Ball keen for Torquay to bounce back in FA Cup

Torquay United suffered a 3-0 loss at Billericay Town last week [Shutterstock] Torquay United manager Jimmy Ball says his side have to put their poor performance at Billericay Town behind them. The Gulls head to National League South rivals Tonbridge Angels in the FA Cup third qualifying round off the back of a 3-0 loss in Essex. Ball said he was "furious" at the manner of his side's defeat and Torquay's travelling fans left him and his players in no doubt about their unhappiness at the scoreline. "There's been lots of good reflections from the players, which I'm not going to air," he told BBC Radio Devon. "My reflections I'm happy to air - I possibly went with a starting 11 that was too young for that occasion. "In hindsight I should have gone with as much experience as I could have, but I was missing Jake Wannell, Cody Cooke and Deon Moore, three big presences, big personality and big players. "You take those three players out of anybody's team they're going to be different and in hindsight I threw the kids into the lion's den and I regret that." Ball 'furious' after Torquay's Billericay loss Torquay, who finished third last season before losing a dramatic play-off final at Hornchurch, are 13th in National League South. They have won three and drawn four of their 10 league matches, which Ball says has not been helped by changes in the squad after the season began. They have seen players including Jordan Young, Sam Dreyer and Dylan Morgan leave since the end of August, with new players coming in to replace them. "We're a new group and I think that's getting lost a little bit," added Ball. "We lost two centre-backs, two attacking wide players within three weeks at the start of the season and obviously that's not planned for. "The players wanted to go to better their career in their eyes, you can't stop that, you really can't, you end up with a disenfranchised player, which is pointless, so you have to then let them go. "We let them go under the right terms and we start again, and with starting again you're now bringing new players into this football club that demands a lot of expectation of players - losses for Torquay United are all huge losses and these new-ish players might take a bit of time to get used to that."
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