If the selection process of choosing Paul Buckle's successor as Torquay United manager had been a horse race, Martin Ling would have made a late run inside the home straight before winning on a photo finish.
The former Leyton Orient and Cambridge manager was the final candidate to be interviewed by the Gulls board. It has so far proved to be a sound appointment as Torquay head into the Xmas period well placed to challenge for a Play-Off spot.
His appointment was made during the close season after Paul Buckle left Plainmoor to take over as manager of Bristol Rovers after leading the Gulls to the League Two Play-Off final where they were beaten by Stevenage.
However, their run to Old Trafford provided many twists and turns.
In February, the club was at the centre of a ineligible player controversy in a 3-1 defeat against Hereford United as Jake Robinson, who was signed on loan from Shrewsbury Town, with Nicky Wroe moving in the opposite direction on a permanent transfer, wasn't eligible to have been selected in the match.
To complicate matters further, Hereford had also fielded an ineligible player, Rob Purdie, in the same match. A Football League hearing later punished the Bulls by deducting the three points they had won on the night and docked the Gulls of a single point, while both clubs received monetary fines.
A month later, Robinson was in the headlines for the right reasons when Torquay faced his parent club, Shrewsbury, at Plainmoor. As there was nothing preventing him from appearing for the Gulls on the day, Robinson lined up against the Shrews and bagged a brace as Torquay ran out as 5-0 winners.
The paths of the two sides would cross again in the Play-Off semi-finals as Torquay came out on top in the first leg at Plainmoor with goals from Chris Zebroski and Eunan O'Kane. This proved to be enough to take the Gulls through to the final against Stevenage.
Unfortunately, Torquay were unable to repeat their heroics of earlier in the season at Old Trafford as they went down to a solitary strike from John Mousinho. It also proved to Paul Buckle's final game in charge as Torquay manager as he was named as Bristol Rovers manager within days of the defeat.
During his four-year reign, Buckle had lead the Gulls to the FA Trophy final in 2008, promotion back to the Football League in 2009 and to the brink of promotion to League One in his final season at the helm. He had also led Torquay to the FA Cup fourth round twice in the 2008-09 & 2010-11 campaigns.
To maintain the momentum they had gained during these four years, it was imperative that the Gulls board made the right choice when it came to choosing his successor.
Several names were linked to the vacancy including former skipper Chris Hargreaves, ex Hibs manager John Hughes as well as Ian McParland, the former Notts County manager before Martin Ling was unveiled as the choice of the Torquay board.
On his arrival at Plainmoor, Ling saw Scott Bevan and Chris Zebroski follow Buckle to the Memorial Stadium and also lost inspirational central defender and Player of the Year Guy Branston to Bradford City.
His first act was to appoint his former Swindon teammate Shaun Taylor as his assistant before he set about rebuilding his squad.
In came striker Rene Howe from Peterborough United, former Austrian Under-21 goalkeeper Bobby Olejnik and defender Brian Saah was recruited from his previous club, Cambridge.
Other new signings included former Republic of Ireland Under-21 midfielder Ian Morris and Kenyan striker Taiwo Atieno. Martin Rice and Chris McPhee also returned to the club whilst Joe Oastler agreed a permanent deal following a successful loan spell.
After a promising start, which included a 2-1 win over Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium, the Gulls went on a run of eight matches without a win during September and October.
They then went on a run of five wins in all competition and their only defeat since the eight game winless streak came in the FA Cup against Sheffield United and in their recent league encounter with Accrington Stanley.
One of Ling's strength since he took charge at Plainmoor has been his ability to get the best out of the players that he inherited.
Irish midfielder Eunan O'Kane has gone from strength to strength in the centre of midfield and has agreed a new contract that will keep him with the Gulls until 2014. This move will give Ling greater bargaining powers when dealing with any potential suitors in the January transfer window.
Another pair who have committed their futures to Torquay are Lee Mansell and Kevin Nicholson. The appointment of Ling has seen Mansell returned to the centre of midfield after playing at right back for much of last season.
The switch has seen him find the back of the net on seven occasions, making him the Gulls' second highest scorer of the current campaign behind Rene Howe. This feat enabled him to win a bet made on Twitter with Nicholson, which saw the left back clean Mansell's house wearing nothing but a pinny!
However, not to be outshone on the pitch, Nicholson has once again proved himself to be amongst the best left backs in League Two. He has also found the back of the net five times, his best goal scoring feat since he arrived at Plainmoor in 2007.
