Gary Johnson shared his thoughts on Monday’s cup draw, after his side were given home advantage against Hungerford Town in the Emirates FA Cup 3rd Round Qualifying.
The cup tie, which is scheduled to take place at Plainmoor on Saturday 30th September, sees Johnson reunited with the very same side he faced in his first game as Gulls boss just over five years ago, whilst Town also provided the opposition when Torquay were presented with the National League South trophy as champions just seven months later.
“It’s always exciting to be in an FA Cup draw, and it’s always exciting when you’re at home – especially as we get nearer to that First Round Proper, it’ll get even more exciting,” remarked Johnson.
“However, we’re at home to Hungerford, a Southern Premier team. We’ve played lots of teams in the Southern Premier along the way in pre-season, teams like Tiverton and Poole Town, so we know the level.
“The one thing that does stand out is that Hungerford beat Chippenham in the previous round 4-1 at Chippenham, so they’ve obviously given it a right go in the FA Cup. They’re just below midway in their league, but they look ‘up for the cup’.”
Although United’s National League South game at Hemel Hempstead will obviously take precedence for now, the Gaffer will no doubt be eager to redress the balance when the opportunity arises, with Hungerford securing a memorable injury-time victory (0-1) on their last visit to Plainmoor in April 2019.
“We’ve got an important league game against Hemel on Saturday, so our thoughts will now go into that, and then we will really look forward to an FA Cup tie at home against a Hungerford team that are competitive.
“They spoilt our party when we won the league on that day, so let’s hope they don’t on this day.”