One of the greatest attributes that the Torquay United side that Chris Hargreaves led to victory in the 2009 Conference Play-Off final possessed was their strength of character in the face of adversity.
On that day at Wembley in May 2009, the Gulls' XI that Hargreaves presented to the match day guest of honour, current Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill, contained goalkeeper Michael Poke- who was suffering from a cracked jaw, central defender Chris Todd- then still in remission after being diagnosed with Leukaemia earlier in the season- and centre forward Tim Sills, who was donning a face mask to protect a fractured cheekbone- before duly going to clinch their return to the Football League after a two-year absence with a 2-0 win over their opponents Cambridge United.
Fast forward to the present and the Torquay side that Hargreaves now manages- and are currently fighting to retain the league status they won that day- defeated League Two's fallen giants Portsmouth on their own patch after being awoken at 1:45am, following flooding in their hotel which later forced them to evacuate the premises at 5am when they were transferred to a new hotel.
A 27th minute strike from Billy Bodin- their first ever goal against Pompey at Fratton Park in five attempts- proved to be enough to secure a crucial three points for the Gulls, in what had already proved to be the most extraordinary of circumstances.
Next up for Hargreaves' side is a home fixture against Bury on Saturday, which is set to be his first home league fixture after their previous two scheduled home fixtures against Northampton Town and Burton Albion fell victim to the adverse wet weather conditions that have hit south Devon in the past month.
