Torquay United Dominates AFC Stoneham 6-1 in FA Cup
Torquay United brushed aside AFC Stoneham with a ruthless 6-1 win in the FA Cup second qualifying round, leaving manager Jimmy Ball delighted with the attitude as much as the scoreline.
Against opponents two divisions below them in the Isthmian League South Central, the Gulls never loosened their grip. They struck early, kept their foot down and killed the tie before half-time.
Callum Morton set the tone after just six minutes, putting Torquay in front and immediately quietening any thoughts of a cup upset. From there, Ball’s side dictated the tempo.
The control turned into comfort on 36 minutes. Beaumont-Clark stepped up from distance and drove in a long-range effort to double the lead, a strike that underlined the gulf in quality.
Stoneham, to their credit, hit back almost instantly. Straight from the restart, Tom Annetts found a response, dragging the hosts back into it and briefly testing Torquay’s composure.
That flicker of hope did not last long.
With the half ticking away, Sonny-Blu Lo-Everton took charge. 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 in complete command.
Second Half
The second half became his personal showcase. Midway through the period, Lo-Everton completed his hat-trick, capping a standout display and turning a strong performance into a statement one.
Cody Cooke applied the final touch in stoppage time, adding a sixth to round off a dominant afternoon and a professional job done.
Ball’s satisfaction came less from the margin and more from the manner.
“Our attitude was good, mentality was good throughout, that's all I wanted really,” he told BBC Radio Devon. “I thought that if we did that and did it properly and acted in a professional, humble manner, we would be fine.
“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 and like I said at the beginning of the season, it's hard to beat a team that sits in there very deep and has lots of bodies in there that you've got to navigate, but we did it and we did it quite well today.”
On this evidence, Torquay’s standards are set. The FA Cup will now ask tougher questions.
