History Torquay United F.C.

1 history

1.1 formation , years
1.2 election football league
1.3 glory days: webber , o farrell
1.4 lower league disappointment
1.5 new era , bateson years
1.6 first spell in football conference
1.7 promotion football league
1.8 takeovers , great escapes

history

formation , years

the original torquay united formed in 1899 group of school-leavers under guidance of sergeant-major edward tomney. newly founded club played inaugural match against upton cricket club xi on 1 of local farmer, john wright s fields, situated @ top of penny s hill, on teignmouth road.

after season of friendlies club joined east devon league , moved recreation ground, home next 4 years. plainmoor @ time occupied torquay athletic rugby club in reversal of modern day situation. in 1904 athletic secured lease on recreation ground united, league rivals ellacombe taking on lease of plainmoor, leaving united homeless first time in existence – facilitating return farmer s fields on teignmouth road. club on move once more when fields sold developed later known parkhurst road. united found home, sharing torquay cricket club in nearby cricketfield road (a site still used football in modern day south devon league side upton athletic f.c.) 4 years. during time won first honour; 1909 torquay , district league title.

following breakthrough club, united merged local rivals ellacombe football club in 1910 , adopted name torquay town. united moved plainmoor remain day. during period ground shared team s remaining local rival babbacombe. both sides playing in same league, plymouth , district league alongside reserve teams of exeter city , plymouth argyle, torquay town later win league in 1911–12 season.

election football league

in 1920 after resumption of football league following first world war, united s local rivals plymouth argyle , exeter city both elected football league founder members of football league third division, prompted movement in town merge 2 remaining teams , create new entity capable of competing @ level , being elected new league.

relations between 2 torquay clubs poor, in 1921 matters came head. torquay town desperate join local rivals in league , after many discussions babbacombe @ last agreed merger, enabling new club become sole representative of town , turn professional further case league election, new team called torquay united again, reverting town s name prior 1910.

the new club entered southern football league, famous being league tottenham hotspur played in when becoming non-league team win fa cup, once again playing alongside plymouth , exeter s reserve sides , boscombe f.c. (later become a.f.c. bournemouth). torquay went on finish in sixth place season , during summer break had audacity apply football league status, failed gain single vote, seeing boscombe elected league instead. 1923 onwards league split eastern , western halves , torquay united found playing in western section.

in 1925, club battled through 5 qualifying rounds reach first round proper of fa cup first time in club s history. captain percy mackrill led team through 2 1–1 draws before strong reading side won second replay 2–0 @ plainmoor.

in 1927, torquay won first league title since torquay , district league of 1912, winning western division of southern league. united had same number of points bristol city reserves, 3–1 win on final day of season helped them win league on goal difference. club went on lose southern league championship final against eastern champions brighton & hove albion reserves 4–0 start of upturn in club s fortunes.

capitalising on momentum, club once again applied league membership , successful time, joining football league third division @ expense of aberdare athletic, dropped out after failing re-elected league. town of torquay had professional league team , had joined plymouth , exeter in football league @ last.

torquay united team prior first match in football league v exeter city, 1927

united s first match in league took place on 27 august 1927, , aptly against exeter city @ plainmoor. side first game was: millsom; cook, smith; wellock, wragge, conner, mackey, turner, jones, mcgovern, thomson. crowd of 11,625 watched 1–1 draw torquay s goal coming bert turner. team s first season in league, however, not success – followed draw exeter 9–1 thrashing away @ millwall. of 48 games played first season, torquay won 8, drawing 14 , losing 20. meant finished first season in football league bottom of table on 30 points , goals against tally of 103. fortunately there no automatic promotion , re-elected league next season.

chart of yearly table positions of torquay united in football league

throughout 1930s torquay struggled against financial problems, made worse having replace stadium roof when blown off in 1930. failed finish higher 10th in twelve seasons. in last few seasons before league football suspended during second world war, torquay struggled in division 3 south, finishing 20th, 20th , 19th out of 22 teams.

notable torquay players pre-war era include paignton-born george stabb, scored 24 goals during 1932–33 season, stalwart albert hutchinson (84 goals in 338 games 1930–38) , dartmouth-born winger ralph birkett, later went on play distinction arsenal , middlesbrough , win 1 full england cap. don welsh player who, after playing torquay in 1930s, went on play charlton athletic 12 years, earning 3 england caps.

in 1939, torquay qualified final of third division south cup, competition in club had lost 1–0 exeter city in 1934 final. however, 1939 final (which have been against either queens park rangers or port vale) never played due outbreak of second world war.

when league football resumed in 1946, united continued struggle , finished season 19th. however, partly goals of new striker sammy collins, club broke top ten barrier in 1949 first time, finishing 9th , 5th in 1950 off of collin s goalscoring finesse.

the glory days: webber , o farrell

in 1954 united changed club colours again, black , white stripes being changed gold , blue reflect resort s sun, sand , sea image , colours club has maintained day. change of colours came change in fortunes starting club s greatest ever fa cup moment season.

after defeating cambridge united 4–0 @ home , blyth spartans 1–3 away, torquay drawn against leeds united, away, in third round of cup. torquay not expected go elland road , kind of favourable result, yet managed hold yorkshire club 2–2 draw; scene set on 11,000 fans crowd plainmoor on afternoon of wednesday, 12 january.

incredibly, goals collins, harold dobbie, ronnie shaw , captain don mills, playing against old club, torquay ran out 4–0 winners, set fourth round clash huddersfield town.

the torquay united versus huddersfield town fourth round fa cup game @ plainmoor live on in memory of attended match on 29 january 1955. torquay lost 1–0 higher-placed division 1 club, official attendance of 21,908 remains club record.

following fa cup heroics, in 1956–57 season torquay missed out on promotion division 2 on goal average. season had begun well – , april, possibility of first promotion division 2 talk of town. after home wins against northampton town, southampton, newport county , queens park rangers, united found sitting @ top of table, future world cup winning manager alf ramsey s ipswich town 1 point behind.

a trip crystal palace team , on 1,500 torquay fans travelling on last day of season beckoned. torquay needed win game of going up, managed 1–1 draw @ selhurst park , ipswich, won final match away southampton, took title on goal-average.

united failed repeat form following season , after finishing 22nd in league , placed in new division four, created de-regionalisation of 2 third level divisions.

with eric webber still in charge, united ended first season in league s new basement division in twelfth place; next season, club returned form, , on 27 april 1960, 8,749 fans saw torquay united beat gillingham 2–0 @ plainmoor return third division 2 games of season remaining. however, after 2 seasons in third division again relegated on last day of campaign, 4–2 away defeat @ barnsley, in may 1962.

torquay came close regaining division 3 status when finished sixth in both 1962–63 , 1963–64 campaigns. in 1963, webber signed striker robin stubbs club record fee of £6,000 birmingham city; went on club s top goalscorer @ end of 1963–64 scoring 24 goals in 34 games in debut season.

torquay s fa cup run of 1964–65 highlight of disappointing mid-table season united again failed return third division. after travelling canterbury city in first round , beating them 6–0, united disposed of colchester united in second round 2–0 @ plainmoor. in third round, torquay drawn @ home english football giants; tottenham hotspur.

in front of plainmoor s second ever largest attendance – official attendance above 20,000 – team performed well: billy atkinson put united 1–0 penalty spot after robin stubbs had been felled; spurs responded turning on style give 3–1 lead 2 goals alan gilzean , 1 maurice norman; , then, in last few minutes, turn of record signing robin stubbs net 2 goals , make 3–3.

the first attempt @ replay in london cancelled, majority of united s travelling fans having arrived in capital. week later though, in front of 55,000-strong crowd @ white hart lane, match went ahead. jimmy greaves scored hat trick tottenham showed class win 5–1, stubbs hitting torquay s lone consolation goal.

after finishing in 12th @ end of season, eric webber sacked after 15 years manager united s new chairman tony boyce, felt club needed refreshing; both boyce , webber s successor write own part of united s history.

webber s replacement frank o farrell arrived fresh winning southern league title weymouth. in first season in charge, o farrell oversaw torquay s second promotion when finished third in division four, while england won world cup on home soil.

during following couple of seasons o farrell used connections @ west ham united bring many ex-hammers plainmoor, john bond , ex-international ken brown being 2 famous upton park names appear in gold , blue. @ end of 1966–67 campaign united finished in seventh, , @ end of 1967–68 season, united came close promotion division two, once again.

with torquay leading table during easter 1968, united got first ever coverage on match of day, beating promotion rivals bury 3–0 in front of more 10,000 fans @ plainmoor; poor run-in saw united finish fourth, 2 points behind promoted duo, oxford united , bury, shrewsbury town in third place. period coincided club s fans being voted best behaved supporters in league .

the o farrell era ended in 1968–69, when left manage first division leicester city , later manchester united.

lower league disappointment

during following end-of-season clear-out, star striker robin stubbs sold bristol rovers £12,000. 2 seasons of indifference in division 3 saw club finish in mid-table positions, @ end of 1971–72 campaign, united found in relegation zone, , in basement division.

this led relatively uneventful decade club consistently scratching out mid-table finishes. although in january 1977 pat kruse, centre-half torquay, did create world record scoring own goal after 6 seconds in league match against cambridge united @ plainmoor.

o farrell made return plainmoor in 1976 when malcolm musgrove lost job after disappointing fa cup defeat against non-league outfit hillingdon borough. moved upstairs position of consultant manager, , ex-plymouth argyle promotion-winning captain mike green brought in control first team matters. end of 1977–78 season saw gulls finish in ninth place, willie brown finishing top goalscorer 12 goals.

halfway through campaign, before green s arrival, o farrell bought local devon-born striker colin lee bristol city, duly scored on torquay debut, , went on score 10 goals in 23 games. time @ plainmoor short, in october of following season united accepted £60,000 offer tottenham hotspur services. lee famously go on score 4 goals on debut london club during 9–0 demolition of bristol rovers , return united in various capacities in later years ranging caretaker manager, director of football , later, chief executive.

green left club, replaced @ helm, third time, frank o farrell. o farrell didn t stay in charge of team matters long, bringing in ex-scotland international bruce rioch become player-coach. after great start 1981–82 season, gulls started flag, , ended finishing in fifteenth place.

during following summer rioch named manager, , following 1982–83 campaign saw united again off flying start. finished 12th, reached fourth round of fa cup third time, going out of competition @ plainmoor after thrilling 2–3 defeat @ hands of sheffield wednesday.

money tight @ club , club s board putting pressure on rioch sell colin anderson club s star player @ time balance books, following rioch claiming few anderson save club . anderson s form nosedived, infuriating rioch – culminated in rioch punching player in jaw after anderson nutmegged him during five-a-side match in training. faced prospect of anderson going pfa on matter, club suggested rioch resign, promptly did. twenty years later, said, did inexcusable. period of career regret, learned experience .

during period, united – english clubs @ time – struggling falling attendances , negative perception of football in country whole, , end of season on 2 may 1984 967 spectators watched 1–0 victory on chester city @ plainmoor.

during time lew pope had taken on chairman tony boyce, , in february 1984 former chelsea favourite dave webb took charge of club. webb brought in ex-bournemouth players derek dawkins , goalkeeper kenny allen strengthen squad, , attracted former internationals eddie kelly , tony currie club, united go on finish season in strong 9th place.

however, in webb s first full season @ healm, 1984–85 season united finished bottom of division 4 , had apply re-election stay in football league first time since inaugraul season in football league. worsen problems club enduring, suspicious fire destroyed half of grandstand on 17 may 1985 6 days after bradford city stadium fire, destroying third of old grandstand. nobody hurt, result, ground s capacity fell below 5,000.

for 1985–86 season david webb became managing director , appointed stuart morgan manager. however, second successive year united finished bottom of division four, , again had apply re-election. last side finish bottom of league 2 seasons in row, workington lost league place, torquay s bid successful.

the 1986–87 season saw automatic relegation gm vauxhall conference introduced division 4 first time. final game of season go, torquay third bottom on 47 points; below them burnley on 46 points , tranmere rovers, on 47 points inferior goal difference. lincoln city had 48 points , seemed in least danger.

the final game of season against crewe alexandra, featuring young david platt, @ plainmoor. @ half-time crewe leading 2–0 , things looked bad torquay, 2 minutes second-half torquay s centre-half, jim mcnichol, scored free kick despite all-out attack, torquay seem unable equaliser hitting crossbar. tranmere secured safety winning final game on friday night. burnley winning game, , while lincoln being beaten swansea, still finish above torquay single point things stood.

seven minutes time piece of football folklore created. police dog name of bryn appeared think jim mcnichol running attack handler, , sank teeth centre-half s thigh. during resultant 4 minutes of injury time paul dobson scored possibly important goal in club s history, , kept them in football league, lincoln dropping gm vauxhall conference. dubbed many great escape – united fans have had become familiar in subsequent years.

a new era , bateson years

the start of 1987–88 season marked dawn of new era in torquay united s history. cyril knowles became manager marking turn better in club s fortunes. season started 6–1 victory on wrexham @ plainmoor, , ended torquay missing out on automatic promotion, earning play-off place, losing in play-off final swansea city after losing 1–2 in wales, , battling 3–3 draw @ rain-soaked plainmoor, swans being promoted on 5–4 aggregate. during season, torquay united beat tottenham hotspur 1–0 @ plainmoor reviving memories of great cup tie of 1965, derek dude dawkins scoring important goal in first leg of league cup game. team reached southern semi-final of football league trophy. during season knowles introduced 16-year-old left winger called lee sharpe team.

in may 1988 lee sharpe transferred manchester united £180,000 in 1 of biggest transfers of torquay united s history @ time, later go on represent england on international stage well.

nearly year later in may 1989, united made first appearance @ wembley in final of sherpa van trophy (the successor freight rover trophy). torquay had disposed of swansea city , cardiff city in group stages before beating gillingham, bristol rovers, hereford united , wolverhampton wanderers in southern final reach final. crowd of 46,513 saw dean edwards put torquay 1–0 against bolton wanderers bolton won 4–1.

mike bateson took on torquay chairman in may 1990, taking on lew pope. beginning of 1990–91 season saw torquay off wonderful start – unbeaten 14 games , clear leaders in november faded dramatically, bateson sacked smith in april , appointed former united captain , youth coach john impey manager. impey proceeded breathe new life team, guiding them 7th place , play-offs second time.

torquay won promotion again on 31 may 1991, winning play-off final on club s second visit wembley against higher-placed blackpool. goals wes saunders , dean edwards earned torquay 2–2 draw in normal time. no further goals in time resulted in penalty shoot-out. successful penalties micky holmes, wes saunders, paul holmes, chris myers , goalkeeper gareth howells, combined dave bamber s miss opposition, made torquay winners 5–4 on penalties. gulls promoted division 3 due victory.

however, despite high-profile signing of justin fashanu, football s first openly gay footballer, appointment of ivan golac manager , publicised visits of julie goodyear dressing room, united relegated again after 1 season. golac s time @ united brief , paul compton appointed replace him in 1992. introduction of fa premier league @ end of season meant relegated division 3 division three.

paul compton invited neil warnock him consultant in january 1993, shortly after resigned leaving warnock in charge. former scarborough , notts county manager guided club through close shave relegation , left.

his major addition united s playing staff, player-coach don o riordan, took senior job. o riordan continued play important midfield role , managed, on tight budget, guide united play-offs again during 1993–94 season, finishing sixth , once again qualifying play-offs, unfortunately team missed out on third trip wembley after ill-tempered play-off semi-final against preston north end, 2–0 after first leg, torquay united lost 4–1 @ deepdale in final match played on artificial pitch.

at end of 1995–96 season torquay finished bottom of division 3 after disastrous campaign , threatened relegation football conference. however, saved relegation when stevenage borough s ground deemed unfit league football. eddie may, had replaced o riordan in campaign, dismissed @ end of season , replaced kevin hodges.

in 1997–98 season after finishing fifth @ end of league season, torquay united once again in promotion play-offs. had team won point in final game of season @ leyton orient, have gone automatically, lost game 2–1. emphatic 7–2 (on aggregate) victory on scarborough in semi-final, including 4 goals star striker rodney jack, resulted in torquay united s third appearance @ wembley. however, united lost 1–0 colchester united in wembley final (played on friday night due england game following day meaning thousands of fans unable game). kevin hodges left club return former club plymouth argyle after season ended, , wes saunders (who had been caretaker manager of 1991–92 season) returned manager.

the following season proved massive disappointment, , torquay narrowly avoided relegation football conference. matters improved in 1999–00 season, finish of 9th, 3 points off play-offs. however, 2000–01 proved dreadful season, , saunders sacked club adrift @ bottom of table. replaced colin lee, improved results , gave club chance of survival. on 5 may 2001, final game of 2000–01 season saw united away barnet. before start of game barnet bottom of third division, 1 point behind torquay. gulls needed avoid defeat keep league status, barnet needed win. thousands of fans locked outside tiny underhill ground united stormed 3–0 lead, goals kevin hill, jason rees, , david graham. barnet fought 3–2, united held on win condemn barnet football conference.

lee left @ end of season , replaced roy mcfarland, managed deliver mediocre 19th-place finish following season; mcfarland subsequently quit @ end of season, in protest of mike bateson s decision sack assistant manager david preece without consulting mcfarland, replaced leroy rosenior. 2002–03 see major improvement on previous 2 campaigns , finish of 9th place, late run of bad results keeping torquay out of play-offs. end of 2003–04 season saw united win automatic promotion third time in history, against odds in nail-biting finale @ southend. stay in third tier of football pyramid last 1 season, final day defeat against colchester united condemned gulls return 4th division of leagues after narrowly being edged out milton keynes dons safety in football league one. fact mk dons had stayed @ torquay s expense saw messages of sympathy fans of other clubs, out of dislike franchising of football.

in 2005–06 fa cup 3rd round torquay managed pull off 0–0 draw premiership strugglers birmingham city. lost replay @ st andrew s 2–0. despite achievement (and windfall generated replay) club fell relegation places of league two. former exeter city manager john cornforth took on caretaker manager leroy rosenior , after appointed manager until end of season. side s form worsened however, , ian atkins replaced cornforth in april. torquay united s form turned around going on four-match unbeaten run, atkins managed rescue side , lift them comfortable 3 points relegation.

torquay made decent start following season , in play-off spots first few months of season, run of 1 point 9 games saw them crash relgation battle. in october 2006, bateson stepped down chairman replaced chris roberts, afterwards sacked atkins, replacing him former czech international luboš kubík. despite credentials player, there concern raised kubik had no real history coach, , did little endear himself fans bringing in richard hancox coach. torquay s dire form continued, , club crashed bottom of table on boxing day; never leave foot of table after that. after worst run of form in club s history, kubik quit on 5 february, having won 1 of matches in charge, , colin lee after appointed new director of football , keith curle appointed head coach on 7 february 2007. roberts resigned amid growing pressure supporters , board of directors, of whom unhappy conduct chairman, on 21 february 2007. local hotel owner keith richardson announced new chairman following day. however, on 7 march 2007, former chairman mike bateson reappointed chairman, move coming due chris roberts company, torquay united holdings, being unable meet next payment purchase club bateson. curle unable improve matters, , torquay united lost 80-year football league status on 14 april 2007, following 1–1 draw @ home peterborough united. illustrating how disastrously wrong season had gone, 4 of club s 7 wins , 18 of 35 points had been earned while atkins in charge, , before roberts took on club. side s post-season descended chaos, mike bateson stepped down chairman , replaced mervyn benney, after colin lee sacked, , keith curle not invited coach torquay united , took coaching job @ crystal palace instead. former manager leroy rosenior reappointed, sacked on same day.

finally, new consortium headed alex rowe , kris boyce, fiscally backed £15m national lottery winner , united fan paul bristow, bought club bateson. rowe installed new chairman, , former player paul buckle appointed club s new manager, set rebuilding team first season in conference premier.

first spell in football conference

the torquay supporters @ wembley stadium

torquay united started first season in conference premier well, beating aldershot town 3–0 , remained unbeaten until 3–1 loss away burton albion in september. defeat appeared spur them on , won 5 straight games, leading table end of october. form in league dipped through november , december 4–1 victory on rivals yeovil town in fa cup, live on bbc, gave club massive boost. couldn t take advantage of , dropped numerous points on christmas period including 4–3 defeat arch rivals exeter city. torquay got revenge beating exeter city 1–0 week later end of january, torquay second, 3 points behind aldershot town. unbeaten february followed torquay 5 points off aldershot town. away league, torquay progressing in fa trophy , had reached semi-finals end of month. march started horribly torquay losing first 3 league games of month including 2–1 defeat @ home leaders aldershot town, caused torquay fall 14 points off top , drop fourth. on saturday, 15 march 2008, torquay reached wembley first time in ten years 2–1 aggregate win on york city in semi finals of fa trophy.

after finishing 3rd in conference premier, torquay had play fiercest rivals exeter city determine reach play-off final play either cambridge united or burton albion. torquay had play exeter city away first return leg @ plainmoor. torquay started 1st leg poorly , fortunate when tim sills scored before half-time exeter city leveled when wayne carlisle equalised. when game looked draw chris zebroski pounced on poor clearance paul jones make final score 2–1 united. torquay knew going 2nd leg if scored 1 goal exeter city need 2 goals force time , when kevin hill scored in second half in record equaling appearance match seemed over, exeter city went on score 4 goals in space of 18 minutes, dumping torquay out of play-offs , ensuring have spend season in non-league football.

on 10 may 2008, torquay lost 1–0 in fa trophy final ebbsfleet united @ wembley, former gulls striker chris mcphee scoring winner before half-time.

celebratory open top bus tour following promotion football league

torquay started second season in conference premier badly first 1 had finished, picking 5 points opening 7 games. following 3 months best in years, torquay remained unbeaten 7 september 2008 2 december 2008, setting 17-game unbeaten record. reached fa cup 3rd round 2–0 win on oxford united @ end of november. start of 2009 shaky on 3 january 2009 torquay beat blackpool 1–0 @ home in fa cup 3rd round reach 4th round of competition first time in 19 years faced coventry city. struggled goals throughout january , against coventry city sell out crowd of 6,018 lost game should have won; losing dramatically late on 87th-minute goal elliot ward. @ end of month lost southport 3–0 in fa trophy 3rd round.

torquay united promoted football league on 17 may 2009 after 2–0 victory on cambridge united in conference premier play-off final @ wembley.

with goals club captain chris hargreaves , leading scorer tim sills torquay triumphed 2–0 on cambridge in entertaining match watched on 35,000 fans. lee phillips (footballer, born 1980) played cambridge day, , set record (for non-league player) of losing @ wembley 3 times in 3 years 3 different clubs.

promotion football league

in first season in league two, torquay finished season in 17th place 57 points; following victories on cheltenham town , stockport county, club progressed third round of 2009–10 fa cup, lost 1–0 brighton & hove albion.

the next season, torquay united reached fourth round, equaling club record. on 29 january 2011, had possibility of progressing fifth round of fa cup, lost 0–1 conference premier leaders crawley town there added misery torquay united fans next day when draw fa cup fifth round saw crawley town being scheduled play away manchester united. had torquay been drawn against manchester united, have benefited money such tie generates.

that same season, torquay came 7th, guaranteeing play-off place on final day of season on goal difference despite losing 1–3 rotherham united. met shrewsbury town in play-off semi-final, progressing final 2–0 aggregate win, both goals coming in home leg. on saturday, 28 may 2011, lost 1–0 in final stevenage , remained in league 2 2011–12 season. paul buckle resigned day after defeat, , moved bristol rovers, taking assistant manager shaun north along several torquay players him memorial stadium.

united enjoyed more successful season in 2011–12 under new manager martin ling, achieving record high of second place in league two. towards end of season form dipped and, after finishing in sixth place, had settle play-off tie against cheltenham town. lost away leg 2–0 lost home leg 2–1 (agg. 4–1), ensuring season in fourth tier.

despite ling announcing team looking promotion season, stuck in mid-table during first half of 2012–13 campaign, before ling taken ill in mid-january. disastrous run of losses under assistant manager shaun taylor followed, club dropping above relegation zone. led alan knill being appointed interim manager remainder of season. results picked after this, , run of 3 games unbeaten @ end of season secured football league status 19th-place finish. ling dismissed @ end of season, board noting results had been unacceptable before illness, , knill s role made permanent.

the 2013–14 season once again, united, torrid 1 , relegation beckoned. on 27 april 2014, after winning 12 games throughout season, , top goal scorer able reach 5 goals, torquay once again relegated conference premier. despite beating mansfield town 3–0 on penultimate weekend, after both bristol rovers , northampton town won games.

takeovers , great escapes

torquay started 2014–15 season in national league poorly losing gateshead 1–3 ryan bowman missing penalty. after match torquay had brilliant unbeaten run, first beating welling united 3–0 drawing 0–0 southport , dartford. yet draw came when drew aldershot town 1–1 @ home. last draw while went on six-game unbeaten run. starting 1–3 away win @ lincoln city playing @ home beating nuneaton town 4–0, 3–0 after 30 minutes. gulls went on win 2 away games winning 0–2 in both of them. first winning @ chester grimsby (manager chris hargreaves home town). next game home game looking 0–0 draw until 90th minute when can gulls captain luke young scored incredible 35 yard free kick give torquay 3 points. 2–0 win @ home against dover followed, end of torquay s 10 game unbeaten run , indifferent run-in see united end season in 13th position.

early in 2015, chairwoman thea bristow announced club sale. after bristow resigned in march 2015, agreed transfer of estimated 1 million pound, 80% stake in club £1 subject sale of new locally based owners. ownership of club moved new consortium made of 10 local business people in june 2015. new board, operating on substantially smaller budget took decisive action; firstly putting chris hargreaves (manager), lee hodges (assistant manager) , kenny veysey (goalkeeping coach) on gardening leave, disbanding youth department , appointing paul cox manager.

the appointment of cox prove short-lived him leaving torquay 3 months later. later claimed club had been unable pay him. shortly after on 19 september 2015 united suffered biggest loss in 20 years when lost @ home bromley 3–7. on 28 september 2015 announced club kevin nicholson, former torquay united player , club legend club s new player-manager. torquay united chairman, dave phillips quoted saying delighted have kevin on board player-manager. player club, displayed outstanding consistency on many years , quite rightly regarded legend here. ticks of boxes .

following dramatic upturn in results during team overturned 12-point deficit, torquay confirmed place in national league 2016/17 2–0 victory on bromley on 16 april.

the 2016/17 season 1 started amid uncertainty, club struggling financially whilst looking new ownership , economic security. uncertainty off field , financial constraints once again meant club languished towards bottom of national league , in march found in relegation scrap, slipping relegation zone.

off field consortium, led dave phillips looking complete deal swindon-based gaming , leisure company, gaming international. deal agreed in december 2016, , ratified national league in march 2017.

mimicking previous season strong run of form towards end of campaign meant torquay narrowly avoided relegation on final day of season. 9 points in last 3 games, culminating in 2–0 win @ home relegated north ferriby united, meant season in national league guaranteed.

torquay began 2017–18 season poorly , consequently after 2 seasons in charge of club, player-manager kevin nicholson departed club on 17th august 2017. after month under interim management of assistant manager robbie herrera announced new head coach gary owers , assistant head coach martin kuhl taker on management of club.