Owers: Gulls need ‘fire in their bellies’

Gulls manager Gary Owers kept his players in the ‘home’ dressing-room for more than 45 minutes after the Chippenham defeat before emerging to say: “I need them to play with more fire in their bellies.”

Owers went on: “We have to be braver and more resilient – whatever is happening on the terraces, you have to be brave to show for the ball and get on the ball.

“I thought we started the game really brightly for 20 minutes – that was as good as we have been.

“But we didn’t get the goal, fell behind to a sucker punch from a set-piece and, as the game wore on, we ran out of ideas.

“We had good possession, but took too long on the ball, got closed down and just made too many wrong choices.

“They do it during the week, when there’s no one around, but there’s no pressure on the training ground.

“What goes on in the dressing-room stays in there, but I just expressed my disappointment.

“I brought all of those lads here, and I still want them to do well.”

Torquay United have not won an FA Cup-tie for nearly seven years, but another defeat will be out of the question whoever they meet in the second qualifying round on Saturday week.

The Gulls were awaiting the result of last night’s replay between Lydney Town of the Hellenic League Premier Division and Lymington Town of the Wessex League Premier before knowing where they must travel on Saturday, September 22.

Lydney held Lymington to a 2-2 draw in Hampshire on Saturday, but the Gloucestershire underdogs were expecting to be weakened by work and other commitments for last night’s match at their Recreation Ground.