Parkway are well versed on opponent

PLYMOUTH Parkway manager Lee Hobbs is very much of the mantra that failing to prepare is preparing to fail and he is leaving no stone unturned in finding out about FA Vase opponents Flackwell Heath, writes Stuart James.

For the second year in succession, Parkway are through to the fifth round where they know a victory would see them face arch rivals Tavistock in the quarterfinals, if Tavi overcome United Services Portsmouth in their fifth round clash.

Hobbs has banned any talk of a potential meet up with the Lambs though, until they have taken care of a Flackwell Heath side he feels he has good knowledge of having spent the past week finding out everything that he can about tomorrow’s opponents.

“I am really, really looking forward to it,” Hobbs said. “We are coming off the back of probably our best performance (2-1 win against Clevedon last week) since we’ve been back. We trained really well last night and rehearsed a few things in terms of what we think Flackwell will do and worked on some set pieces.

“We have had the benefit of being able to watch their previous round as it was streamed live, so we have watched that twice and picked the bones out of what we think are their strengths and weaknesses and we feel we are completely set in terms of our due diligence.

“They are a solid outfit, defensively good and going forward even better. They are workmanlike and industrious in certain areas.

“Teams that are in the last 16 are not there to make up the numbers, they are there to try and win it.

“You have to work a little bit harder to try and find things out and I’d like to think us being a bit more experienced, in terms of not putting things on social media, they have left themselves wide open to us finding out more about them they can learn about us.”

For many, the fifth round almost feels like an unwelcome distraction before a quarter-final between Parkway and Tavistock, with both Hobbs side and Stuart Henderson’s Lambs favourites to win their respective ties.

It is human nature, after all, to think of the ‘what if?’ scenario, but Hobbs insists there is no talk of making the short trip along the A385 next week if both teams win this weekend.

“There’s been none whatsoever and I wouldn’t allow it,” he said. “Our eyes are solely on one game and that is Flackwell Heath.

“There was no talk of Tavistock, there was no talk of US Portsmouth – and there won’t be – until we do our business against Flackwell. We can’t get ahead of ourselves.”