Post by rjdgull on Jun 1, 2012 6:12:13 GMT
There is no contest for the winner on here this week with his post possibly also being the longest that I have read on here! (No mean feat with some of the posts that Dave has produced over the years! ;D)
However, it was also quality as well as quantity and it must have been a labour of love compiling what I consider to be a well balanced review on how the season went. So many congratulations go to Ben Currie for being the new poster of the week!
Season in review: thoughts of a worn-out traveller.
It is the second week of June and Torquay United fans, me included, are all of a panic. Whilst many clubs have been busy making enquiries and in-roads into their squads for the forthcoming season our club has been stalling. Already hit by the disappointment of Play-Off final defeat to Stevenage, Torquay were abandoned by their manager Paul Buckle the very next day. It is widely acknowledged now that Buckle had agreed to take the reins at Bristol Rovers a week before the end of the normal Football League season, conspiracy theorists amongst us will state that there was no way Torquay United would be promoted from that moment onwards, it would simply make no sense for him to get a team promoted and drop a division.
With no manager presently and a number of players following Buckle or approached by Buckle there is a lot of anger on the forums. With the futures of key players such as Chris Zebroski and player of the season Guy Branston hinging on the new appointment time is very much of the essence, especially as some clubs have had a 4 week head start on us for preparation of the 2011/2012 campaign.
With the club hierarchy assuring the fans that they are taking their time to find the right man for the circumstances, speculation is rife that they are merely trying to find the cheapest option in order to compensate for the costly rebuilding of the Grandstand. A shortlist is compiled by the local press of possible candidates to take the Plainmoor hotseat and is discussed to death on the forums, each having their pros and cons. No-one however was quite ready for the appointment when it was made.
On June 13th Martin Ling strolled into Plainmoor early in the morning, and within a very short space of time was offered the job: he had not been on the shortlist discussed by supporter circles. His appointment was met with a mix of disbelief and hostility, many overlooking the superb stabilising project he undertook at Leyton Orient and instead focused on his problem-laden spell at Cambridge, unhelpfully fuelled by some damning verdicts from a couple of Cambridge fans.
The main problem with Ling’s appointment was that it caught everyone completely unaware, his name hadn’t been mooted anywhere in correspondence to the vacant position and as a result many fan’s opinions were simply knee-jerk reactions based purely on instinct. Had fans had a week to discuss his record in the same way they did with Chris Hargreaves or Nicky Forster then i daresay the reaction may have been more hospitable. Ling’s cause was not helped when almost immediately fan favourite’s Guy Branston and Chris Zebroski left the club.
I was not unhappy with the appointment, Martin’s record at Leyton Orient, a club of similar size to us, was impressive, his spell at Cambridge was a concern, but a little research showed the extenuating circumstances to his troubles there. His refreshingly honest and open manner was immediately endearing to me, a complete antithesis to being spoon-fed patronising garbage from the previous incumbent who believed his own hype a bit too much. I have met Martin Ling a couple of times during the season and he is warm and down to earth, very laid back and relaxed, I should imagine he had no problems getting the players on his side from the off.
Ling demonstrated very early on that he did indeed have ‘fingers in many pies’ and set about constructing his squad. Bobby Olejnik and Brian Saah were the first to sign, both with decent reputations. Eyebrows were raised by the signings of Chris McPhee and Martin Rice-; again rationalised out of context due to previous spells at the club, and Danny Stevens and Joe Oastler were re-signed having ran their contracts down last season. Daniel Leadbitter arrived from Newcastle to much intrigue. Rene Howe was seen as a bit of a coup having spent a fair few seasons in League One and a trial was offered to Kenyan Taiwo Atieno, one which he excelled on and was subsequently offered a one year deal on the back of its success.
Very quickly then, Martin Ling had assembled his squad, and that was without even hinting about dipping into the loan market. Comparisons were made between the squad that would start the forthcoming season, and the one that ended the previous one, inevitably so. On paper the squad looked to lack a bit of firepower, a conclusion fans would need to see first-hand during the upcoming friendlies. Crucially though, the majority of the clean sheet record defence had been kept together, and many had not allowed for how much Lee Mansell would relish being deployed in central midfield again, and how much responsibility would be given to starlet Eunan O’Kane during the season.
My first glimpse of the new-look Torquay team was the home friendly against Bristol City. It was weird to be at Plainmoor with the Grandstand now out of commission, but both intriguing and enjoyable throughout the season to watch the development come on. As someone who has only sat in the Grandstand once, I didn’t shed any tears when it was torn down, but I know it had seen some weird and wonderful times in its history, and I can’t wait to see Bristow’s Bench fully up and running, giving us a totally finished stadium to be proud of.
Martin Ling, dressed smartly in a suit, took his place on the bench to very little fanfare, you get the feeling he never wanted the limelight. Any doubts of lack of firepower were extinguished early on as Torquay ran out 2-0 winners with goals from two strikers; Atieno and Howe with O’Kane given the freedom of the pitch to pull the strings. Ian Morris who had tasted promotion success at Chesterfield the previous season.was signed in time for the next friendly against Exeter the following Wednesday. With the capture of Morris, Ling proclaimed his business had been done for the summer.
Torquay made light work of their Devon rivals running out 3-0 winners with goals for Billy Kee, Rene Howe and Ian Morris. Lloyd Macklin impressed on the night and it was refreshing to see every player in the squad being given a chance, all with a fresh slate to their name. In a very short space of time, albeit based on pre-season friendlies. Many fans could begin to see the logic behind Ling’s appointment and retracted their initial vitriol in favour of giving the manager a chance and support.
Rene Howe carried on his superb goal-scoring form by scoring for the third friendly running, a rocket against Burnley, a match with Torquay lost. This run of goals led me to put a bet on Howe to be league two top scorer with odds of 50-1 it looked like it might be good value when he notched in the opening two league games. Had he not missed large parts of the season due to suspension and injury I might have been £50 richer.
Torquay opened their Football league campaign on Saturday 8th August at Plainmoor against Burton Albion. With play not going according to plan and 2-0 down a few lingering doubts were coming to the surface but a late fight-back orchestrated by Eunan O’Kane saw Rene Howe and Lee Mansell each score to level the match. Mansell had cheekily asked for a goal bonus in his new contract, a fact which Kevin Nicholson found amusing and as such a bet was set up between the two best friends, a wager which would have embarrassing circumstances for Nico later on in the season.
The Gulls were dumped out of the League cup in the first round by a Southampton team who would go on to achieve promotion to the Premier League, a 4-1 score line flattered them somewhat, Mansell scoring for the second consecutive game.
The next match was a season highlight, and one which most Gulls fans had been waiting for ever since the fixtures were published: Bristol Rovers away, and no shortage of opposition players or management to prove a point to. Mustapha Carayol, Craig Stanley and Chris Zebroski were all met with torrents of abuse from the Yellow Army and Paul Buckle’s afternoon got more and more uncomfortable as Torquay raced into a 2 goal lead courtesy of Atieno and Howe, much to the delight of travelling Gulls who joyously sung ‘ you’re getting sacked in the morning.’ The situation was made all the more amusing by the fact that Buckle was being shadowed by Mark Clemmit of the ‘Football League Show’ ‘That’s Football’ was all Buckle could muster in trying to re-assure himself that losing 2-1 to the team he walked out on for bigger and better things was not a complete and utter embarrassment for him in his first game in front of his new home crowd.
Torquay won the match by playing good football and the joy on the faces of the majority of last season’s playing squad privately told me all I needed to know. If Martin Ling ever felt he needed to win friends at Torquay United, he couldn’t have chosen a better way to do it. I think that one match instantly dispelled any worries or protestations that the fans could have had about the appointment. It could have been more emphatic too had it not been for a mixture of poor finishing and good goalkeeping. Torquay followed up this morale-boosting victory with a win at the EBB stadium against Aldershot the following Tuesday. A poor game was decided by a goalkeeping mistake, Lee Mansell the beneficiary when his speculative 20 yard shot squirmed through the legs of the hapless keeper. Within two games in August this new look Torquay side had showed they could win playing well, and win playing badly.
Having already out-thought Paul Buckle, Martin Ling had another opportunity to improve his hero status when Crawley came to town. Sadly Crawley flexed their substantial financial muscles and outclassed Torquay, bringing the fans down to earth with a bump. Lee Mansell, revelling in his midfield role, scored his fourth of the season as Steve Evans continued to have his grubby hold over Plainmoor. Billy Kee left Plainmoor at the end of August, citing homesickness as an issue he couldn’t overcome. It was a shame that we never saw the best of Billy, who showed glimpses of quality but wasn’t always given a fair chance during his time at Plainmoor. He moved on to Burton and Lingy acted quickly bringing Billy Bodin in on loan from Swindon. Bodin would make his debut from the bench in the following game away to Dagenham and win the penalty which Rene Howe scored to equalise with.
A straightforward win over Macclesfield at home saw Torquay start September in positive fashion. The victory included Brian Saah’s first goal for the club, and Eunan O’Kane added the gloss in injury time, opening his account for the season with a delicate dink over the keeper, it was to be Torquay’s only win in a worrying spell of 9 games. A dull 0-0 draw with Northampton was followed up by 2 entertaining draws at home, the Plainmoor crowd treated to 10 goals including two for popular left-back Kevin Nicholson and two for young loanee Billy Bodin- his first in league football. These two matches showed that Torquay had no problem creating chances and scoring goals, but the number conceded at the other end was a cause for concern.
Torquay gave their worst performance of the season so far at the Greenhous Meadow, the scene of play-off joy just 4 months before. The Gulls struggled to get going and were outclassed by a team with real promotion aspirations, threatening to run riot, a 2-0 score line not really emphasising the dominance of the Shrews, and to compound the misery Rene Howe was sent off in injury time for a very avoidable incident with ex-Gull Reuben Hazell. Howe was sorely missed in the next match at Plainmoor where Torquay missed a whole host of chances inside the 18 yard box before conceding a late equaliser and were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with high-flying Morecambe, Lee Mansell notching his 5th of the season. Next up was a long trip to Bradford which too ended in disappointment, Torquay barely registered a shot on target against a team who played three quarters of the match with ten men, although they were able to call upon a certain Guy Branston who marshalled the defence with trademark guile and passion. The special entrance price of £5 was not money well spent as Bradford registered a rare win and Torquay’s winless run extended to six.
The dismal run soon totalled 8 as Torquay’s defensive frailties were gleefully exposed at the start of October. First, Gillingham visited the English Riviera and scored 5. Torquay had done so well to cancel out Gillingham’s half time lead with goals from Chris Robertson and Danny Stevens making it 2-2 with half an hour to play. The men from Kent stepped up a gear as the home side suffered their heaviest home defeat of the season and the manager suffered his first murmurings of discontent from the Plainmoor faithful. Ling responded by restoring Mark Ellis to the starting line up for the first time in the season as Torquay travelled to top of the table Southend hoping to put an end to their winless run. Half time at Roots Hall and a spirited display from the Gulls mean that the scores are level, deadlock still to be broken. A steward remarked that this is the sort of game Southend normally lose, I respond that all they would need is one goal and the flood-gates would open. With a predictable degree of inevitability Southend scored 4 in 15 minutes and looked like they could score from every attack as again Torquay’s deficiencies were laid bare for all to see.
By now the pressure on the manager was getting uncomfortably loud and vitriolic, disgruntled fans howling for wholesale changes to a squad seen by many as too weak to compete in league two. Calmly, Martin Ling told his critics that the answers lay within the squad he had assembled and it was up to him to find them. At this point I must admit I was slightly worried by the situation we found ourselves in, but had also seen us spurn enough chances to know that we were capable of winning matches if we could find a way of scoring more of our attempts at goal.
Whereas many other managers would have raided the loan market with relish, Martin Ling stuck to his word and kept faith with his squad, it proved to be the turning point of our season as Torquay would begin a run which would see them acquire 40 points from a possible 48. Ling showed why the board put all their faith in him to be the next manager, he realised new signings may have had a detrimental effect on team spirit and cast doubts over the signings he had made during the summer. Instead he shuffled his pack and changed the formation to a dynamic 4-5-1 with Damon Lathrope coming into the side, allowing Eunan O’Kane to play with more freedom in the attacking third.
The change in formation paid dividends straightaway as a Eunan O’Kane inspired Torquay overcame Wimbledon by 4 goals to 0 on a Tuesday night. Rene Howe, now playing as a lone striker, notching twice as well as goals for the young Irish maestro and the diminutive Danny Steven also enjoying his new role in the team cutting in from the left wing. 4 days later Torquay comfortably dispatched Hereford as the dark cloud over Plainmoor cast by the winless run was starting to dissipate. A third clean sheet in a row was recorded a week later at Gresty Road, and the travelling Gulls were treated to Torquay’s most complete performance of the season. Torquay won 3-0 and dominated from start to finish, attacking with wave upon wave of pulsating football, it was a joy to watch with Rene Howe, Lee Mansell and Billy Bodin all adding to their season tallies.
Torquay secured a place in round 2 of the FA cup in November with a comfortable victory over League one Chesterfield, beating a team from a higher division is always good for confidence and now playing with real freedom Torquay were flying high because of it. Next up was one of the first fixtures Torquay fans would have looked for when the fixtures were released: home to Devon rivals Plymouth Argyle. Crippled with debt and struggling at the wrong end of the table there would never be a better opportunity to register a victory over a team Torquay hadn’t beaten in more than 40 years, what occurred was a match few will forget for the next 40. A turgid first half was soon forgotten as Eunan O’Kane’s powerful half-volley from the edge of the box nestled in the bottom corner of the net. This signalled the beginning of an onslaught. 2 minutes later O’Kane bettered his tasty opener with an audacious lob from 40 yards which sailed into the top corner to send Plainmoor into unparalleled ecstasy. Torquay were again attacking in waves, threatening to rack up a rugby score as Danny Stevens finished off a crisp move for a glorious third, and though Argyle stemmed the tide and subsequently scored a last minute consolation it was the boys in Yellow who secured the bragging rights.
A cold Friday night in Burslem saw a spirited Torquay side keep their fourth clean sheet in five games, settling for a 0-0 draw against Port Vale and keeping the unbeaten run going. Torquay entered their second round FA cup tie at Brammal Lane high on confidence despite facing a Sheffield United team fighting for promotion in League One. An early goal from Rene Howe raised the chance of an upset before some uncharacteristically poor defending (based on recent form) led to 3 quick goals from the home side, Danny Stevens netting a late consolation as Torquay left Yorkshire with their heads held high. In my mind though the match will always be remembered for the sobering pre-match tribute to popular and well-respected modern football icon Gary Speed who took his own life in the week leading up to the game. As Brammal lane rose to its feet to remember a man who gave football so much it really hit home not only the positive community spirit evident in football, but how trivial our footballing grievances throughout the season are compared to an incident as shocking and hard-hitting as that.
Another Friday night league game followed, this time at home to Barnet and it would provide one of the season’s most iconic moments. An entertaining match saw Torquay spurn multiple good chances to score and it looked like time had ran out as the clock ticked dangerously near the 94 minute mark with the score at 0-0. Kevin Nicholson followed up on his own half-cleared long throw in, finding himself 30 yards out with the ball at his feet, his trusty left foot did not let him down as his venomous strike found the top corner to secure victory and once again send Plainmoor into hysterical jubilance. Torquay’s excellent 6 game unbeaten run would be ended in their last league game before Christmas, going down 3-1 against Accrington at a sub-zero Crown Ground. Missing a suspended Lee Mansell for the only time during the season, Torquay were well beaten in Lancashire, the match was as much as over when Rene Howe earned his second red card of the season for a lunge on an unassuming Accrington defender which consequently would see him miss 4 crucial matches. Chris McPhee mustered the smallest bit of Christmas cheer for the travelling fans by netting a consolation in the last minute, this time without the aid of a defender to direct it into the net for him.
Paolo Di Canio’s highflying Swindon team visited Plainmoor on Boxing Day keen to protect a long unbeaten run. Torquay would be keen to prove their promotion credentials and Martin Ling interested in bragging rights over the team he most famously played for. Ling’s faith in his squad and excellent man-management skills were again rewarded when Rene Howe’s replacement, Taiwo Atieno, scored the only goal of the game, and a now resilient Torquay defence were able to withstand a late Swindon onslaught to hold on for a famous win. Oxford were next to visit Plainmoor on News Year Eve but this time Torquay were unable to find the breakthrough, despite Joe Oastler rattling the cross bar. A 0-0 draw offered little by way of entertainment, but did supply an ever improving Torquay side with their 6th cleansheet in 8 matches.
2012 was to start off with a bang, and a day that 1983 Torquay supporters would never forget: Argyle away. Replicating the match at Plainmoor 7 weeks before, the first half was committed and combative but devoid of quality, the second half: completely different. Backed by the sound of nearly 2,000 united yellow voices packed into the away end Torquay set about unlocking the Argyle defence, Eunan O’Kane again instrumental in the centre of midfield. It was Billy Bodin who scored the crucial first, hooking into the corner of the net from inside the box to give the Torquay faithful a perfect parting gift before going back to Swindon. With their tails now up Torquay attacked at will and created chances at regular intervals. Minutes later inspirational leader and all-round nice guy Lee Mansell doubled the lead with a sweetly struck half-volley to send the Yellow Army into delirium. In 15 years of supporting Torquay only Southend in 2004 comes close to that volume of support, the noise and atmosphere created was something special to behold. Though Plymouth got one back late on to set up a grandstand finale, Torquay, with strong mental reserve, were able to hang on to secure a famous double over their neighbours and leave them perilously close to the relegation trap door.
2 tough away games were to follow, long journeys to Macclesfield and Morecambe would test Torquay’s promotion mettle. In previous seasons these games would serve to be ‘after the lord mayor show’s’ type occasions but this year’s squad would prove to be of sterner stuff recording a full tally of 6 points, Mark Ellis notching a crucial (and spectacular) overhead goal in each and Ian Morris nodding in his first for the club at Moss Rose. In both games Torquay spurned numerous chances to increase their lead, looking prone to score at every opportunity picking the opposition off time and time again on the counter attack. Of slight concern was the late consolation in each match which took the gloss ever so slightly off either victory, however 6 points from two very tough (and very cold!) fixtures was an excellent achievement.
Football returned to Plainmoor after an absence of 3 weeks and a run of 3 homes would garner a further 9 points as Torquay continued their sensational rise up the table. Two 1-0 wins over the bottom two teams in the league led to concerns in some quarters about level of performance, I was quite vocal at the time in praising the team in securing the two wins as 3 points was all I cared about. Matches against those at the foot of the table are always going to be potential banana skins so to me it was just important to get the job done. A Lee Mansell strike was enough to see off Dagenham on a Tuesday night, and the following Saturday a towering Mark Ellis header secured a fifth straight win for the Gulls who by now were firmly involved in the play-off area of the table.
Chris Robertson left at the end of January after a five year stay in Torquay, moving, for a fee believed to be around £60,000, to Preston in league one. Youngster Angus MacDonald was swiftly acquired on loan from Reading as cover, but it was Brian Saah, fit again after injury, who would step into ‘Robbo’s’ shoes and start making headlines. Next up at Plainmoor was promotion chasing Shrewsbury, a completely different proposition to the battler’s at the bottom of the table. Before the match Martin Ling and Mark Ellis were presented with their Manager and Player of the Month awards respectively as the accolades and records continued to stack up for the Gulls. An open game of football between two good footballing sides was settled in the second half by Taiwo Atieno, who managed to poke home from close range following a goal-mouth scramble as Torquay leapfrogged their opponents and into the automatic promotion positions.
Another tough test awaited the men in yellow as they travelled to top of the table Cheltenham on Valentines night. Torquay would later drive back down the M5 as league leaders (albeit briefly) after a fourth 1-0 victory on the trot. Ian Morris prodded home from close range in the first half to give the Gulls the lead, a lead which was protected by the players with their lives in the second half in front of 600 loud proud members of the Yellow Army. Brian Saah’s memorable header off the line from under his own cross bar encapsulated the spirit within the squad as the final whistle was met with joyous scenes from players and fans alike. Martin Ling, for the first time, was given his own special ovation, with Ling, it’s never about him or his achievements, but on this occasion he was happy to take the applause.
Bradford came to Plainmoor next, still struggling near the bottom of the table, but keen to prevent Torquay recording what would have been a record equalling eighth straight win. Chris McPhee, applauded for an admirable job in place of an injured Damon Lathrope at Cheltenham, kept his place in the midfield but was powerless to stop a Bradford team who packed the midfield and set about stifling Torquay’s free flowing play. The day started well with Danny Stevens tucking in nicely from the edge of the box, however brute of a centre forward Craig Fagan inspired the Yorkshire men to two quick goals to turn the game on its head. Torquay had no answer to Bradford parking the bus throughout the second half and fell agonisingly short of deservedly equalling the record.
Onto Gillingham away, a trip I nearly missed due to a faulty alarm clock, but I managed to get my act together and take my place on the scaff-holding away end. Perhaps it would have been better to stay in bed as Torquay fell to a 2-0 defeat without the confidence so richly evident in the couple of months before. Witnesses at Priestfield would be able to say though that they had seen one of the worst refereeing decisions of all time as a late red card for a professional foul was wrongly awarded to Joe Oastler who had been standing 20 yards away from actual culprit, and in no way doppelganger, Brian Saah. Saah would later get given the one match ban after the club appealed the referee’s monumentally awful mistake.
So two successive defeats had quickly diluted the excellent form that had seen Torquay United rise into the promotion picture. Some fans where worried that that would be as good as the season would get for the team, and that the wheels would fall off from here on in. In my opinion each member of the squad was playing at their absolute maximum, and when that happens we are a match for every team in the division, all it needs is for one or two players to have ‘off days’ and the machine doesn’t work so well. I was still confident that our season wasn’t going to peter out though for the simple reason of the excellent team spirit. With calls for reinforcements getting louder Ling responded by bringing in Ryan Jarvis until the end of the season. It wasn’t the signing many were expecting but having played for Ling at Leyton Orient, and having scored in the premier league, Jarvis looked to be an excellent piece of business. He joined the squad before the start of March a month that would see us play 8 times, 5 away from home. If we were still in the promotion hunt by the end of the month it would be one hell of an achievement.
March fixtures began with a grudge match at Crawley. Aggressive stewarding meant Torquay fans were herded into a corner of the stand like sardines until 5 minutes before kick-off. It was only when it became glaringly obvious to the head steward that Health and Safety law were in danger of being broken that common sense prevailed and the away end was extended further- a decision that should have been made half an hour before. It is obvious that these two clubs don’t like each other, chief villains in the episode being loathsome duo Evans and Raynor who, in trademark style, spent the entire match prowling the touchline. Any attempts to get under Torquay’s skin backfired spectacularly as the Gulls overcame the usual gamesmanship and a pitch resembling a farmer’s field to record another 1-0 victory, this time Eunan O’Kane netting with 10 minutes to go. Torquay finally gaining some sort of revenge for all the pain poured onto them by Crawley, Raynor and Evans, whose day being shadowed by the BBC got somewhat ruined.
Aldershot were next to visit Plainmoor, the division’s form team having won 6 on the trot. An early goal by Rene Howe was enough to nullify their threat as Torquay looked to have got over the disappointment of the two defeats in February and kick-started their promotion push with two successive 1-0 wins over strong opposition. Back in June the next fixture was one pinpointed by most Torquay fans, it would have seen the return of Paul Buckle to Plainmoor with his Bristol Rovers team. Sadly, as was so often the case, Buckle let down the Plainmoor faithful by denying this from happening. On this occasion we will let him off though as watching him royally balls-up proceedings at the Memorial Stadium was nearly as satisfying as the unbelievable results Torquay were pulling off. Buckle was sacked on the 2nd January having alienated himself from all at the club, Mark McGhee was appointed and quickly stabilised a team poised perilously near the foot of the table. A rejuvenated Rovers side raced into a 2 goal lead, including an excellent individual goal from ex Gull Chris Zebroski. Fears that Torquay had forgotten how to score more than one goal in a match were soon allayed when talisman Lee Mansell bagged a brace late on to earn Torquay a draw they barely deserved but continued to show the belief and team spirit possessed in bundles by the team.
Three tough away games awaited Torquay next, at Rotherham, Burton and Swindon respectively. Re-arranged after a February cold-snap, Rotherham away on a Tuesday was always going to be a tough ask, but nevertheless I took my place in the unique Don Valley Stadium and watched a smash and grab victory of the most fortuitous order. Under pressure for so long it was Torquay who scored the decisive goal in the first half, Lee Mansell heading in a pinpoint Kevin Nicholson cross to continue his season’s fine goal-scoring form. Torquay rode their luck throughout the match and had Bobby Olejnik to thank once again for keeping the slate clean, and though Ryan Jarvis hit the bar late on, Rotherham certainly deserved a share of the spoils at the very least.
The most pernickety of fans were still critical of the narrow margin of most of our matches, close and edgy affairs, more often than not involving an element of luck and settled by one moment of inspiration. It was satisfying therefore to come away from Burton with a 4-1 win, Torquay’s 4th victory in 5 games. Early goals from Danny Stevens and Lee Mansell set the tone for the match as Torquay rediscovered their crisp passing football, O’Kane in particular upping his game. Burton pulled a goal back but Torquay showed their character soon after, Rene Howe curling in a delicious third from 20 yards and Taiwo Atieno adding the gloss with a confident finish in the last minute, there was even time for Bobby Olejnik to save a penalty as Torquay’s promotion push was quickly gaining momentum.
A trip to top of the table Swindon ended a week of travelling, and it proved to be one journey too far for Torquay, going down 2-0 to a superior Swindon team who would end up running away with the title. With little time to feel sorry for themselves Torquay faced Port Vale at TQ1 the following Saturday looking for a response, their reserves of character would again be tested when they fell behind at half time to a hard-working mid-table team who would surely be nearer the top had it not been for administration problems. After a few abrupt words at half-time a more purposeful Torquay side took the field for the second half and luck intervened to get them back into the match. Rene Howe, now revelling in bullying centre halves, was hauled back inside the box and a penalty was awarded and a Red Card subsequently brandished to the hapless defender. Howe dusted himself down and sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot, and minutes later the turnaround was complete when Ryan Jarvis popped up at the far post to head in the winner, and his first goal for the club.
March ended with a Friday night trek to Underhill to play perennial strugglers Barnet. It was another match where Torquay won despite playing nowhere near their maximum. In fact no-one in Yellow could have complained had Barnet been 3 goals up at half time. McCleod in particular was wasteful in front of goal, a rare off day for the striker who would eventually top the league two scoring charts. In the first half the striker was felled by Olejnik, who was fortunate not to be sent off, and his resultant penalty struck the post and rolled to safety. Into the second half and Torquay scored with their only meaningful passage of play, Danny Stevens’ classy finish, lifting the ball over the keeper from a tight angle, separated the teams to give the 550 away fans something to cheer about.
So the tricky month of March had ended and Torquay had won six, drawn one, and lost once in their eight fixtures. Fatigue was showing no signs of affecting the squad who once again had found the ability to play at their absolute maximum. With six league fixtures remaining Torquay had given themselves every chance of achieving the unthinkable and gaining automatic promotion. In second place in the table as it stood, it looked like a battle between Torquay, Shrewsbury and Crawley as to who would hold their nerves. I was supremely confident at this point, having seen Torquay win on numerous occasions through resilience and team spirit alone I boldly predicted Torquay would be celebrating promotion after the home match against Crewe at the end of April.
Martin Ling again declined the opportunity to add to his squad keeping faith with the players who had taken Torquay to the brink of promotion as Accrington visited the south coast on Good Friday. Torquay recorded their 12th 1-0 victory of the season courtesy of a curling effort from Rene Howe with 20 minutes remaining as the Gulls continued to answer the questions posed by those below them. The matches were coming thick and fast as Torquay visited the Kassam on Easter Monday. Rene Howe’s early goal gave Torquay the lead, they were playing with freedom and confidence and had two more goals chalked off for off-side either side of the interval. To this day I am still not 100% sure why O’Kane’s goal was disallowed, and I think it acted as a sucker-punch to the players on that day too, at 2-0 it would likely have been game over, however in reality the decision galvanised a faltering Oxford team who stepped up a gear and took the lead through two quick and well taken goals. Ian Morris’ red card for a spot of fisticuffs did not help matters but once again Torquay showed their character in abundance and refused to be beaten. A speculative effort from Taiwo Atieno found its way into through the hands of the keeper and into the net to spark mad scenes from the joyous away crowd. I remember saying on the way out of the Kassam that Tai had just scored the goal that would take us up and seeing it as very much a case of one point gained as opposed to two points dropped.
Five days later a strong and organised Southend team rolled up at TQ1 looking for the points which would see them continue their own climb up the table towards automatic promotion. Paul Sturrock’s physical team had the better of a game bereft of quality, going closest when a powerful free-kick rebounded off the bar. Both teams looked satisfied in having not lost, rather than disappointed in not winning. The promotion equation was getting more simple by the match, Shrewsbury had won their games in hand and now looked uncatchable in second place. This meant a straight shoot-out realistically between Torquay and Crawley for third place, whoever gained more points in the three remaining fixtures would go up. As Lee Mansell would memorably tweet in trademark war-cry mode ‘whose got the bottle?, I’m telling you we have’
The first of the three final games was away to AFC Wimbledon, a team with little to play for but professional pride, often the sort of team who can trip you up. Torquay sold out their paltry 625 away allocation and were in good voice, confident, squeezed into very underwhelming facilities. Torquay failed to get into their stride, in fact failing to get a shot on target all game. So often the case this season when the game has remained goalless for so long, have Torquay found the crucial intervention to break the deadlock. It just did not materialise on this occasion and Wimbledon scored two late goals to give the Dons a deserved victory. All was not lost however as news filtered through that Crawley could only draw with Dagenham, a slight reprieve therefore and another chance to take the advantage next week at home to Crewe.
After the match it was revealed that Bobby Olejnik, Kevin Nicholson, Lee Mansell and Eunan O’Kane had all been selected in the PFA League Two team of the season, as voted by their fellow professionals. A quite unbelievable achievement when you consider that this constitutes over a third of that team. Runaway leaders Swindon only supplied one player into this team so it just goes to illustrate the level of consistency and quality these four players have been playing at all season. I am pretty sure four candidates from one team in unprecedented, it is an achievement that every fan should be proud of, and one I doubt is replicated for a very long time, it is also testament to the team spirit and belief that Martin Ling has instilled in the squad, giving them the freedom to express themselves fully on the pitch.
Before the Crewe game there were nerves aplenty on the TUFC message boards and across social media, I however was calm, the occasions that we, as football fans, live for and should lap up when they come along. Any nerves from the crowd could doubtless be transferred to the pitch so it was important to create an atmosphere of confidence to spur the players on. A very open match between two good football teams remained goalless at half time, and also goalless at the Crawley game. Torquay opened the scoring early in the second half, Danny Stevens instinctively hitting home a rasping drive from the edge of the box to give the home side a deserved lead. Simultaneously, Hereford were doing us a massive favour by beating Crawley 1-0. And then at updated intervals throughout the match, 2-0 and then 3-0, cue popside pandemonium...and panic on the pitch.
News had clearly got through to the players that as it stood we could be heading into the final fixture with a massive two point advantage, accordingly the performance started to be affected. Having squandered a couple of glaring opportunities to make the game safe, Crewe saw an opportunity to counter-attack and search for the equaliser that would keep their own play-off aspirations alive, penning Torquay in their own 18 yard box for the last 20 minutes. The pressure took its toll as Mark Ellis clumsily gave away a penalty and narrowly avoided a red card. Bobby Olejnik dived to his right and pulled off a superb penalty save and maybe, just maybe, it was going to be our season. By now searching for the second goal had long since been abandoned as Torquay defended deeper and deeper confident in their ability to protect a lead. A skill they had been most proficient at during the season. In this time Crewe rattled the bar and had the ball flying round the Torquay box almost at will, and had many Torquay fan’s hearts in their mouths and fingernails between their teeth.
The full time whistle had long since blown at Crawley to signal their defeat as the game at Plainmoor entered the fourth minute of four minutes injury time. If Torquay could see out the last sixty seconds they would travel to Edgar Street on the last day with a two point advantage and with destiny in their own hands. What occurred was probably the most sickening, numbing and heartbreaking sixty seconds of my Torquay United life. A loose ball fell kindly to a Crewe man on the edge of the box, his miss-hit shot looked to be troubling the corner flag more than the goal frame until it was trapped perfectly by highly rated youngster Nick Powell. Without needing to get the ball out from under his feet Powell shot powerfully at goal through a crowd of players and the ball beat an unsighted Olejnik. Torquay players fell to the floor as a stunned silence overcame Plainmoor, for once Torquay had not held on, but the torment did not end there.
With barely seconds left on the clock Torquay showed one last unparalleled feat of character and created one last chance. A long throw by Kevin Nicholson caused chaos in the Crewe box as bodies flew in from all angles and the ball was nudged over the line as Plainmoor erupted. The goal was disallowed and wild celebrations were cruelly cut short again as it was adjudged that the Crewe goalkeeper had been fouled in the ensuing melee, a fact vehemently denied by those sat behind the goal. From having one foot in League One one minute, Torquay were left with it all to do on the final day of the season, despite being level on points with 3rd placed Crawley, Torquay’s goal difference was vastly inferior. Quite simply the equation was win at Hereford and hope for the best.
As the players came back out after the final whistle for what they hoped would be the final time at Plainmoor for a lap of honour it was obvious on the look on the majority of the player’s faces that they were as broken as the fans. Despite the best efforts of a few to raise the spirits for one final push I think as a community we knew the game was up, and in the most sickening way possible.
And so to the worst stadium in England on a day where it was vying to become our favourite ground in England. Travelling more in hope than expectation 1,500 Torquay fans sold out their allocation and packed the dilapidated ground. The first half did not go according to plan, it was disastrous, 3-0 down at half time and Torquay’s promotion dream was in tatters. Torquay had not taken their chances at one end whilst Hereford had buried each and every one of theirs. Atieno and Jarvis quickly got Torquay back into the match, but as news came through that Crawley had scored at Accrington, whatever happened in front of our eyes was becoming irrelevant. Torquay eventually lost 3-2 and missed out on automatic promotion, and were even overtaken into 4th place by Southend. Torquay finished fifth in league two and with their highest ever points total. In any other season that would be a cause for massive celebration but given the events of the last few weeks it was of little consolation.
Torquay would face Cheltenham in the play-off semi finals. The second half performance at Edgar Street gave Torquay fans renewed optimism that they could progress. With memory of our Valentine’s Day victory etched in my head I travelled to Whaddon Road for the seventh time for a ridiculous kick off time of midday. Torquay dominated the opening exchanges, Lee Mansell and Ryan Jarvis both going closest for the Gulls but failing to convert. Cheltenham created two clear chances either side of half time and clinically took them both via an acute finish from Jermaine McGlashan and a looping header from veteran Ben Burgess. No sooner had Burgess made it two did Torquay have their best chance of the match, Ryan Jarvis’ header from close range cannoning back off the crossbar. At 2-1 it would have become a completely different match, and a different play-off tie, as it was a 2-0 deficit was always going to be tough to overturn. Cheltenham had given Torquay a pretty stern lesson in taking your chances when they come along.
Four days later the teams met in the second leg at TQ1. Martin Ling choosing to keep faith in the 4-5-1 formation that had served him so well throughout the season, despite calls for a switch for 4-4-2 in search of the goals needed to turn the tie on its head. Rene Howe was absent, having limped off early during the first leg, so Ryan Jarvis led the line, Danny Stevens recovered from illness to take his place on the wing as I took my place on the terrace for the final time of a long season hoping to witness a minor miracle.
At half time I have no idea how the tie wasn’t at the very least level, or how Torquay were not out of sight at the most. Scott Brown in the Cheltenham goal had pulled off a series of inspired reaction stops and Torquay had also hit the woodwork twice in a half they dominated from start to finish. For 20 minutes Cheltenham could barely get out of their own 18 yard box as Torquay pegged them back with attack after attack of free-flowing football. In that half alone Torquay deserved to be at Wembley, they did enough to prove to me that they were the superior team. 5 minutes after the restart Scott Brown was at it again, defying conventional goalkeeping physics to parry the ball over his bar as Torquay’s confidence drained through failure to score the decisive goal.
With 15 minutes to go McGlashan scored the tie’s crucial goal and ended any hope of a Torquay comeback. In that one moment where McGlashan’s effort hit the net via keeper and post, Torquay had learnt a harsh lesson in the importance of converting your chances. Over the 160 minutes Cheltenham had created considerably less chances than Torquay, but crucially scored when it mattered, it was a skill we possessed for a long period of the season, but lost in the final run in. Taiwo Atieno briefly raised false hope when he headed home with less than 10 minutes to go, and despite probing valiantly for another, Torquay came up short on answers. Marlon Pack added the gloss with a scintillating 30 yard free-kick and that was it, season over.
Upon that goal 1,000 casual fans streamed towards the exits, whilst the loyal 2000 hardcore stayed until the bitter end to applaud their team off the Plainmoor pitch one final time. Whilst Cheltenham’s victory party was in full swing at one end of the pitch, the men in Yellow were being serenaded with ‘Martin Ling’s Yellow Army’ by a crowd who have been spoilt by great memories all season. The season might have ended but the team and club remain to try again next season. There is a feeling among the majority at Plainmoor that next season could well surpass this year’s achievements especially with in the hands of the honest, straight-talking and methodical man we have in charge. As I walked away from Plainmoor for the final time of the 2011/2012 season I felt a fair bit of disappointment but an over-riding feeling of immense pride.
It has been a week since the Cheltenham defeat, and a week of quiet reflection for me. At the start of the season I was unsure what to expect, I was not underwhelmed by the appointment of Martin Ling, only disappointed it wasn’t one of the candidates i had acquainted myself with over the summer. What I ended up with was probably the most enjoyable season I have experienced as a Torquay fan. Only the football produced by Leroy’s team in 2004 can beat the current squad for entertainment, but for stand out moments this season wins hands down. Beating Rovers in August was an unbelievable day out, and beating Argyle twice I am sure will not be repeated again for a while. Whilst the atmosphere created at Home Park is still ringing in my ears and gets a cheeky re-watch on you-tube every now and then.
Going top on Cheltenham was a top night out, whilst wiping the smirk off Steve Evans’ face at Crawley was as satisfying as any result in recent memory. We have recorded some unbelievable records this season- most away wins in a season, most 1-0’s, 7 wins in a row, clean-sheets, and of course four players in team of the season are all testament of consistency and resolve of our club.
And then I have the moments of individual brilliance to look back on, the moments that made the hairs stand on up on the back of the net, the moments where I lost my head for 30 seconds of my life in a football fuelled state of euphoria. Eunan’s second against Argyle was a moment of pure opportunism and genius, whilst Nicho’s last minute thunderbolt against Barnet was pure theatre and drama. Mansell’s goal at Home Park sparked the sort of wild celebrations you only really get to experience once every few years if you are lucky. Bobby’s penalty save against Crewe gave me the belief we were actually going to go up automatically.
At the start of the season I didn’t set out to watch every league match this season, it sort of happened as it went along. My love for Torquay must be pretty strong if I am willing to go to northern hovels like Accrington, Macclesfield and Morecambe in the grip of winter. It is testament to the team spirit and feel-good feeling at our football club that I want to be a part of it every single week. Martin Ling must take enormous credit for that. He has quietly and efficiently gone about a difficult job of picking up the pieces left by the previous manager last summer and has created a stronger unit than ever before. In doing so he has brought out the best in previous underachievers such as Stevens and Ellis, garnered career best seasons from older professionals such as Mansell and Nicholson, nurtured young and exciting talent in Lathrope and O’Kane and brought in Torquay legends in the making such as Brian Saah and Bobby Olejnik.
He has done this with a minimum of fuss and whenever possible showed faith in the squad he assembled in the summer. What he has at his disposal for next season is a core of 10 players who have a year’s experience of playing at the top of the league for pretty much an entire season. This will stand us in good stead for next season which already promises to be very exciting, especially with the opening of Bristow’s Bench. The team spirit is excellent and it is refreshing to hear the manager say the right things, not treat the fans as idiots and importantly get his key men signed up on long contracts.
It was galling to miss out on promotion when for so long it looked so likely. Eunan’s disallowed goal at Oxford was, for me, the turning point. Since then, luck, our ability to conjure up the decisive moment, the ability to put the ball in the back of the net deserted us and it’s fair to say we started to run out of steam for our run in. Nick Powell’s goal was a sucker punch and extremely painful but had we won at Oxford I believe we would have been promoted by then. No doubt we will all spend all summer analysing the ifs and buts and maybes but the conclusion I will keep coming back to is what an amazing season I have just enjoyed, and what a proud Gulls fan I am.
However, it was also quality as well as quantity and it must have been a labour of love compiling what I consider to be a well balanced review on how the season went. So many congratulations go to Ben Currie for being the new poster of the week!
It is the second week of June and Torquay United fans, me included, are all of a panic. Whilst many clubs have been busy making enquiries and in-roads into their squads for the forthcoming season our club has been stalling. Already hit by the disappointment of Play-Off final defeat to Stevenage, Torquay were abandoned by their manager Paul Buckle the very next day. It is widely acknowledged now that Buckle had agreed to take the reins at Bristol Rovers a week before the end of the normal Football League season, conspiracy theorists amongst us will state that there was no way Torquay United would be promoted from that moment onwards, it would simply make no sense for him to get a team promoted and drop a division.
With no manager presently and a number of players following Buckle or approached by Buckle there is a lot of anger on the forums. With the futures of key players such as Chris Zebroski and player of the season Guy Branston hinging on the new appointment time is very much of the essence, especially as some clubs have had a 4 week head start on us for preparation of the 2011/2012 campaign.
With the club hierarchy assuring the fans that they are taking their time to find the right man for the circumstances, speculation is rife that they are merely trying to find the cheapest option in order to compensate for the costly rebuilding of the Grandstand. A shortlist is compiled by the local press of possible candidates to take the Plainmoor hotseat and is discussed to death on the forums, each having their pros and cons. No-one however was quite ready for the appointment when it was made.
On June 13th Martin Ling strolled into Plainmoor early in the morning, and within a very short space of time was offered the job: he had not been on the shortlist discussed by supporter circles. His appointment was met with a mix of disbelief and hostility, many overlooking the superb stabilising project he undertook at Leyton Orient and instead focused on his problem-laden spell at Cambridge, unhelpfully fuelled by some damning verdicts from a couple of Cambridge fans.
The main problem with Ling’s appointment was that it caught everyone completely unaware, his name hadn’t been mooted anywhere in correspondence to the vacant position and as a result many fan’s opinions were simply knee-jerk reactions based purely on instinct. Had fans had a week to discuss his record in the same way they did with Chris Hargreaves or Nicky Forster then i daresay the reaction may have been more hospitable. Ling’s cause was not helped when almost immediately fan favourite’s Guy Branston and Chris Zebroski left the club.
I was not unhappy with the appointment, Martin’s record at Leyton Orient, a club of similar size to us, was impressive, his spell at Cambridge was a concern, but a little research showed the extenuating circumstances to his troubles there. His refreshingly honest and open manner was immediately endearing to me, a complete antithesis to being spoon-fed patronising garbage from the previous incumbent who believed his own hype a bit too much. I have met Martin Ling a couple of times during the season and he is warm and down to earth, very laid back and relaxed, I should imagine he had no problems getting the players on his side from the off.
Ling demonstrated very early on that he did indeed have ‘fingers in many pies’ and set about constructing his squad. Bobby Olejnik and Brian Saah were the first to sign, both with decent reputations. Eyebrows were raised by the signings of Chris McPhee and Martin Rice-; again rationalised out of context due to previous spells at the club, and Danny Stevens and Joe Oastler were re-signed having ran their contracts down last season. Daniel Leadbitter arrived from Newcastle to much intrigue. Rene Howe was seen as a bit of a coup having spent a fair few seasons in League One and a trial was offered to Kenyan Taiwo Atieno, one which he excelled on and was subsequently offered a one year deal on the back of its success.
Very quickly then, Martin Ling had assembled his squad, and that was without even hinting about dipping into the loan market. Comparisons were made between the squad that would start the forthcoming season, and the one that ended the previous one, inevitably so. On paper the squad looked to lack a bit of firepower, a conclusion fans would need to see first-hand during the upcoming friendlies. Crucially though, the majority of the clean sheet record defence had been kept together, and many had not allowed for how much Lee Mansell would relish being deployed in central midfield again, and how much responsibility would be given to starlet Eunan O’Kane during the season.
My first glimpse of the new-look Torquay team was the home friendly against Bristol City. It was weird to be at Plainmoor with the Grandstand now out of commission, but both intriguing and enjoyable throughout the season to watch the development come on. As someone who has only sat in the Grandstand once, I didn’t shed any tears when it was torn down, but I know it had seen some weird and wonderful times in its history, and I can’t wait to see Bristow’s Bench fully up and running, giving us a totally finished stadium to be proud of.
Martin Ling, dressed smartly in a suit, took his place on the bench to very little fanfare, you get the feeling he never wanted the limelight. Any doubts of lack of firepower were extinguished early on as Torquay ran out 2-0 winners with goals from two strikers; Atieno and Howe with O’Kane given the freedom of the pitch to pull the strings. Ian Morris who had tasted promotion success at Chesterfield the previous season.was signed in time for the next friendly against Exeter the following Wednesday. With the capture of Morris, Ling proclaimed his business had been done for the summer.
Torquay made light work of their Devon rivals running out 3-0 winners with goals for Billy Kee, Rene Howe and Ian Morris. Lloyd Macklin impressed on the night and it was refreshing to see every player in the squad being given a chance, all with a fresh slate to their name. In a very short space of time, albeit based on pre-season friendlies. Many fans could begin to see the logic behind Ling’s appointment and retracted their initial vitriol in favour of giving the manager a chance and support.
Rene Howe carried on his superb goal-scoring form by scoring for the third friendly running, a rocket against Burnley, a match with Torquay lost. This run of goals led me to put a bet on Howe to be league two top scorer with odds of 50-1 it looked like it might be good value when he notched in the opening two league games. Had he not missed large parts of the season due to suspension and injury I might have been £50 richer.
Torquay opened their Football league campaign on Saturday 8th August at Plainmoor against Burton Albion. With play not going according to plan and 2-0 down a few lingering doubts were coming to the surface but a late fight-back orchestrated by Eunan O’Kane saw Rene Howe and Lee Mansell each score to level the match. Mansell had cheekily asked for a goal bonus in his new contract, a fact which Kevin Nicholson found amusing and as such a bet was set up between the two best friends, a wager which would have embarrassing circumstances for Nico later on in the season.
The Gulls were dumped out of the League cup in the first round by a Southampton team who would go on to achieve promotion to the Premier League, a 4-1 score line flattered them somewhat, Mansell scoring for the second consecutive game.
The next match was a season highlight, and one which most Gulls fans had been waiting for ever since the fixtures were published: Bristol Rovers away, and no shortage of opposition players or management to prove a point to. Mustapha Carayol, Craig Stanley and Chris Zebroski were all met with torrents of abuse from the Yellow Army and Paul Buckle’s afternoon got more and more uncomfortable as Torquay raced into a 2 goal lead courtesy of Atieno and Howe, much to the delight of travelling Gulls who joyously sung ‘ you’re getting sacked in the morning.’ The situation was made all the more amusing by the fact that Buckle was being shadowed by Mark Clemmit of the ‘Football League Show’ ‘That’s Football’ was all Buckle could muster in trying to re-assure himself that losing 2-1 to the team he walked out on for bigger and better things was not a complete and utter embarrassment for him in his first game in front of his new home crowd.
Torquay won the match by playing good football and the joy on the faces of the majority of last season’s playing squad privately told me all I needed to know. If Martin Ling ever felt he needed to win friends at Torquay United, he couldn’t have chosen a better way to do it. I think that one match instantly dispelled any worries or protestations that the fans could have had about the appointment. It could have been more emphatic too had it not been for a mixture of poor finishing and good goalkeeping. Torquay followed up this morale-boosting victory with a win at the EBB stadium against Aldershot the following Tuesday. A poor game was decided by a goalkeeping mistake, Lee Mansell the beneficiary when his speculative 20 yard shot squirmed through the legs of the hapless keeper. Within two games in August this new look Torquay side had showed they could win playing well, and win playing badly.
Having already out-thought Paul Buckle, Martin Ling had another opportunity to improve his hero status when Crawley came to town. Sadly Crawley flexed their substantial financial muscles and outclassed Torquay, bringing the fans down to earth with a bump. Lee Mansell, revelling in his midfield role, scored his fourth of the season as Steve Evans continued to have his grubby hold over Plainmoor. Billy Kee left Plainmoor at the end of August, citing homesickness as an issue he couldn’t overcome. It was a shame that we never saw the best of Billy, who showed glimpses of quality but wasn’t always given a fair chance during his time at Plainmoor. He moved on to Burton and Lingy acted quickly bringing Billy Bodin in on loan from Swindon. Bodin would make his debut from the bench in the following game away to Dagenham and win the penalty which Rene Howe scored to equalise with.
A straightforward win over Macclesfield at home saw Torquay start September in positive fashion. The victory included Brian Saah’s first goal for the club, and Eunan O’Kane added the gloss in injury time, opening his account for the season with a delicate dink over the keeper, it was to be Torquay’s only win in a worrying spell of 9 games. A dull 0-0 draw with Northampton was followed up by 2 entertaining draws at home, the Plainmoor crowd treated to 10 goals including two for popular left-back Kevin Nicholson and two for young loanee Billy Bodin- his first in league football. These two matches showed that Torquay had no problem creating chances and scoring goals, but the number conceded at the other end was a cause for concern.
Torquay gave their worst performance of the season so far at the Greenhous Meadow, the scene of play-off joy just 4 months before. The Gulls struggled to get going and were outclassed by a team with real promotion aspirations, threatening to run riot, a 2-0 score line not really emphasising the dominance of the Shrews, and to compound the misery Rene Howe was sent off in injury time for a very avoidable incident with ex-Gull Reuben Hazell. Howe was sorely missed in the next match at Plainmoor where Torquay missed a whole host of chances inside the 18 yard box before conceding a late equaliser and were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with high-flying Morecambe, Lee Mansell notching his 5th of the season. Next up was a long trip to Bradford which too ended in disappointment, Torquay barely registered a shot on target against a team who played three quarters of the match with ten men, although they were able to call upon a certain Guy Branston who marshalled the defence with trademark guile and passion. The special entrance price of £5 was not money well spent as Bradford registered a rare win and Torquay’s winless run extended to six.
The dismal run soon totalled 8 as Torquay’s defensive frailties were gleefully exposed at the start of October. First, Gillingham visited the English Riviera and scored 5. Torquay had done so well to cancel out Gillingham’s half time lead with goals from Chris Robertson and Danny Stevens making it 2-2 with half an hour to play. The men from Kent stepped up a gear as the home side suffered their heaviest home defeat of the season and the manager suffered his first murmurings of discontent from the Plainmoor faithful. Ling responded by restoring Mark Ellis to the starting line up for the first time in the season as Torquay travelled to top of the table Southend hoping to put an end to their winless run. Half time at Roots Hall and a spirited display from the Gulls mean that the scores are level, deadlock still to be broken. A steward remarked that this is the sort of game Southend normally lose, I respond that all they would need is one goal and the flood-gates would open. With a predictable degree of inevitability Southend scored 4 in 15 minutes and looked like they could score from every attack as again Torquay’s deficiencies were laid bare for all to see.
By now the pressure on the manager was getting uncomfortably loud and vitriolic, disgruntled fans howling for wholesale changes to a squad seen by many as too weak to compete in league two. Calmly, Martin Ling told his critics that the answers lay within the squad he had assembled and it was up to him to find them. At this point I must admit I was slightly worried by the situation we found ourselves in, but had also seen us spurn enough chances to know that we were capable of winning matches if we could find a way of scoring more of our attempts at goal.
Whereas many other managers would have raided the loan market with relish, Martin Ling stuck to his word and kept faith with his squad, it proved to be the turning point of our season as Torquay would begin a run which would see them acquire 40 points from a possible 48. Ling showed why the board put all their faith in him to be the next manager, he realised new signings may have had a detrimental effect on team spirit and cast doubts over the signings he had made during the summer. Instead he shuffled his pack and changed the formation to a dynamic 4-5-1 with Damon Lathrope coming into the side, allowing Eunan O’Kane to play with more freedom in the attacking third.
The change in formation paid dividends straightaway as a Eunan O’Kane inspired Torquay overcame Wimbledon by 4 goals to 0 on a Tuesday night. Rene Howe, now playing as a lone striker, notching twice as well as goals for the young Irish maestro and the diminutive Danny Steven also enjoying his new role in the team cutting in from the left wing. 4 days later Torquay comfortably dispatched Hereford as the dark cloud over Plainmoor cast by the winless run was starting to dissipate. A third clean sheet in a row was recorded a week later at Gresty Road, and the travelling Gulls were treated to Torquay’s most complete performance of the season. Torquay won 3-0 and dominated from start to finish, attacking with wave upon wave of pulsating football, it was a joy to watch with Rene Howe, Lee Mansell and Billy Bodin all adding to their season tallies.
Torquay secured a place in round 2 of the FA cup in November with a comfortable victory over League one Chesterfield, beating a team from a higher division is always good for confidence and now playing with real freedom Torquay were flying high because of it. Next up was one of the first fixtures Torquay fans would have looked for when the fixtures were released: home to Devon rivals Plymouth Argyle. Crippled with debt and struggling at the wrong end of the table there would never be a better opportunity to register a victory over a team Torquay hadn’t beaten in more than 40 years, what occurred was a match few will forget for the next 40. A turgid first half was soon forgotten as Eunan O’Kane’s powerful half-volley from the edge of the box nestled in the bottom corner of the net. This signalled the beginning of an onslaught. 2 minutes later O’Kane bettered his tasty opener with an audacious lob from 40 yards which sailed into the top corner to send Plainmoor into unparalleled ecstasy. Torquay were again attacking in waves, threatening to rack up a rugby score as Danny Stevens finished off a crisp move for a glorious third, and though Argyle stemmed the tide and subsequently scored a last minute consolation it was the boys in Yellow who secured the bragging rights.
A cold Friday night in Burslem saw a spirited Torquay side keep their fourth clean sheet in five games, settling for a 0-0 draw against Port Vale and keeping the unbeaten run going. Torquay entered their second round FA cup tie at Brammal Lane high on confidence despite facing a Sheffield United team fighting for promotion in League One. An early goal from Rene Howe raised the chance of an upset before some uncharacteristically poor defending (based on recent form) led to 3 quick goals from the home side, Danny Stevens netting a late consolation as Torquay left Yorkshire with their heads held high. In my mind though the match will always be remembered for the sobering pre-match tribute to popular and well-respected modern football icon Gary Speed who took his own life in the week leading up to the game. As Brammal lane rose to its feet to remember a man who gave football so much it really hit home not only the positive community spirit evident in football, but how trivial our footballing grievances throughout the season are compared to an incident as shocking and hard-hitting as that.
Another Friday night league game followed, this time at home to Barnet and it would provide one of the season’s most iconic moments. An entertaining match saw Torquay spurn multiple good chances to score and it looked like time had ran out as the clock ticked dangerously near the 94 minute mark with the score at 0-0. Kevin Nicholson followed up on his own half-cleared long throw in, finding himself 30 yards out with the ball at his feet, his trusty left foot did not let him down as his venomous strike found the top corner to secure victory and once again send Plainmoor into hysterical jubilance. Torquay’s excellent 6 game unbeaten run would be ended in their last league game before Christmas, going down 3-1 against Accrington at a sub-zero Crown Ground. Missing a suspended Lee Mansell for the only time during the season, Torquay were well beaten in Lancashire, the match was as much as over when Rene Howe earned his second red card of the season for a lunge on an unassuming Accrington defender which consequently would see him miss 4 crucial matches. Chris McPhee mustered the smallest bit of Christmas cheer for the travelling fans by netting a consolation in the last minute, this time without the aid of a defender to direct it into the net for him.
Paolo Di Canio’s highflying Swindon team visited Plainmoor on Boxing Day keen to protect a long unbeaten run. Torquay would be keen to prove their promotion credentials and Martin Ling interested in bragging rights over the team he most famously played for. Ling’s faith in his squad and excellent man-management skills were again rewarded when Rene Howe’s replacement, Taiwo Atieno, scored the only goal of the game, and a now resilient Torquay defence were able to withstand a late Swindon onslaught to hold on for a famous win. Oxford were next to visit Plainmoor on News Year Eve but this time Torquay were unable to find the breakthrough, despite Joe Oastler rattling the cross bar. A 0-0 draw offered little by way of entertainment, but did supply an ever improving Torquay side with their 6th cleansheet in 8 matches.
2012 was to start off with a bang, and a day that 1983 Torquay supporters would never forget: Argyle away. Replicating the match at Plainmoor 7 weeks before, the first half was committed and combative but devoid of quality, the second half: completely different. Backed by the sound of nearly 2,000 united yellow voices packed into the away end Torquay set about unlocking the Argyle defence, Eunan O’Kane again instrumental in the centre of midfield. It was Billy Bodin who scored the crucial first, hooking into the corner of the net from inside the box to give the Torquay faithful a perfect parting gift before going back to Swindon. With their tails now up Torquay attacked at will and created chances at regular intervals. Minutes later inspirational leader and all-round nice guy Lee Mansell doubled the lead with a sweetly struck half-volley to send the Yellow Army into delirium. In 15 years of supporting Torquay only Southend in 2004 comes close to that volume of support, the noise and atmosphere created was something special to behold. Though Plymouth got one back late on to set up a grandstand finale, Torquay, with strong mental reserve, were able to hang on to secure a famous double over their neighbours and leave them perilously close to the relegation trap door.
2 tough away games were to follow, long journeys to Macclesfield and Morecambe would test Torquay’s promotion mettle. In previous seasons these games would serve to be ‘after the lord mayor show’s’ type occasions but this year’s squad would prove to be of sterner stuff recording a full tally of 6 points, Mark Ellis notching a crucial (and spectacular) overhead goal in each and Ian Morris nodding in his first for the club at Moss Rose. In both games Torquay spurned numerous chances to increase their lead, looking prone to score at every opportunity picking the opposition off time and time again on the counter attack. Of slight concern was the late consolation in each match which took the gloss ever so slightly off either victory, however 6 points from two very tough (and very cold!) fixtures was an excellent achievement.
Football returned to Plainmoor after an absence of 3 weeks and a run of 3 homes would garner a further 9 points as Torquay continued their sensational rise up the table. Two 1-0 wins over the bottom two teams in the league led to concerns in some quarters about level of performance, I was quite vocal at the time in praising the team in securing the two wins as 3 points was all I cared about. Matches against those at the foot of the table are always going to be potential banana skins so to me it was just important to get the job done. A Lee Mansell strike was enough to see off Dagenham on a Tuesday night, and the following Saturday a towering Mark Ellis header secured a fifth straight win for the Gulls who by now were firmly involved in the play-off area of the table.
Chris Robertson left at the end of January after a five year stay in Torquay, moving, for a fee believed to be around £60,000, to Preston in league one. Youngster Angus MacDonald was swiftly acquired on loan from Reading as cover, but it was Brian Saah, fit again after injury, who would step into ‘Robbo’s’ shoes and start making headlines. Next up at Plainmoor was promotion chasing Shrewsbury, a completely different proposition to the battler’s at the bottom of the table. Before the match Martin Ling and Mark Ellis were presented with their Manager and Player of the Month awards respectively as the accolades and records continued to stack up for the Gulls. An open game of football between two good footballing sides was settled in the second half by Taiwo Atieno, who managed to poke home from close range following a goal-mouth scramble as Torquay leapfrogged their opponents and into the automatic promotion positions.
Another tough test awaited the men in yellow as they travelled to top of the table Cheltenham on Valentines night. Torquay would later drive back down the M5 as league leaders (albeit briefly) after a fourth 1-0 victory on the trot. Ian Morris prodded home from close range in the first half to give the Gulls the lead, a lead which was protected by the players with their lives in the second half in front of 600 loud proud members of the Yellow Army. Brian Saah’s memorable header off the line from under his own cross bar encapsulated the spirit within the squad as the final whistle was met with joyous scenes from players and fans alike. Martin Ling, for the first time, was given his own special ovation, with Ling, it’s never about him or his achievements, but on this occasion he was happy to take the applause.
Bradford came to Plainmoor next, still struggling near the bottom of the table, but keen to prevent Torquay recording what would have been a record equalling eighth straight win. Chris McPhee, applauded for an admirable job in place of an injured Damon Lathrope at Cheltenham, kept his place in the midfield but was powerless to stop a Bradford team who packed the midfield and set about stifling Torquay’s free flowing play. The day started well with Danny Stevens tucking in nicely from the edge of the box, however brute of a centre forward Craig Fagan inspired the Yorkshire men to two quick goals to turn the game on its head. Torquay had no answer to Bradford parking the bus throughout the second half and fell agonisingly short of deservedly equalling the record.
Onto Gillingham away, a trip I nearly missed due to a faulty alarm clock, but I managed to get my act together and take my place on the scaff-holding away end. Perhaps it would have been better to stay in bed as Torquay fell to a 2-0 defeat without the confidence so richly evident in the couple of months before. Witnesses at Priestfield would be able to say though that they had seen one of the worst refereeing decisions of all time as a late red card for a professional foul was wrongly awarded to Joe Oastler who had been standing 20 yards away from actual culprit, and in no way doppelganger, Brian Saah. Saah would later get given the one match ban after the club appealed the referee’s monumentally awful mistake.
So two successive defeats had quickly diluted the excellent form that had seen Torquay United rise into the promotion picture. Some fans where worried that that would be as good as the season would get for the team, and that the wheels would fall off from here on in. In my opinion each member of the squad was playing at their absolute maximum, and when that happens we are a match for every team in the division, all it needs is for one or two players to have ‘off days’ and the machine doesn’t work so well. I was still confident that our season wasn’t going to peter out though for the simple reason of the excellent team spirit. With calls for reinforcements getting louder Ling responded by bringing in Ryan Jarvis until the end of the season. It wasn’t the signing many were expecting but having played for Ling at Leyton Orient, and having scored in the premier league, Jarvis looked to be an excellent piece of business. He joined the squad before the start of March a month that would see us play 8 times, 5 away from home. If we were still in the promotion hunt by the end of the month it would be one hell of an achievement.
March fixtures began with a grudge match at Crawley. Aggressive stewarding meant Torquay fans were herded into a corner of the stand like sardines until 5 minutes before kick-off. It was only when it became glaringly obvious to the head steward that Health and Safety law were in danger of being broken that common sense prevailed and the away end was extended further- a decision that should have been made half an hour before. It is obvious that these two clubs don’t like each other, chief villains in the episode being loathsome duo Evans and Raynor who, in trademark style, spent the entire match prowling the touchline. Any attempts to get under Torquay’s skin backfired spectacularly as the Gulls overcame the usual gamesmanship and a pitch resembling a farmer’s field to record another 1-0 victory, this time Eunan O’Kane netting with 10 minutes to go. Torquay finally gaining some sort of revenge for all the pain poured onto them by Crawley, Raynor and Evans, whose day being shadowed by the BBC got somewhat ruined.
Aldershot were next to visit Plainmoor, the division’s form team having won 6 on the trot. An early goal by Rene Howe was enough to nullify their threat as Torquay looked to have got over the disappointment of the two defeats in February and kick-started their promotion push with two successive 1-0 wins over strong opposition. Back in June the next fixture was one pinpointed by most Torquay fans, it would have seen the return of Paul Buckle to Plainmoor with his Bristol Rovers team. Sadly, as was so often the case, Buckle let down the Plainmoor faithful by denying this from happening. On this occasion we will let him off though as watching him royally balls-up proceedings at the Memorial Stadium was nearly as satisfying as the unbelievable results Torquay were pulling off. Buckle was sacked on the 2nd January having alienated himself from all at the club, Mark McGhee was appointed and quickly stabilised a team poised perilously near the foot of the table. A rejuvenated Rovers side raced into a 2 goal lead, including an excellent individual goal from ex Gull Chris Zebroski. Fears that Torquay had forgotten how to score more than one goal in a match were soon allayed when talisman Lee Mansell bagged a brace late on to earn Torquay a draw they barely deserved but continued to show the belief and team spirit possessed in bundles by the team.
Three tough away games awaited Torquay next, at Rotherham, Burton and Swindon respectively. Re-arranged after a February cold-snap, Rotherham away on a Tuesday was always going to be a tough ask, but nevertheless I took my place in the unique Don Valley Stadium and watched a smash and grab victory of the most fortuitous order. Under pressure for so long it was Torquay who scored the decisive goal in the first half, Lee Mansell heading in a pinpoint Kevin Nicholson cross to continue his season’s fine goal-scoring form. Torquay rode their luck throughout the match and had Bobby Olejnik to thank once again for keeping the slate clean, and though Ryan Jarvis hit the bar late on, Rotherham certainly deserved a share of the spoils at the very least.
The most pernickety of fans were still critical of the narrow margin of most of our matches, close and edgy affairs, more often than not involving an element of luck and settled by one moment of inspiration. It was satisfying therefore to come away from Burton with a 4-1 win, Torquay’s 4th victory in 5 games. Early goals from Danny Stevens and Lee Mansell set the tone for the match as Torquay rediscovered their crisp passing football, O’Kane in particular upping his game. Burton pulled a goal back but Torquay showed their character soon after, Rene Howe curling in a delicious third from 20 yards and Taiwo Atieno adding the gloss with a confident finish in the last minute, there was even time for Bobby Olejnik to save a penalty as Torquay’s promotion push was quickly gaining momentum.
A trip to top of the table Swindon ended a week of travelling, and it proved to be one journey too far for Torquay, going down 2-0 to a superior Swindon team who would end up running away with the title. With little time to feel sorry for themselves Torquay faced Port Vale at TQ1 the following Saturday looking for a response, their reserves of character would again be tested when they fell behind at half time to a hard-working mid-table team who would surely be nearer the top had it not been for administration problems. After a few abrupt words at half-time a more purposeful Torquay side took the field for the second half and luck intervened to get them back into the match. Rene Howe, now revelling in bullying centre halves, was hauled back inside the box and a penalty was awarded and a Red Card subsequently brandished to the hapless defender. Howe dusted himself down and sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot, and minutes later the turnaround was complete when Ryan Jarvis popped up at the far post to head in the winner, and his first goal for the club.
March ended with a Friday night trek to Underhill to play perennial strugglers Barnet. It was another match where Torquay won despite playing nowhere near their maximum. In fact no-one in Yellow could have complained had Barnet been 3 goals up at half time. McCleod in particular was wasteful in front of goal, a rare off day for the striker who would eventually top the league two scoring charts. In the first half the striker was felled by Olejnik, who was fortunate not to be sent off, and his resultant penalty struck the post and rolled to safety. Into the second half and Torquay scored with their only meaningful passage of play, Danny Stevens’ classy finish, lifting the ball over the keeper from a tight angle, separated the teams to give the 550 away fans something to cheer about.
So the tricky month of March had ended and Torquay had won six, drawn one, and lost once in their eight fixtures. Fatigue was showing no signs of affecting the squad who once again had found the ability to play at their absolute maximum. With six league fixtures remaining Torquay had given themselves every chance of achieving the unthinkable and gaining automatic promotion. In second place in the table as it stood, it looked like a battle between Torquay, Shrewsbury and Crawley as to who would hold their nerves. I was supremely confident at this point, having seen Torquay win on numerous occasions through resilience and team spirit alone I boldly predicted Torquay would be celebrating promotion after the home match against Crewe at the end of April.
Martin Ling again declined the opportunity to add to his squad keeping faith with the players who had taken Torquay to the brink of promotion as Accrington visited the south coast on Good Friday. Torquay recorded their 12th 1-0 victory of the season courtesy of a curling effort from Rene Howe with 20 minutes remaining as the Gulls continued to answer the questions posed by those below them. The matches were coming thick and fast as Torquay visited the Kassam on Easter Monday. Rene Howe’s early goal gave Torquay the lead, they were playing with freedom and confidence and had two more goals chalked off for off-side either side of the interval. To this day I am still not 100% sure why O’Kane’s goal was disallowed, and I think it acted as a sucker-punch to the players on that day too, at 2-0 it would likely have been game over, however in reality the decision galvanised a faltering Oxford team who stepped up a gear and took the lead through two quick and well taken goals. Ian Morris’ red card for a spot of fisticuffs did not help matters but once again Torquay showed their character in abundance and refused to be beaten. A speculative effort from Taiwo Atieno found its way into through the hands of the keeper and into the net to spark mad scenes from the joyous away crowd. I remember saying on the way out of the Kassam that Tai had just scored the goal that would take us up and seeing it as very much a case of one point gained as opposed to two points dropped.
Five days later a strong and organised Southend team rolled up at TQ1 looking for the points which would see them continue their own climb up the table towards automatic promotion. Paul Sturrock’s physical team had the better of a game bereft of quality, going closest when a powerful free-kick rebounded off the bar. Both teams looked satisfied in having not lost, rather than disappointed in not winning. The promotion equation was getting more simple by the match, Shrewsbury had won their games in hand and now looked uncatchable in second place. This meant a straight shoot-out realistically between Torquay and Crawley for third place, whoever gained more points in the three remaining fixtures would go up. As Lee Mansell would memorably tweet in trademark war-cry mode ‘whose got the bottle?, I’m telling you we have’
The first of the three final games was away to AFC Wimbledon, a team with little to play for but professional pride, often the sort of team who can trip you up. Torquay sold out their paltry 625 away allocation and were in good voice, confident, squeezed into very underwhelming facilities. Torquay failed to get into their stride, in fact failing to get a shot on target all game. So often the case this season when the game has remained goalless for so long, have Torquay found the crucial intervention to break the deadlock. It just did not materialise on this occasion and Wimbledon scored two late goals to give the Dons a deserved victory. All was not lost however as news filtered through that Crawley could only draw with Dagenham, a slight reprieve therefore and another chance to take the advantage next week at home to Crewe.
After the match it was revealed that Bobby Olejnik, Kevin Nicholson, Lee Mansell and Eunan O’Kane had all been selected in the PFA League Two team of the season, as voted by their fellow professionals. A quite unbelievable achievement when you consider that this constitutes over a third of that team. Runaway leaders Swindon only supplied one player into this team so it just goes to illustrate the level of consistency and quality these four players have been playing at all season. I am pretty sure four candidates from one team in unprecedented, it is an achievement that every fan should be proud of, and one I doubt is replicated for a very long time, it is also testament to the team spirit and belief that Martin Ling has instilled in the squad, giving them the freedom to express themselves fully on the pitch.
Before the Crewe game there were nerves aplenty on the TUFC message boards and across social media, I however was calm, the occasions that we, as football fans, live for and should lap up when they come along. Any nerves from the crowd could doubtless be transferred to the pitch so it was important to create an atmosphere of confidence to spur the players on. A very open match between two good football teams remained goalless at half time, and also goalless at the Crawley game. Torquay opened the scoring early in the second half, Danny Stevens instinctively hitting home a rasping drive from the edge of the box to give the home side a deserved lead. Simultaneously, Hereford were doing us a massive favour by beating Crawley 1-0. And then at updated intervals throughout the match, 2-0 and then 3-0, cue popside pandemonium...and panic on the pitch.
News had clearly got through to the players that as it stood we could be heading into the final fixture with a massive two point advantage, accordingly the performance started to be affected. Having squandered a couple of glaring opportunities to make the game safe, Crewe saw an opportunity to counter-attack and search for the equaliser that would keep their own play-off aspirations alive, penning Torquay in their own 18 yard box for the last 20 minutes. The pressure took its toll as Mark Ellis clumsily gave away a penalty and narrowly avoided a red card. Bobby Olejnik dived to his right and pulled off a superb penalty save and maybe, just maybe, it was going to be our season. By now searching for the second goal had long since been abandoned as Torquay defended deeper and deeper confident in their ability to protect a lead. A skill they had been most proficient at during the season. In this time Crewe rattled the bar and had the ball flying round the Torquay box almost at will, and had many Torquay fan’s hearts in their mouths and fingernails between their teeth.
The full time whistle had long since blown at Crawley to signal their defeat as the game at Plainmoor entered the fourth minute of four minutes injury time. If Torquay could see out the last sixty seconds they would travel to Edgar Street on the last day with a two point advantage and with destiny in their own hands. What occurred was probably the most sickening, numbing and heartbreaking sixty seconds of my Torquay United life. A loose ball fell kindly to a Crewe man on the edge of the box, his miss-hit shot looked to be troubling the corner flag more than the goal frame until it was trapped perfectly by highly rated youngster Nick Powell. Without needing to get the ball out from under his feet Powell shot powerfully at goal through a crowd of players and the ball beat an unsighted Olejnik. Torquay players fell to the floor as a stunned silence overcame Plainmoor, for once Torquay had not held on, but the torment did not end there.
With barely seconds left on the clock Torquay showed one last unparalleled feat of character and created one last chance. A long throw by Kevin Nicholson caused chaos in the Crewe box as bodies flew in from all angles and the ball was nudged over the line as Plainmoor erupted. The goal was disallowed and wild celebrations were cruelly cut short again as it was adjudged that the Crewe goalkeeper had been fouled in the ensuing melee, a fact vehemently denied by those sat behind the goal. From having one foot in League One one minute, Torquay were left with it all to do on the final day of the season, despite being level on points with 3rd placed Crawley, Torquay’s goal difference was vastly inferior. Quite simply the equation was win at Hereford and hope for the best.
As the players came back out after the final whistle for what they hoped would be the final time at Plainmoor for a lap of honour it was obvious on the look on the majority of the player’s faces that they were as broken as the fans. Despite the best efforts of a few to raise the spirits for one final push I think as a community we knew the game was up, and in the most sickening way possible.
And so to the worst stadium in England on a day where it was vying to become our favourite ground in England. Travelling more in hope than expectation 1,500 Torquay fans sold out their allocation and packed the dilapidated ground. The first half did not go according to plan, it was disastrous, 3-0 down at half time and Torquay’s promotion dream was in tatters. Torquay had not taken their chances at one end whilst Hereford had buried each and every one of theirs. Atieno and Jarvis quickly got Torquay back into the match, but as news came through that Crawley had scored at Accrington, whatever happened in front of our eyes was becoming irrelevant. Torquay eventually lost 3-2 and missed out on automatic promotion, and were even overtaken into 4th place by Southend. Torquay finished fifth in league two and with their highest ever points total. In any other season that would be a cause for massive celebration but given the events of the last few weeks it was of little consolation.
Torquay would face Cheltenham in the play-off semi finals. The second half performance at Edgar Street gave Torquay fans renewed optimism that they could progress. With memory of our Valentine’s Day victory etched in my head I travelled to Whaddon Road for the seventh time for a ridiculous kick off time of midday. Torquay dominated the opening exchanges, Lee Mansell and Ryan Jarvis both going closest for the Gulls but failing to convert. Cheltenham created two clear chances either side of half time and clinically took them both via an acute finish from Jermaine McGlashan and a looping header from veteran Ben Burgess. No sooner had Burgess made it two did Torquay have their best chance of the match, Ryan Jarvis’ header from close range cannoning back off the crossbar. At 2-1 it would have become a completely different match, and a different play-off tie, as it was a 2-0 deficit was always going to be tough to overturn. Cheltenham had given Torquay a pretty stern lesson in taking your chances when they come along.
Four days later the teams met in the second leg at TQ1. Martin Ling choosing to keep faith in the 4-5-1 formation that had served him so well throughout the season, despite calls for a switch for 4-4-2 in search of the goals needed to turn the tie on its head. Rene Howe was absent, having limped off early during the first leg, so Ryan Jarvis led the line, Danny Stevens recovered from illness to take his place on the wing as I took my place on the terrace for the final time of a long season hoping to witness a minor miracle.
At half time I have no idea how the tie wasn’t at the very least level, or how Torquay were not out of sight at the most. Scott Brown in the Cheltenham goal had pulled off a series of inspired reaction stops and Torquay had also hit the woodwork twice in a half they dominated from start to finish. For 20 minutes Cheltenham could barely get out of their own 18 yard box as Torquay pegged them back with attack after attack of free-flowing football. In that half alone Torquay deserved to be at Wembley, they did enough to prove to me that they were the superior team. 5 minutes after the restart Scott Brown was at it again, defying conventional goalkeeping physics to parry the ball over his bar as Torquay’s confidence drained through failure to score the decisive goal.
With 15 minutes to go McGlashan scored the tie’s crucial goal and ended any hope of a Torquay comeback. In that one moment where McGlashan’s effort hit the net via keeper and post, Torquay had learnt a harsh lesson in the importance of converting your chances. Over the 160 minutes Cheltenham had created considerably less chances than Torquay, but crucially scored when it mattered, it was a skill we possessed for a long period of the season, but lost in the final run in. Taiwo Atieno briefly raised false hope when he headed home with less than 10 minutes to go, and despite probing valiantly for another, Torquay came up short on answers. Marlon Pack added the gloss with a scintillating 30 yard free-kick and that was it, season over.
Upon that goal 1,000 casual fans streamed towards the exits, whilst the loyal 2000 hardcore stayed until the bitter end to applaud their team off the Plainmoor pitch one final time. Whilst Cheltenham’s victory party was in full swing at one end of the pitch, the men in Yellow were being serenaded with ‘Martin Ling’s Yellow Army’ by a crowd who have been spoilt by great memories all season. The season might have ended but the team and club remain to try again next season. There is a feeling among the majority at Plainmoor that next season could well surpass this year’s achievements especially with in the hands of the honest, straight-talking and methodical man we have in charge. As I walked away from Plainmoor for the final time of the 2011/2012 season I felt a fair bit of disappointment but an over-riding feeling of immense pride.
It has been a week since the Cheltenham defeat, and a week of quiet reflection for me. At the start of the season I was unsure what to expect, I was not underwhelmed by the appointment of Martin Ling, only disappointed it wasn’t one of the candidates i had acquainted myself with over the summer. What I ended up with was probably the most enjoyable season I have experienced as a Torquay fan. Only the football produced by Leroy’s team in 2004 can beat the current squad for entertainment, but for stand out moments this season wins hands down. Beating Rovers in August was an unbelievable day out, and beating Argyle twice I am sure will not be repeated again for a while. Whilst the atmosphere created at Home Park is still ringing in my ears and gets a cheeky re-watch on you-tube every now and then.
Going top on Cheltenham was a top night out, whilst wiping the smirk off Steve Evans’ face at Crawley was as satisfying as any result in recent memory. We have recorded some unbelievable records this season- most away wins in a season, most 1-0’s, 7 wins in a row, clean-sheets, and of course four players in team of the season are all testament of consistency and resolve of our club.
And then I have the moments of individual brilliance to look back on, the moments that made the hairs stand on up on the back of the net, the moments where I lost my head for 30 seconds of my life in a football fuelled state of euphoria. Eunan’s second against Argyle was a moment of pure opportunism and genius, whilst Nicho’s last minute thunderbolt against Barnet was pure theatre and drama. Mansell’s goal at Home Park sparked the sort of wild celebrations you only really get to experience once every few years if you are lucky. Bobby’s penalty save against Crewe gave me the belief we were actually going to go up automatically.
At the start of the season I didn’t set out to watch every league match this season, it sort of happened as it went along. My love for Torquay must be pretty strong if I am willing to go to northern hovels like Accrington, Macclesfield and Morecambe in the grip of winter. It is testament to the team spirit and feel-good feeling at our football club that I want to be a part of it every single week. Martin Ling must take enormous credit for that. He has quietly and efficiently gone about a difficult job of picking up the pieces left by the previous manager last summer and has created a stronger unit than ever before. In doing so he has brought out the best in previous underachievers such as Stevens and Ellis, garnered career best seasons from older professionals such as Mansell and Nicholson, nurtured young and exciting talent in Lathrope and O’Kane and brought in Torquay legends in the making such as Brian Saah and Bobby Olejnik.
He has done this with a minimum of fuss and whenever possible showed faith in the squad he assembled in the summer. What he has at his disposal for next season is a core of 10 players who have a year’s experience of playing at the top of the league for pretty much an entire season. This will stand us in good stead for next season which already promises to be very exciting, especially with the opening of Bristow’s Bench. The team spirit is excellent and it is refreshing to hear the manager say the right things, not treat the fans as idiots and importantly get his key men signed up on long contracts.
It was galling to miss out on promotion when for so long it looked so likely. Eunan’s disallowed goal at Oxford was, for me, the turning point. Since then, luck, our ability to conjure up the decisive moment, the ability to put the ball in the back of the net deserted us and it’s fair to say we started to run out of steam for our run in. Nick Powell’s goal was a sucker punch and extremely painful but had we won at Oxford I believe we would have been promoted by then. No doubt we will all spend all summer analysing the ifs and buts and maybes but the conclusion I will keep coming back to is what an amazing season I have just enjoyed, and what a proud Gulls fan I am.
