samuel wrote:Jeff, I think you will find Stephano has already confirmed this somewhere - we would definitely have been playing Man Utd.
Yes we would have played Manchester united away if we had won. The number Crawley had in the 5th round draw was the number of the tie in the 4th round, so if we had won that 4th round game we would have had exactly the same number. Similarly of course the number Man Utd had in the 5th round draw was their tie number from the 4th round. So yes, Manchester United v Torquay United (nearly!)
I voted for the Crawley match because I feel that it's a very important match in the clubs history and ever since then it's been downhill. Little bits at first (losing the play off) but incrementally so over time. Which has culminated in us being in the state we're in now. Had we won and got that match against Man Utd, given the at least £500k we would have got from it, I highly highly doubt we'd be in the Conference now.
So no, not a good match but a very important match in the clubs 21st century history. The criteria never mentioned good or entertaining matches hell at least half the matches listed have been defeats.
I can now understand your rationale for choosing that horrible match. Until you did I had reasonably successfully managed to wipe the painful memory from my mind but now it is all flooding back so if I have any sleepless nights in the next few days I'll put it down to you rather than any incontinence problems!
You would make hell of a good spin doctor for the politicians with your quote of half the matches being defeats.
I've done a count back and actually, out of 32 listed, 24 of them were defeats for one team or another. In fact, unless I have miscounted, we have won 17 drawn 8 and lost 7 of those listed!
gateman49 wrote:
You would make hell of a good spin doctor for the politicians with your quote of half the matches being defeats.
I've done a count back and actually, out of 32 listed, 24 of them were defeats for one team or another. In fact, unless I have miscounted, we have won 17 drawn 8 and lost 7 of those listed!
I'll hold my hands up at getting that wrong, exaggerated a little after reading the recent posts about Coventry and Spurs :~D For what it's with I'm pretty sure that another two of my selections were also defeats.
JOINT 81st: Torquay United 3 - 3 Swindon Town - 1979/80
4 points, 1 vote
FA Cup 2nd Round
15th December 1979
Plainmoor
Attendance: 5900
Torquay: John Turner, Ian Twitchin, Steve Ritchie, Freddie Pethard, Richard Bourne, Tommy Sermanni, Roy Davies, Les Lawrence, Steve Cooper, Dave Smith, Donal Murphy.
Torquay scorers: Tommy Sermanni, Steve Cooper, Les Lawrence
Swindon scorers: Alan Mayes, Billy Tucker, Andy Rowland
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A thrilling 3-3 draw in the FA Cup 2nd Round is next, and it came against Swindon. 5900 fans were at Plainmoor to see United take the lead three times, yet end up drawing the match. Sermanni scored inside the first 10 minutes, before Mayes equalised soon after. Steve Cooper put United back ahead just after half time, and were pegged back in the 69th minute. A quick response saw Lawrence score to take the lead for the third time, but Rowland scored with 6 minutes left to ensure a replay.
The second match between the sides was also very exciting, finishing 3-2 to the Robins.
I'm intrigued by your scoring system. If you've explained before, please accept my apologies for asking how you assign different points to matches that have had the same number of votes?
I'm intrigued by your scoring system. If you've explained before, please accept my apologies for asking how you assign different points to matches that have had the same number of votes?
Thanks
Matches were listed in order 1 to 10. Number 1 attracts 10 points; number 2 gets 9 points; and so on down to number 10 which gets 1 point.
Using the last featured game as an example, it scored 4 points and got one vote. That means that the one person who voted for that game rated it at number 7 in his / her list.
Indeed, Stef has it. The number of points are more important than the number of votes, although (as we'll see later on in the list), the number of votes can impact. E.g. there are some matches that picked up four points over two votes - these will finish higher up the list as more than one person voted for it.
JOINT 81st: Shrewsbury Town 0 - 1 Torquay United - 2005/06
4 points, 1 vote
League 2
28th January 2006
Gay Meadow
Attendance: 3741
Torquay: Andy Marriott, James Sharp, Anthony Lloyd, Steve Woods, Matt Hockley, Tony Bedeau, Morike Sako, Darren Garner, Martin Phillips, Paul Robinson, Jo Kuffour. Subs: James Bittner, Matt Hewlett, Les Afful, Alex Lawless, Alan Connell.
Torquay scorer: Paul Robinson
----
A match in January 2006 is next, and a narrow win for United. Am I right in thinking this is John Cornforth's first match as boss? The ex-Exeter player came in as caretaker boss after Leroy Rosenior left, and was soon made permanent manager - for a few months before Ian Atkins came in. Anyway, this match. I didn't go so I don't know if it was a comfortable 1-0 or if it was nail biting. Still, Paul Robinson scored the only goal of the game just past the hour mark and we won.
Plymouth Gull wrote:JOINT 81st: Shrewsbury Town 0 - 1 Torquay United - 2005/06
4 points, 1 vote
League 2
28th January 2006
Gay Meadow
Attendance: 3741
Torquay: Andy Marriott, James Sharp, Anthony Lloyd, Steve Woods, Matt Hockley, Tony Bedeau, Morike Sako, Darren Garner, Martin Phillips, Paul Robinson, Jo Kuffour. Subs: James Bittner, Matt Hewlett, Les Afful, Alex Lawless, Alan Connell.
Torquay scorer: Paul Robinson
----
A match in January 2006 is next, and a narrow win for United. Am I right in thinking this is John Cornforth's first match as boss? The ex-Exeter player came in as caretaker boss after Leroy Rosenior left, and was soon made permanent manager - for a few months before Ian Atkins came in. Anyway, this match. I didn't go so I don't know if it was a comfortable 1-0 or if it was nail biting. Still, Paul Robinson scored the only goal of the game just past the hour mark and we won.
This one is mine as well.
I choose it because it stuck in my head as one of the greatest "backs-to-the-wall" performances I can remember. We came into the match in turmoil - out of form and with Cornforth having been hired off his dog-walk on the Thursday. Shrewsbury were in great form at home, and it looked like we would be in for a shoeing. But as it was, we dug in and delivered a really gritty performance - quite unlike what had gone before it in the last throes of Leroy's tenure. We rode our luck at times, but one piece of skill on the wing from Buster Phillips finally got him half a yard of space, and Paul "Danger" Robinson was able to bury the header.
JOINT 81st: Torquay United 3 - 0 Hartlepool United - 1998/99
4 points, 1 vote
Division 3
Saturday 27th March 1999
Plainmoor
Attendance: 1927
Torquay: Neville Southall, Wes Thomas, Steve Tully, Lee Russell, Robbie Herrera, Brian Healy, Brian McGorry, Gary Neil, Mark Platts, Eifion Williams, O'Neill Donaldson. Subs: Kevin Hill, Leon Hapgood, Jean-Pierre Simb.
Torquay scorers: Eifion Williams (3)
----
A relegation 6 pointer, judging by where the two sides finished in the table this year. Hartlepool made the long journey down to Devon, and left pointless after a debut hat-trick from Eifion Williams. It was the perfect welcome to the club from the forward, who scored his first not long before half time. The second half saw him add two more, and Williams became an instant hero at the club. This start looked like proving the clubs outlay (£70,000) to be worth it.
We weren't really in relegation trouble at that stage although Hartlepool were. However in the final 8 games after the comprehensive win against Hartlepool, we only won 2 of them, putting us a bit lower in the table than we may have earlier expected but still 5 points clear of relegation. We lost 3 of our last 4, but still didn't get dragged into that dreaded but familiar final day drama!
Scholes scored a hat-trick for England on this day too.
Didn't Eiffion go on to play for Hartlepool?
Thought he was a great signing... but felt he could have done more.
I was there for the Eifion debut. I always liked him, but as time went by he rather lost the support of the crowd (see comments on this site re 'Barn Door' Williams.) He is one of Hartlepool's greatest heroes though. They never forgot him after this game and signed him a year or two later where he is still, literally, a 'legend'.
