United 5
(Stobbs 20′, Jarvis pens 35′ & 45+3′, Ash 41′, Lapslie 44′)
Hungerford Town 0
United blew Hungerford away following a superb five-goal showing at Plainmoor, as The Gulls secured their place in the FA Cup 4th Round Qualifying.
Jack Stobbs gave United a first-half advantage, and that was soon doubled thanks to Aaron Jarvis’ penalty kick. Before anyone had chance to grab their breath, Brad Ash made it three, before further strikes from Tom Lapslie and Jarvis – from the penalty spot once more – saw Gary Johnson’s side with a remarkable five-goal half-time advantage, and that’s the way it stayed.
There was just the one change to the starting line-up that lost out to Hemel Hempstead last weekend, with Stobbs returning to The Gulls’ line-up, at the expense of Will Jenkins Davies.
On six minutes, Jarvis cut in from the right before sending a firm left-footer curling towards goal, with former Gull Ryan Clarke having to dive full-length to keep it out. Moments later, Jarvis’ strike partner Ash tried his luck, however his near-post header from a Dean Moxey throw cleared the crossbar.
Five minutes later, and it was Lewis Collins who called the visiting glovesman into action again, this time with a 22-yard right footer, which Clarke again did well to parry.
More and more, Johnson’s men threatened to make their divisional status count, however some determined Town defending kept things level.
The breakthrough finally came in the 20th minute.
With the play swiftly moved from left to right, Hungerford committed the crime of leaving Stobbs unmarked inside the box, with The Gulls winger only too happy to fire home from twelve yards.
In truth, Torquay’s lead was fully merited.
More – much more – was to come though.
Stobbs was proving far more than Hungerford could handle, and when he jinked his way into the box from the opposite flank, a loose Town hand kept his shot out, leading to the referee to point to the penalty spot.
Jarvis duly sent Clarke the wrong way to make it two on 35 minutes.
Six minutes later it was 3-0.
A delicious defence-splitting pass from Brett McGavin saw Brad Ash break the offside trap, and with the former Weymouth man coming out on top of the one-on-one with Clarke, United heaped more misery on their beleaguered opponents.
There was still time for two more before the break.
Stobbs again carried the threat down the right, and after picking out Collins centrally, the Welshman strode on before seeing his 18-yard strike parried up into the air by Clarke – leaving a delighted Lapslie on hand to slot home the loose ball.
It didn’t end there.
In the final of three stoppage time minutes, Stobbs sent a sublime right wing cross to the back post, and with an infringement on Jarvis hard to ignore, the man in the middle dished out more punishment by awarding the men in yellow a second penalty.
Jarvis’ second effort was higher this time – just too high for Clarke – to send Johnson’s men into the break FIVE goals to the good.
A standing ovation from all told you all you needed to know at the change of ends.
United didn’t hold back following the restart either.
Nine minutes in, and Jarvis came within inches of claiming another hat-trick in yellow, as his eight-yard from a right-flank cross thudded off the post. Hungerford’s overworked, and under-protected, ‘keeper would have been powerless to stop it.
To their credit, Town posed Torquay’s backline a few questions in the second period, with Mark Halstead producing a firm parry to keep out visiting skipper Rhys Tyler’s strike, before Shaun Donnellan came up with a brave header to divert another ex-Gull, Remarni Medford-Smith, from profiting from 15 yards.
The men in yellow will still serving up plenty of entertainment at the other end though, with Collins seeing a diving header saved by Clarke, before Ash saw a goalbound effort from McGavin’s pass deflected wide of the post for the goal-greedy Gulls.
Mercifully from a Hungerford perspective, there was no more damage forthcoming, as the Yellow Army were left to savour a near-faultless performance, and a place in the final qualifying round of the world’s oldest cup competition.
UNITED: 1. Mark Halstead, 4. Tom Lapslie, 6. Ross Marshall (15. Finley Craske, 69′), 9. Aaron Jarvis (7. Ryan Hanson, 78′), 10. Lewis Collins, 11. Brad Ash, 14. Brett McGavin, 16. Shaun Donnellan, 21. Dean Moxey (c) (3. Dan Martin, 65′), 23. Ollie Tomlinson, 27. Jack Stobbs.
SUBS NOT USED: 19. Luke Pearce, 22. Rhys Lovett, 24. Calum Thomas.
HUNGERFORD TOWN: 1. Ryan Clarke, 2. Jack Alexander, 4. Brad Hooper, 5. Remarni Medford-Smith, 6. Matt Berry-Hargreaves, 8. Nathan Davis, 10. Conor McDonagh, 11. Sean Moore (19. Joe Shepherd, HT), 15. Luke Carnell, 18. Adulai Sambu (9. Slavi Spasov, HT), 20. Rhys Tyler (c) (16. Louie Paget, 78′).
SUBS NOT USED: 3. Owain Wheeler, 7. Toby Thorp, 12. Luke Softley, 17. Jack Stanley.
Yellow Cards: Sambu 10′, Berry-Hargreaves 45+1′, Nathan Davis 53′
Attendance: 1,648 (110 away)