REID MAKES NORTHERN IRELAND DEBUT

Exeter City can now lay claim to having an international starlet amongst their ranks after Jamie Reid made his debut for Northern Ireland Under-21's against Cyprus.

Reid came off the bench to appear for the province in the last 15 minutes of their 3-0 defeat against their Cypriot counterparts in Nicosia.

The experience is likely to stand the Grecians' youngster, who struck twice on his debut for Exeter on his football league debut against AFC Wimbledon in April, in good stead ahead of the 2013-14 season.

With veteran striker Jamie Cureton set to exit St James' Park for a move to Cheltenham Town, the Grecians' faithful will be hoping that Reid can help to fill the void left by Cureton's likely departure as, due to budget cutbacks, Paul Tisdale has been told he will only be able to make one new signing this summer.

JAKE PEGS FUTURE TO ARGYLE

Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Jake Cole has become the latest Pilgrims' player to agree a new deal at Home Park after putting pen-to-paper on a new one-year contract.

Cole, 27, will now be spending a third season with Argyle that will see him challenging for the goalkeeper's position with the returning Luke McCormick, who also signed a one-year deal with the Pilgrims following his release by Oxford United.

His decision to remain at Home Park follows the news that skipper Conor Hourihane has committed himself to a new two-year deal.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international joined the Pilgrims in 2011 from Ipswich Town, where he played under Roy Keane, and was Argyle's joint-second top scorer last season with five goals.

He will be looking to make further progress next season under the management of John Sheridan.

TRIO SIGN NEW DEALS WITH THE GULLS

Torquay United trio Martin Rice, Thomas Cruise and Ashley Yeoman have all agreed new deals to keep them at Plainmoor for the 2013-14 season.

Reserve goalkeeper Rice has been an able understudy to first choice custodian Michael Poke whilst former Arsenal starlet Cruise has kept stalwart left back Kevin Nicholson on his toes.

Striker Yeoman, a graduate of the club's revamped youth system, made his full debut against AFC Wimbledon on New Year's Day and scored his first goal for the Gulls in their 2-0 victory away at Morecambe in their penultimate fixture of the 2013-14 season.

However, it is looking increasingly likely that top scorer Rene Howe will be leaving Plainmoor, which would see him become the second player to leave the Gulls for pastures new after Ryan Jarvis signed for York City, a move which sees him link up with his former Norwich manager Nigel Worthington.

TISDALE UP TO SECOND

Following the managerial reschuffles of the close season so far, Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale has moved up to second place in the list of the longest serving managers in English football.

After the announcement of Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, David Moyes' appointment to replace him and Tony Pulis' departure from Stoke City, Tisdale is now second only to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger in terms of managerial longevity.

During the seven seasons Tisdale has been in charge at St James' Park, the Grecians have enjoyed much success.

They reached the Blue Square Premier Play-Off final in his first season in charge, the 2006-07 season, which was followed by back-to-back promotions between 2008 and 2009, which saw Exeter reach League One.

In the 2010-11 season, the Grecians equalled their highest ever league finish of 8th in League One before they were relegated back to League Two in the 2011-12 campaign.

He is currently Exeter's third longest serving manager behind Arthur Chadwick and Johnny Newman.

Next season will see Tisdale face one of his greatest challenges yet as due to financial pressures at the club in the current climate he has stated he is expecting to make just one new signing this summer.

It is also likely that he will not be able to retain the services of experienced duo Jamie Cureton and Matt Oakley.

The Current Top Ten Longest Serving Managers in the Premiership & the Football League

1. Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)  September 1996-

2. Paul Tisdale (Exeter City) June 2006-

3. Greg Abbott (Carlisle United) December 5th 2008-

4. Chris Wilder (Oxford United) December 21st 2008-

5. Nigel Clough (Derby County) January 2009-

6. Roberto Martinez (Wigan Athletic) June 2009-

7. Gus Poyet (Brighton and Hove Albion) November 2009-

8. Mark Yates (Cheltenham Town) December 2009-

9. Russell Slade (Leyton Orient) April 2010-

10. Karl Robinson (MK Dons) May 2010-

Other South West managers:

27. Gary Johnson (Yeovil Town) January 2012-

58. John Sheridan (Plymouth Argyle) January 2013-

80. Alan Knill (Torquay United) May 2013-

Information courtesy of League Managers' Association

ACHIEVEMENT BY UNITY

On the day Sir Alex Ferguson took charge of Manchester United for the final time, Yeovil Town created their own piece of football history by defeating Brentford to gain promotion to the Championship for the first time.

First half goals from Paddy Madden and Dan Burn gave the Glovers a two goal cushion before Harley Dean pulled one back for the Bees in the second half, but Gary Johnson's men dug in and hung on to protect their lead to ensure they will be playing in the Npower Championship next season.

This now means that the Glovers can a] mark their 10th anniversary as a football league team by winning promotion playing at a level that they have never played at before and b] they can successfully claim to be the leading club in the Westcountry as Bristol City, one of manager Gary Johnson's former clubs, are travelling in the opposition direction to them after being relegated to League One.

They are already in a higher league than Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle, Exeter City and Torquay United.

The Wembley win over represents a remarkable journey for a club that was even relegated from the Conference in 1995 and only won promotion to the Football League in 2003 after a 108-year wait, during which time they missed out on being elected to the league on several occasions.

Whilst they were waiting for league football, they had to make do with several FA Cup giant-killing acts, 20 in all, but as of next season they will be starting out in football's oldest knockout competition at the third round stage.

Not a bad achievement for a club written off by many as "Little Old Yeovil."

Well done Yeovil Town.

OWEN'S HOME PARK HEROICS

This season’s final round of Premiership action will see a number of star players call time on their careers, including former Liverpool, Real Madrid and England striker Michael Owen.

We will now look back at a game which Owen featured in before his rise to fame when he starred for England schools in a match played at Home Park on Friday 3^rd March 1995 against Belgium.

England won 7-0 on the night, with Owen scoring four times, before finding the back of the net three years later for the England senior side against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup in France.

We will now look at the fortunes of Michael and his colleagues who appeared that night at Home Park, many of whom would later ply their trade in the South West.

Gareth Stewart (Blackburn Rovers): Gareth joined AFC Bournemouth after being released by Blackburn Rovers in 1998 and also had spells in non-league football with Dorchester Town and Welling United. He is currently employed as Player/Goalkeeping Coach at Yeovil Town, where he has served under both Terry Skiverton and Gary Johnson.

Richard Cooper (Nottingham Forest): Richard carved out a career with York City, Alfreton Town and Eastwood Town before he was forced to retire through injury. He is currently first team coach at Mansfield Town.

Michael Ball (Everton): On establishing himself in the Everton first team as a teenager, Michael was handed his one and only England cap in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s first game in charge against Spain in 2001, which England won 3-0. He joined Rangers in the following summer for £6million, but injuries prevented from realising his true potential. Later had spells with PSV Eindhoven, Manchester City and Leicester City.

Steve Haslam (Sheffield Wednesday): The captain of the side, Steve made the breakthrough with his boyhood heroes Sheffield Wednesday. He remained at Hillsborough until 2004 when he then embarked on spells with Halifax Town (twice), Northampton Town, Bury and Hartlepool United. He currently combines working as a Academy coach at Wednesday with playing for AFC Fylde.

Wes Brown (Manchester United): Wes, who was on the score sheet that night, is still plying his trade in the Premiership with Sunderland, Wes Brown lifted a huge amount of silverware whilst with Manchester United, including seven Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three league cups and two Champions League titles. He was also capped by England 23 times and scored once.

James Hibburt (Crystal Palace): A scorer of two goals that night, James signed a professional contract with the Eagles before dropping into the South East non-league scene with Woking and Ashford Town.

Mark Jones (Wolves): After failing to break into the Wolves side on a regular basis, Mark moved to Chesterfield and Raith Rovers in search of first team football before dropping into West Midlands non-league football with Hednesford Town in 2002.

Richard Kell (Middlesbrough): A native of the North East, Richard headed to the South West for his first taste of league football when he joined Torquay United in the 2000-01 season, initially on loan before making the deal permanent. He was part of the Torquay side which beat Barnet on the final day of the campaign to avoid relegation from the Football League. The Barnet encounter proved to be his final game for the Gulls as then returned north to join Scunthorpe United where he remained until 2005 when he joined Barnsley. Spells at Scarborough and Lincoln City followed before he retired through injury. He is currently working as a commercial airline pilot.

Kenny Lunt (Crewe Alexandra): A graduate of Dario Gradi’s famed Crewe Alexandra academy, Kenny spent seven years at Gresty Road and progressed to become club captain. He left the Alex in 2006 to join Sheffield Wednesday and spent three years with the Owls, during which time he returned to Crewe on loan twice, before he signed for Hereford United in 2009. After making over 100 appearances in three years for the Bulls, Lunt signed for League of Wales side Bala Town in 2012.

Mick O’Brien (Everton):  Following his release by the Toffees, Mick joined Torquay United where he played alongside Evertonian goalkeeping great Neville Southall. The highlights of his time at Plainmoor include scoring a David Beckham-esque free-kick against QPR in the FA Cup and appearing in the Gulls’ final-day decider against Barnet, where he appeared alongside Richard Kell. On his release from Plainmoor in 2001 he returned to the North West to join Chester City. He is currently a coach at Everton’s youth academy.

Aaron Brown (Bristol City): After making his debut for Bristol City in 1998, Aaron established himself as a first team regular at Ashton Gate and remained with the Robins until 2004 when he joined QPR. His time at Loftus Road was plagued by injury and he was loaned out to Torquay United, Cheltenham Town and Swindon Town. He joined Swindon on a permanent basis in 2006 where he stayed for one season before moving on to Gillingham, Lincoln City, Wrexham and Darlington before he joined his current club Bath City in 2012. He also had a loan spell with Exeter City earlier in his career.

Michael Owen (Liverpool): As the scorer of four goals on the night, Michael Owen underlined his potential as a future star of English football. Three years later, after breaking into the Liverpool first team, Owen was part of the England squad that played in the 1998 World Cup in France and scored twice in the competition, including England’s second goal in their second round match against Argentina-which helped him to win the BBC Sports’ Personality of the Year award for 1998.

In 2001, Michael helped Liverpool to win the treble of the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup and scored a hat-trick for England in their 5-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Germany, which helped Michael to secure the Ballon d’Or award for 2001. He joined Real Madrid in 2004, where he remained for one year before spells with Newcastle United, Manchester United, where he won a Premiership winners’ medal in 2011 and Stoke City prior to the announcement of his retirement at the end of the 2012-13 season. Michael is England’s fourth top scorer of all-time with 40 goals from 89 caps.

Shayne Bradley (Southampton): Shayne was Michael Owen’s strike partner in that team and made four appearances for Southampton between 1998 and 2000, during which time he was loaned out to Swindon Town and Exeter City. In 2000, he joined Mansfield Town and helped the Stags to win promotion from Division Three in the 2001-02 season. He then left Field Mill in 2002 and had spells with Eastwood Town, Chesterfield and Lincoln City before an ankle injury ended his career in 2003. He is currently managed Tuffley Rovers in the Gloucestershire County League.

Jamie Burt (Newcastle United): After being let go by Newcastle United due off-the-field problems in 1999, Jamie finally made it back into professional football in 2001 with Chesterfield after spells with Blyth Spartans, Bridlington, Scarborough and Whitby Town. He remained with the Spireites until 2004 when he was released by their then manager Roy McFarland when he rejoined Scarborough.

Jamie Day (Arsenal): As the only member of the Lilleshall class of 95 to enter management, Jamie led Welling United to the Blue Square Conference South title this season, thus ending their 12-year exile from the top-flight of non-league football.

After failing to make the grade at Arsenal, Jamie joined AFC Bournemouth for a fee of £20,000 in 1999 before dropping down into the South East non-league scene with Dover Athletic in 2001. Spells with Crawley Town, Welling, Grays Athletic, Eastbourne Borough, Havant & Waterlooville and Dartford followed prior to his appointment at Park View Road in 2009.

Matthew Cooper (Tottenham Hotspur): Matthew is believed to be living and working in his native Essex.

GLOVERS SET FOR WEMBLEY RETURN

The last ten years has seen Yeovil Town undertake a remarkable journey.

A decade ago, the Glovers-famed for their FA Cup giant-killing feats-won the Nationwide Conference title to end their 108-year wait for league football.

Since then, their journey has continued in an upward trajectory as they lifted the League Two two years later and a prolonged spell in League One has followed.

Now, Yeovil, Somerset’s sole football league representatives, are 90 minutes away from a place in the Championship with only Brentford standing in their way.

After seeing off Sheffield United 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals, the Glovers will head to Wembley on Sunday feeling confident of beating the Bees. They can also point to their two league victories over the West London side, which the Somerset side won 3-0 and 3-1.

The mastermind of their success this season has been the returning hero Gary Johnson who, after embarking on his second spell in charge at Huish Park in January 2012, has assembled aside of assorted cast-offs for a combined sum of £15,000, which covered the signing of one player-striker Paddy Madden.

Following a successful loan spell from Carlisle United, Madden made his move to the Glovers permanent during the January transfer window and has never looked back as he topped the League One scoring charts with 22 goals in 35 appearances.

Other names worthy of a mention in dispatches are Czech goalkeeper Marek Stech, who joined on a free transfer from West Ham United and is being tipped for a move back to the Premiership in the future, on loan central defender Dan Burn, who could force his way into contention at his parent club Fulham in seasons to come, central midfielder Ed Upson, scorer of the Glovers’ winner against Sheffield United, and experienced striker James Hayter who has proved to be an excellent foil for Madden.

It will be the second time that Yeovil have played in a League One Play-Off final. The last time was in 2007 when Blackpool provided the opposition and came out on top and they won 2-0 before winning promotion to the Premiership three years later.

However, the Glovers will face Brentford in Sunday’s final as equals and after spending much of the season punching above their weight, their 4th place league finish is their highest league finish to date, they are just one knock out blow from reaching a place they never thought they could possibly find themselves-the Npower Championship.

GRECIAN REID IN NORTHERN IRELAND UNDER-21 CALL

Exeter City starlet Jamie Reid is set to receive international recognition after he was selected for a Northern Ireland training camp ahead of their next international with Cyprus.

Reid, 18, who qualifies to represent the province through his grandmother who was born in Belfast, scored twice on his debut for the Grecians against AFC Wimbledon last month.

He is part of a group of players, which includes Jake Gosling, Tom Nicholls, Elliot Frear, Jordan Taylor-Moore Aaron Dawson and Elliot Chamberlain who could play a key role for Paul Tisdale's side next season.

Financial pressures have already forced Tisdale, who is set to become the third longest serving manager in the country following the managerial changes at Old Trafford, to trim his squad for next season after releasing Rhys Evans, Kevin Amankwaah, Mark Molesley and Guilleum Bauza following the end of the current campaign.

Tisdale has admitted that next season could be a difficult year, but for Reid and his fellow young charges, it could be a fantastic opportunity.

MCCORMICK MAKES HOME PARK RETURN

Plymouth Argyle manager John Sheridan has made former Pilgrims' goalkeeper Luke McCormick his first close season signing, five years after he was sacked by the club for causing death by dangerous driving.

In 2008, McCormick was sacked by Argyle for causing death of two children in a car crash before he received a jail term of seven and a half years-of which he served half.

Following his release from prison, McCormick joined Truro City before making his return to league football with Oxford United, for whom he made 15 appearances, last January before he was released by U's boss Chris Wilder.

He has agreed a one-year deal with Argyle.

The Pilgrims have announced that he will be donated a 'significant sum to a local children's charity and will also be donating time to support it.

His last appearance for Argyle came on the final day of the 2007-08 season against Wolves whilst Argyle were still in the Championship.

McCormick is the third player to commit his future to the Pilgrims afer Guy Branston and Paul Wotton have both agreed new deals.

Wotton will also be combining playing with a coaching role at Argyle's Youth Academy.

KNILL RELEASES SEVEN IN CLEAR OUT

In his first act as permanent Torquay United manager Alan Knill has released seven players and offered six new deals as he aims to build a squad for the 2013-14 season.

Amongst the seven players making their departures from Plainmoor are long serving winger Danny Stevens, who has been with the Gulls since 2007 and was part of the side that won promotion back to the Football League, right-backs Joe Oastler and Daniel Leadbitter, Lloyd Macklin, Saul Halpin, Karl Baker and experienced midfielder Craig Easton.

Halpin and Macklin first arrived at Plainmoor during their first season back in the league when Halpin became the first player from the Gulls' new youth system to sign a professional contract and Macklin joined from Swindon Town following a loan spell.

Oastler had originally joined Torquay on loan under Paul Buckle during the 2010-11 on loan from QPR before making the move to Plainmoor permanently following the appointment of Martin Ling.

Fellow full-back Leadbitter also joined the Gulls in the immediate aftermath of Ling's arrival after he was released by Newcastle United.

Scotsman Easton, 33,  was re-united with Ling at the start of the season, following a successful trial period towards the end of the 2011-12 campaign, after previously playing a key role in helping Ling win promotion with Leyton Orient in the 2005-06 season.

However, injuries prevented him from holding down a regular first team place.

Baker was plucked from local football after having played for Stoke Gabriel in the South West Peninsula League and spent the final weeks of the season on loan at Bideford in the Southern League.

He had been connected with the Gulls until the age of 14 when former Chairman Mike Bateson decided to scrap the club's youth system, at which point he signed for AFC Bournemouth before returning to playing local non-league football.

Knill has offered new deals to top scorer Rene Howe, goalkeeper Martin Rice, central defenders Brian Saah and Aaron Downes who won the club's Players' Player of the Year and Player of the Year awards respectively, left back Tom Cruise and forwards Ryan Jarvis and Ashley Yeoman.

A permanent deal could also be in the pipeline for Elliot Benyon following his return on loan towards the end of last season after he was released by Southend United.

ALAN KNILL IN PROFILE

Here are a few facts which you may or may not know about the new Torquay United manager.

1. Although he was born in Slough on October 8th 1964, Alan qualifies to represent Wales through his parents, who both hail from Bridgend, and was capped once for the principality in World Cup qualifier against Holland in 1988, where he was handed the task of marking Marco Van Basten.
Wales lost 1-0-but Van Basten didn't score!

2. During his playing days, Alan was opponent of the Gulls on a number of occasions.
In 1988, he was part of the Swansea City side that defeated Torquay 5-4 over a two-legged Play-Off final. Seven years later, he played in the Scunthorpe United team which inflicted an 8-1 defeat on the Gulls at Plainmoor, which saw then manager Don O'Riordan sacked. Another future Gull Andy McFarlane scored five times for Scunny and Alan was also on target for the Iron.

3. As a manager, Alan led Bury, another of his former clubs, to fourth place in League Two in his first full season in charge, the 2008-09 campaign, but they were beaten by Shrewsbury Town in the semi-finals. Two years later, Alan guided the Shakers to the brink of promotion before accepting the vacant manager's position at Scunthorpe, who were then still in the Championship.

4. Earlier this season, Alan made the headlines for non-footballing reasons when he collided with a squirrel whilst on a cycle ride. Fortunately for Alan, he escaped with a few cuts and bruises despite being thrown off his bike and landing on his head.

KNILL DESPERANDUM

As Sir Alex Ferguson calls time on his 27-year reign in charge of Manchester United, Alan Knill has been installed as Torquay United manager.

Former Rotherham, Bury and Scunthorpe boss Knill was appointed following the dismissal of Martin Ling after overseeing a 14-match stint as interim manager whilst Ling was absent with a stress-related illness.

Knill, 48, spent a week in South Devon after the Gulls' 3-3 final day draw with Bristol Rovers before deciding to take charge at Plainmoor and re-locate to South Devon.

His first challenge will be to draw up Torquay's retained from their list of out-of-contract players, a list which includes last season's top scorer Rene Howe, Brian Saah, Player of the Year Aaron Downes and Ryan Jarvis and convince them to remain with the Gulls.

Next up will be the challenge of bringing in his own players as he looks to build a team that will be challenging at the right end of the table.

Recruitment has often been a bone of contention for many of Knill's predecessor's, however, as the Gulls' boss has committed to moving to moving to South Devon himself, hopefully he will be able to encourage others to follow suit.

GLOVERS BLUNT BLADES TO BOOK WEMBLEY DATE

Yeovil Town will face Brentford in the League One Play-Off final at the end of the month after overturning a first leg deficit to beat Sheffield United in their Play-Off semi-final second leg meeting.

The Glovers trailed the Blades by a single goal, courtesy of Callum McFadzean, following their first leg meeting at Bramall Lane but an sixth minute strike by Keith Dawson and a late winner from Ed Upson saw Yeovil through to the final.

They will now face Brentford in the final who defeated Swindon Town on penalties after drawing 4-4 on aggregate.

Yeovil's achievement draws parrallels with their last taste of the Play-Offs in the 2006-07 season when they famously came from behind to see off Nottingham Forest 5-4 on aggregate, which set up a date with Blackpool in the final where they were beaten 2-0.

During the course of the regular league season, the Glovers finished in 4th place in League One with 77 points, two behind the Bees who finished 3rd with 79 points, which saw them agonisingly miss out on automatic promotion.

However, Yeovil fans will be able to point at the fact that the Glovers completed the double over the West London side during the league campaign.

In August, Yeovil won 3-1 at Griffin Park and in the return fixture at Huish Park in February they came out on top again-winning 3-0.

SHERIDAN RINGS THE CHANGES AT HOME PARK

After the news that John Sheridan will be remaining as Plymouth Argyle manager, the former Republic of Ireland midfielder has set about ringing changes at Home Park.

Sheridan stated that the club would never again find themselves in a relegation battle if he was allowed to continue as manager following the Pilgrims' final day defeat against Rochdale.

New deals have been offered to seven out-of-contract players, a list which includes Player of the Year Onismor Bhasera, Guy Branston, Jake Cole, Andres Gurrieri, skipper Conor Hourihane, fans' favourite Paul Wotton and Isaac Vassell.

Npower League Two apprentice of the year nominee Tyler Harvey has also been offered his first professional contract.

Amongst the five departures were Anthony Charles, Ollie Chenoweth, Warren Feeney, Jamie Lowry and Jared Sims.

Striker Nick Chadwick and goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin have both been made available for transfer.

There were also changes announced on the coaching front as Romain Larrieu and Kevin Nancekivell will be leaving their posts.

The pair were part of the backroom of Sheridan's predecessor Carl Fletcher and for Larrieu it ends a 13-year association with the Pilgrims, during which time he has experienced the highs of title winning success under Paul Sturrock and the lows of back-to-back relegations and Administration.

THE END OF THE ROAD FOR LING

Following the announcement of Martin Ling's dismissal, Torquay United are on the outlook for a new manager.

Interim boss Alan Knill, who led the Gulls to safety during Ling's absence through ill health is currently the red hot favourite to succeed him.

He was informed of his dismissal on Sunday evening after receiving a phone call from Chairwoman Thea Bristow.

Ling had been due to meet with the board the following day.

It is worth noting that he is not the first football manager to be sacked in such a way, Neil Warnock was dismissed as Plymouth Argyle manager by Dan McCauley during a mobile phone conversation in 1996.

Ling's first season in charge proved to be largely successful as he rebuilt the Gulls' squad after Paul Buckle's departure to Bristol Rovers with the signings of Bobby Olejnik, Rene Howe and Brian Saah all proving to be important signings.

He also switched skipper Lee Mansell from right-back, where he had been deployed by Buckle, to centre midfield, which turned to be a success move as Mansell netted 13 goals in all competition, making him the club's second top scorer.

As well as this, he also harnessed the talents of Irish midfielder Eunan O'Kane, who netted twice in the Gulls' 3-1 victory over Plymouth Argyle in November 2011, which proved to be the first half of Torquay's first double over the Pilgrims' since the 1971-72 season.

The Gulls finished the campaign in fifth place in League Two as they were beaten in the Play-Offs by Cheltenham Town over two legs. Ling also lifted the Manager of the Month award twice (in January & March 2012) and Mansell, O'Kane, Howe and Kevin Nicholson were all named in the PFA Team of the Season.

However, following the summer departures of Olejnik, Mark Ellis and Eunan O'Kane, which raised over half a million pounds, the Gulls didn't quite the same heights in the season just gone, but were in 8th placed at the start of last December and still harboured slight Play-Off hopes after beating Exeter City, before Ling went on sick leave, in January.

Despite Ling's achievements, the board have now decided that a clean break would be best for both parties.

Here are two reasons that might explain why.

Firstly, if Ling had returned to the Plainmoor hot seat and ten games into the 2013-14 campaign Torquay found themselves in the bottom two in the league, the cries from the Pop Side could have been of 'LING OUT KNILL IN'.

Secondly, if he did make a winning return in charge and a managerial vacancy became available nearer to his family base in Hertfordshire, whilst managing Torquay, Ling was staying with his brother-in-law in the Exeter area. early in the season and he applied for it and was successful-the Gulls' board would be forced into making a managerial change early in the season.

These are two scenarios that the board would have wanted to avoid and they now need to act swiftly to find his successor.