We will now look back at their previous seven campaigns.
1987-88
After missing out automatic promotion on the final day of the regular season following a defeat against Scunthorpe United, Cyril Knowles' Gulls side were set for their first ever Play-Off adventure with a two-legged Semi-Final affair against, ironically, Scunthorpe.
A crowd of 4,602 poured into Plainmoor to witness Torquay's first foray into the new end of season format and they saw the Gulls come out on top with a 2-1 win through goals from Dave Caldwell and Paul Dobson.
The game proved to be a temptestuous affair as six players were booked and Scunthorpe's Paul Nicholl was awarded a red by referee Tony Ward.
For the second leg at the Iron's Old Show Ground, their last at the ground before their move to Glanford Park, Caldwell was left out of the Gulls' starting eleven by Cyril Knowles after an incident in the first leg that saw Caldwell and two Scunthorpe defender's require treatment at the A & E department of Torbay Hospital.
The Gulls drew 1-1 with Mark Loram finding the target which set them up for a two-legged final with Swansea City, this was the days before the one-off Wembley showpiece event, and they found themselves trailing 2-1 after the first leg.
In the second leg at Plainmoor, Torquay looked to be down and out after Paul Raynor, a figure that would soon be well acquainted with Gulls' followers, and Sean McCarthy struck with early goals which gave the Swans a 4-1 lead on aggregate.
However, the introduction of Lee Sharpe, who by this time was bound for a big money move to Manchester United, sparked a comeback from the hosts as Jim McNichol scored twice, he has also scored in the first leg, which brought the Gulls back on level before Alan Davies restored the Swans' advantage.
Caldwell scored a third for Torquay, but they couldn't overturn Swansea's lead as they were forced to wait longer for their first promotion since 1966.
1990-91
The 1990-91 season, Torquay's first under the Chairmanship of Mike Bateson, was a campaign of great peaks and troughs.
After splashing out £60,000, a club record transfer fee, on former Newcastle United and Carlisle defender Wes Saunders and recruiting Plymouth Argyle goal scoring legend Tommy Tynan in the close season, Torquay raced to the top of the table after 14 games and manager Dave Smith picked up the Manager of the Month award for October 1990.
However, following a slump in form, which saw the Gulls drop into the bottom half, Smith resigned and was replaced by Youth Coach John Impey. Results soon picked up as Torquay finished the season in 7th place, thus securing a Play-Off spot.
The Gulls then faced Burnley in the Semi-Finals and won the first leg 2-0 at Plainmoor with goals from Dean Edwards and Matt Elliott.
In the second leg at Turf Moor, Torquay defended their lead resolutely as the Clarets were unable to overturn the two goal deficit albeit winning 1-0. This meant the Gulls would be appearing at Wembley for the second time in the space of three years, after reaching the Sherpa Van Trophy in 1989.
Their opponents at Wembley would be another Lancashire club, Blackpool, which was watched by a crowd of 21,615.
The Tangerines took the lead through Paul Groves before Gulls skipper Wes Saunders levelled. United edged ahead in the second half through a Dean Edwards penalty but an unfortunate Chris Curran own goal saw Blackpool restore parity, sending the final to extra time.
With no further goals in extra time, the match went to a penalty shoot out. Mark Loram stepped up to take Torquay’s first penalty, which was saved. Then Mickey Holmes, Saunders, Paul Holmes and Chris Myers all successfully converted their spot-kicks as the shoot-out went to sudden death at 4-4.
Then goalkeeper Gareth Howells stepped up to take the Gulls’ sixth penalty, which he dispatched past his Blackpool counterpart Steve McIlhargey to give United a 5-4 lead.
David Bamber then took the Tangerines’ sixth penalty that he drilled wide. His miss, as well as ending the Gulls’ 19-year exile in the Fourth Division, inspired the name of the popular fanzine, Bamber’s Right Foot, several years later.
