CITY 0 TORQUAY UNITED 0
Rumbelows Cup 2nd Round 2nd Leg
10th October 1990
attendance 12,204
Ref K Lupton
City Coton, I.Brightwell, Pointon, Harper, Hendry, Redmond, Ward, Megson, Quinn, Allen, Brennan – Subs Margetson(61), Heath(72)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
ERIC GRAHAM WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 11TH OCTOBER 1990
Manchester City fans have every right to feel cheated.
They were denied genuine value for money entertainment and rightly expressed displeasure by booing the blues off the pitch both at half time and the end of a wretched match.
Don’t blame brave little Torquay. They came North determined to put on a show and did so to richly earn their goalless draw.
So far as shabby City are concerned, there is nothing but condemnation for such a pathetic performance.
A 12,000 turn-out on a damp, autumn night deserved better than a first half sweeper system by a supposedly top team playing at home against Fourth Division opposition and already four goals to the good.
Supporters went expecting an extravaganza of goals after the highly professional way City had accounted for Torquay in the first leg at Plainmoor a fortnight earlier.
Yet what they got was a mixture of that old, frustrating City fare with the outcome and extremely embarrassing results on the night, but 4-0 success overall.
Howard Kendall’s explanation was that he was utilising the game to look ahead for future First Division missions.
In other words, he made it a virtual practice match. And at the expense of the poor old public, it’s not on Howard.
If City wanted to do that, they should have halved admission charges instead of making their fans pay through the nose for something that wasn’t even exhibition stuff.
Credit Torquay for attempting to make a match of it. They were without five first team regulars, but still emerged the better first-half side when Tony Coton was much the busier goalkeeper.
He saved well from Dean Edwards and Paul Smith as City huffed and puffed to get their game together.
The Blues responded with a close-in shot from Clive Allen and a header straight at goalkeeper Gareth Howells by Niall Quinn from Neil Pointon’s excellent cross Pointon was City’s best player, although it was Howells who became man of the match as he denied a more positive City approach after the break.
City hit the framework three times when they were switched to a 4-4-2 formation. Howells saved from Mark Brennan and then turned Quinn’s rebound behind.
Gary Megson made an efficient return from injury and Colin Hendry impressed at the back.
But Allen failed to take his opportunity to enhance his claims for regular recognition on a night when all the honours went to the opposition.
Arsenal in round three? You’ll have to do better than this City!
