Non-league Torquay produced a giant-killing effort at Plainmoor as they knocked out Championship Blackpool.
Green goal downs Tangerines
Non-league Torquay produced a giant-killing effort at Plainmoor as they knocked out Championship Blackpool in their FA Cup third round clash.
The only goal of the game arrived just after the half-hour mark as Matt Green fired home to earn his side a place in the fourth round draw.
Heading into the game Blackpool caretaker boss Tony Parkes was forced into wholesale changes following the return of no less than six loanees to their parent clubs.
A hamstring injury to Rob Edwards also saw the influential defender miss out, along with the suspended Gary Taylor-Fletcher, as Parkes recalled Danny Coid as well as handing Stuart Green and Daniel Nardiello their first starts of the season.
It was therefore no surprise the visitors began hesitantly as Torquay made the early running, with Paul Rachubka having to be alert to deal with a left-footed 20-yard strike from Chris Hargreaves inside the opening 15 minutes.
Hargreaves was at the centre of Torquay's attacking ambitions and shortly afterwards his free-kick fell kindly for Gulls midfielder Wayne Carlisle only for defender Ian Evatt to superbly block his shot from six yards.
It took Blackpool 18 minutes to carve out their first real opening, however David Fox wastefully fired wide of keeper Scott Bevan's right-hand post from 12 yards.
Sweet strike
It didn't take the home side long to hit back and they surged ahead just after the half-hour when Green collected a free-kick from Steve Woods and struck a sweet left-footed effort into the bottom corner past a despairing Rachubka for his third of the season.
Paul Buckle's side comfortably saw out the half and could even have extended their lead when Rachubka had to be on hand to deal with Kevin Nicholson's cross in the dying stages of the opening period.
The visitors emerged after the interval with a renewed sense of purpose and came close to drawing level when Shaun Barker's shot from inside the area was cleared by Woods following some initial good build-up play from Keith Southern.
Gulls striker Tim Sills again called Rachubka into action with a speculative 30-yard shot that the keeper easily clung on to while at the other end Stuart Green and Nardiello combined neatly only for the former to head wide from 12 yards.
The Seasiders continued to push forward and only a sharp block by Hargreaves denied Evatt as he blasted goalwards from a David Vaughan free-kick, with keeper Bevan easily collecting the resulting corner.
Parkes threw on Claus Bech Jorgensen for the ineffective Stuart Green after 71 minutes but Blackpool failed to carve out any incisive openings.
Indeed Nicky Wroe could have settled proceedings for the home side but he could only blast over a 20-yard shot in the aftermath of a Carlisle corner.
The Championship side could have earned a fortunate replay in the closing minutes when Dominic Merella fired goalwards only for Nicholson to superbly block the 20-yard effort.
| Team Name |
Torquay United |
Blackpool |
| Possession |
48% |
52% |
| Goals |
1 |
0 |
| Shots On Target |
5 |
0 |
| Shots Off Target |
4 |
4 |
| Blocked Shots |
2 |
2 |
| Corners |
7 |
4 |
| Fouls Conceded |
7 |
14 |
| Offsides |
3 |
4 |
| Yellow Cards |
1 |
3 |
| Red Cards |
0 |
0 |
|
