/ Gary Boswell / 08 May 2008 /

Gary Boswell Match Previews Saturday's FA Trophy Final at Wembley and he'll be providing in-play updates from the ground in conjunction with the Non-League Pools Panel Live on Betfair Radio.

It looked to be a worthy rival to Ebbsfleet groundsman Peter Norton's whimsical "Beat The Weather" - given its first airing on last week's Betfair Radio Non-League Show. The subject to whom the Torquay song for Wembley is dedicated - the one and only Kevin Hill - popped up with a pearler to put the Gulls 3-1 up on aggregate Monday lunchtime and seemingly on their way to the double Wembley whammy.

And then the Gulls' season - which simply hasn't sparkled since Xmas - seriously fell apart in 18 minutes of horrific mayhem in which suspect Canadian goalkeeper Simon Rayner played his predictable sorry part.

You had to feel for the Gulls' fans. They've done wonders down in Devon to raise the club from the ashes of last season's league demotion and by all known yardsticks, the first season in non-league football has been a marked success. Eerily similar to Oxford's last season though (they also lost the title double header in late February and then lost a two goal play-off lead to Exeter) and everyone knows what's happened to them this season. A worrying portent for Torquay.

On a downer going in to what is now a consolation prize for their season and the [2.08] on them in the match odds is an unrealistic price based far too simplistically on the teams' relative positions in the season's league table.

The subsequent [3.75] on offer about an Ebbsfleet win has to be considered value. I'm basing that judgement on their second half of the season effort which easily equals that of Torquay. It was the Fleet who effectively ended any realistic chance the Gulls had of the title when they beat them 2-1 at Stonebridge Road just after Xmas. That's your reliable collateral form-line for this game. Make your own mind up whether the odds should therefore be as they are.

Torquay do have odd areas of extra class. Kevin Hill himself, with just five starts under the belt, has returned to the fold at a timely moment and gives much needed quality to the left side of midfield. Chris Zebroski, who has impressed enough at Plainmoor to be offered his old job back at Millwall for next season, has always looked a cut above Conference class and likewise Tim Sills as a central striker on his day. Tendonitis continues to dog Sills, however, and he is not guaranteed to sparkle in Wembley's wide open spaces after such a long, hard season.

That leaves Mr Workhorse Chris Hargreaves in central midfield and the aerial threat of Chrisses Todd and Robertson, combined with the dead ball delivery of Kevin Nicholson, as Torquay's main weapons on Saturday. Is that enough to make the Conference's best goalkeeper Lance Cronin quake? Maybe not.

At the other end, since the departure of excellent Southampton goalkeeper Michael Poke, Torquay have had a real problem between the sticks. Ten man defence was the solution on Monday to protect the 2-1 lead and it kind of worked for 65 minutes as Exeter failed to find any creative ways to put pressure on the hapless Rayner.

And then Torquay's second Achilles heel emerged. Manager Paul Buckle has done fairly well throughout the season, but he does lack experience at the sharp end. Torquay's record this season when the chips are down is not great. He was out-thought and left floundering on the line in that critical last 18 minutes against Exeter and failed to find ways to counter the tactical nous and motivational hurricane whipped up by Exeter's Paul Tisdale.

Wembley may prove another bridge too far for Buckle and his adversary this time is the fiery Liam Daish who lacks nothing in the motivational department. 'Tis he who has kept his cool as 30,000 of those blank pages that Len Shackleton wrote about in his autobiography took over his football club. So far so good for the MyFootballClub experiment. Being at Wembley feels like just the first rung of a ladder for Ebbsfleet who are in the bizarre position of selling far more tickets for this game than their ex-league opponents. This could end up feeling like a home game for them - further making mockery of the projected odds.

Outfield class for the Fleet comes in the shape of BSP young player of the year Stacy Long, the intricate runs of Chukki Eribenne and the hard nosed tackling of Sacha Opinel (a good reason for backing the red card option currently available at [4.1]!). Best of all though, in Lance Cronin they have an England semi-pro keeper who inspires confidence in his defence. He could be worth his weight in gold at Wembley.

All the value bets lie in the markets on the Fleet win. Torquay are simply a false match price and its effect has filtered into all the speciality bets. Take your pick of: Ebbsfleet clean sheet at [3.0]. Torquay/Ebbsfleet double result at [41.0] (serious fancy of mine that given the Gulls'recent propensity to crumple when in front) and the simple [3.75] on the Ebbsfleet win in the match odds which will of course be even longer than that in play if there is not an early goal and/or Torquay score first.

The Total goals is a tough one but the Lay at [1.09] on the one goal is interesting as Cronin inspires me to keep a clean sheet one end and if Torquay play like they did on Monday, 0-0 is a possibility and can be considered a decent risk bet in conjunction with various strategies. Correct score always tends to elude me but the value probably is a whopper for Ebbsfleet. Maybe 4-1 or 5-0 but it has to be said that will be a travesty for Torquay whilst not necessarily being something to rule out!

Of course, being better value won't necessarily make Ebbsfleet win. Perhaps this will be the day the KevinHillFanClub hold sway and inspire their man. The romantic in me wants them to win as reward for the way they've graced non-league football in their inaugural year. The pragmatist however will not be backing them!

The KEVINHILLFANCLUB song for Wembley can be downloaded from the MY SPACE website - www.myspace.com/kevinhillfanclub and will also be aired on Thursday evening on Betfair Radio during the Non-League Show.

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