After the midfielder scored three and made another goal in a splendid 6-1 win for the Gulls against AFC Stoneham in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup
Sonny Blu Lo-Everton of Torquay United poses with the match ball after scoring a hat-trick during the Emirates FA Cup Second Round Qualifying match between Torquay United and AFC Stoneham at Plainmoor, Torquay on Saturday 19th September 2026 - PHOTO: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK
Sonny Blu Lo-Everton of Torquay United poses with the match ball after scoring a hat-trick during the Emirates FA Cup Second Round Qualifying match between Torquay United and AFC Stoneham at Plainmoor, Torquay on Saturday 19th September 2026 - PHOTO: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK(Image: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK)
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Sonny Blu Lo-Everton hopes his first hat trick for Torquay United won’t be his last - after the midfielder scored three and made another goal in a splendid 6-1 win for the Gulls against AFC Stoneham in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup on Saurday.
It was the third game in a row that Lo-Everton has scored and he now has five goals in the league and is the leading scorer. And, after wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of suspended defender Jake Wannell, Lo-Everton says he is trying to add more goals to his game.
Lo-Everton, who was 24 last week, said: “It’s something I have been working on - on and off the pitch - to try to get into better positions and be more of a threat in front of goal. I feel like I definitely need to add that to my game to push on and show people what I can do.”
And he said about the hat trick: “The first one and hopefully many more to come.”
Goal celebrations for Sonny Blu Lo-Everton of Torquay United during the Emirates FA Cup Second Round Qualifying match between Torquay United and AFC Stoneham at Plainmoor, Torquay on Saturday 19th September 2026 - PHOTO: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK(Image: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK)
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Callum Morton opened the scoring in the seventh minute when he swept home the ball from a Lo-Everton cross. Jacob Beaumont-Clark cut inside from the left and found the top corner with a wonderful right-footed strike from 25 yards in the 36th minute. Torquay gifted the visitors a goal for Jim Orvis when they were sloppy playing the ball out of the back - but two goals by Lo-Everton before half time sent them in with a 4-1 win.
The first came in the 43rd minute, poked home from 12 yards after a wonderful run by Morton; the second three minutes into time-added-on when a deflection from a Lo-Everton shot beat the goalkeeper Ross Casey.
In the second half, Lo-Everton struck to make it 5-1 with his third from close range. After the 90th minute, the sixth was scored by Cody Cooke when he got a slight touch on an Isaac Westendorf header. It was a bright and breezy afternoon all round, really.
Goal celebrations for Cody Cooke of Torquay United during the Emirates FA Cup Second Round Qualifying match between Torquay United and AFC Stoneham at Plainmoor, Torquay on Saturday 19th September 2026 - PHOTO: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK(Image: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK)
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Lo-Everton said: “These games are always difficult. You have heard stories of the FA Cup and smaller teams beating bigger teams so we knew we had to be at it and if we started the way we did then we would blow them away. Getting the goal early really helped but we knew it would be no easy task, especially playing in these FA Cup games.
“We scored at really important times, Scoring in the first 10 helps massively, it allows you to breathe. You haven’t got to keep chasing the goal now, we have got the goal, now we can keep the ball a bit. They got a goal back, credit to them, but us scoring straight after them kills all of their momentum - and we went into half time pretty comfortable.”
There was a strange but good debut for new defender Taylor Scarff, who signed from Plymouth Parkway on Friday. The 26-year-old impressed Torquay manager Jimmy Ball when they played the Southern League team in pre-season - and were beaten 1-0.
Taylor Scarff of Torquay United during the Emirates FA Cup Second Round Qualifying match between Torquay United and AFC Stoneham at Plainmoor, Torquay on Saturday 19th September 2026 - PHOTO: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK(Image: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK)
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But Scarff was suffering from a gash above an eye from the fourth minute - one that caused two breaks in the play in the first half while the physio and doctor tried to stem the blood. He did well though, and looked comfortable at centre back before he was withdrawn early in the second half when the cut opened up again.
Ball was delighted, however, at the final whistle - and happy with a comfortable win. He said: “We went about it the right way, the attitude was good and the mentality was good throughout. That’s all I wanted, really, and I thought if we did that and did it properly and acted in a professional, humble manner, we’d be fine.”
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The draw for the next round is on Monday afternoon, where Exmouth Town (who need a replay against Thame, as well as Plymouth Parkway join Torquay, but Tiverton Town are out). Torquay are back in National League South action next Saturday when they go to Billericay Town.