RANDELL SIGNING RENEWS GULLS' LINKS WITH PILGRIMS

In recent times much has been made of the links between Bristol City and Torquay United, especially under the managerial reigns of Gary Owers and Gary Johnson. 

The Gulls' links with Ashton Gate were particularly strengthened following the appointment of Johnson, whose son Lee was in charge of the Robins until the summer when he was replaced by Dean Holden. Over the course of their two respective managerial stints, the Gulls have loaned George Dowling, Connor Lemonheigh-Evans (four times), Jake Andrews, Opi Edwards, Robbie Cundy, Saikou Janneh and, most recently, Louis Britton. 

However, a connection with another of United's South West neighbours has been revived with the loan signing of Adam Randell from Plymouth Argyle. Randell, 20, made his debut for the Gulls on the opening day of the season against Stockport County, after coming off the sub's bench. He then followed this up with his first goal for the club away to Bromley, with a shot from the edge of the penalty area which went in off the post. 

Randell is the latest in a long line of players who have made the journey from Home Park since John Uzzell and John Matthews were signed for the Gulls by the late Cyril Knowles in 1989. While Matthews remained with Torquay for just one season - Uzzell became a regular for the Gulls, and even had a spell as joint caretaker manager with Wes Saunders during the 1991-92 season before he was forced to retire after suffering a horrific facial injury in a clash with Brentford's Gary Blissett. 

Uzzell was later joined at Plainmoor by Tommy Tynan and Peter Whiston, who were brought to Torquay by former Pilgrims' boss Dave Smith ahead of the 1990-91 campaign, which would see the Gulls promoted via the Play-Offs- as they defeated Blackpool 5-4 on penalties after drawing 2-2 over 90 minutes and extra time. Tynan finished the season as United's joint-top scorer with 19 goals and Whiston later moved onto Exeter City, Southampton and Shrewsbury Town.

The next player to make the journey down the A38 was Argyle's all-time appearance holder, Kevin Hodges, who joined Torquay initially on loan during the 1991-92 campaign and later made the move permanently in the following season after he was released by Peter Shilton. On arriving at Plainmoor, he joined another former Pilgrim who had also been let go by Shilton in the form of ex Brentford and Millwall defender Danis Salman- who briefly worked as the Gulls' youth coach.

Hodges later went to hold the title of youth coach himself, and, in 1996, he was appointed as manager of the Gulls, following the departure of Eddie May; one of his first acts on taking charge was to bring in Steve McCall as part of his backroom staff from Argyle.

Although, due to his age, McCall wasn't the quickest or the most mobile, the one time Ipswich Town starlet- who played for the Tractor Boys in their 1981 UEFA Cup triumph against AZ Alkmaar- still managed to combine playing with coaching the youth side and assisting Hodges with the first team.

He even managed to roll back the years in the Gulls' Third Division Play-Off semi-final second leg against Scarborough, in the 1997-98 season, with a stunning long range strike from the edge of the penalty area.

Two of his midfield colleagues in that side were Gary Clayton and Chris Leadbitter, who had both helped the Pilgrims win promotion through the Play-Offs under Neil Warnock in the 1995-96 season.

The next batch of Green cast-offs would help form the backbone of one of the most successful Torquay sides in recent times: Leroy Rosenior's automatic promotion winning side of the 2003-04 season.

Martin Gritton was the first player to be brought to Plainmoor from Home Park by Leroy when he signed for the Gulls at the start of the 2002-03 campaign.'Gritts' finished the season as the Gulls' top scorer with 16 goals and was voted as runner-up in United's Player of the season award.

He would later be joined at TQ1 by Kevin Wills, Joe Broad, Craig Taylor and Brian McGlinchey. The latter two both joined the Gulls following successful loan spells and both featured in the Gulls' starting line-up in their final day victory over Southend United, which clinched Torquay's first automatic promotion in 38 years. Centre-back Taylor captained the Gulls' side during that season and left back McGlinchey was regarded as the 'final piece in the jigsaw' of that team as he made the spot on the left hand side of the defence his own.

Following their promotion triumph, Martin 'Buster' Phillips became the next Pilgrim to become a Gull. Phillips, who had been hailed as Britain's first £10million footballer by Alan Ball when he moved from Exeter City to Manchester City in 1995, became one of the select band of players to have represented all three of Devon's professional clubs and remained at Plainmoor until 2007- when he was forced to retire after being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

During his three years with the Gulls, he also appeared alongside another of his former Argyle team-mates Mickey Evans, who made 14 appearances for the Gulls and scored once during the 2006-07 season- after making the move from Home Park- before hanging up his boots. 

Later that season Ryan Dickson and Reuben Reid joined the Gulls on loan as they failed to avoid being relegated from the Football League for the first time in their history. Dickson would later return to the Gulls in the 2018-19 season before joining Truro City in the summer of 2020.

The following campaign saw Scott Laird join the Gulls on loan from the Pilgrims at the start of a career which would be mainly spent with Stevenage and Preston North End.

Former Torquay assistant manager Lee Hodges arrived at Plainmoor in 2008, and helped the Gulls win promotion back into the Football League and before joining Truro City as a player before being appointed as manager in 2011.

Current Burnley striker Ashley Barnes can often be seen on Match of the Day on most Saturday nights striking fear into numerous Premier League defences for Sean Dyche’s Clarets. However, this is a far cry from the loan spell he spent at Plainmoor in the 2009-10 season, where he failed to find the back of the net in six appearances.

Fast forward four years and Plymouth-born Luke Young made the switch to Plainmoor after making over 100 appearances for the Pilgrims – after he was released by John Sheridan. Young proved to be something of a cult hero for the Gulls, as he won the club’s player of the year award three out of the four seasons he spent with United (2014-15, 2016-17 & 2017-18) until he joined Wrexham following the Gulls’ relegation from the National League in 2018.

Young was later joined by right-back Durrell Berry who initially joined on non-contract forms under Chris Hargreaves before returning towards the end of Paul Cox's brief reign at Plainmoor. He then played a key role in the 2015-16 'great escape' under Kevin Nicholson before a broken leg sustained at Dover Athletic curtailed his career. 

In his final season at Plainmoor, Young was joined by another two players who both joined United from the Pilgrims. French goalkeeper Vincent Dorel, a former understudy to Luke McCormick, was brought in a caretaker manager Robbie Herrera following a goalkeeping crisis and Dorel soon made the position his own. The other Pilgrim who joined the Gulls was young striker Alex Fletcher, who hails from Newton Abbot, who made a handful of appearances on loan from Argyle before returning to Home Park.

FIVE TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS STOCKPORT COUNTY

 1. The Gulls' loan connection with Bristol City is alive and well. 

When Lee Johnson was sacked as Bristol City manager during the summer many feared that it would have a detrimental effect on the relationship that the Gulls had enjoyed with the Robins. However, with the loan signing of Louis Britton from the Ashton Gate, the opposite has proved to be true. Over the last few years the likes of Connor Lemonheigh-Evans, Jake Andrews, Opi Edwards and Saikou Janneh all enjoyed successful loan spells at Plainmoor - and on yesterday's showing Britton looks set to join that list. The dying minutes of the game Britton threatened the Stockport goal three times, as he forced a save from Hatters' keeper Ben Hinchcliffe, had a long range shot deflected onto the bar and an angled effort that Hinchcliffe tipped onto the bar and behind for a corner.

2. Gary Johnson is the tinkerman.

With around ten minutes to go, and with the Gulls still being forced to absorb a large amount of pressure, Gary Johnson decided to shake things up with the introductions of skipper Asa Hall and loanees Adam Randall and Louis Britton in place of Matt Buse, Jake Andrews and Josh Umerah.Whilst none of the substitutes managed to find the back of the net, they did help to swing the balance back inot the Gulls' favour, which gave them the foundation to eventually find a winner through Connor Lemonheigh-Evans. During the duration of the time they were on the pitch, Randell forced a routine save from Ben Hinchcliffe in the Stockport goal, and Britton came agonisingly close to scoring on three occasions. A fine display, especially when you consider that both Randell and Britton, along with defender Sam Sheering, were making their debuts after joining United on loan from Plymouth Argyle, Bristol City and AFC Bournemouth respectively.

3. The defence and goalkeeper produced a strong rear guard display. 

The Gulls went into the game with a makeshift back three, which included Ben Wynter - normally a right-back, Kyle Cameron - the stand-in captain owing to regular skipper Asa Hall being on the bench - and Sam Sherring, recently signed from AFC Bournemouth on loan. However, they managed to stand firm in spite of wave after wave of Stockport County attacks - producing a number of crucial blocks, most notably Cameron's goal-line block to deny County's Richie Bennett in the 36th minute. Brazilian goalkeeper Lucas Covolan also made a number important saves in the second half, which proved to be instrumental in keeping the Gulls in the game.

4. Aaron Nemane a hero at both ends. 

The dying minutes of the game saw French midfielder Aaron Nemane produce two moments of magic - at both ends of the pitch. Firstly, it was his cross that picked out Connor Lemonheigh-Evans to score United's decisive goal of the game. Then, as play switched up to the other end of the pitch, he produced an important block to deny Stockport a share of the spoils. There is certainly more to come from the Frenchman who lists Manchester City, Glasgow Rangers and Go Ahead Eagles amongst the clubs he has previously appeared for. 

5. Lemonheigh-Evans amongst the goals. 

After enjoyed four seperate loan spells with the Gulls from Bristol City, Connor Lemonheigh-Evans marked his permanent to Plainmoor with the game's winning goal in injury time. The Former Wales-Under international's strike was his ninth goal for United in 74 appearances in all competitions, and his first since he netted in the Gulls' 2-1 FA Trophy second round defeat at FC Halifax Town on January 11.If Lemonheigh-Evans, who is an adept passer and tackler who is also fairly quick, can add more goals to his game, his abilities may begin to attact attentions from afar.

SEASON PREVIEW 2020-21: TORQUAY UNITED

In spite of the coronavirus pandemic which has caused as much disruption to football as it has to daily life, the National League remains the hardest league to win promotion from with only two promotion spots available. 

Which is why, in these especially challenging times, having a manager who has previously won two promotions from this league in his career should be a major advantage. Torquay United manager Gary Johnson led Yeovil Town and Cheltenham Town to the National League title in 2002-03 and 2015-16 respectively, and he will be looking to add a third promotion with the Gulls to that list. 

If Johnson is able to complete a hat-trick of promotions from the top tier of the non-league game with United, it will put him level with John Still, who holds the division’s record for promotions won after completing the feat with Maidstone United, Dagenham and Redbridge and Luton Town.

Johnson has strengthened his squad over the summer by making seven new signings. The septet include Gary Warren and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans who both return to United on a permanent basis following their respective loan spells with the club from Exeter City and Bristol City last season. Dean Moxey and Danny Wright add a wealth of experience and know how to Johnson’s side, having both previously won promotion from the National League before in their careers; Wright will also be looking to form a prolific strike partnership with fellow newcomers Andrew Nelson and Josh Umerah as United look to replace the 21 goals scored by the Mansfield Town bound Jamie Reid. Former Motherwell, Gateshead and Hartlepool United defender Fraser Kerr completes the seven. 

United's next highest scorer after Reid was player of the year Ben Whitfield with seven goals, who was followed by Jake Andrews with six. So if the Gulls could unearth a strike partnership in which both strikers hit double figures, as well as replacing the goals scored by Reid, then a second promotion in three years could be a real possibility for Johnson's men.

Brazilian Lucas Covolan will be competing with Shaun MacDonald for the position of Johnson's first choice goalkeeper.

In defence, Ben Wynter is expected to continue as right-back, while on the opposite side of defence Liam Davis, who is still recovering from an ankle injury sustained last season, is now United's longest serving player following the departure of Reid. The capture of Moxey will provide cover for Davis until he returns. Meanwhile in the centre of defence, the summer arrivals of Kerr and Warren will provide two potential defensive partners for vice-captain Kyle Cameron and young hopeful Louis Slough, grandson of former United assistant manager Alan Slough, could also feature at some point. Former South Devon college student Owen Price, who can play at left-back, will also be looking to make the most of any opportunities

At many of his previous clubs Johnson has been blessed with having a number of talented midfielders at his disposal and currently at Plainmoor, Johnson has a roster of midfielders which contains bags of talent and potential. They include last season's player of the year Ben Whitfield, Aaron Nemane, Armani Little, Jake Andrews as well as the recently returned Lemonheigh-Evans. In addition to this, he also has the commanding influence of skipper Asa Hall and Matt Buse, who will be looking to build on a promising first season in full time football following his summer 2019 move from Taunton Town, to call upon.

Last season, United's current midfield chipped in with 24 goals in all competitions between them (Whitfield 7, Andrews 6, Hall 4, Little 3, Buse and Lemonheigh-Evans 2 each). If they can repeat that feat, or even better it, in the 2020-21 campaign then United can be amongst the division’s front runners. And then there is JJ Evans, the former South Devon College student who has also represented England Colleges, who Johnson has spoken of as a player with great potential.

Arguably the biggest challenge facing Johnson during the Covid-19 enforced break from football was how to fill a Reid-shaped space in his forward line, following his decision to join Mansfield Town.

It's a void that Andrew Nelson and Josh Umerah will be looking to fill after arriving at Plainmoor from Dundee and Ebbsfleet United respectively in the summer. Appearing alongside either of those two will most likely be the experienced figure of Danny Wright, a 36 year-old ‘been there, done it and bought the T-shirt’ centre forward. He was part of Johnson’s Cheltenham side who won the National League title in the 2015-16 season and he was also an FA Trophy winner with Wrexham in 2013. He will be looking to enjoy further success with the Gulls this season.

Last, but by no means least, Olaf Koszela will be hoping to stake a claim for a first team spot. Koszela has been in and around the first team for the last few seasons and he scored his first goal for the club shortly United clinched the National League South title in April 2019. He also holds the title of being the first player to have appeared for United who was born after the infamous final day decider against Barnet in 2001.

Player to Watch: Connor Lemonheigh-Evans

After enjoying four seperate loan spells with the Gulls from Bristol City, Lemonheigh-Evans has now joined United on a permanent basis. The former Wales-Under 21 international now has the opportunity to grow as a player under the watchful eyes of Johnson and establish himself as one of the most talented central midfielders outside the EFL. 

SEASON PREVIEW 2020-21: YEOVIL TOWN

Yeovil Town manager Darren Sarll would no doubt have been disappointed to see the Glovers lose out to Barnet in the semi-finals of the National League play-offs, however there were a number of positives which he could take from the 2019-20 campaign. 

First of all, by finishing fourth in the National League the Glovers recorded their first top half finish since the 2012-13 campaign, when they won promotion to the Championship against all odds under Gary Johnson. 

Secondly, Sarll assembled the most prolific strike partnership seen at Huish Park for many a year in Courtney Duffus and Rhys Murphy for many a year, and they are widely tipped to be amongst the goals again in 2020-21. 

Midfielder Albi Skendi turned out to be one of the finds of the season after joining the Glovers from Stratford Town, which saw him score four goals in 37 appearances.

Winger Myles Hippolyte, who made the move to League Two to sign for Scunthorpe United, has been the Glovers only high profile departure, but Sarll has retained the core of last season’s squad and utilised the loan market to bring in former Gulls’ right-back Daniel Leadbitter on loan from Newport County and Ryan Burke from Birmingham City. 

The two Smiths, Adam and Jimmy, both return to the club from Forest Green Rovers and Crawley Town respectively; Goalkeeper Adam on a season-long loan and Jimmy on a permanent basis.  

Other new arrivals include defender Josh Staunton, who was an ever-present for the Glovers' fellow play-off side FC Halifax Town, and combined with the experience of the likes of Charlie Lee and Carl Dickinson all the signs suggest that Yeovil are more than capable of reaching the play-offs again.

Player to Watch: Courtney Duffus

After scoring once in 16 appearances in the 2018-19 season which saw the Glovers relegated from the Football League, Courtney Duffus received a new lease of life in the National League - scoring 16 times in 36 appearances as he formed a prolific partnership with Rhys Murphy. Duffus, who is in a relationship with GB tennis star Heather Watson, could yet be making a return to the EFL with the Glovers, or possibily even without.

TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY?

In normal circumstances Torquay United would be lining up against Stockport County this Saturday and they would both commencing an assault on a second promotion in the space of three seasons. 

The 2018-19 campaign saw the Gulls memorably clinch the National League South title while the Hatters triumphed in National League North. After re-establishing themselves in the National League last season, both their respective managers Gary Johnson and Jim Gannon have spent the summer priming their squads for their respective shots at returning to the Football League. 

However, the recent U-turn by the government over the planned return of fans to watch live sport, which was originally pencilled in for October 1, now means that Johnson and Gannon are now anxiously waiting to see if their opening fixture will go ahead behind closed doors, or whether it will be even be played at all. 

For Johnson and Gannon the question is 'to play or not to play?'

Without the income generated by gate receipts many clubs will be left facing extreme financial hardship, with many predicting a 'financial armageddon' for lower league sides - not just for teams in the Nationnal League, but for the lower reaches of the EFL as well. Some clubs, especially those in National Leagues North and South, have declared that they are not prepared to start their campaigns without a support package in place, as many are believed to be on the verge of making all but essential non-playing staff redundant. 

A group of notable figures in the game have been lobbying the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden and an announcement regarding a government bailout is expected soon.

The second qualifying round of the FA Cup is due to take place this weekend, which will see National League North and South clubs enter the competition and it has been announced that fans of these clubs will be barred from attending any of the ties that they feature in. The possible withdrawal of sides from National Leagues North and South has also been mentioned.

Many clubs have tried innovative ways of generating revenue from offering fans the chance of live stream matches, which several have made available for the coverage of their pre-season friendlies. Nevertheless it is unlikely while live streaming has the potential to bring in money from exiled fans who wouldn't normally attend matches, there would still be a shortfall in terms of the money earned from spectators who would normally buy a season ticket or pay on the gate.

 

 

GULLS AND GLOVERS PLAYING WAITING GAME

Torquay United and Yeovil Town are continuing to wait to see if a rescue package has been agreed with the UK government and the FA that would enable the 2020-21 National League season to go ahead without fans. 

The 2020-21 National League campaign is due to get underway on October 3, with the National League North and South set to start on October 5 & 6 respectively. However, without funding that would compensate member clubs for the loss of gate receipts from playing behind closed doors the whole National League structure could be thrown into dissaray. 

Steps 1 and 2 of the non-league football pyramid - which covers the National League and National Leagues North and South - had been classified as 'elite' in accordance with the government's guidance on fans returning to stadiums amid the coronavirus pandemic. Having entered the framework, the leagues are  now unable to return to matches until March 2021 at the earliest - following the government's U-turn on allowing fans to return to stadiums on October 1. 

Some clubs are in favour of returning behind closed doors, an idea which Torquay United manager Gary Johnson has lent his support to, but others only wish to carry on if financial support is forthcoming. 

The fear also remains that the 2020-21 campaign could get cut short in the event of a second wave of the coronavirus hits the country, with many areas of the country have returned to the lockdown restrictions that were originally imposed last March.

A number of clubs have the option of live streaming matches through their official websites, but whether the revenue raised would be able to compensate for the loss of paying spectators remains to be seen. 

LET FANS IN

 As Covid-19 lockdown restrictions continue to be relaxed across the country the possibility of football fans returning to live matches grows ever closer. 

The government has so far restricted crowds at pilot events to a maximum of 1,000 spectators, and is currently reviewing this figure in the wake of further coronavirus outbreaks in certain parts of the country.

National League chairman Brian Barwick has written to Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how the decision on the return of fans to football grounds will affect its clubs, their employees and local communities. Barwick has also asked for the permission to commence the season on October 3, with fans in attendance. 

The 2020-21 season had originally been given the start date of October 3, as it would coincide with the date of October 1 that the UK government had announced that fans could return to watch live matches. 

In addition to the National League, the Premier League to stick its original plan and Chief Executive Richard Masters has stated that the league's 20 member clubs could lose £700million between them. 

With the news this week that Macclesfield Town were wound up in the High Court with debts of £500,000 - following their relegation from League Two - the stark of reality of the situation of loss of revenue has been brought home. With no equivalent of the government's 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme available to clubs during the coronavirus lockdown, the absence of the income generated on matchdays has been greatly felt. 

Clubs across the National League have been busily calculating their stadium's new socially distanced capacities, with the necessity to protect the health and wellbeing of supporters is at the forefront of the club's involved. 

Seven EFL league matches are set to be played in front of crowds of 1,000 - and the success of these matches will be watched with interest from far and wide.

If the government decide that matches cannot be played in front of crowds after October 1 - all games have been played behind closed doors up until now - then ideas to help clubs compensate for the loss of revenue will need to be found. 

One possible solution could be live streaming of games, which has been used by Torquay United in their home pre-season friendlies against Hemel Hempstead and AFC Bournemouth Under-23s so far and will also be available to fans when they face Chippenham Town on Saturday. For National League clubs, who operate outside the EFL's ifollow scheme, live streaming could help to bring in money that they wouldn't have otherwise been able to generate, but complications could arise when it came to streaming a game that has been selected for live coverage by BT Sport in terms of contracts etc. 

The return of actual football will most certainly provide an amount of relief for many, but the priority should be to ensure that a winter of discontent is avoided for all clubs concerned.