Cup Shocker! CCFC Still In It!

By CCFC Sid
August 26 2004

6,180 turned up to watch CCFC ease past Torquay United - though for the first 45 minutes, a CCFC goal looked as likely as a smile in Eastenders. And CCFC's reward for beating TU was a home tie against Sheffield Wednesday.

Pre-match we were told there would possibly be chances for some of the youngsters (Including Giddings and Osbourne) to come in and stake a claim. The reality was, while there were changes, it was mainly substitutes swapping places with first team players! And a first start for Neil Wood....

The performance of Wood was the biggest positive to be taken from this match (That and scoring four goals!), and on this display, he should be ahead of a good few other potential midfield players for the Bank Holiday fixtures (Mr. Sherwood). He might not be blessed with much in the hair department, but he certainly seems more than capable when it comes to playing football!

He tested the Torquay keeper as early as the second minute, and went on to have a number of decent efforts throughout - including a fine strike on 14 minutes, which was tipped just over the bar for a corner. Just after the half hour mark he again tested the keeper, while a number of quality CCFC crosses were crying out for a tall striker to get on the end of - this was a 0-0 rout in CCFC's favour!!

Three last ditch challenges stopped what looked like certain CCFC goals in a five minute spell midway through the first half, with both Morrell and Staunton denied, and a piece of Davenport trickery in the opposition half adding another £250,000 to his value.

Torquay created few chances in the opening 45 minutes, but, with CCFC having given away stupid free-kicks in their last three games (Costing them a possible positive result each time), supporters could have been forgiven for fearing the worst when it happened again. Thankfully, a wonderfully worked TU set piece ended up going out for a throw-in!

Suffo replaced McSheffrey at half-time - presumably because he's the nearest we have to a physical presence (Even though I can't remember him ever heading a ball....).

All thoughts of a 0-0 result, with penalties deciding the outcome, were dismissed within 20 second half minutes. A Suffo pass (One of his few accurate passes in the second half), set up Hughes, who scoerd from inside the penalty area. Morrell blew the chance to make it 2-0 soon after, while Torquay also squandered a great chance to pull a goal back.

Two goals in three minutes by Patrick Suffo ended the game as a contest - both following superb bits of skill from the same player, and finished emphatically. If he could only play like this from the first minute on, he would be a certainty for CCFC's starting XI - but he can't....

In between Suffo's goals, a Davenport header struck the bar, and Morrell missed a second sitter.

Andy Whing finally made it onto the pitch (Replacing Staunton), and received a rapturous round of applause. There must be no more than half-a-dozen people inside Highfield Road that don't believe he is worthy of a place in the side....

Morrell missed another chance after 70 minutes, and a minute later Torquay reduced the arrears, with Kuffour's finely struck shot beating Shearer from 25 yards.

The chance for Suffo to claim a hat-trick was wasted soon after. Any slightly decent pass hit in front of him would have left him with a 40 yard free run on goal - sadly, the ball was played to close to him, and he released Hughes instead. His shot was just wide of the far post.

Wood was replaced by Barrett with 10 minutes left, and two minutes later Morrell finally got his goal, with as good a team goal as has been seen at Highfield Road in a while.