Herald Express (Torbay, Brixham & South Hams Edition)
A lot at stake as Johnson targets money-spinning FA Cup success
New Torquay United manager Gary Johnson will try to end the Gulls’ seven-year FA Cup famine, earn the club a £10,000 bonus away to Lymington Town at the weekend – and he has conceded a County Cup match to focus on it.
Johnson, whose arrival sparked a 2-0 league win at Hungerford Town last Saturday, aims to become the first United boss to win an FA Cup tie since Martin Ling in November – Chesterfield 3-1 away in 2011.
But even though National League South Torquay are entering the competition at the earliest ever stage – the second qualifying round – and Sydenhams Wessex League club Lymington are the lowliest opposition they have ever met, there is a lot at stake.
The BBC has decided that it is the ‘tie of the round’, and kick-off has been brought forward to 12.30pm at Lymington’s tiny Sports Ground on Saturday for live online TV coverage.
That will deliver a £1,000 broadcast fee, to top up the £9,000 prizemoney at stake.
And that’s just the start of a potentially money-spinning incentive for Johnson and the club.
With no reserve side to call on, a first-team squad down to 16 players and an under-18s team which has just played three matches in four days, Johnson has conceded a Devon St Luke’s Challenge Cup tie away to Plymouth Parkway tonight.
“I can’t risk any of my senior lads, and our plan was to utilise our under-18 squad in the County Cup,” he said.
“But they played twice at the weekend, then they’re at Wells City in the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday, so to ask them to play four games in the space of five days would be incredibly unfair.
“It’s a great shame that we were unable to change any of the games, but we respect that decision and our focus is all on Lymington now. The Cup is massively important to us.”
Johnson is already planning to strengthen the squad he inherited from his predecessor Gary Owers, and Emirates Cup revenue would give those moves a timely boost.
The competition prize fund has been significantly increased, giving even the early rounds a big boost.
Consider the following figures: £9,000 (plus share of gate receipts) – at stake in Saturday’s tie; £11,140 – how much Lymington have already earned for wins in the extra preliminary, preliminary and first qualifying rounds; £15,000 – on offer to winning clubs in the next round; £49,000 – how much United will collect in prizemoney if they manage to reach the first round proper; £36,000 – at stake in every First Round tie.
Johnson, who has extended transfer-listed defender Josh Gowling’s loan to NL North club Alfreton Town to the end of the season, hopes to have French centre-back Jean-Yves Koue Niate back from injury on Saturday.
He has also been putting the squad through a demanding series of training sessions, stressing: “I am looking at the mental state of all of them – that’s the big thing at the moment.”
Meanwhile, club secretary Tim Herbert is due to leave his post today, and United say they hope to announce a replacement soon.