2010–11 Torquay United F.C. season
Encyclopedia
The 2010–11 Torquay United F.C. season was Torquay United
's 76th season in the Football League
and their second consecutive season in League Two
. The season runs from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011.
) and the Second Round of the Johnstone Paint's Trophy (losing to Swindon Town
after first defeating Bournemouth
), Torquay again made a strong showing in the FA Cup. Having beaten Mansfield Town
, Walsall
and Carlisle United
in the earlier rounds, Torquay reached the Fourth Round of the FA Cup where they were eventually beaten 1-0 in an ill-tempered tie with Conference
side Crawley Town
.
Following the defeat by Crawley, Torquay's League form finally began to improve and a run of just three defeats in their last 21 matches was enough to seal a place in the play-off semi-finals
. This was despite of the sale of leading goalscorer Elliot Benyon
to Swindon and the fact that the Gulls were docked one point by the Football League for fielding loan signing Jake Robinson
while still ineligible to play. Torquay saw off their semi-final opponents Shrewsbury Town
with relative ease to set up a League Two play-off final clash with Stevenage. However, the Gulls' season was ultimately to end in disappointment with a 1-0 defeat in the final and the departure of manager Paul Buckle
for Bristol Rovers
just two days afterwards.
side QPR
(now with ex-Gulls manager Neil Warnock
in charge), Torquay managed to win all of their other pre-season matches. These included encouraging displays against another Championship side Bristol City
as well as defeats of local rivals Plymouth Argyle
and Yeovil Town
, both of League One
. Among the close season signings, perhaps the most impressive was the ex-Leicester City
forward Billy Kee
. The young striker scored a total of nine pre-season goals, including a hat trick against Weymouth
on his debut and an astonishing four first half goals against Tiverton Town
.
Of the trialists on show during these games, midfielder Damon Lathrope
(formerly of Norwich City
) caught the eye of manager Paul Buckle and was offered a two-year deal. Meanwhile, a familiar face returned to Plainmoor
in the form of striker Martin Gritton
, who had enjoyed a successful spell with the Gulls between 2002 and 2004. Although still under contract to League Two rivals Chesterfield
, Gritton was allowed to join Torquay on loan until January 2011. Another (more recent) fan favourite, Guy Branston
also re-joined the Gulls, with the combative defender agreeing a permanent one-year deal having been on loan from Burton Albion
for the latter half of the 2009-10 season. However, another Plainmoor hero, Wayne Carlisle
, was deemed a free agent after the winger failed to agree a new contract due, in part, to his ongoing struggle with injury.
at Plainmoor, a win which put the Devon side at the top of the new League Two table. After consecutive 2-0 victories against Lincoln
and Bradford, Torquay went into their match away to Port Vale
aiming to become only the fourth team in Football League history to post eleven consecutive clean sheets. Unfortunately, Port Vale managed to breach the Torquay defence in the first half, although the Gulls still went on to win the game 2-1. Nevertheless, a new club record of 998 minutes without conceding a goal had been set, and victories in the first four games had ensured the best start to a season in Torquay’s history. Those wins made sure that the Gulls spent the whole of August at the top of the League Two table.
With the news that Wayne Carlisle had agreed to rejoin the Gulls, Torquay went into their Carling Cup First Round fixture against Reading full of confidence. The Torquay defence proved as resilient against the Championship side as it had been against every other team it had encountered since the beginning of April, and it was not until the very last minute of extra time that Royals striker Grzegorz Rasiak
finally found a way past keeper Scott Bevan
. A similar problem was encountered by Bournemouth in their Johnstone Paints Trophy First Round clash with the Gulls. However, this time, with the match going straight to penalties with a 0-0 stalemate after 90 minutes, the Cherries still could not find a way past Bevan and Torquay went on to win the tie 3-0 in the penalty shoot out.
With the side currently enjoying so much success, it was perhaps no surprise that other clubs began to take an interest in the Torquay players. After turning down an offer from an unnamed League One side for defender Mark Ellis
, manager Paul Buckle was relieved to reach the end of the summer transfer window without losing any of his squad.
in their first game of the month put to an end a twelve match unbeaten run in the League which had stretched back to March. This was then followed up by two successive 0-0 draws at home to Accrington Stanley
and away to Stevenage. Although these results seemed to suggest the Gulls had got their defensive house back in the order, they were now struggling to find the back of the net. With summer signings Billy Kee and Martin Gritton yet to register on the goalscorer charts, and Elliot Benyon out injured for the Accrington game and on the bench for most of the Stevenage match, the Gulls were starting to look a little light up front, despite the best efforts of the versatile Chris Zebroski
who was being employed as both winger and striker.
One new face who appeared during the month was full back Danny Senda
. The ex-Millwall
and Wycombe
defender had impressed Paul Buckle after recently playing in reserve team games against Exeter City
and Forest Green
. Unfortunately, his debut match, at home to Macclesfield
, coincided with a further downturn in the Gulls fortunes when they were beaten 3-1. A chance to make amends came three days later with another home match, this time against former Conference rivals Aldershot
. However, with midfielder Damon Lathrope leaving the field injured after only 14 minutes on his first League start, Torquay could not find a way past a resolute Shots defence and were eventually sunk by a Marvin Morgan
goal in the 86th minute.
With just 2 points taken from a possible 15, Torquay were fortunate to still find themselves in the play-off positions at the end of September having began the month at the top of the table.
, club captain Nicky Wroe
was placed on the transfer list. It was also made known that the club would be open to offers for defender Kieran Charnock
who had struggled to to break up the central defensive partnership forged by Mark Ellis
and Guy Branston.
With Wroe and Charnock on the transfer list, new faces began to appear with the aim of freshening up the side. First through the door was Joe Oastler
on loan from Queens Park Rangers. Capable of playing as both a midfielder and defender, Oastler joined Torquay on a one-month deal. Later in the month, two more loan signings arrived at Plainmoor within twenty four hours of each other. Winger Romone Rose
became the second loanee from Neil Warnock's QPR, signing a three-month deal, while the young Wolves
striker Ashley Hemmings
joined Torquay, like Oastler, on a one-month contract.
On the pitch, Torquay struggled to get back to the early season form which saw them spend the whole of August at the top of the League Two table. Although a creditable 1-1 draw away to in-form Shrewsbury Town seemed to point to an improvement in the team's performances, the Gulls were then to crash out three days later to Swindon Town in the Second Round of the Johnstone Paints Trophy (although, the fact that several of Torquay's first choice regulars were rested for the match indicated that the League Trophy was not high on Paul Buckle's list of priorities). Astonishingly, Torquay then managed to scrape only a 3-3 draw away to Crewe and then lose 4-3 at home to Bury
, despite going 2-0 ahead in both matches. However, a corner of sorts appeared to have been turned in their match away to Gillingham
when, at 1-0 down with 94 minutes of the match played and with newly installed club captain Lee Mansell
sent off four minutes previously, a Kevin Nicholson
free kick somehow managed to sneak past Gills keeper Alan Julian
and salvage a 1-1 draw with the final kick of the game. The Gulls took their good fortune with them into their final game of the month at home to Morecambe
, where they ran out 3-1 winners and achieved only their first victory in ten league games. With an upturn in their on-field performances, Torquay were now able to look forward to November with renewed optimism.
, the Gulls were disappointed to only pick up one point in a 1-1 draw away to Stockport
. However, the performance of the month was probably the impressive 3-1 win over promotion-chasing Wycombe Wanderers
at Adams Park
, a result which saw Torquay move above the Chairboys into sixth place in the League Two table. Conversely, the only home league fixture of the month resulted in a lacklustre 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Barnet
.
As per tradition, November saw the entry into the FA Cup of the League One and Two teams. The first two rounds were played during this month and Torquay found themselves involved in both after first easing past Conference side Mansfield Town and then seeing off Walsall of League One. The two 1-0 victories ensured the Gulls participation in the Third Round for the fifth time in six seasons. The Third Round draw saw Torquay receive a home fixture against another League One side Carlisle United. While possibly not the money-spinning draw that either team was hoping for, it was at least a game which, on recent form, gave the Gulls a very realistic chance of progressing to the FA Cup Fourth Round.
No new additions were made to the squad during the month, although the loan deal for Joe Oastler was extended until January while Wolves agreed to allow Ashley Hemmings to extend his stay at Plainmoor. With the loan window about to close, leading striker Elliot Benyon appeared to be on the verge of leaving Torquay, with Swindon, Dagenham & Redbridge
and Southend among the clubs reported to have been interested in making a move for the young forward. However, Gulls fans were relieved when the window closed with Benyon still part of the United squad - at least until the January transfer window. Of the two players placed on the transfer list in October, Kieran Charnock moved on loan to Morecambe, with a view to making the deal a permanent one in January. However, former captain Nicky Wroe now seemed happy to remain at Plainmoor after Paul Buckle revealed the midfielder had rejected a move to Aldershot.
In recognition of the Gulls remaining unbeaten in all competitions throughout November, Paul Buckle was once again short listed for the League Two Manager of the Month award.
, Gulls fans would have been relieved to have avoided the 'curse' often associated with the award, and which certainly appeared to affect Torquay's form after Paul Buckle won the award for August. However, the December curse seemed to have been applied to the entire Football League, with a large number of matches being postponed due to the freezing weather conditions which hit the UK throughout most of the month. As a result, the Gulls only managed to fulfil one of five fixtures scheduled for the final month of 2010, that being a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to league leaders Chesterfield.
Off the field, December saw the departure of two players. Danny Senda left the Gulls after making only three appearances since joining in September, while Wayne Carlisle was released after making 76 appearances for Torquay and being a key member of the squad which gained promotion from the Conference. Of the recent loan signings, Romone Rose was allowed to return to QPR while Ashley Hemmings had his loan deal from Wolves extended until the end of the season.
There was a sense that Paul Buckle was clearing the decks in time for the January transfer window. However, whether he himself would still be at Torquay by the end of January was in serious doubt as he was being heavily tipped to take over from the recently sacked Paul Trollope
at League One side Bristol Rovers.
. As is often the case, most of the transfer activity was left until the last day of January, although two predictable changes did take place early in the month with Kieran Charnock making his loan move to Morecambe a permanent one and Martin Gritton returning to parent club Chesterfield after the striker had failed to make an impression during his second spell at the club. Meanwhile, Joe Oastler had his loan from QPR extended until the end of the season.
With weather conditions more favourable than they had been throughout December, Torquay were keen to get themselves back into contention for a play-off spot. However, two draws, two defeats and only one win saw the side slip from 7th position at the end of 2010 to a disappointing 13th place in the League Two table by the end of January. With their unprecedented clean sheet record of earlier in the season a dim and distant memory, the Gulls were now too often succumbing to late goals with a total of seven points being dropped in the dying moments of the games against Oxford, Morecambe and Gillingham. The most encouraging display of the month was reserved for the fewer than 2,000 spectators who turned out at Plainmoor for the 2-1 win over in-form Crewe Alexandra with Torquay claiming their first home victory in the league since October.
Despite their indifferent league form, the FA Cup was once again providing a welcome distraction with Torquay being involved in the Third Round for the third consecutive season. One goal from Eunan O'Kane
was to prove enough to edge past Carlisle in this season’s Third Round tie and anticipation was high yet again for the following day’s Fourth Round draw. Unfortunately, despite being the first ball pulled out of the drum, the Gulls yet again missed out on the chance of meeting one of the so-called “big boys”, instead having to entertain the winners of the yet to be played match between Crawley Town (the only non-league team left in the competition) and Derby County
of the Championship. After having beaten League One side Swindon in the Second Round, Crawley pulled off another shock win over the Rams to set up a reunion of the two former Conference rivals. Although, many Gulls fans were disappointed by the draw, there was now a fantastic opportunity for Torquay to reach the Fifth Round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
With over 5,000 supporters struggling to get through the Plainmoor turnstiles for the match with Crawley, there was a fifteen minute delay to the kick off to what turned out to be an ill-tempered Fourth Round tie. Torquay found it hard to get a foothold in the first half of the game and eventually fell behind in the 39th minute to a Matt Tubbs
strike. However, worse was to follow in the second period when Chris Zebroski was sent off in the 61st minute for a second bookable offence after a handball in the six yard box. However when keeper Scott Bevan managed to save the resulting penalty from Tubbs, the Gulls spirits were raised again until another penalty was awarded to Crawley just minutes later. Astonishingly, Bevan pulled off his second penalty save of the match, this time from Craig McAllister
, to give Torquay another lifeline. Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalise on Bevan’s heroics and, despite the sending off of Dean Howell
for Crawley in the 83rd minute, the score remained 1-0 until the final whistle. In a match which saw seven bookings in addition to the two dismissals, many Torquay supporters were angered by the tactics employed by Crawley manager Steve Evans (two of Crawley’s yellow cards were for time wasting) and their misery was compounded the following day when Evans’ men were rewarded with a trip to Old Trafford
to play Manchester United
in the Fifth Round draw.
Just two days after the huge disappointment of the Crawley game, the last day of the January transfer window finally saw the departure of top striker Elliot Benyon to Swindon. Benyon had been one of Paul Buckle’s first signings when he took over at Plainmoor in 2007, and had now developed into Torquay’s main goal threat. As such he had been tracked by several clubs over a number of months and his eventual move had been seen as inevitable by the majority of Gulls fans. The last day of the window also saw the transfer of Nicky Wroe to Shrewsbury and the cancellation of Ashley Hemmings’ loan deal with Wolves. In their place came striker Jake Robinson and midfielder Craig Stanley
on loan deals from Shrewsbury and Morecambe respectively. With a new-look squad and just the league to concentrate on, Torquay had to now put an ultimately disheartening month behind them and look to the future.
on the first day of the month, Torquay United looked set to put the misery of their FA Cup exit behind them. However, even before the game had reached half time, it was made known to Paul Buckle that Robinson’s registration had not been completed before the required deadline and was actually ineligible to play in the fixture. With the possibility of any points won from the match being deducted by the FA, Buckle was unable to prevent the demoralised Gulls from slipping to a 3-1 defeat. Incredibly, it emerged days later that Hereford had also fielded an ineligible player in the same game, with midfielder Rob Purdie
’s registration also not being completed in time for the match.
With Torquay now having to wait for a decision on any punishment from the FA, the club had to make the most of a busy February schedule which included a further six League Two encounters following the disastrous Hereford game. The first three were against teams battling relegation and the Gulls took full advantage, grabbing maximum points against struggling Stockport, Barnet and Burton Albion
. These matches saw Paul Buckle begin to experiment with his squad selection with second choice keeper Danny Potter
being brought in to give Scott Bevan a well-deserved break and left back Lathaniel Rowe-Turner
deputising for the ever present Kevin Nicholson. Both players rewarded the manager’s faith with Potter keeping clean sheets in his first three games and Rowe-Turner scoring on his first league start of the season against Barnet. With loan players Jake Robinson and Craig Stanley fitting seamlessly into the new-look squad, Torquay were further enhanced by another loan signing in Northampton midfielder Ryan Gilligan
.
Although the next three matches against Southend, Cheltenham
and Accrington Stanley only secured a total of two points, the Gulls could be relatively satisfied with the returns of a busy month which left them just four points outside of the play-offs and with games in hand on most of the teams around them.
. Shortly afterwards, Plainmoor also saw the arrival of two loan strikers in Ronan Murray
from Ipswich Town
and Gavin Tomlin
of Dagenham & Redbridge. With Buckle eventually negotiating for both forwards to remain with Torquay until the end of the season, the Gulls now had a variety of attacking options with the likes of Jake Robinson, Chris Zebroski, Eunan O’Kane and Billy Kee already causing problems to opposition defences.
Gavin Tomlin was to make an instant impact, scoring just five minutes into his debut in the home match against Shrewsbury. It was a game in which the Gulls went on to win 5-0, a particularly impressive performance considering the Shrews were currently 4th in the table and had spent the majority of the season in the play-off positions. Even that result was arguably bettered by Torquay’s trip to Gigg Lane
three days later where they beat 2nd placed Bury 2-1 after coming back from a goal down. Earlier in the month, Torquay had already claimed four points from two other play-off challengers, grabbing a 1-1 draw with Rotherham
and a 2-0 victory against Stevenage. In fact, Torquay seemed to be experiencing more problems against teams lower down in the division; the only defeat of the month came away to Aldershot and the Gulls only just managed to sneak a point with a 91st minute Guy Branston header to secure a 3-3 draw away at Macclesfield.
Shortly before the home game against Cheltenham, Ben Pringle had made it known to Paul Buckle that he wanted to go back to Derby to fight for a first team place there. Despite some encouraging performances during his short spell at Plainmoor, Buckle allowed the midfielder to make an immediate return to the Championship club. That match against Cheltenham resulted in a relatively comfortable three points for Torquay and the Gulls went into their final fixture of the month, a Friday night trip to Northampton, full of confidence. However, traffic problems on the M5 motorway
resulted in the team arriving two hours late at the Sixfields Stadium
. Even with the kick off being delayed by half an hour, the Gulls had little time to prepare for the match once they had arrived. Nevertheless, with the score at 1-1 going into injury time, Billy Kee seemed to have snatched a late win for Torquay with a stunning strike in the 92nd minute. However, a controversial 96th minute free kick for the Cobblers resulted in a goal from Guillem Bauzà and the Gulls had to settle for a 2-2 draw.
That draw left Torquay in 4th place in the League Two table, although with most other teams playing on the following day and a few more midweek matches at the end of the month, the Gulls eventually ended March in 8th position, one point outside the play-off zone and just four points away from automatic promotion with seven games left to play. With four of those matches against teams in or around the play-offs, Torquay Utd went into April with their destiny very much in their own hands.
All of the off-field politics meant that Torquay had to make the most of their remaining games in order to make a push for promotion to League One. The month got off to a great start with a 2-0 home win against Lincoln, followed up by an impressive 3-0 away victory over sleeping giants Bradford City. However, despite having not participated in a goalless draw since September’s trip to Stevenage, the Gulls managed to produce two consecutive 0-0 results at home against Port Vale and Wycombe. The latter game was particularly frustrating for Torquay as only some wayward finishing and the heroics of Wycombe keeper Nikki Bull
kept the Gulls from gaining all three points. That match effectively ended Torquay’s hopes of clinching an automatic promotion place and was also Ronan Murray’s final game for the club as he was recalled by Ipswich a few days later.
Easter Monday’s trip to Burton saw Torquay find their shooting boots again with Chris Zebroski and Gavin Tomlin putting the Gulls 2-0 up within the first 15 minutes. However, not for the first time this season, Torquay managed to surrender a two goal lead and had to rely on a stunning 78th minute strike from Billy Kee to rescue a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw. This was a result which left Torquay just outside the play-offs with two games remaining. The penultimate game of the league campaign was a Friday night encounter at home to champions-elect Chesterfield. Over 5,000 supporters witnessed yet another 0-0 draw which was also Craig Stanley’s last game before having to return to parent club Morecambe. Stanley was perhaps one of Paul Buckle’s most successful loan signings and many Gulls fans were hopeful that the midfielder would make a return to Plainmoor next season. The significance of the Chesterfield draw was only fully felt the following day with Gillingham and Stevenage both losing their matches. This meant all three teams would go into the final day of the season tied on 68 points with just two play-off spots remaining, although Torquay’s superior goal difference left them in pole position. The Gulls now had to travel to Rotherham knowing they only had to equal or better the Gillingham and Stevenage results in order to guarantee a place in the play-offs.
As had so often been the case throughout the years, Torquay’s destiny would ultimately be decided on the final day of the season.
. Nerves began to jangle as soon as Ryan Taylor
put the Millers 1-0 ahead after just ten minutes and, despite Chris Zebroski equalising in the 31st minute, Rotherham restored their lead just two minutes later thanks to a Danny Harrison
strike. Meanwhile, with goals going in at the Stevenage and Gillingham games, Torquay found themselves in 6th, 7th and 8th position at various times during the afternoon and, when Oliver Banks
put Rotherham 3-1 ahead in the 80th minute, they were now relying on scores from elsewhere if they were to book a place in the play-offs. While Stevenage secured their place with an enthralling 3-3 draw against Bury, the Gulls were ultimately indebted to Chesterfield who, by beating Gillingham 3-1, not only clinched the League Two title for themselves, but also made sure that Torquay would finish the season in the final play-off spot, ahead of the unfortunate Gills on goal difference alone.
Torquay’s play-off semi-final opponents turned out to be Shrewsbury who missed out on automatic promotion by just one point. With the first leg at Plainmoor in front of the Sky Sports
cameras, the Shrews were no doubt mindful of the 5-0 thrashing they had received at the Gulls’ home ground just two months previously. The fact that two of those goals came from Jake Robinson (on loan from Shrewsbury) added extra spice to the tie, particularly as there was no clause preventing Robinson from playing against his parent club in the play-offs. Despite Robinson not getting on the score sheet, Torquay produced an assured performance which saw them comfortably win the first leg 2-0 thanks to goals from Chris Zebroski and Eunan O’Kane. The Gulls had to make sure they finished off the job in the return leg and that is exactly what they did with a 0-0 draw at the New Meadow
. The draw meant that Torquay United had done enough to ensure their place in the play-off final where the opponents would be their old Conference rivals Stevenage, who secured their own spot thanks to a 3-0 aggregate win over Accrington Stanley.
With the Champions League Final
scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium
on the same weekend as the League play-off finals, Torquay instead had to make the trip to Old Trafford for their showdown with Stevenage. The omens were not good for the Gulls when it was announced that the referee for the final would be Darren Deadman. This was the same man who had overseen the disastrous FA Cup Fourth Round match with Crawley Town, the team who, ironically, had prevented Torquay from making an earlier trip to Old Trafford. Like the Crawley match, the kick off was delayed by fifteen minutes (due to traffic congestion on the M6 motorway
) and like the Crawley match, Torquay fell behind to a goal late in the first half, this time a 41st minute strike from Stevenage midfielder John Mousinho
. And just like the Crawley match, the Gulls failed to find a reply which meant that Mousinho's goal was enough to see the Hertfordshire
side promoted to League One while ensuring Torquay would remain in League Two for another season.
Just two days after the play-off defeat, it was announced, following much speculation, that Paul Buckle would be leaving Torquay after four seasons to become the new manager of Bristol Rovers. It was a position he had been linked with since the previous December after the sacking of Paul Trollope and, when his successor Dave Penney was also sacked after just two months, there was a certain inevitability to Buckle's eventual move to the Memorial Stadium. With Buckle also taking first team coach Shaun North with him to Rovers, there was now a huge rebuilding job to be done at Plainmoor. With uncertainty hanging over those players whose contracts were soon to expire as well as the loan players which had performed admirably over the final few months of the season, it was looking like the end of an era for Torquay United and the beginning of a new one.
and Chris Hargreaves
, speculation was growing amongst Gulls fans as to who would replace Paul Buckle. One name which had not been mentioned in the local press was Martin Ling
, so it was something of a surprise when the former Leyton Orient
and Cambridge United
boss was announced as the new man in charge at Plainmoor.
Top of Ling's list of priorities was to start building a new team. With players reaching the end of their contracts and loan players returning to their parent clubs, the squad was now starting to look rather threadbare. Several key players who had got Torquay to the play-off final would definitely not be at the club for the new season. Player of the year, Guy Branston made a move to Bradford City while Scott Bevan decided to join Paul Buckle at Bristol Rovers. Torquay fans were also disappointed to see midfielder Craig Stanley, who had been particularly impressive for the Gulls on his loan spell from Morecambe, also follow Buckle to the Memorial Stadium. Meanwhile another loan player who would not be returning to Plainmoor was Jake Robinson who agreed to join Northampton Town instead.
The first new face at Plainmoor was Shaun Taylor
, who was appointed as Ling's assistant manager. Taylor was previously the youth coach at Exeter City
and was also brother to former Torquay defender Craig Taylor
. With Taylor on board, Ling now looked to bring new players to Torquay. Firstly, Joe Oastler signed a permanent two-year deal with Torquay after being released by QPR, while Danny Stevens also agreed in principle to renew his contract. Another familiar face who returned to Torquay was Chris McPhee. He had played for the Gulls during their disastrous 2006–07 season and was looking to make amends on his return to the club. Joining on the same day as McPhee was Daniel Leadbitter
, a promising young defender who had just been released by Newcastle United
.
While the new signings did much to assure Torquay's fans, more disappointment came with the news that top goalscorer Chris Zebroski had handed in a transfer request. With still no goalkeeper and pre-season friendlies just around the corner, it was clear that Martin Ling and Torquay United still had much work to do before the arrival of the new season.
*Torquay United deducted 1 point for fielding an unregistered player.
‡Hereford United deducted 3 points for fielding an unregistered player.
Source: Torquay United
Source: Torquay United
Source: Torquay United
. League Two statistics include the League Two play-offs
.
, marking the first time the Gulls had entered into a competitive reserve league in over a decade.
The games provided an opportunity for younger squad players such as Saul Halpin
, Ed Palmer and Ashley Yeoman
, who had yet to make the step up to the senior team, to impress Paul Buckle and coach Shaun North. However, with the Gulls possessing a relatively small squad, Torquay often put out strong line-ups which included many first team players alongside the youth players and trialists which were more common with other reserve teams. As a result, other teams in the league found the Gulls difficult to cope with and Torquay were still unbeaten when they were crowned champions of the Wales & West Division at the end of March with two games still to play. Unfortunately however, Torquay United's Reserves were unable to go through the entire season unbeaten, losing their final match 2–0 to the Reserves of Swansea City.
In a situation reminiscent of the 1926–27 season, Torquay had to face Central Division champions Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves
in a title decider. In 1927, United were beaten 4–0 by the Seagulls' reserves and, unfortunately, history repeated itself in 2011 with Torquay's reserves succumbing to a 3–1 defeat to Brighton's second string side in the play-off final.
Source: The Football Combination Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
's 76th season in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and their second consecutive season in League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. The season runs from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011.
Overview
Carrying on their good form from the end of the 2009–10 season, which saw Torquay set a new club record of 691 minutes without conceding a goal, the Gulls won their first four games of the new League Two campaign making it the best ever start to a season in the club's history. Unfortunately, Torquay were finally to concede a goal in the last of those four matches which meant the club record for clean sheets was now established at 998 minutes. Despite making a strong start to the season and spending the whole of August at the top of the table, Torquay's form was soon to dip to the extent that they were only to win another three League matches by the end of the year. Nevertheless, some respite was offered by the cup competitions. Despite the Gulls experiencing early exits in the First Round of the Carling Cup (to ReadingReading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
) and the Second Round of the Johnstone Paint's Trophy (losing to Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
after first defeating Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
), Torquay again made a strong showing in the FA Cup. Having beaten Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
, Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
and Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
in the earlier rounds, Torquay reached the Fourth Round of the FA Cup where they were eventually beaten 1-0 in an ill-tempered tie with Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
side Crawley Town
Crawley Town F.C.
Crawley Town Football Club is an English football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They won the title of the Football Conference, by a record 15 point margin on second place, and with it promotion to The Football League, in April 2011.-1896–2009:...
.
Following the defeat by Crawley, Torquay's League form finally began to improve and a run of just three defeats in their last 21 matches was enough to seal a place in the play-off semi-finals
2011 Football League play-offs
The Football League play-offs for the 2010–11 season were held in May 2011. The Championship final took place at Wembley Stadium in London, but the League One and Two finals were held at Old Trafford in Manchester, due to a clash with the UEFA Champions League Final.The play-off semi-finals were...
. This was despite of the sale of leading goalscorer Elliot Benyon
Elliot Benyon
Elliot Benyon is an English footballer who plays for Wycombe Wanderers as a Striker, on loan from Swindon Town-Career:Benyon began his career as a trainee at Bristol City...
to Swindon and the fact that the Gulls were docked one point by the Football League for fielding loan signing Jake Robinson
Jake Robinson
Jake David Robinson is an English footballer who is currently playing football for English League Two club Northampton Town, having been released by League Two team Shrewsbury Town...
while still ineligible to play. Torquay saw off their semi-final opponents Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
with relative ease to set up a League Two play-off final clash with Stevenage. However, the Gulls' season was ultimately to end in disappointment with a 1-0 defeat in the final and the departure of manager Paul Buckle
Paul Buckle
Paul John Buckle is an English professional footballer and football club manager. He is currently manager of League Two side Bristol Rovers.-Career:...
for Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
just two days afterwards.
July
A busy pre-season fixture list saw Torquay take on a wide variety of teams and, apart from a 3-1 defeat to ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
side QPR
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
(now with ex-Gulls manager Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
in charge), Torquay managed to win all of their other pre-season matches. These included encouraging displays against another Championship side Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
as well as defeats of local rivals Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
and Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
, both of League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. Among the close season signings, perhaps the most impressive was the ex-Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
forward Billy Kee
Billy Kee
Billy Rodney Kee is a footballer who plays for Burton Albion. He has also represented Northern Ireland at Under 19 and Under 21 level.-Career:...
. The young striker scored a total of nine pre-season goals, including a hat trick against Weymouth
Weymouth F.C.
Weymouth F.C. are an English football club based in the town of Weymouth, who currently play in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:Weymouth Football Club were founded in 1890 and played their first game on 24 September of that year...
on his debut and an astonishing four first half goals against Tiverton Town
Tiverton Town F.C.
Tiverton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Tiverton. The club are currently members of the Southern Football League South & West Division and play at Ladysmead.-History:...
.
Of the trialists on show during these games, midfielder Damon Lathrope
Damon Lathrope
Damon Len Lathrope is an English footballer who plays for Torquay United of League Two.-Playing career:Lathrope began his youth career at Cambridge United, though moved on to Norwich City's academy in 2006, signing his first two and a half year professional contract with the club in January 2008...
(formerly of Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
) caught the eye of manager Paul Buckle and was offered a two-year deal. Meanwhile, a familiar face returned to Plainmoor
Plainmoor
Plainmoor is a suburb of Torquay, Devon, but is best known as the name of the stadium in which Torquay United Football Club currently play.-History:...
in the form of striker Martin Gritton
Martin Gritton
Martin Francis Jeremy Gritton is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker who currently plays for Stockport County. He is a journeyman player and has previously played for Plymouth Argyle, Shelbourne, Torquay United, Grimsby Town, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Macclesfield Town,...
, who had enjoyed a successful spell with the Gulls between 2002 and 2004. Although still under contract to League Two rivals Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
, Gritton was allowed to join Torquay on loan until January 2011. Another (more recent) fan favourite, Guy Branston
Guy Branston
Guy Peter Bromley Branston is an English football defender who plays for Rotherham United, on loan from Bradford City. Branston has enjoyed spells at Kettering Town, Notts County, Peterborough United and Burton Albion amongst many others....
also re-joined the Gulls, with the combative defender agreeing a permanent one-year deal having been on loan from Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
for the latter half of the 2009-10 season. However, another Plainmoor hero, Wayne Carlisle
Wayne Carlisle
Wayne Thomas Carlisle is a former professional footballer who last played for Truro City after being released by Football League Two side Torquay United....
, was deemed a free agent after the winger failed to agree a new contract due, in part, to his ongoing struggle with injury.
August
Having finished last season with a club record of 691 minutes without conceding a goal, Torquay were keen to begin the new season in a similar fashion. The Gulls got off to a perfect start in their season opener with a 3-0 win against NorthamptonNorthampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
at Plainmoor, a win which put the Devon side at the top of the new League Two table. After consecutive 2-0 victories against Lincoln
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
and Bradford, Torquay went into their match away to Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
aiming to become only the fourth team in Football League history to post eleven consecutive clean sheets. Unfortunately, Port Vale managed to breach the Torquay defence in the first half, although the Gulls still went on to win the game 2-1. Nevertheless, a new club record of 998 minutes without conceding a goal had been set, and victories in the first four games had ensured the best start to a season in Torquay’s history. Those wins made sure that the Gulls spent the whole of August at the top of the League Two table.
With the news that Wayne Carlisle had agreed to rejoin the Gulls, Torquay went into their Carling Cup First Round fixture against Reading full of confidence. The Torquay defence proved as resilient against the Championship side as it had been against every other team it had encountered since the beginning of April, and it was not until the very last minute of extra time that Royals striker Grzegorz Rasiak
Grzegorz Rasiak
Grzegorz Rasiak born 12 January 1979 in Szczecin, is a Polish international footballer who last played for AEL Limassol in Cyprus. Since 2002, he has played for the Poland national team....
finally found a way past keeper Scott Bevan
Scott Bevan
Scott Bevan is an English footballer and currently plays as a goalkeeper for League Two side Bristol Rovers.-Football career:...
. A similar problem was encountered by Bournemouth in their Johnstone Paints Trophy First Round clash with the Gulls. However, this time, with the match going straight to penalties with a 0-0 stalemate after 90 minutes, the Cherries still could not find a way past Bevan and Torquay went on to win the tie 3-0 in the penalty shoot out.
With the side currently enjoying so much success, it was perhaps no surprise that other clubs began to take an interest in the Torquay players. After turning down an offer from an unnamed League One side for defender Mark Ellis
Mark Ellis (footballer born 1988)
Mark Ian Ellis is a footballer playing as a defender for Torquay United. He made his debut for Torquay on 22 September 2007, in the Football Conference clash with Kidderminster Harriers, at Aggborough, which ended in a 5–2 win to Torquay.Following the Gulls promotion to the Football League, Ellis...
, manager Paul Buckle was relieved to reach the end of the summer transfer window without losing any of his squad.
September
In recognition of Torquay’s impressive start to the season, Paul Buckle was named League Two Manager of the Month for August. However, after a near perfect August, September was to prove something of a reality check for the Gulls. With Torquay’s clean sheet record ending against Port Vale in their previous match, a 2-1 defeat away to SouthendSouthend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
in their first game of the month put to an end a twelve match unbeaten run in the League which had stretched back to March. This was then followed up by two successive 0-0 draws at home to Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
and away to Stevenage. Although these results seemed to suggest the Gulls had got their defensive house back in the order, they were now struggling to find the back of the net. With summer signings Billy Kee and Martin Gritton yet to register on the goalscorer charts, and Elliot Benyon out injured for the Accrington game and on the bench for most of the Stevenage match, the Gulls were starting to look a little light up front, despite the best efforts of the versatile Chris Zebroski
Chris Zebroski
Christopher Matthew "Chris" Zebroski is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Football League Two side Bristol Rovers.-Club career:...
who was being employed as both winger and striker.
One new face who appeared during the month was full back Danny Senda
Danny Senda
Daniel Luke "Danny" Senda is an English professional football defender.-Playing career:Senda started his career as an apprentice with Southampton...
. The ex-Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
and Wycombe
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
defender had impressed Paul Buckle after recently playing in reserve team games against Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
and Forest Green
Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
. Unfortunately, his debut match, at home to Macclesfield
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
, coincided with a further downturn in the Gulls fortunes when they were beaten 3-1. A chance to make amends came three days later with another home match, this time against former Conference rivals Aldershot
Aldershot Town F.C.
Aldershot Town Football Club is an association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, founded in the spring of 1992 just after the closure of debt-ridden Fourth Division club Aldershot Football Club...
. However, with midfielder Damon Lathrope leaving the field injured after only 14 minutes on his first League start, Torquay could not find a way past a resolute Shots defence and were eventually sunk by a Marvin Morgan
Marvin Morgan
Marvin Morgan is an English footballer, who plays for Shrewsbury Town in League Two.-Non-League:...
goal in the 86th minute.
With just 2 points taken from a possible 15, Torquay were fortunate to still find themselves in the play-off positions at the end of September having began the month at the top of the table.
October
After being informed by chairman Simon Baker that the club's playing budget had been cut, Paul Buckle now found his options limited as he attempted to revive Torquay's flagging league campaign. In his efforts to "shuffle the pack", Buckle would now have to delve into the loan market and also make some tough decisions with the current squad members. Most significantly, after first being dropped for September's match against Aldershot and then again for the trip to Crewe AlexandraCrewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
, club captain Nicky Wroe
Nicky Wroe
Nicholas "Nicky" Wroe is an English footballer who plays for Shrewsbury Town as a midfielder.-Career:Born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Wroe came through the youth system of Barnsley and during a match for their academy he was sent off for violent conduct, which resulted in him receiving a...
was placed on the transfer list. It was also made known that the club would be open to offers for defender Kieran Charnock
Kieran Charnock
Kieran James Charnock is an English footballer who plays as a defender for League Two side Morecambe, on loan from Torquay United.-Career:...
who had struggled to to break up the central defensive partnership forged by Mark Ellis
Mark Ellis (footballer born 1988)
Mark Ian Ellis is a footballer playing as a defender for Torquay United. He made his debut for Torquay on 22 September 2007, in the Football Conference clash with Kidderminster Harriers, at Aggborough, which ended in a 5–2 win to Torquay.Following the Gulls promotion to the Football League, Ellis...
and Guy Branston.
With Wroe and Charnock on the transfer list, new faces began to appear with the aim of freshening up the side. First through the door was Joe Oastler
Joe Oastler
Joseph James "Joe" Oastler is an English footballer who currently plays for Torquay United of Football League Two.-Playing career:...
on loan from Queens Park Rangers. Capable of playing as both a midfielder and defender, Oastler joined Torquay on a one-month deal. Later in the month, two more loan signings arrived at Plainmoor within twenty four hours of each other. Winger Romone Rose
Romone Rose
Romone Alexander Aldolphus Rose is an English footballer currently playing for Muangthong United, following his release from Queens Park Rangers. He was previously on loan at Torquay United.-Career:...
became the second loanee from Neil Warnock's QPR, signing a three-month deal, while the young Wolves
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
striker Ashley Hemmings
Ashley Hemmings
Ashley Josiah Hemmings is an English football striker. He is currently on loan at League Two side Plymouth Argyle from Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.-Career:...
joined Torquay, like Oastler, on a one-month contract.
On the pitch, Torquay struggled to get back to the early season form which saw them spend the whole of August at the top of the League Two table. Although a creditable 1-1 draw away to in-form Shrewsbury Town seemed to point to an improvement in the team's performances, the Gulls were then to crash out three days later to Swindon Town in the Second Round of the Johnstone Paints Trophy (although, the fact that several of Torquay's first choice regulars were rested for the match indicated that the League Trophy was not high on Paul Buckle's list of priorities). Astonishingly, Torquay then managed to scrape only a 3-3 draw away to Crewe and then lose 4-3 at home to Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
, despite going 2-0 ahead in both matches. However, a corner of sorts appeared to have been turned in their match away to Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
when, at 1-0 down with 94 minutes of the match played and with newly installed club captain Lee Mansell
Lee Mansell
Lee Richard Samuel Mansell is an English footballer, who can play in midfield but is occupying the right back position for Torquay United and is the current captain....
sent off four minutes previously, a Kevin Nicholson
Kevin Nicholson (footballer)
Kevin John Nicholson is an English footballer, currently playing for League Two side Torquay United. An ex England C team defender; since Torquay were promoted to the football league, who has currently been capped 4 times with the number 3 shirt on every occasion.- Biography :Nicholson began his...
free kick somehow managed to sneak past Gills keeper Alan Julian
Alan Julian
Alan John Julian is a football goalkeeper who plays for League One side Stevenage.Julian started his career at Brentford, progressing through the youth side and making his first-team debut in 2002. After failing to cement a place as Brentford's number one goalkeeper, he left to join Stevenage in...
and salvage a 1-1 draw with the final kick of the game. The Gulls took their good fortune with them into their final game of the month at home to Morecambe
Morecambe F.C.
Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park...
, where they ran out 3-1 winners and achieved only their first victory in ten league games. With an upturn in their on-field performances, Torquay were now able to look forward to November with renewed optimism.
November
The revival which seemed to have been sparked by Kevin Nicholson's last gasp equaliser at Gillingham began to gather momentum during November. In contrast to the previous season, the Gulls were quickly developing into a formidable outfit on the road and this proved crucial during a month in which three of Torquay's four League Two fixtures were away from Plainmoor. After a convincing 2-0 victory over former Conference rivals Oxford UnitedOxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
, the Gulls were disappointed to only pick up one point in a 1-1 draw away to Stockport
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
. However, the performance of the month was probably the impressive 3-1 win over promotion-chasing Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
at Adams Park
Adams Park
Adams Park is a football stadium in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. It is the home ground of Wycombe Wanderers F.C. and the Aviva Premiership Rugby Union club London Wasps...
, a result which saw Torquay move above the Chairboys into sixth place in the League Two table. Conversely, the only home league fixture of the month resulted in a lacklustre 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
.
As per tradition, November saw the entry into the FA Cup of the League One and Two teams. The first two rounds were played during this month and Torquay found themselves involved in both after first easing past Conference side Mansfield Town and then seeing off Walsall of League One. The two 1-0 victories ensured the Gulls participation in the Third Round for the fifth time in six seasons. The Third Round draw saw Torquay receive a home fixture against another League One side Carlisle United. While possibly not the money-spinning draw that either team was hoping for, it was at least a game which, on recent form, gave the Gulls a very realistic chance of progressing to the FA Cup Fourth Round.
No new additions were made to the squad during the month, although the loan deal for Joe Oastler was extended until January while Wolves agreed to allow Ashley Hemmings to extend his stay at Plainmoor. With the loan window about to close, leading striker Elliot Benyon appeared to be on the verge of leaving Torquay, with Swindon, Dagenham & Redbridge
Dagenham & Redbridge F.C.
Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club , informally known as Daggers, is an English association football club based in Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, East London. It was formed in 1992 after a merger between Redbridge Forest and Dagenham...
and Southend among the clubs reported to have been interested in making a move for the young forward. However, Gulls fans were relieved when the window closed with Benyon still part of the United squad - at least until the January transfer window. Of the two players placed on the transfer list in October, Kieran Charnock moved on loan to Morecambe, with a view to making the deal a permanent one in January. However, former captain Nicky Wroe now seemed happy to remain at Plainmoor after Paul Buckle revealed the midfielder had rejected a move to Aldershot.
In recognition of the Gulls remaining unbeaten in all competitions throughout November, Paul Buckle was once again short listed for the League Two Manager of the Month award.
December
With November's League Two Manager of the Month award going to Port Vale's Micky AdamsMicky Adams
Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...
, Gulls fans would have been relieved to have avoided the 'curse' often associated with the award, and which certainly appeared to affect Torquay's form after Paul Buckle won the award for August. However, the December curse seemed to have been applied to the entire Football League, with a large number of matches being postponed due to the freezing weather conditions which hit the UK throughout most of the month. As a result, the Gulls only managed to fulfil one of five fixtures scheduled for the final month of 2010, that being a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to league leaders Chesterfield.
Off the field, December saw the departure of two players. Danny Senda left the Gulls after making only three appearances since joining in September, while Wayne Carlisle was released after making 76 appearances for Torquay and being a key member of the squad which gained promotion from the Conference. Of the recent loan signings, Romone Rose was allowed to return to QPR while Ashley Hemmings had his loan deal from Wolves extended until the end of the season.
There was a sense that Paul Buckle was clearing the decks in time for the January transfer window. However, whether he himself would still be at Torquay by the end of January was in serious doubt as he was being heavily tipped to take over from the recently sacked Paul Trollope
Paul Trollope
Paul Jonathan Trollope is an English-born Welsh international football midfielder, now turned manager. He was manager of Bristol Rovers from 2005 to 2010. In July 2011, Paul was appointed first-team coach at Birmingham City....
at League One side Bristol Rovers.
January
Another year, another transfer window and another FA Cup run for Torquay United. Despite being the favourite with many bookmakers to take over at Bristol Rovers, Paul Buckle was left to focus on his job at Plainmoor after Dave Penney was installed as the new manager at the Memorial StadiumMemorial Stadium (Bristol)
The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of The Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in Bristol, England, dedicated to the memory of the rugby union players of the city killed during World War I...
. As is often the case, most of the transfer activity was left until the last day of January, although two predictable changes did take place early in the month with Kieran Charnock making his loan move to Morecambe a permanent one and Martin Gritton returning to parent club Chesterfield after the striker had failed to make an impression during his second spell at the club. Meanwhile, Joe Oastler had his loan from QPR extended until the end of the season.
With weather conditions more favourable than they had been throughout December, Torquay were keen to get themselves back into contention for a play-off spot. However, two draws, two defeats and only one win saw the side slip from 7th position at the end of 2010 to a disappointing 13th place in the League Two table by the end of January. With their unprecedented clean sheet record of earlier in the season a dim and distant memory, the Gulls were now too often succumbing to late goals with a total of seven points being dropped in the dying moments of the games against Oxford, Morecambe and Gillingham. The most encouraging display of the month was reserved for the fewer than 2,000 spectators who turned out at Plainmoor for the 2-1 win over in-form Crewe Alexandra with Torquay claiming their first home victory in the league since October.
Despite their indifferent league form, the FA Cup was once again providing a welcome distraction with Torquay being involved in the Third Round for the third consecutive season. One goal from Eunan O'Kane
Eunan O'Kane
Eunan O'Kane is a footballer who plays for Torquay United of Football League Two.-Career:A midfielder, O'Kane spent two years with Everton as a youth team player before joining Coleraine in September 2009. He extended his contract with the club in December before spending time on trial with...
was to prove enough to edge past Carlisle in this season’s Third Round tie and anticipation was high yet again for the following day’s Fourth Round draw. Unfortunately, despite being the first ball pulled out of the drum, the Gulls yet again missed out on the chance of meeting one of the so-called “big boys”, instead having to entertain the winners of the yet to be played match between Crawley Town (the only non-league team left in the competition) and Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
of the Championship. After having beaten League One side Swindon in the Second Round, Crawley pulled off another shock win over the Rams to set up a reunion of the two former Conference rivals. Although, many Gulls fans were disappointed by the draw, there was now a fantastic opportunity for Torquay to reach the Fifth Round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
With over 5,000 supporters struggling to get through the Plainmoor turnstiles for the match with Crawley, there was a fifteen minute delay to the kick off to what turned out to be an ill-tempered Fourth Round tie. Torquay found it hard to get a foothold in the first half of the game and eventually fell behind in the 39th minute to a Matt Tubbs
Matt Tubbs
Matthew Stephen Tubbs is an English footballer who plays for Crawley Town as a striker.-Salisbury City:Born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, Tubbs signed for Salisbury City from Dorchester Town and scored on his debut in a 5–1 win against Fleet Town. He has helped 'The Whites' rise through the leagues,...
strike. However, worse was to follow in the second period when Chris Zebroski was sent off in the 61st minute for a second bookable offence after a handball in the six yard box. However when keeper Scott Bevan managed to save the resulting penalty from Tubbs, the Gulls spirits were raised again until another penalty was awarded to Crawley just minutes later. Astonishingly, Bevan pulled off his second penalty save of the match, this time from Craig McAllister
Craig McAllister
Craig McAllister is a Scottish footballer who plays for Conference National club Newport County as a striker....
, to give Torquay another lifeline. Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalise on Bevan’s heroics and, despite the sending off of Dean Howell
Dean Howell
Dean George Howell is an English footballer who plays for Crawley Town. He plays at left-back or left-midfield.-Schoolboy and trainee:...
for Crawley in the 83rd minute, the score remained 1-0 until the final whistle. In a match which saw seven bookings in addition to the two dismissals, many Torquay supporters were angered by the tactics employed by Crawley manager Steve Evans (two of Crawley’s yellow cards were for time wasting) and their misery was compounded the following day when Evans’ men were rewarded with a trip to Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
to play Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in the Fifth Round draw.
Just two days after the huge disappointment of the Crawley game, the last day of the January transfer window finally saw the departure of top striker Elliot Benyon to Swindon. Benyon had been one of Paul Buckle’s first signings when he took over at Plainmoor in 2007, and had now developed into Torquay’s main goal threat. As such he had been tracked by several clubs over a number of months and his eventual move had been seen as inevitable by the majority of Gulls fans. The last day of the window also saw the transfer of Nicky Wroe to Shrewsbury and the cancellation of Ashley Hemmings’ loan deal with Wolves. In their place came striker Jake Robinson and midfielder Craig Stanley
Craig Stanley
Craig Stanley is an English footballer currently playing for Bristol Rovers of League Two. His position is midfield.-Career:Stanley began his career with Walsall...
on loan deals from Shrewsbury and Morecambe respectively. With a new-look squad and just the league to concentrate on, Torquay had to now put an ultimately disheartening month behind them and look to the future.
February
When new loan signing Jake Robinson scored after ten minutes of his debut against HerefordHereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
on the first day of the month, Torquay United looked set to put the misery of their FA Cup exit behind them. However, even before the game had reached half time, it was made known to Paul Buckle that Robinson’s registration had not been completed before the required deadline and was actually ineligible to play in the fixture. With the possibility of any points won from the match being deducted by the FA, Buckle was unable to prevent the demoralised Gulls from slipping to a 3-1 defeat. Incredibly, it emerged days later that Hereford had also fielded an ineligible player in the same game, with midfielder Rob Purdie
Rob Purdie
Robert James 'Rob' Purdie is an English footballer who currently plays for Hereford United after being released by Oldham Athletic on transfer deadline day, 31 January 2011....
’s registration also not being completed in time for the match.
With Torquay now having to wait for a decision on any punishment from the FA, the club had to make the most of a busy February schedule which included a further six League Two encounters following the disastrous Hereford game. The first three were against teams battling relegation and the Gulls took full advantage, grabbing maximum points against struggling Stockport, Barnet and Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
. These matches saw Paul Buckle begin to experiment with his squad selection with second choice keeper Danny Potter
Danny Potter
Daniel Raymond John "Danny" Potter is an English footballer, who signed for Newport County on 29 May 2011, having been released by Torquay United.-Career:...
being brought in to give Scott Bevan a well-deserved break and left back Lathaniel Rowe-Turner
Lathaniel Rowe-Turner
Lathaniel Alanzo Rowe-Turner , is an English footballer who plays for Torquay United.-Leicester City:...
deputising for the ever present Kevin Nicholson. Both players rewarded the manager’s faith with Potter keeping clean sheets in his first three games and Rowe-Turner scoring on his first league start of the season against Barnet. With loan players Jake Robinson and Craig Stanley fitting seamlessly into the new-look squad, Torquay were further enhanced by another loan signing in Northampton midfielder Ryan Gilligan
Ryan Gilligan
Ryan James Gilligan is an English footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Conference National team Newport County on loan from Northampton Town.-Personal life:...
.
Although the next three matches against Southend, Cheltenham
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
and Accrington Stanley only secured a total of two points, the Gulls could be relatively satisfied with the returns of a busy month which left them just four points outside of the play-offs and with games in hand on most of the teams around them.
March
In a month with a punishing eight matches to be played, Torquay had to be at full strength if they were to make any kind of push for promotion. With that in mind, Paul Buckle once again dipped into the loan market. Although current loanee Ryan Gilligan unfortunately had to make an early return to Northampton following a family bereavement, Buckle was able to make an immediate replacement in the form of young Derby midfielder Ben PringleBen Pringle
Ben Pringle is an English professional footballer, who currently plays as a midfielder for Rotherham United.-Career:Pringle started his career as a trainee with West Bromwich Albion, and later played for Newcastle Blue Star and Morpeth Town. He then joined Ilkeston Town, and helped them gain...
. Shortly afterwards, Plainmoor also saw the arrival of two loan strikers in Ronan Murray
Ronan Murray (footballer)
Ronan Murray is an Irish footballer who plays for Ipswich Town as a striker.-Club career:Murray started playing for the Erris United youth system at the age of 12. He made his first team debut for Ipswich Town in a 3–2 victory after extra time at League One team Exeter City in the League Cup on 10...
from Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
and Gavin Tomlin
Gavin Tomlin
Gavin Glenrick Tomlin is a professional footballer who plays for Dagenham & Redbridge. Tomlin is a versatile player who can play on both left and right wings, attacking midfield and as a striker.-Career:...
of Dagenham & Redbridge. With Buckle eventually negotiating for both forwards to remain with Torquay until the end of the season, the Gulls now had a variety of attacking options with the likes of Jake Robinson, Chris Zebroski, Eunan O’Kane and Billy Kee already causing problems to opposition defences.
Gavin Tomlin was to make an instant impact, scoring just five minutes into his debut in the home match against Shrewsbury. It was a game in which the Gulls went on to win 5-0, a particularly impressive performance considering the Shrews were currently 4th in the table and had spent the majority of the season in the play-off positions. Even that result was arguably bettered by Torquay’s trip to Gigg Lane
Gigg Lane
Gigg Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. Historically within Lancashire, it was built for Bury F.C. in 1885, and has been their home ever since.-History:...
three days later where they beat 2nd placed Bury 2-1 after coming back from a goal down. Earlier in the month, Torquay had already claimed four points from two other play-off challengers, grabbing a 1-1 draw with Rotherham
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
and a 2-0 victory against Stevenage. In fact, Torquay seemed to be experiencing more problems against teams lower down in the division; the only defeat of the month came away to Aldershot and the Gulls only just managed to sneak a point with a 91st minute Guy Branston header to secure a 3-3 draw away at Macclesfield.
Shortly before the home game against Cheltenham, Ben Pringle had made it known to Paul Buckle that he wanted to go back to Derby to fight for a first team place there. Despite some encouraging performances during his short spell at Plainmoor, Buckle allowed the midfielder to make an immediate return to the Championship club. That match against Cheltenham resulted in a relatively comfortable three points for Torquay and the Gulls went into their final fixture of the month, a Friday night trip to Northampton, full of confidence. However, traffic problems on the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
resulted in the team arriving two hours late at the Sixfields Stadium
Sixfields Stadium
Sixfields Stadium is a 7,653-capacity all-seater sports stadium in Northampton, England. It has been the home ground of Northampton Town Football Club following their move from the County Ground in October 1994....
. Even with the kick off being delayed by half an hour, the Gulls had little time to prepare for the match once they had arrived. Nevertheless, with the score at 1-1 going into injury time, Billy Kee seemed to have snatched a late win for Torquay with a stunning strike in the 92nd minute. However, a controversial 96th minute free kick for the Cobblers resulted in a goal from Guillem Bauzà and the Gulls had to settle for a 2-2 draw.
That draw left Torquay in 4th place in the League Two table, although with most other teams playing on the following day and a few more midweek matches at the end of the month, the Gulls eventually ended March in 8th position, one point outside the play-off zone and just four points away from automatic promotion with seven games left to play. With four of those matches against teams in or around the play-offs, Torquay Utd went into April with their destiny very much in their own hands.
April
The saga regarding the fielding of the unregistered Jake Robinson in the February match against Hereford was finally resolved with Torquay receiving a one point deduction and a £10,000 fine. With Hereford playing the equally ineligible Rob Purdie in the same match, they were also fined £10,000 and deducted the three points they had gained from the match. While it could be argued that, having lost a point they had never gained in the first place, the Gulls were more harshly treated than the Bulls, Torquay decided not to appeal against the Football League’s ruling.All of the off-field politics meant that Torquay had to make the most of their remaining games in order to make a push for promotion to League One. The month got off to a great start with a 2-0 home win against Lincoln, followed up by an impressive 3-0 away victory over sleeping giants Bradford City. However, despite having not participated in a goalless draw since September’s trip to Stevenage, the Gulls managed to produce two consecutive 0-0 results at home against Port Vale and Wycombe. The latter game was particularly frustrating for Torquay as only some wayward finishing and the heroics of Wycombe keeper Nikki Bull
Nikki Bull
Nikki Bull is an English footballer who plays for Wycombe Wanderers as a goalkeeper. He has previously played for, most notably, Aldershot Town and also had spells at Queens Park Rangers and Hayes...
kept the Gulls from gaining all three points. That match effectively ended Torquay’s hopes of clinching an automatic promotion place and was also Ronan Murray’s final game for the club as he was recalled by Ipswich a few days later.
Easter Monday’s trip to Burton saw Torquay find their shooting boots again with Chris Zebroski and Gavin Tomlin putting the Gulls 2-0 up within the first 15 minutes. However, not for the first time this season, Torquay managed to surrender a two goal lead and had to rely on a stunning 78th minute strike from Billy Kee to rescue a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw. This was a result which left Torquay just outside the play-offs with two games remaining. The penultimate game of the league campaign was a Friday night encounter at home to champions-elect Chesterfield. Over 5,000 supporters witnessed yet another 0-0 draw which was also Craig Stanley’s last game before having to return to parent club Morecambe. Stanley was perhaps one of Paul Buckle’s most successful loan signings and many Gulls fans were hopeful that the midfielder would make a return to Plainmoor next season. The significance of the Chesterfield draw was only fully felt the following day with Gillingham and Stevenage both losing their matches. This meant all three teams would go into the final day of the season tied on 68 points with just two play-off spots remaining, although Torquay’s superior goal difference left them in pole position. The Gulls now had to travel to Rotherham knowing they only had to equal or better the Gillingham and Stevenage results in order to guarantee a place in the play-offs.
As had so often been the case throughout the years, Torquay’s destiny would ultimately be decided on the final day of the season.
May
As the last day of the regular season arrived, and with Torquay, Stevenage and Gillingham separated only by goal difference, it was vital for the Gulls to do everything they could in their match with Rotherham to ensure they secured one of the two remaining play-off berths. However, it was to prove a challenging afternoon at the Don Valley StadiumDon Valley Stadium
The Don Valley Stadium is a stadium in Sheffield, England and is the home of Rotherham United F.C.. The stadium is an athletics stadium which has hosted major UK Athletic events and the 1991 World Student Games. Sheffield Eagles RLFC and Parramore Sports FC also use the stadium. It was designed by...
. Nerves began to jangle as soon as Ryan Taylor
Ryan Taylor (footballer born 1988)
Ryan Paul Taylor is an English footballer who plays for Bristol City as a striker.-Career:Born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Taylor began his career as a trainee at Rotherham United in July 2005, making his first team debut as a 81st minute substitute in a 1–0 home defeat to Swindon Town...
put the Millers 1-0 ahead after just ten minutes and, despite Chris Zebroski equalising in the 31st minute, Rotherham restored their lead just two minutes later thanks to a Danny Harrison
Danny Harrison (footballer)
Danny Harrison , is an English footballer, currently playing for Rotherham United.Harrison is a product of Tranmere Rovers' successful youth production line. Joining the club as a 13 year old, he was granted his first team debut in the 2001–02 season at home against Wigan Athletic...
strike. Meanwhile, with goals going in at the Stevenage and Gillingham games, Torquay found themselves in 6th, 7th and 8th position at various times during the afternoon and, when Oliver Banks
Oliver Banks
Oliver Banks is an English professional footballer who plays for Rotherham United, as a midfielder.-Career:Banks is the son of former professional footballer Ian Banks, and made his senior debut for Rotherham United in May 2011, scoring in his first appearance.-References:...
put Rotherham 3-1 ahead in the 80th minute, they were now relying on scores from elsewhere if they were to book a place in the play-offs. While Stevenage secured their place with an enthralling 3-3 draw against Bury, the Gulls were ultimately indebted to Chesterfield who, by beating Gillingham 3-1, not only clinched the League Two title for themselves, but also made sure that Torquay would finish the season in the final play-off spot, ahead of the unfortunate Gills on goal difference alone.
Torquay’s play-off semi-final opponents turned out to be Shrewsbury who missed out on automatic promotion by just one point. With the first leg at Plainmoor in front of the Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
cameras, the Shrews were no doubt mindful of the 5-0 thrashing they had received at the Gulls’ home ground just two months previously. The fact that two of those goals came from Jake Robinson (on loan from Shrewsbury) added extra spice to the tie, particularly as there was no clause preventing Robinson from playing against his parent club in the play-offs. Despite Robinson not getting on the score sheet, Torquay produced an assured performance which saw them comfortably win the first leg 2-0 thanks to goals from Chris Zebroski and Eunan O’Kane. The Gulls had to make sure they finished off the job in the return leg and that is exactly what they did with a 0-0 draw at the New Meadow
New Meadow
The New Meadow, also known as the Greenhous Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Shrewsbury Town Football Club and is a UEFA Category Four stadium. The stadium is situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, England, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm...
. The draw meant that Torquay United had done enough to ensure their place in the play-off final where the opponents would be their old Conference rivals Stevenage, who secured their own spot thanks to a 3-0 aggregate win over Accrington Stanley.
With the Champions League Final
2011 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2011 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played on 28 May 2011 at Wembley Stadium in London that decided the winner of the 2010–11 season of the UEFA Champions League. The winners received the European Champion Clubs' Cup...
scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
on the same weekend as the League play-off finals, Torquay instead had to make the trip to Old Trafford for their showdown with Stevenage. The omens were not good for the Gulls when it was announced that the referee for the final would be Darren Deadman. This was the same man who had overseen the disastrous FA Cup Fourth Round match with Crawley Town, the team who, ironically, had prevented Torquay from making an earlier trip to Old Trafford. Like the Crawley match, the kick off was delayed by fifteen minutes (due to traffic congestion on the M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
) and like the Crawley match, Torquay fell behind to a goal late in the first half, this time a 41st minute strike from Stevenage midfielder John Mousinho
John Mousinho
John Michael Lewis Mousinho is an English footballer who plays for League One side Stevenage as a midfielder.Mousinho began his professional football career at Brentford, having previously been on the books at Chesham United and Notre Dame Fighting Irish respectively – the latter whilst studying...
. And just like the Crawley match, the Gulls failed to find a reply which meant that Mousinho's goal was enough to see the Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
side promoted to League One while ensuring Torquay would remain in League Two for another season.
Just two days after the play-off defeat, it was announced, following much speculation, that Paul Buckle would be leaving Torquay after four seasons to become the new manager of Bristol Rovers. It was a position he had been linked with since the previous December after the sacking of Paul Trollope and, when his successor Dave Penney was also sacked after just two months, there was a certain inevitability to Buckle's eventual move to the Memorial Stadium. With Buckle also taking first team coach Shaun North with him to Rovers, there was now a huge rebuilding job to be done at Plainmoor. With uncertainty hanging over those players whose contracts were soon to expire as well as the loan players which had performed admirably over the final few months of the season, it was looking like the end of an era for Torquay United and the beginning of a new one.
June
With the original shortlist of candidates containing names such as Paul Trollope and former Torquay favourites Alex RussellAlex Russell
Alexander John Russell is an English professional footballer currently plays for Conference National side Bath City. He plays as a central midfielder...
and Chris Hargreaves
Chris Hargreaves
Christian "Chris" Hargreaves is a former English footballer who played as a forward and a midfielder from 1989 until 2010.-Career:...
, speculation was growing amongst Gulls fans as to who would replace Paul Buckle. One name which had not been mentioned in the local press was Martin Ling
Martin Ling
Martin Ling is an English football manager and former player, who is currently manager of Torquay United in League Two. He played in over 100 Football League matches for Exeter City, Southend United, Swindon Town and Leyton Orient, before moving into management where he led Orient for over five...
, so it was something of a surprise when the former Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
and Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
boss was announced as the new man in charge at Plainmoor.
Top of Ling's list of priorities was to start building a new team. With players reaching the end of their contracts and loan players returning to their parent clubs, the squad was now starting to look rather threadbare. Several key players who had got Torquay to the play-off final would definitely not be at the club for the new season. Player of the year, Guy Branston made a move to Bradford City while Scott Bevan decided to join Paul Buckle at Bristol Rovers. Torquay fans were also disappointed to see midfielder Craig Stanley, who had been particularly impressive for the Gulls on his loan spell from Morecambe, also follow Buckle to the Memorial Stadium. Meanwhile another loan player who would not be returning to Plainmoor was Jake Robinson who agreed to join Northampton Town instead.
The first new face at Plainmoor was Shaun Taylor
Shaun Taylor
Shaun Taylor is an English former professional footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League, playing for Exeter City, Swindon Town and Bristol City.Taylor was born in Plymouth...
, who was appointed as Ling's assistant manager. Taylor was previously the youth coach at Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
and was also brother to former Torquay defender Craig Taylor
Craig Taylor (footballer)
Craig Taylor is an English professional footballer.Taylor was born in Plymouth. He began his professional football career with Exeter City in June 1992, but failed to make the first team before dropping into the non-leagues with Dorchester Town.In April 1997 he joined Swindon Town for a fee of...
. With Taylor on board, Ling now looked to bring new players to Torquay. Firstly, Joe Oastler signed a permanent two-year deal with Torquay after being released by QPR, while Danny Stevens also agreed in principle to renew his contract. Another familiar face who returned to Torquay was Chris McPhee. He had played for the Gulls during their disastrous 2006–07 season and was looking to make amends on his return to the club. Joining on the same day as McPhee was Daniel Leadbitter
Daniel Leadbitter
Daniel Leadbitter is an English professional footballer currently playing for Football League Two club Torquay United. He can operate as a right-back or centre-half. Leadbitter spent his youth career at Newcastle United but left for Torquay in 2011 without having made a first-team appearance...
, a promising young defender who had just been released by Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
.
While the new signings did much to assure Torquay's fans, more disappointment came with the news that top goalscorer Chris Zebroski had handed in a transfer request. With still no goalkeeper and pre-season friendlies just around the corner, it was clear that Martin Ling and Torquay United still had much work to do before the arrival of the new season.
League Two
League Two play-offs
FA Cup
League Cup
League Trophy
Friendlies
League Two
*Torquay United deducted 1 point for fielding an unregistered player.
‡Hereford United deducted 3 points for fielding an unregistered player.
Results summary
*Deducted 1 point for fielding an unregistered player.Results by round
First team appearances
|}Source: Torquay United
Top Scorers
| Place | Position | Nation | Number | Name | League Two | FA Cup | League Cup | League Trophy | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FW |  |
26 | Chris Zebroski Chris Zebroski Christopher Matthew "Chris" Zebroski is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Football League Two side Bristol Rovers.-Club career:... |
15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | FW | |
9 | Elliot Benyon Elliot Benyon Elliot Benyon is an English footballer who plays for Wycombe Wanderers as a Striker, on loan from Swindon Town-Career:Benyon began his career as a trainee at Bristol City... |
13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 3 | FW |  |
8 | Billy Kee Billy Kee Billy Rodney Kee is a footballer who plays for Burton Albion. He has also represented Northern Ireland at Under 19 and Under 21 level.-Career:... |
9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 4 | MF | |
10 | Eunan O'Kane Eunan O'Kane Eunan O'Kane is a footballer who plays for Torquay United of Football League Two.-Career:A midfielder, O'Kane spent two years with Everton as a youth team player before joining Coleraine in September 2009. He extended his contract with the club in December before spending time on trial with... |
7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | FW | |
9 | Jake Robinson Jake Robinson Jake David Robinson is an English footballer who is currently playing football for English League Two club Northampton Town, having been released by League Two team Shrewsbury Town... |
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 6 | FW | |
15 | Gavin Tomlin Gavin Tomlin Gavin Glenrick Tomlin is a professional footballer who plays for Dagenham & Redbridge. Tomlin is a versatile player who can play on both left and right wings, attacking midfield and as a striker.-Career:... |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | DF | |
3 | Kevin Nicholson Kevin Nicholson (footballer) Kevin John Nicholson is an English footballer, currently playing for League Two side Torquay United. An ex England C team defender; since Torquay were promoted to the football league, who has currently been capped 4 times with the number 3 shirt on every occasion.- Biography :Nicholson began his... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| = | MF | |
19 | Danny Stevens Danny Stevens (footballer) Danny Robert Stevens is an English professional football winger. He can play on either the left or right flank. He currently plays for League Two side Torquay United.-Career:... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| = | MF | |
11 | Nicky Wroe Nicky Wroe Nicholas "Nicky" Wroe is an English footballer who plays for Shrewsbury Town as a midfielder.-Career:Born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Wroe came through the youth system of Barnsley and during a match for their academy he was sent off for violent conduct, which resulted in him receiving a... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | DF | |
23 | Guy Branston Guy Branston Guy Peter Bromley Branston is an English football defender who plays for Rotherham United, on loan from Bradford City. Branston has enjoyed spells at Kettering Town, Notts County, Peterborough United and Burton Albion amongst many others.... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| = | DF | |
4 | Mark Ellis Mark Ellis (footballer born 1988) Mark Ian Ellis is a footballer playing as a defender for Torquay United. He made his debut for Torquay on 22 September 2007, in the Football Conference clash with Kidderminster Harriers, at Aggborough, which ended in a 5–2 win to Torquay.Following the Gulls promotion to the Football League, Ellis... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| = | DF |  |
5 | Chris Robertson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | FW | 11 | Ronan Murray Ronan Murray (footballer) Ronan Murray is an Irish footballer who plays for Ipswich Town as a striker.-Club career:Murray started playing for the Erris United youth system at the age of 12. He made his first team debut for Ipswich Town in a 3–2 victory after extra time at League One team Exeter City in the League Cup on 10... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| = | MF | |
21 | Romone Rose Romone Rose Romone Alexander Aldolphus Rose is an English footballer currently playing for Muangthong United, following his release from Queens Park Rangers. He was previously on loan at Torquay United.-Career:... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| = | DF | |
2 | Lathaniel Rowe-Turner Lathaniel Rowe-Turner Lathaniel Alanzo Rowe-Turner , is an English footballer who plays for Torquay United.-Leicester City:... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| = | MF | |
6 | Craig Stanley Craig Stanley Craig Stanley is an English footballer currently playing for Bristol Rovers of League Two. His position is midfield.-Career:Stanley began his career with Walsall... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Own goals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| TOTALS | 76 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 79 | ||||
Source: Torquay United
Disciplinary Record
| Number | Nation | Position | Name | League Two | FA Cup | League Cup | League Trophy | Total | |||||
| 26 | |
FW | Chris Zebroski Chris Zebroski Christopher Matthew "Chris" Zebroski is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Football League Two side Bristol Rovers.-Club career:... |
9 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| 23 | |
DF | Guy Branston Guy Branston Guy Peter Bromley Branston is an English football defender who plays for Rotherham United, on loan from Bradford City. Branston has enjoyed spells at Kettering Town, Notts County, Peterborough United and Burton Albion amongst many others.... |
10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 18 | |
MF | Joe Oastler Joe Oastler Joseph James "Joe" Oastler is an English footballer who currently plays for Torquay United of Football League Two.-Playing career:... |
8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 7 | |
MF | Lee Mansell Lee Mansell Lee Richard Samuel Mansell is an English footballer, who can play in midfield but is occupying the right back position for Torquay United and is the current captain.... |
6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 5 | |
DF | Chris Robertson | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 4 | |
MF | Mark Ellis Mark Ellis (footballer born 1988) Mark Ian Ellis is a footballer playing as a defender for Torquay United. He made his debut for Torquay on 22 September 2007, in the Football Conference clash with Kidderminster Harriers, at Aggborough, which ended in a 5–2 win to Torquay.Following the Gulls promotion to the Football League, Ellis... |
3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 6 | |
MF | Craig Stanley Craig Stanley Craig Stanley is an English footballer currently playing for Bristol Rovers of League Two. His position is midfield.-Career:Stanley began his career with Walsall... |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 9 | |
FW | Elliot Benyon Elliot Benyon Elliot Benyon is an English footballer who plays for Wycombe Wanderers as a Striker, on loan from Swindon Town-Career:Benyon began his career as a trainee at Bristol City... |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 10 | |
MF | Eunan O'Kane Eunan O'Kane Eunan O'Kane is a footballer who plays for Torquay United of Football League Two.-Career:A midfielder, O'Kane spent two years with Everton as a youth team player before joining Coleraine in September 2009. He extended his contract with the club in December before spending time on trial with... |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 20 | |
FW | Martin Gritton Martin Gritton Martin Francis Jeremy Gritton is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker who currently plays for Stockport County. He is a journeyman player and has previously played for Plymouth Argyle, Shelbourne, Torquay United, Grimsby Town, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Macclesfield Town,... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | |
MF | Nicky Wroe Nicky Wroe Nicholas "Nicky" Wroe is an English footballer who plays for Shrewsbury Town as a midfielder.-Career:Born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Wroe came through the youth system of Barnsley and during a match for their academy he was sent off for violent conduct, which resulted in him receiving a... |
2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 8 | |
FW | Billy Kee Billy Kee Billy Rodney Kee is a footballer who plays for Burton Albion. He has also represented Northern Ireland at Under 19 and Under 21 level.-Career:... |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | |
MF | Damon Lathrope Damon Lathrope Damon Len Lathrope is an English footballer who plays for Torquay United of League Two.-Playing career:Lathrope began his youth career at Cambridge United, though moved on to Norwich City's academy in 2006, signing his first two and a half year professional contract with the club in January 2008... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | |
DF | Kevin Nicholson Kevin Nicholson (footballer) Kevin John Nicholson is an English footballer, currently playing for League Two side Torquay United. An ex England C team defender; since Torquay were promoted to the football league, who has currently been capped 4 times with the number 3 shirt on every occasion.- Biography :Nicholson began his... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | |
MF | Danny Stevens Danny Stevens (footballer) Danny Robert Stevens is an English professional football winger. He can play on either the left or right flank. He currently plays for League Two side Torquay United.-Career:... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | |
MF | Lloyd Macklin Lloyd Macklin Lloyd Macklin is an English footballer who is currently playing for Torquay United in England.-Biography:Macklin went on a pre-season tour of Austria with Swindon Town in the summer of 2007 when he was only 15 years old. He came through the ranks at Swindon and made a senior appearance in the home... |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | |
DF | Kieran Charnock Kieran Charnock Kieran James Charnock is an English footballer who plays as a defender for League Two side Morecambe, on loan from Torquay United.-Career:... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | |
FW | Gavin Tomlin Gavin Tomlin Gavin Glenrick Tomlin is a professional footballer who plays for Dagenham & Redbridge. Tomlin is a versatile player who can play on both left and right wings, attacking midfield and as a striker.-Career:... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | |
MF | Saul Halpin Saul Halpin Saul Halpin is an English midfield footballer who plays for Torquay United.-Torquay United:Halpin signed his second professional contract at Torquay United on 9 July 2010, months after signing his first professional contract, signing a three-year contract extension.Halpin came through United's... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | |
MF | Romone Rose Romone Rose Romone Alexander Aldolphus Rose is an English footballer currently playing for Muangthong United, following his release from Queens Park Rangers. He was previously on loan at Torquay United.-Career:... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | |
FW | Gavin Tomlin Gavin Tomlin Gavin Glenrick Tomlin is a professional footballer who plays for Dagenham & Redbridge. Tomlin is a versatile player who can play on both left and right wings, attacking midfield and as a striker.-Career:... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 71 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 83 | 4 | |||
Source: Torquay United
. League Two statistics include the League Two play-offs
2011 Football League play-offs
The Football League play-offs for the 2010–11 season were held in May 2011. The Championship final took place at Wembley Stadium in London, but the League One and Two finals were held at Old Trafford in Manchester, due to a clash with the UEFA Champions League Final.The play-off semi-finals were...
.
In
| Date | Nat. | Pos. | Name | From | Fee | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 July 2010 | |
MF | Damon Lathrope Damon Lathrope Damon Len Lathrope is an English footballer who plays for Torquay United of League Two.-Playing career:Lathrope began his youth career at Cambridge United, though moved on to Norwich City's academy in 2006, signing his first two and a half year professional contract with the club in January 2008... |
Norwich City Norwich City F.C. Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The... |
Free | |
| 21 July 2010 | |
DF | Guy Branston Guy Branston Guy Peter Bromley Branston is an English football defender who plays for Rotherham United, on loan from Bradford City. Branston has enjoyed spells at Kettering Town, Notts County, Peterborough United and Burton Albion amongst many others.... |
Burton Albion Burton Albion F.C. Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005... |
Free | |
| 16 September 2010 | |
DF | Danny Senda Danny Senda Daniel Luke "Danny" Senda is an English professional football defender.-Playing career:Senda started his career as an apprentice with Southampton... |
Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the... |
Free | |
| 14 March 2011 | |
FW | Ray Spear | Trainee | n/a | |
| 28 June 2011 | |
MF | Joe Oastler Joe Oastler Joseph James "Joe" Oastler is an English footballer who currently plays for Torquay United of Football League Two.-Playing career:... |
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
Free | |
| 28 June 2011 | |
FW | Chris McPhee | Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers F.C. Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed... |
Free | |
| 28 June 2011 | |
DF | Daniel Leadbitter Daniel Leadbitter Daniel Leadbitter is an English professional footballer currently playing for Football League Two club Torquay United. He can operate as a right-back or centre-half. Leadbitter spent his youth career at Newcastle United but left for Torquay in 2011 without having made a first-team appearance... |
Newcastle United Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger... |
Free | |
Loans in
| Date | Nat. | Pos. | Name | From | Expiry date | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 July 2010 | |
FW | Martin Gritton Martin Gritton Martin Francis Jeremy Gritton is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker who currently plays for Stockport County. He is a journeyman player and has previously played for Plymouth Argyle, Shelbourne, Torquay United, Grimsby Town, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Macclesfield Town,... |
Chesterfield Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower... |
10 January 2011 | |
| 8 October 2010 | |
MF | Joe Oastler Joe Oastler Joseph James "Joe" Oastler is an English footballer who currently plays for Torquay United of Football League Two.-Playing career:... |
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
End of season | |
| 22 October 2010 | |
MF | Romone Rose Romone Rose Romone Alexander Aldolphus Rose is an English footballer currently playing for Muangthong United, following his release from Queens Park Rangers. He was previously on loan at Torquay United.-Career:... |
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
31 December 2010 | |
| 22 October 2010 | |
FW | Ashley Hemmings Ashley Hemmings Ashley Josiah Hemmings is an English football striker. He is currently on loan at League Two side Plymouth Argyle from Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.-Career:... |
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at... |
31 January 2011 | |
| 31 January 2011 | |
FW | Jake Robinson Jake Robinson Jake David Robinson is an English footballer who is currently playing football for English League Two club Northampton Town, having been released by League Two team Shrewsbury Town... |
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town F.C. Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football... |
End of season | |
| 31 January 2011 | |
MF | Craig Stanley Craig Stanley Craig Stanley is an English footballer currently playing for Bristol Rovers of League Two. His position is midfield.-Career:Stanley began his career with Walsall... |
Morecambe Morecambe F.C. Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park... |
3 May 2011 | |
| 10 February 2011 | |
MF | Ryan Gilligan Ryan Gilligan Ryan James Gilligan is an English footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Conference National team Newport County on loan from Northampton Town.-Personal life:... |
Northampton Town Northampton Town F.C. Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season... |
3 March 2011 | |
| 4 March 2011 | |
MF | Ben Pringle Ben Pringle Ben Pringle is an English professional footballer, who currently plays as a midfielder for Rotherham United.-Career:Pringle started his career as a trainee with West Bromwich Albion, and later played for Newcastle Blue Star and Morpeth Town. He then joined Ilkeston Town, and helped them gain... |
Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English... |
22 March 2011 | |
| 9 March 2011 | FW | Ronan Murray Ronan Murray (footballer) Ronan Murray is an Irish footballer who plays for Ipswich Town as a striker.-Club career:Murray started playing for the Erris United youth system at the age of 12. He made his first team debut for Ipswich Town in a 3–2 victory after extra time at League One team Exeter City in the League Cup on 10... |
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town F.C. Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02.... |
25 April 2011 | ||
| 10 March 2011 | |
FW | Gavin Tomlin Gavin Tomlin Gavin Glenrick Tomlin is a professional footballer who plays for Dagenham & Redbridge. Tomlin is a versatile player who can play on both left and right wings, attacking midfield and as a striker.-Career:... |
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club , informally known as Daggers, is an English association football club based in Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, East London. It was formed in 1992 after a merger between Redbridge Forest and Dagenham... |
End of season | |
Out
| Date | Nat. | Pos. | Name | To | Fee | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 December 2010 | |
MF | Wayne Carlisle Wayne Carlisle Wayne Thomas Carlisle is a former professional footballer who last played for Truro City after being released by Football League Two side Torquay United.... |
Released | n/a | |
| 16 December 2010 | |
DF | Danny Senda Danny Senda Daniel Luke "Danny" Senda is an English professional football defender.-Playing career:Senda started his career as an apprentice with Southampton... |
Released | n/a | |
| 5 January 2011 | |
DF | Kieran Charnock Kieran Charnock Kieran James Charnock is an English footballer who plays as a defender for League Two side Morecambe, on loan from Torquay United.-Career:... |
Morecambe Morecambe F.C. Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park... |
Undisclosed | |
| 31 January 2011 | |
FW | Elliot Benyon Elliot Benyon Elliot Benyon is an English footballer who plays for Wycombe Wanderers as a Striker, on loan from Swindon Town-Career:Benyon began his career as a trainee at Bristol City... |
Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
Undisclosed | |
| 31 January 2011 | |
MF | Nicky Wroe Nicky Wroe Nicholas "Nicky" Wroe is an English footballer who plays for Shrewsbury Town as a midfielder.-Career:Born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Wroe came through the youth system of Barnsley and during a match for their academy he was sent off for violent conduct, which resulted in him receiving a... |
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town F.C. Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football... |
Undisclosed | |
| 31 May 2011 | |
GK | Danny Potter Danny Potter Daniel Raymond John "Danny" Potter is an English footballer, who signed for Newport County on 29 May 2011, having been released by Torquay United.-Career:... |
Newport County Newport County A.F.C. Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system... |
Free | |
| 30 June 2011 | |
GK | Scott Bevan Scott Bevan Scott Bevan is an English footballer and currently plays as a goalkeeper for League Two side Bristol Rovers.-Football career:... |
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers F.C. Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city.... |
Free | |
| 30 June 2011 | |
DF | Guy Branston Guy Branston Guy Peter Bromley Branston is an English football defender who plays for Rotherham United, on loan from Bradford City. Branston has enjoyed spells at Kettering Town, Notts County, Peterborough United and Burton Albion amongst many others.... |
Bradford City Bradford City A.F.C. Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two.... |
Free | |
Loans out
| Date | Nat. | Pos. | Name | To | Expiry date | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 November 2010 | |
DF | Kieran Charnock Kieran Charnock Kieran James Charnock is an English footballer who plays as a defender for League Two side Morecambe, on loan from Torquay United.-Career:... |
Morecambe Morecambe F.C. Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park... |
5 January 2011 | |
| February 2011 | |
DF | Ed Palmer | Weymouth Weymouth F.C. Weymouth F.C. are an English football club based in the town of Weymouth, who currently play in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:Weymouth Football Club were founded in 1890 and played their first game on 24 September of that year... |
April 2011 | |
Reserve team
For the 2010–11 season, Torquay United joined the Wales & West Division of the Football CombinationFootball Combination
The Football Combination , is a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England and Wales...
, marking the first time the Gulls had entered into a competitive reserve league in over a decade.
The games provided an opportunity for younger squad players such as Saul Halpin
Saul Halpin
Saul Halpin is an English midfield footballer who plays for Torquay United.-Torquay United:Halpin signed his second professional contract at Torquay United on 9 July 2010, months after signing his first professional contract, signing a three-year contract extension.Halpin came through United's...
, Ed Palmer and Ashley Yeoman
Ashley Yeoman
Ashley Yeoman is an English footballer, currently playing for Torquay United in the Football League Two. He plays as a striker.- Biography :...
, who had yet to make the step up to the senior team, to impress Paul Buckle and coach Shaun North. However, with the Gulls possessing a relatively small squad, Torquay often put out strong line-ups which included many first team players alongside the youth players and trialists which were more common with other reserve teams. As a result, other teams in the league found the Gulls difficult to cope with and Torquay were still unbeaten when they were crowned champions of the Wales & West Division at the end of March with two games still to play. Unfortunately however, Torquay United's Reserves were unable to go through the entire season unbeaten, losing their final match 2–0 to the Reserves of Swansea City.
In a situation reminiscent of the 1926–27 season, Torquay had to face Central Division champions Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
in a title decider. In 1927, United were beaten 4–0 by the Seagulls' reserves and, unfortunately, history repeated itself in 2011 with Torquay's reserves succumbing to a 3–1 defeat to Brighton's second string side in the play-off final.
Results
Play-off Final
League table
| Club | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torquay United Torquay United F.C. Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley... (C) |
12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 15 | 29 |
| 2 | Swansea City Swansea City A.F.C. Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position... |
12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 13 | |
| 18 | ||||||||
| 3 | Exeter City Exeter City F.C. Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003... |
12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 21 | 17 |
| 4 | Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 17 | 17 |
| 5 | Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers F.C. Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:... |
12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 15 | 16 |
| 6 | Bournemouth A.F.C. Bournemouth A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899.... |
12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 20 | |
| 14 | ||||||||
| 7 | Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
12 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 31 | |
| 7 | ||||||||
Source: The Football Combination Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points