Match Report by Trina Lake

Exeter 0-1 Torquay 

GETTING beaten in a local derby is not just losing a game of football. For supporters of the vanquished it's like being sentenced to months of torture.

However, Exeter City and Torquay United may fare through the coming campaign, the seaside club's fans will never tire of taunting their old rivals about the day they won the battle of St James's Park.

City's faithful must endure the unaccustomed experience of rating second best to their revitalised neighbours for five months at least until the teams meet again at Plainmoor on February 27.

And what makes it harder to swallow is that Torquay deserved to rob Colin Appleton's side of their unbeaten home record in the league and climb above them in the Fourth Division table. All that in front of City's biggest home crowd 6,281 since Plymouth Argyle's Easter visit in 1984.

The man who sentenced them to suffer through the winter was former City favourite Jim McNichol whose 29th minute header decided this keen and competitive contest.

The swashbuckling defender is just as popular on the Torquay terraces - they have nicknamed him Mad Jim for his buccaneering style and he finally settled a score against his old club with that purposefully taken goal.

McNichol never wanted to leave City but was insulted by their offer of a three-month trial contract when he took over a pub at Ashburton 18 months ago. After two solid years at the Park, he told them what they could do with their short term deal and joined Torquay.

The no-nonsense Scot has done well for the Gulls and played a major if painful part in their Football League survival last season. He was bitten by a police dog in their last day do-or-die scrap with Crewe and in the injury time added for that stoppage, Torquay equalised for the point that kept them in the Fourth Division and doomed Lincoln to non-league football. McNichol was able to celebrate Saturday's success a little more fully than he could on that memorable May afternoon and he certainly enjoyed his magic moment to the full. His first goal of the season gave Torquay the perfect boast for Wednesday's Littlewoods Cup tie at Spurs where they protect a one-goal lead.

But they go to White Hart Lane probably without the considerable presence of influential on-loan strker Glyn Riley. He was carried off after 64 minutes on Saturday when Nick Marker sliced him down from behind, cutting his ankle. The wound needed seven stitches, not 21 as reported in some quarters

Marker took his fair share of elbowing from Riley throughout. Both had already been booked for a first half push and shove in the centre circle and in all six players were shown the yellow card by zealous Hertfordshire referee Roger Wiseman, who carried the job of making his point a little too far at times.

Torquay's David Cole and Derek Dawkins and City's Shaun Taylor and Keith Viney were also cautioned but that is no reflection on the way the game was played. There were a few niggly moments but it was by no means dirty.

Appleton took the surprise step of dropping Roy Carter against one of his former clubs and although Paul Olsson kept Torquay kingpin Sean Haslegrave fairly quiet, there was a lack of midfield cohesion that Carter may have provided in a largely patternless game from City's point of view. Steve Phillips made a subdued home debut for City.

He was tightly marked by McNichol and was too withdrawn in his first half role behind the ineffective pairing of Dean Edwards and Paul Williams to do any real damage. He pushed further forward in the second half and looked far more dangerous.

City's defence had more problems dealing with Riley, Paul Dobson and Mark Loram than Torquay's uncompromising back five did after a shaky opening when Williams, Taylor and Phillips all went close.

The confident Dobson shot wide in the 12th minute to remind City of the threat he has become to Fourth Division defences this season and then screwed wide of an open goal in the 15th minute when the ball rebounded too quickly for him to control when Riley hit the post.

Williams blew a great chance to put City ahead a minute later. He beat Phil Lloyd for a straight run in on goal and had the option of testing goalkeeper Kenny Allen at his near post or squaring the ball for Edwards or Phillips, waiting expectantly in the middle. Instead he tapped the ball tamely goalward and the 'keeper saved comfortably. City didn't have a better opening all afternoon. Torquay grew in confidence fter that escape and it was no real shock when they scored Winger Mark Gardiner, an effective stop-gap at left back to stifle Paul Batty's penetrating runs, took a corner from the right, Lloyd headed it on at the near post and McNichol arrived to crash home a close range header. Dobson then had three good attempts at adding to his 10- goal tally before the break. He fired one shot wide, forced John Shaw into a reflex right foot save with another and put an audacious volley over the bar

As City struggled to prise open a determined Torquay rearguard, Edwards' control let him down on one chance, Phillips looped a header off target and Taylor headed straight to Allen.

They started the second half more positively and but for a Maradona-style had of God touch from Edwards, Williams might well have forced a 47th-minute equaliser.

The erratic Allen was flapping at crosses and survived a penalty appeal for pushing Phillips who also forced a saving header out of McNichol as Torquay looked decidely rattled But the penetration just wasn't there and Torquay gradually regained their composure, even when Riley had to be replaced by Lee Sharpe, at 16 years and four months the youngest player ever to appear in the league for them

And what a find the talented left footer from the Midlands looks. He has good touch and a cool head and could eventually be as inspirational for Torquay as Mark Robson was for City Richard Cooper and Tony Kellow replaced Olsson and Williams but couldn't effect the desired revival. In the last five minutes Phillips drew a fine save from Allen with a left foot volley and Shaw tipped a Dawkins drive round the post. But one goal was enough to decide what was a largely dis- appointing game by recent Devon derby standards.

Exeter City: Shaw. Nisbet, Viney Marker, Taylor, Williams Batty, Edwards, Phillips. Olson, Harrower Subs Cooper (en for Olsson, 63 minu tes). Kellow (on for Williams, 74 minutes).

Torquay United: Allen, McNichel, Dawkins, Haslegrave, Cole, Impey. Gardiner, Lloyd Riley, Loram, Dobson. Subs Myers, Sharpe (on for Riley, 64 minutes)

Attendance 6.281