Torquay v Exeter play off game 2nd leg

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Torquay v Exeter
Team news to follow later.

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Torquay 1-4 Exeter (3-5 agg)
By Oliver Brett





Exeter staged a remarkable comeback against arch-rivals Torquay to reach the Blue Square Premier play-off final.

Leading 2-1 going into the semi-final second leg, Kevin Hill's second-half strike gave Torquay a two-goal cushion.

But substitute Ryan Harley pulled one back on 70 minutes and Ben Watson's penalty levelled the aggregate score.

Richard Logan's header and Wayne Carlisle's shot sealed a stunning victory, and Exeter will face Burton or Cambridge at Wembley on 18 May.

After a dour first period, the match burst into life with five second-half goals.

Fine play from Tim Sills set up the 59th-minute goal that seemed to have sent Torquay to Wembley.

Sills beat two men on the right wing, crossed to Chris Zebroski, who in turn played in Hill on the left, and the midfielder's assured strike gave Paul Jones in the Exeter goal no chance.

But barely 10 minutes later, substitute Harley fired through a sea of bodies to set up a frenetic finale at Plainmoor.

The Grecians suddenly found a new lease of life and at the same time Simon Rayner in the Torquay goal began to struggle.

He and Zebroski clumsily tried to stop Logan in the area, referee Chris Sarginson pointed to the spot, and Watson's cool penalty made it level on aggregate.

With extra-time looming, Carlisle crossed from the right for Logan to beat Rayner at his far post, and Carlisle then put added gloss on the scoreline in injury time.



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Torquay: Rayner, Woods, Todd, Robertson, Mansell, Nicholson, Adams, Hargreaves, Hill, Zebroski, Sills. Subs: Rice, Hockley, Stevens, Phillips, D'Sane.

Exeter: Jones, Tully, Seaborne, Matthew Taylor, Friend, Cozic, Gill, Edwards, Moxey, Logan, Stansfield. Subs: Marriott, Harley, Carlisle, Elam, Watson.

Referee: C Sarginson (Staffordshire)