Saturday 21 May 2011

GULLS REACH OLD TRAFFORD AFTER TAMING THE SHREWS

Torquay United secured their place in this season's League Two Play-Off final after holding Shrewsbury Town to a goalless draw at the Greenhous Meadow.

The Gulls' two goal advantage from the first leg at Plainmoor proved to be enough to see them through to the final at Old Trafford where they will face Stevenage who overcame Accrington Stanley 3-0 on aggregate.

If Torquay's previous Play-Off appearances are anything to go by, the omens are looking good for the Gulls.

In their 1991 triumph over Blackpool, Torquay went into their second leg of their Semi-Final against Burnley after beating the Clarets 2-0 at Plainmoor in the first leg and reached the final despite losing 1-0 to the Clarets.

Fast forward to 2009 and the Gulls beat Histon 2-0 at Plainmoor in the first leg of their Conference Play-Off Semi-Final enroute to clinching their return to the Football League with a 2-0 win over Cambridge United at Wembley.

Should they go on to win promotion, it will Torquay's second promotion in the space of four years, prior to that the Gulls had experienced relegation heartache in two of the three seasons, which, of course, came after their automatic promotion success in 2004 under Leroy Rosenior.

One thing is for sure, life as a Torquay United fan certainly isn't dull!