Torquay United Dominates AFC Stoneham 6-1 in FA Cup Qualifying Round
Torquay United swept into the FA Cup third qualifying round with a ruthless 6-1 dismantling of AFC Stoneham – and Jimmy Ball liked what he saw just as much as the scoreline.
The gap of two divisions showed early. Torquay were on the front foot from the first whistle and needed only six minutes to underline the difference in levels. Callum Morton struck first, settling any nerves and setting the tone for a long afternoon for the Isthmian League South Central side.
Torquay controlled the ball, controlled the tempo, controlled just about everything.
The pressure told again nine minutes before the break. Beaumont-Clark stepped up from distance and unleashed a long-range effort that flew in for 2-0, a strike that underlined Torquay’s comfort and ambition against opponents sitting deep and trying to clog the space.
Stoneham, though, refused to fold. Almost straight from the restart, Tom Annetts pounced to pull one back and briefly jolt the tie into life. For a few seconds, there was a flicker of jeopardy.
It didn’t last.
Sonny-Blu Lo-Everton took the game away from them before half-time with a devastating burst. On 43 minutes, the midfielder drilled in from the edge of the box to restore the two-goal cushion. Deep into first-half stoppage time, he struck again, finishing smartly from a corner routine to send Torquay in 4-1 up and out of sight.
Second Half
The second half became a question of professionalism and standards rather than survival. Ball had demanded exactly that.
"Our attitude was good, mentality was good throughout, that's all I wanted really," he told BBC Radio Devon, stressing that the occasion was as much about mindset as margin.
Lo-Everton completed his hat-trick midway through the second period, capping a standout display with another composed finish to make it 5-1 and erase any lingering doubt about the afternoon’s main story: Torquay’s attacking quality when given room to work.
Still Torquay pushed. Still they kept their shape and their edge. In stoppage time, Cody Cooke added a sixth, rounding off the scoring and underlining the gulf between the sides on the day.
Ball’s satisfaction was rooted less in the scoreline and more in the way his players handled a potentially awkward tie against a lower-league side sitting deep with “lots of bodies” to break down.
"I thought that if we did that and did it properly and acted in a professional, humble manner, we would be fine," he said. "We just made the players aware of our standards, regardless of who we're playing, when we're playing, what competition we're playing in, we need to come off the pitch proud of ourselves and proud of our output and proud of our performance.
"Attacking-wise we looked good," he added, pleased with how his side solved the problem in front of them.
On this evidence, Torquay’s standards are clear. The question now is how far that mentality can carry them in this season’s FA Cup.
