IN THE HISTORY BOOKS: Northampton 0-1 Torquay – 9th August 2003

[Louis]

In a bid to bring content from our old main site to the forum now the old site is closed, here is this weeks archive for your reading pleasure, (posted 21st August 2013)...

Just over a decade ago, Torquay United laid the first foundations of a famous season by winning at Sixfields on the Opening Day. The Gulls, managed by Leroy Rosenior, made the journey to Northamptonshire where they met one of the pre-season favourites, Northampton Town. I have chosen this match as it is one that happened a while ago, yet it remains our most recent victory at Sixfields. On this hot summers day, Leroy decided to go with this starting XI;

Arjan van Heusden, Lee Canoville, David Woozley, Craig Taylor, Sean Hankin, Steve Woods, Matt Hockley, Alex Russell, Jason Fowler, Kevin Hill, Jo Kuffour. Subs: Kevin Dearden, Jimmy Benefield, Kevin Wills, David Graham, Lucas Burgess.

Familiar faces in the hosts squad include Paul Trollope and Chris Hargreaves, who started on the bench. Hargreaves of course went to captain United to a return to the Football League in 2009. Ian Sampson was also in the Cobblers squad, and a couple of years later he was the manager at the club.

The match, refereed by now Premier League referee Lee Probert, was a close one, with just a solitary goal. That goal came just after the hour mark by Gulls midfielder Jason Fowler. It proved to be a solid start to an excellent season under Rosenior’s stewardship, which resulted in a final day promotion at Southend, but we all know what happened there!

[wivelgull]

I was there. The hottest day I've ever experienced and, pleased to note, the referee allowed the occasional water break during the game.

[Bloggy]

Me too. Great day. Blisteringly hot and to think I almost stayed in the pub garden!

[happytorq]

Wasn't there I remember people who were telling me that it was as hot as balls and we played them off the park.

Great, really, since I think that was the first year (of quite a few as it turned out) that Northampton has significant investment in the team and their fans seemed to think they were going to walk the division.

[Staffsgull1]

Yes I have a few great memories about this match, it was indeed a belting hot day, and there was a great turnout from torquay - good going given the holiday traffic on a Saturday in August must have been shocking.

Strangely though I'm pretty convinced that we'd had a terrible pre-season and that we went into this match as fans thinking we'd get thumped by a team favourites for promotion, and that we might be relegation material. To add to this I'm also fairly sure that David Woozley was played as an emergency centre forward as David Graham wasn't fully fit - not sure where Gritton was at that stage. The bench certainly looks limited too.

But we did outplay them. Seeing Matt Hockley in there reminds me how important he was that season alongside Russell. Not the most gifted player but his job was to just win the ball and get it to the likes of Russell and Fowler. Anyway this was a really good day...

[Bloggy]

Lee Canoville made an important goal line clearance (at 0:0 I think) and turned to the Gulls fans behind the goal with clenched fists and roaring at us! It certainly wasn't the result either set of fans was anticipating.

[happytorq]

But we did outplay them. Seeing Matt Hockley in there reminds me how important he was that season alongside Russell. Not the most gifted player but his job was to just win the ball and get it to the likes of Russell and Fowler. Anyway this was a really good day...

Russel, Fowler, and Hockley were such a great midfield trio. The first two supplied the craft (oh how much better would our League 1 season had been if Fowler's hip had decided to give up) but Hockley's role was at least as important, as he was the terrier running around getting them the ball. Limited in many ways, but hell, he was tremendous