As 2021 draws to a close, we look back at some of United’s many highlights during the course of the past twelve months.
January
With Gary Johnson’s Gulls leading the way in the National League at the turn of the year, there was a rare setback in United’s opening game of 2021, as Yeovil Town fought back from falling behind at Huish Park and emerge with a late, late 2-1 victory. Despite there being no league action for the next three weeks, there was further success in the FA Trophy, as Torquay secured a 4-0 away win at Boreham Wood, before The Gulls continued their dominance in the league by securing goalless draws against promotion rivals Notts County (away) and Sutton (home), prior to ending the month with a 2-0 win at Barnet, thanks to goals from Ben Whitfield and Jake Andrews.
February
The second month of the year began with a bump, as number of injuries to key players threatened to derail the Club’s promotion bid, with those absentees keenly felt in United’s three home League matches, against Altrincham (1-2), Wealdstone (1-1) and Halifax (2-3), before The Gulls got back to winning ways on the road with a 2-1 success at Solihull Moors, with Asa Hall and Billy Waters on the scoresheet. There was also further Trophy progress at Southport (2-0), although the team bowed out at Woking in the Quarter-Finals (0-1) amid controversial circumstances in the following round, as a last-gasp equaliser for Johnson’s charges was harshly ruled out.
March
Despite doing their utmost to continue their hitherto outstanding form, the continuing absence of a number of players heralded a dip in form at the beginning of March, allowing Sutton to oust Torquay at the National League summit. Three winless matches against Hartlepool (0-1, home), Boreham Wood (0-0, away) and Maidenhead (1-4, away) seemed to hit United’s promotion hopes hard, however back-to-back home wins over King’s Lynn (1-0, Scott Boden) and Solihull (2-0, Andrews & Adam Randell) was just a taster of things to come, despite The Gulls heading into April on the back of a disappointing 1-0 reverse at Dagenham.
April
With seven matches ahead of them in a packed month, the men in yellow looked to have it all to do to re-establish their promotion credentials – but they responded in irrepressible style. Unbeaten throughout – with six wins out of seven, things began superbly with Danny Wright emerging from the bench to earn a late 1-0 win at home to old rivals Woking on Good Friday, before it was more of the same three days later, as Sam Sherring’s stoppage-time goal at Wrexham earned his side their first win in North Wales in 33 years. A dramatic come-from-behind win over Weymouth followed with Andrews and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans grabbing the goals, before all eyes turned to Gander Green Lane as the National League’s two best sides battled it out. Again, it was Johnson’s charges who rose to the occasion, as Asa Hall capped another captain’s performance with the only goal of the game. A week later, all the damage was done early on, as Scott Boden and Lemonheigh-Evans struck in the opening stages to earn The Gulls a comfortable 2-0 win at Woking. The last two results of an epic April saw Torquay’s battling spirit in full view, as they battled back from 0-2 down with fifteen minutes remaining to salvage a draw at home to Notts County, before another last-gasp effort against Aldershot saw one point turned into three in a 2-1 victory.
May
A superb strike from Waters got May off to a bang, with Hall and Andrews following suit to clinch a fine 3-1 win at home to Eastleigh, however it was the manner of a first-ever victory at Chesterfield two days later that really saw people sit up and take notice, as goals from Lemonheigh-Evans and Waters enabled The Yellow Army to watch their team – still via livestream at this point – return to the top of the tree with just four games remaining. Yet, despite stretching their unbeaten run until the end of the season, four successive draws against Bromley (0-0, home), Stockport (2-2, away), Barnet (2-2, home) and Altrincham (0-0, away) meant United had to settle for second place and a place in the Play-Offs, as the Club geared up for a home semi-final against Notts County.
June
The Club received a massive boost on the eve of the County game, as it was announced that manager Gary Johnson had agreed to extend his stay at Plainmoor, and that decision clearly worked wonders in the dressing room. What followed was to be one of the most memorable matches in Plainmoor’s history, as the Gaffer’s side booked themselves into the Ashton Gate final with a stunning 4-2 success in front of a socially distant- but raucous – Yellow Army, with Wright needing only a few seconds to announce his return to action with a first-minute goal. After repeating the trick early into the second half as Torquay’s centre-forward struck again, a nail-biting encounter eventually paved the way for extra-time, where United wrestled control of proceedings from The Magpies, thanks to Hall’s heroic diving header, and expertly-timed first goal for the Club, via the penalty spot, from Dean Moxey. All roads led to Bristol eight days later, as United headed for Ashton Gate for their date with destiny, with a Football League place at stake for the winners. Sadly, a controversial defeat in the Promotion Final against Hartlepool meant the Club’s EFL ambitions remain on hold for now, despite goalkeeper Lucas Covolan’s unforgettable last-gasp equaliser sending the match into extra-time. It would take sudden-death penalties to eventually deny Torquay, leaving Johnson’s side to build again during the summer.
July
There were plenty of comings and goings during a much-shortened summer, with no less than twelve new additions made, as Mark Halstead, Dan Martin, Tom Lapslie, Ali Omar, Chiori Johnson, Keelan O’Connell, Gabby Rogers, Klaidi Lolos, Marcin Brzozowski and Dan Holman all joined The Gulls’ cause, whilst youngsters Scott Piper and Alex Moyse stepped up from the Youth ranks. Pre-Season results were largely encouraging, with warm-up matches against Poole, Truro, Tiverton, Chippenham and Bournemouth U23s all ending in victories, with the only blemish being the home defeat against Plymouth.
August
It was therefore a new-look team that opened the season in August, and despite going down 1-3 at home to Altrincham in their opening match, United gained their first point of the campaign the very next weekend, as Wright’s early header secured Torquay’s ten men a point in a gutsy 1-1 draw at Notts County. That performance against the odds gave little warning of what was to follow, as The Gulls succumbed 0-4 against Woking at Plainmoor, however their first win wasn’t to be too far away…
September
A goalfest at Maidenhead signalled another profitable away day for Johnsons’ men, as goals from Armani Little (2), Hall and Lemonehigh-Evans saw them run out 4-3 victors in Berkshire. Back-to-back defeats against Grimsby (1-3, home) and Solihull Moors (1-2, away) left United with plenty to do, the month ended in positive fashion, as ‘Gary Time’ made a welcome return to clinch a 1-0 home triumph over Southend (Lemonheigh-Evans), whilst it took two goals in the dying stages to rescue a 2-2 draw in the televised clash at Chesterfield.
October
A five-star United performance saw goals from Lapslie, Little, Holman (2), as well as an unbelievable effort from Joe Lewis, condemn Wealdstone to a 5-0 defeat as October got off to a flyer. Successive 0-2 defeats at Boreham Wood and Bromley stalled that progress, before an FA Cup replay defeat at Havant & Waterlooville (2-4, following a 2-2 draw) triggered a spirited response at the end of the month, as a debut strike from Sinclair Armstrong, coupled with another from Lewis, clinched a 2-0 home win over King’s Lynn on ‘Community Day’ at Plainmoor. Their improved form continued thereafter, as despite all attention being on the home side’s Hollywood owners, United emerged from their fixture at Wrexham with another encouraging result, in the shape of a 1-1 draw.
November
The penultimate month of the year began well, with two Little goals earning a 2-1 win over Dover, and make it four on the bounce at Plainmoor, before a run of three defeats at Barnet (1-2) and Aldershot (0-1), followed by a 2-3 home defeat at the hands of Halifax, saw an end to that run. Again though, another response would be forthcoming soon enough.
December
Johnson’s side bounced back in style in the final month of 2021, securing three wins on the trot. Lean days on the road were forgotten during an impressive win over Weymouth, as goals from Lewis and Armstrong saw The Yellow Army celebrate a 2-1 victory in Dorset. Even better was to follow, as a home over Stockport by the same scoreline (O.G & Hall) and a marvellous 3-0 drubbing of Yeovil Town (Ben Wynter, Jack Sparkes and Lewis) saw an FA Trophy defeat at Tonbridge swiftly confirmed to the archives, with the only league setback coming in the last game of the calendar year, a 2-1 loss at Eastleigh.
Having gone so close to achieving their ambitions in 2021, the Yellow Army will now be hoping that 2022 will be another year to remember, for all the right reasons.