After a turbulent last twelve months, United are heading into 2025 on a high
It may not quite have been the 125th anniversary year that United’s loyal supporters may have anticipated, but after a worrying start to 2024, Torquay United is heading into the New Year in much better shape than they started the last one – on and off the pitch.
Here, we take a look back at a year that none of the Yellow Army will ever forget.
January
As 2024 got underway, there was not any immediate signs of the trouble that lay ahead, even if United’s form on the field of play was cause for concern.
Having been as high as 2nd in late December, back-to-back defeats against Chelmsford and Truro had soured the festive mood amongst the Yellow Army. However, with goals from Dillon De Silva and Will Jenkins Davies giving Gary Johnson’s side a 2-1 lead at home to Eastbourne, it looked as though the new year was going to start in perfect fashion. Unfortunately, in what was possibly a sign of things to come, there was disappointment and frustration at Plainmoor, as a late, late equaliser left The Gulls having to settle for a point.
Torquay’s FA Trophy journey came to an abrupt end the following weekend at Hereford (0-2), and although The Gulls managed to secure four points in their next two outings at home to Dover (1-0) and away to Chippenham (1-1), the month ended with a 4-2 defeat at Worthing that left United’s play-off aspirations in jeopardy.
As February would dictate though, that would soon be the last of their worries.
February
The second month of 2024 will undoubtedly go down as one of the most traumatic in the club’s 125-year history.
Beginning with a 0-4 home thumping by St Albans, three more reverses followed, as Maidstone (2-3 away) and Slough (3-4 home) made the most of Torquay’s defensive frailties, before a tame 1-0 defeat away to Braintree made it five successive defeats for Johnson’s men. A goalless midweek draw at Farnborough at least halted that sorry run, but by the end of the week, that had all been largely forgotten.
A behind-the-scenes meeting with staff on Thursday, 22nd February soon gave way to the social media and online forum rumour mill, until official confirmation finally came through just after 1pm – Chairman Clarke Osbourne was stepping away, and Torquay United’s precarious future now lay in hands of administrators.
The news was met with shock not just by United supporters, but also the wider footballing world, and by the end of the afternoon, the Club’s manager had left too, as Gary Johnson’s departure by mutual consent brought an end to his five and a half years at the helm.
Although his side had been in poor form since the turn of the year, the history books will always confirm that Johnson was the first manager in over 90 years to secure a league title with the club, and it was only a controversial defeat at Ashton Gate that prevented him following that up by leading United back into the EFL just two years later.
Aaron Downes immediately stepped into the breach, and was appointed Interim Manager until the end of the season.
Amid all the concern in and around the Club, one source of hope and inspiration shone through it all – the club’s magnificent supporters.
With a plea going out to the Yellow Army to support TUFC in its hour of need, United’s fans would ultimately keep the club afloat during the course of the troubling weeks and months that lay ahead.
With ticket sales, shop purchases, bar takings and donations all flooding into the club in a bid to help keep it alive, the dynamic of matchdays at Plainmoor suddenly changed.
A seasonal best attendance of 3,642 may not have quite witnessed the result they desired against Aveley – a 2-2 draw after being two goals up – however, the passion on display in an emotionally charged stadium that afternoon will live long in the memories of those present, and confirmed what we all knew – this was a club worth saving.
March
The goodwill aiding United’s off-field fight for survival also came from outside of United’s own fanbase.
With Downes’ side facing a trip to Weymouth at the beginning of March, an extraordinary act of generously saw Weymouth donate £5 from every away ticket sold towards paying the Club’s wages, with a total of nearly £3,000 going towards the Club’s fighting fund. It’s another gesture that again will stand the test of time.
On the pitch, The Gulls secured a 1-1 draw in Dorset, before a return home saw them clinch an ultimately vital three points following a 4-1 thrashing of Dartford.
Just when fanciful hopes of a Play-Off push against the odds began to rear their heads, another nightmare week saw Torquay looking over their shoulder at the other end of the table instead.
As if a ten-point deduction for administration wasn’t bad enough, a further one-point deduction was imposed for fielding an ineligible player in the fixture at Weymouth, as chaos appeared to reign at Plainmoor.
Things couldn’t have gone much worse results-wise either, with back-to-back hammerings at home to Taunton (0-3) and at Tonbridge four days later (4-1) suddenly leaving United in a genuine relegation dogfight.
A 1-0 home win against promotion-chasing Hampton & Richmond – courtesy of captain Asa Hall’s penalty – breathed new life into The Gulls’ battle, with Neil Warnock, Michael Westcott and Torquay United Supporters Trust Chairman Nick Brodrick amongst the interested onlookers in Plainmoor’s Family Stand.
For now though, with boardroom negotiations remaining private, all eyes were focused on the pitch, as Downes’ men were brought back down to earth on Good Friday after a 0-3 defeat at Champions-to-be, Yeovil Town.
April
The final month of any season is always an important one, and few in and around Plainmoor were totally sure whether the club would still be around for the next one. Even fewer would have predicted what division United would be plying their trade in.
An 3-3 home draw with Weston-super-Mare on Easter Monday may have been entertaining but only yielded a point, and when that was followed up by a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Welling the following Saturday, Torquay’s final four games took on added importance.
A 2-1 win at Truro, thanks to goals from loan star Arkell Jude-Boyd and top scorer Brad Ash, gave United a measure of breathing space, only for a 1-0 defeat at Bath City – combined with unfavourable results elsewhere – seeing that evaporate ahead of the penultimate game of the season at fellow strugglers Taunton – a side that had comprehensively beaten them at Plainmoor just a month earlier.
The equation for Aaron Downes’ side was relatively straightforward: A win would see The Gulls safe – on the field at least, whilst a draw would leave things very much in the balance going into the last day. Defeat however, would leave Torquay staring directly down the barrel of Southern League football for 2024/25.
Once again, the Yellow Army acted in the only way they knew, by throwing their unwavering support behind their side. Venturing up to Somerset in the spring sunshine, Wordsworth Drive almost became a home game for The Gulls.
First-half strikes from Brett McGavin and Asa Hall gave United a seemingly comfortable 2-0 half-time advantage, before a Taunton onslaught in the second half saw the deficit halved, and nerves on the pitch and terraces rise once more.
United held on though, and at full-time, an outpouring of relief brought genuine smiles on the faces of players, staff and fans – for what seemed like the first time in months.
A final day rout over already-relegated Havant & Waterlooville ended a hugely testing season on a happy note, however the real fight for survival was still going on.
With no obvious sign of progress as United’s search for new owners intensified, United’s long-suffering supporters waited with bated breath as their club headed into an uncertain close season.
May
If February had seen the club hit rock-bottom, then May was the month when a bright new future truly came into view.
It was only fitting that on 1st May 2024 – the 125th anniversary of the club’s formation in 1899 – the Club’s administrators announced that The Bryn Consortium of Michael Westcott, Tom Allen, Mark Bowes-Cavanagh, Rob Hawes, Matt Corby and Simon Robinson had been confirmed as the preferred bidder in the proposed sale of the Club.
Following a whirlwind few days after weeks of silence, United supporters far and wide met the news with understandable delight, and all of a sudden, things began to happen remarkably quickly thereafter.
After reaching an agreement with the administrators on May 10th, it was only four days later that the club announced a new manager would be overseeing United’s 2024/25 campaign.
Aaron Downes’s committed performances as a United player between 2012-2015 had already ensured the Yellow Army would always hold him in high regard, however after ensuring United’s safety in hugely testing circumstances, his stock arguably rose even higher. However, with a new board signalling a change in direction in all aspects of the club, former Truro City manager Paul Wotton was identified as the man to lead the new-look Gulls forward, with his old boss at Plymouth Argyle, Neil Warnock, joining the TUFC revolution as Football Advisor.
A much lauded social media video – backed up by a Press Call at the Livermead Hotel – helped to herald in a new era at the Club, before fans were given their first taste of being a true part of their new club, by voting for United’s new away shirt, as VX3 were announced as TUFC’s new kit suppliers.
The arrival of Mike Edwards as Wotton’s new assistant was another positive move, before the Yellow Army got the news they were really waiting for on the final day of the month, as on Friday 31st May it was announced that the club’s administrators had handed control of Torquay United to the preferred bidders – The Bryn Consortium.
June
With the transfer embargo lifted, it soon became apparent there was a race against time to get a squad assembled in time for the new campaign.
United’s new manager – backed by the new board – wasted little time in putting together a fresh, new-look set of faces tasked with the challenge of making a real go of it in 2024/25.
Although the retained list saw a number of old favourites depart Plainmoor, June alone saw the arrival of no less than twelve new additions, as Jay Foulston, Oscar Threlkeld, Lirak Hasani, Sam Dreyer, James Hamon, Jadyn Crosbie, Roddy Collins, Ben Seymour, Matt Carson, Ed Palmer, Dan Hayfield and Jordan Dyer all made the switch to the English Riviera, whilst Finley Craske, Brad Ash, Dean Moxey all extending their stays at the club.
July
The wave of positivity gathered further momentum in July, as United’s swiftly-assembled new squad – boosted by more new arrivals – headed into a pre-season campaign some Gulls fans feared would never take place.
A goalless draw at a sodden Buckland Athletic was proof enough of United’s resurgence, as over 1,000 fans packed into Homers Heath, before a trip to Tavistock saw United run out 4-0 winners. A step up in class saw Wotton’s former club Plymouth Argyle – Wayne Rooney et al – secure a 2-0 win in front of a sold-out Plainmoor, before Torquay gained a share of the local bragging rights the following week, courtesy of a 2-2 draw with League one neighbours Exeter City.
A 3-0 away win at Tiverton rounded off the warm-up campaign nicely, before all at Plainmoor set their sights on the real thing on August 10th.
August
3,837 supporters welcomed in United’s 2024/25 campaign – even if it didn’t get off to the best of starts!
There were just four minutes on the clock when Enfield Town – clearly relishing their roles as plucky underdogs – took a shock lead, however it wouldn’t be too long before Wotton’s side showed they were up for the fight. Goals from Matt Carson and Brad Ash had turned the game on its head by the interval, and despite chances for both sides in the second period, that was the way it stayed until full-time, as the Yellow Army celebrated a first-day victory – perhaps a little more than ever before.
An away defeat at Farnborough (0-1) the following weekend may have been a brief setback, however United responded well by reeling off three straight wins against Bath (2-1, away), Dorking (1-0, home) and at Chesham (3-2), before ending the opening month of the new season on a somewhat poetic note – a home draw against Aveley (1-1).
September
A 3-0 home win over Chippenham saw The Gulls start September in style, as first-half strikes from Lirak Hasani, Ed Palmer, and Dan Hayfield saw The Gulls seal a comfortable victory for Wotton’s charges.
United were soon made brutally aware though, that not all things would go their way.
A controversial 2-0 defeat at Welling – where Cody Cooke had a first-half strike bizarrely ruled out – may have left Torquay feeling aggrieved, however they could have no complaints regarding their FA Cup loss at Bishops Cleeve, as a dismal 3-0 defeat saw United make an early exit at the 2nd Qualifying stage.
In hindsight, it may yet prove to be a turning point in the season – only time will tell – however September finished in a similar way to August, with another 1-1 home draw, as St Albans went home with a share of the spoils at Plainmoor.
October
October began with more positive news off the pitch, as the conclusion of the Torquay United Supporters Trust’s Community Share Issue saw a total of £272,501 secure TUST a 28.6% shareholding in the Club, and with it, two places on the TUFC board, as Danni Wyatt joined Nick Brodrick in the Plainmoor Directors’ Box.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, seven points from a possible nine saw The Gulls continue their progression up the National League South table, with wins away at Hampton & Richmond (1-0) and at home to Worthing (2-1) coming either side of a 1-1 draw at fellow challengers Eastbourne.
A below-par showing at Hornchurch (1-2) was a stark reminder of the continuing threat posed by all teams throughout the division, but as the closing months on 2024 approached, United appeared ready to step things up a gear.
November
With United racing into a two-goal lead inside twenty minutes against Chelmsford thanks to Cody Cooke and new signing Jordan Young, it appeared as though November would be starting in perfect fashion, before a fightback from the visitors saw the points shared ar Plainmoor.
A midweek away triumph at Salisbury (1-0) was followed by two more home draws against Tonbridge (0-0) and Maidstone (1-1), before FA Trophy progression was secured thanks to Dan Hayfield’s stunning free-kick at home to Truro.
United’s defence was becoming increasingly difficult for opponents to pierce, and although a 0-0 draw at Boreham Wood may have lacked significant goalmouth action, the last two games of the month certainly made up for that, as The Gulls faced up to two teams at either ends of the table.
In what has since become one of those ‘I was there’ matches, league leaders Weston-super-Mare served early notice of their intent in United’s next outing, as they took an early lead at Plainmoor.
Aware that a Weston win would see a sizeable gap open up at the top of the NLS table – the Yellow Army rallied and roared their side on, and as has happened so many times in the past, those in yellow responded in style.
Goals from Lirak Hasani and Will Jenkins Davies turned the game upside down, and although Weston levelled up just before the break, a late first-half penalty appeared to put Torquay back in the driving seat.
Cooke’s missed spot-kick saw the sides level-pegging at the change of ends, and when Hasani received his marching orders just after the restart, it would have been a brave person that would have backed The Gulls to gain maximum points at that stage.
Against the odds though, United summoned the energy to absorb the numerical deficit, and with Cooke putting his penalty disappointment behind him with two memorable second-half strikes, United ran out impressive 4-2 winners in monsoon-like conditions on the English Riviera.
Four days later, United hit four again – this time at Enfield (4-1), as their surge towards top spot gained further momentum.
December
With Paul Wotton having been awarded the Manager of the Month award for November, Gulls fans may have been concerned the perceived curse of the managerial gong may have been about to strike again – but they need not have worried, as United scaled new heights as 2025 came into view.
FA Trophy progress at home to Horsham (2-0), followed up by league wins over Farnborough (2-0) and Hemel Hempstead (1-0) meant that United not only reached the halfway point unbeaten at Plainmoor, but also top of the NLS pile to boot, with a Boxing Day draw at Weymouth keeping them a point clear of their nearest challengers.
Of course, there’s a long way to go yet, but if 2024 has taught us anything, it’s to enjoy every moment that this wonderful football club has to offer.
Because when all is said and done, it’ll always be your football club.
Happy New Year, Yellow Army – Here’s to a successful 2025!