suffered the brunt of the problems. With the added rainfall over the week, the ground-staff will have their work cut out getting Plainmoor into a decent condition.

NEW RECRUITS

I can’t see there being a lot of shuffling around with regards to the starting XI. Moxey and Hall may need resting, but wouldn’t be surprised to see it mainly unaltered. Crole & Lawrence will be pushing for starting spots in what would be a good game to bed them in. Johnson hinted at the need for another striker, given the lack of choices up front, so it wouldn’t be unexpected to see another new name on the team sheet come 6.45pm.

CROWD

Taunton will be relishing this one given the close proximity of the clubs. The Somerset side endured the 450 mile round trip in midweek to Dover, only to come back with a 1-0 loss, so i’m sure they’ll relish the shorter trip down the M5. The Peacocks will undoubtedly bring a sizeable contingent across the Devon border as they seek a cup upset against their Plainmoor hosts. From a Yellow Army point of view, you’d expect a few to stay away given the current situation. The Halifax result may have reinvigorated a couple of folk, but I suspect large sections of the ground will remain sparse at best. Here’s to a vibrant atmosphere and a positive result.

CHANCE OF PROGRESSION

This competition remains a ‘like to have’ rather than a necessity, and rightly so as United battle at the wrong end of the table. Torquay fans won’t get serious about this until the Quarters/Semis comes along, but hopefully, they can dispatch their lower league opponents and build some momentum as they try to fire themselves out of the drop zone.