find html control with master page

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C#

ASP.NET

I am trying to locate an HTML TextArea control from my app.
i m using a master page and i want to find the control located in conext page

I've tried:

Dim htaDemo As HtmlTextArea = DirectCast(Me.FindControl("TextArea1"), HtmlTextArea)(as  my button is also in the context page)

Where Content1 is the name of the ContentPlaceholder and TA1 is the ID assigned to the Html textarea, but I just get a object reference error.
Ive tried Page.FindControl(), Page.Master.FindControl(), this.FindControl() and just findControl.
Can anyone assist in how I reference a plan html textarea from the codebehind. I have just the runat=server because im applying some client-side javascript which doesn’t function when I do that, so I need to find the client control.
can anyone help me out??? thanks n advance....