Plain Easy

The sheer depth of club football in England is one of its most alluring aspects.  All across the land we are presented with differing football cultures and grounds. Thus we are offered a lifetime of discovery so when finding myself at a loose end and being offered a lift by a Reading Season ticket holder to their League Cup tie at Torquay earlier this week I found it impossible to say no to visiting a new ground (number 194 if you're counting  - I am) and completing the set of Devon's Football League Stadia.  

On arrival in Torbay we headed for the picturesque coastal suburb of Babbacombe.  After dining on award winning Fish and Chips we had a leisurely pre match pint in a pub where supporters of both clubs mingled freely.  

A ten minute walk brought us to the ground where without a policeman in sight we were able to enter the turnstile untrammelled by the intrusive hands of a yellow coat, and exchange cash for a place of our choosing on the away terrace behind the goal.

Plainmoor, which has been home to the Gulls for a century is tidy enough and split 50/50 between terracing and seating with the main stand just about offering the ideal set up of a terraced paddock in front of the seats. 

For perhaps the first time when attending a match between two Football League clubs I felt like I was at a non league game.  This was not surprising when the crowd of 2,832 (up to a third from Berkshire) is considered but the whole friendly tone of the evening contributed to a stereotypically laid back West Country atmosphere.  

The game kicked off with Reading adopting an attacking 4-2-4 formation, the class of Jimmy Kebe reflecting the two divisions which divided the two clubs.  Yet Torquay had gone 781 minutes without conceding a goal and so despite their superiority Reading struggled to create a clear cut chance. Instead it was Torquay who looked most likely to score, causing confusion in the Reading defence on more than one occasion to test goalkeeper Steve Hamer.

As the tie moved towards full time Reading peppered the Torquay goal with set pieces which Scott Bevan dealt with comfortably and when Elliot Benyon hit the inside of the post with a strong shot deep into extra time it seemed penalties were inevitable.  With stoppage time being played Torquay were punished for refusing the opportunity to clear a corner and the hitherto inept Grzegorz Rasiak scored from close range with an athletic finish.  So Reading stole the tie and were offered a great chance to go on their second cup run of 2010 when they received a home tie in the next round against lowly Northampton.  Torquay were left to reflect on their bad luck which is typical of all the Devon clubs' amazingly poor record in this competition.