HARGREAVES BEGINS GULLS CLEAROUT

Following the end of their 2014-15 Vanarama Conference campaign, Torquay United manager Chris Hargreaves has set about rebuilding ahead of the 2015-16 season by releasing nine players.

We will now have a closer look at the nine, which Hargreaves decided were surplus to his requirements.

MARTIN RICE -

Former Exeter keeper Rice's departure brings the curtain down on a second spell at Plainmoor that began back in 2011 when he was re-signed by former Gulls manager Martin Ling from Truro City. An able deputy to Bobby Olejnik and Michael Poke, Rice was never quite able to firmly establish his credentials as a first choice keeper.

DALE TONGE -

A vastly experienced right-back, Tonge ends a two-year spell in south Devon which has been largely disappointing. Having not featured for the Gulls since October, due to a knee injury, Tonge, who has won promotions with Barnsley and Rotherham United, will probably be looking for a club nearer to his native South Yorkshire.

AARON DOWNES -

A wholehearted performer, Aussie centre back Downes has been one of United's most consistent performers during the past 12 months. However, due to the fact that Downes was one of the higher earners at the club as well as Hargreaves' desire to find more pace in defence, the decision was made to let him go. During his three years at Plainmoor, Downes won the club's Player of the Year award in the 2012-13 season, and could well be facing United in the rebranded 'National League' next season.

KRYSTIAN PEARCE -

The club's Player of the Year last term, Pearce has failed to hit those heights this season in the Vanarama Conference and a change of scenery will surely benefit both player and club in this instance. Hopefully his next port of call will be in the Football League, as those who remember Pearce's displays in the 2013-14 season will know that he was more than comfortable at that level.

THOMAS CRUISE -

The former Arsenal starlet, who once appeared for the Gunners in a Champions League group game against Olympiakos, has struggled with injuries during the campaign just gone. Once again, in Cruise's case, a fresh start in new surroundings would beneficial for him.

MICKEY PARCELL -

First year pro Parcell spent most of the season on loan at Bideford in the Evo-Stik Southern League and Hargreaves stated that he would have kept him on if the Gulls had their own Development squad. He shouldn't have a problem finding a club at non-league level, as Bideford boss, and former Gulls midfielder, Sean Joyce frequently praised his contributions for the Robins.

COURTNEY CAMERON -

Ex Aston Villa youngster Cameron has been inconsistent for the Gulls and also expressed a desire to Hargreaves to return to his native Midlands. When at his very best, Cameron has proved he is more than a match for most Conference defences and could also be lining up against the Gulls next season.

DUANE OFORI- ACHEAMPONG -

After scoring six goals for the Gulls earlier in the season, Ofori-Acheampong looked as though he would turn out to be a real find for Hargreaves, having been playing non-league football in the South East since being rejected by Southend United at 18. However, a family bereavement meant that Ofori-Acheampong has decided that his future lies in the South East closer to his family. He is a player who will probably receive a warm welcome back to Plainmoor should he ever return as part of a visiting team.

ELLIOT BENYON -

Benyon's first spell at Plainmoor between 2007 and 2011 was an unqualified success. He helped the Gulls win promotion back to the Football League, he even provided the assist for Chris Hargreaves in their Play-off final victory over Cambridge United. His prolific scoring for the returning Gulls earned him a move to Swindon Town for £125,000 in January 2011. Since then he failed to hit those same heights with the Robins, Southend United and in his second spell at Plainmoor and he was loaned out to Hayes and Yeading in Conference South for part of this season.

Further decisions will be made by Hargreaves on the futures of non-contract duo Aaron Dawson and Olliver Guegen once his budget for next season is finalised. This is a fate also awaiting midfielders Ben Harding and James McQuilkin, as well as long serving striker Ashley Yeoman.

A decision will also be made on Jordan Chapell once his loan spell at Grimsby Town, who are currently involved in the Conference Play-offs, comes to an end.

Meanwhile, winger Toby Ajala and academy scholars Levi Ives and Dan Lavercombe have been offered new contracts.

BOURNEMOUTH'S SOUTH DEVON LINKS

This week saw AFC Bournemouth reach the top-flight for the first time in their history thanks to a 3-0 home win over Bolton Wanderers.

Their remarkable rise started in the 2009-10 season when they won promotion from League Two under the guidance of manager Eddie Howe, who is rightfully acknowledged as one of the brightest young managers in English football. This was followed by further promotions in the 2012-13 campaign and this current season.

The Cherries’ journey to the Premiership was aided by four players with South Devon connections, who each played different roles for Howe’s side.

They include former England Under-21 right-back Adam Smith who enjoyed an 18-game loan spell at Plainmoor during the 2009-10 season from Tottenham Hotspur.

With first team opportunities at White Hart Lane hard to come by, Smith first joined the Cherries during the 2010-11 campaign on loan; he made 38 appearances and scored once.

Smith made a solitary appearance for Spurs against Fulham during the 2011-12 season. Further loan spells at MK Dons, Leeds United, Millwall and Derby County followed before he joined the Cherries on a permanent basis in the 2013-14 campaign.

Whilst Smith was on loan at Torquay, he briefly appeared alongside Eunan O’Kane following the Irishman’s move to the Gulls from Northern Irish side Coleraine.

After starting his career with Premiership giants Everton, O’Kane had returned home following his release by the Toffees. He arrived at Plainmoor in January 2010, as he looked to resurrect his career.

O’Kane soon established himself as a first team regular for the Gulls, firstly under Paul Buckle and then under Martin Ling.

However, it was under the guidance of Ling that he truly flourished in the 2011-12 season. He capped a memorable campaign by being named in the League Two Team of the Year, along with teammates Bobby Olejnik, Kevin Nicholson and Lee Mansell.

One highlight of the campaign for O’Kane was the brace his scored against Plymouth Argyle in November 2011. The second of his two goals was a 40-yard lob over Pilgrims’ keeper Romain Larrieu, which helped the Gulls to record their first league win over Argyle since 1972.

Whilst at Plainmoor, he represented both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at Under-21 level, after switching his international allegiance in 2011.

In the summer of 2012, after making 122 appearances and scoring 14 goals, the Cherries paid Torquay £175,000 to take O’Kane to Dean Court. Since he joined the Cherries, O’Kane helped them to win promotion to the Championship and has been linked with several Premiership clubs.

More recently, Baily Cargill was loaned to the Gulls by the Cherries towards the end of the 2013-14 season and made five appearances. Following his return to Dean Court, Cargill has broken into the Cherries’ first team and has been called up to the England Under-20 squad.

In the summer of 2014, the trio were joined at Dean Court by the Brixham-born former Plymouth Argyle midfielder Dan Gosling.

After making his professional debut for the Pilgrims in 2006 against Hull City, as a 16-year old, Gosling became the first player to leave Home Park for a fee over £1million, when he joined Everton in 2008 for £2million.

Whilst at Goodison Park, Gosling scored the winning goal in an FA Cup tie against the Toffees’ arch-rivals Liverpool in 2009. However an error by ITV, who were broadcasting the match live, meant that the millions of viewers across the country missed the goal.

Everton then went on to reach the final of the competition, where they were beaten by Chelsea, and Gosling appeared in the final as a substitute.

Nevertheless a year later, after failing to agree a new contract with Everton, Gosling left Goodison Park and signed for Newcastle United.

His time with the Magpies proved to be less than successful as the form of Chieck Tiote and Yohan Cabaye ensured that first team football was hard to come by at St James Park.

Last season, he joined Blackpool on loan and made 14 appearances and scored twice before signing for the Cherries.

So, as the Cherries embark on their first Premiership campaign next season, there will be many interested observers from Devon keeping a keen eye on events at the Goldsands Stadium.

REID AND GRIMES NAMED IN PFA XI

Plymouth Argyle striker Reuben Reid and former Exeter City midfielder Matt Grimes have been named in the 2014-15 League Two PFA team of the season.

Reid became the first Pilgrims striker since Tommy Tynan to net 20 goals or more in consecutive seasons when he scored Argyle's opener against Tranmere Rovers on Saturday, as they won 3-2 to all but mathematically clinch their Play-off spot.

Grimes has emerged as arguably the brightest prospects that the Grecians' youth policy has ever produced, winning the club's Player of the Year award in his first full season as a professional in the 2013-14 campaign.

A call-up to the England Under-20 followed earlier this season before he then earned his dream £1.75million switch to Swansea City in the January 2015 transfer window.

Since his move to the Liberty Stadium, Grimes has made his Premiership debut for the Swans and returned to Devon in March with the England Under-20 squad, who played a friendly at Home Park against their American counterparts.

Amongst the other names to feature in the side were highly rated young Southend United goalkeeper Daniel Bentley and Portsmouth midfielder Jed Wallace.

Another former Exeter youth product George Friend, currently with Middlesbrough, was named in the Championship team of the season.

GULLS' YOUTH SET UP STARTING TO BEAR FRUIT

Torquay United’s youth policy is now starting to bear fruit eight years after it was relaunched following the progress of Dan Lavercombe, Levi Ives, O’Neil Odofin and Liam Prynn, who have all tasted first team football this season.

Goalkeeper Lavercombe, who hails from Torquay and is a former Gulls’ season ticket holder, make his debut in a 2-0 away defeat at Aldershot Town on Easter Monday. Since then, he held down the goalkeeper’s jersey for United’s next three fixtures – against Altrincham, Lincoln City and FC Halifax Town – and kept a clean sheet in all three of those matches.

Left-back Ives, a Northern Ireland youth international, built on some impression pre-season displays with a sustained run in the first team this season. His impressive displays have helped to keep the Gulls former Arsenal starlet Thomas Cruise out of the side and has attracted interest from a number of visiting scouts. Ives has been offered a professional deal by Torquay manager Chris Hargreaves and it is hoped that he will remain at the Launa Windows Stadium.

Central defender O’Neil Odofin has made a solitary appearance as a substitute in the Gulls’ FA Trophy tie with Bishop Stortford. Odofin looks set to sign a first professional contract in the summer and has also been likened to former West Bromwich Albion defender Darren Moore, who also started his career as a youth team player with the Gulls.

Cornish-born Liam Prynn nearly joined Aston Villa on the eve of the 2013-14 season, but failed to settle in the West Midlands. He has continued to make progress with United and has been prolific scorer in the Gulls’ youth side and has made several cameo appearances for the first team.

As second-year academy scholars, all four of them will be hearing their respective fates this week as to whether they will receive a professional contract and, therefore, be included in Chris Hargreaves’ plans for next season.

LUGGY LIFTS GLOVERS

Despite seeing his Yeovil Town side relegated in his first game in charge against Notts County, Paul Sturrock is yet to experience defeat as Glovers manager.

The draw with the Magpies as Huish Park, which confirmed Yeovil's demotion back to League Two for the first time in ten years, was followed by wins over Play-off chasers Sheffield United and Swindon Town.

Their latter victory came against one of his former clubs who he guided to promotion from League Two in the 2006-07 season.

Many of the Huish Park faithful may well be wondering what would have happened if he had been appointed sooner.

Through out his career in the lower leagues of English football, Sturrock - who won many honours as a player with Dundee United in Scotland - has more often than not left the teams he has managed in a better state than he first arrived.

It is also worth noting two of the four promotions which he has won as a manager in England came in League Two (Plymouth Argyle in 2001-02 & the Robins in 2006-07), which is the level that the Glovers will find themselves playing at next season.

At the age of 58, the opportunity for Sturrock to work his magic one last time will be presenting itself to him once the preparations for the 2015-16 campaign gets underway.

LUGGY TO UNDERTAKE REBUILDING JOB AT HUISH PARK

After looking as though he was taking on an advisory role at Torquay United - Paul Sturrock was unveiled as manager of Yeovil Town at the end of this week.

Sturrock, 58, took charge of his first game against Notts County on Saturday, which ended in a 1-1 draw that saw the Glovers relegated from League One. It was their second successive relegation, after they relegated from the Championship last season.

The rebuilding job awaiting the former Dundee United, Plymouth Argyle and Southampton manager is similar to the one that he faced during his time in charge of Southend United.

When taking over as Shrimpers manager in 2010, Sturrock had taken over a team that had been relegated twice in the space of two seasons and only had four players under contract.

Over time, Sturrock turned Southend into a competitive outfit that reached the League Two Play-offs in the 2011-12 season. They have since emulated that feat under his predecessor, Phil Brown, in the 2013-14 campaign and are set to emulate that achievement again this season.

If he manages to do the same at Huish Park, then Glovers Chairman John Fry and his board of directors would have made a very shrewd appointment indeed.

STURROCK WINGS INTO TORQUAY

Former Plymouth Argyle manager Paul Sturrock will be working with Torquay United manager Chris Hargreaves for the remainder of the season.

Sturrock, 58, who still lives locally, has attended a number of games at the Launa Windows Stadium this season, and he will be looking to help identify the kind of players required to hopefully help the Gulls to challenge at the right end of the Vanarama Conference table next season.

After a sterling playing career with Dundee United and Scotland - he was part of the Scotland squads for the 1982 and 1986 World Cups - Sturrock started his managerial career with St Johnstone before returning to Tannadice to manage the Terrors.

On leaving Dundee United in 2000, he was first appointed as Plymouth Argyle manager during the 2000-01 season, and led the Pilgrims to the Third Division title during the 2001-02 campaign with a record 102 points.

Sturrock then established the Pilgrims in the Second Division and led them part of the way to a second title in the 2003-04 season before accepting the chance to manage Southampton.

His stay at the St Mary's Stadium proved to be a brief one, but it wasn't long before he was back in management with Sheffield Wednesday. Sturrock led the Owls back to the Championship in his first season in charge - the 2004-05 campaign - as they beat Hartlepool in the League One Play-off final on penalties.

Following his departure from Hillsborough in 2006, Sturrock's next port of call was Swindon Town, who he guided to promotion from League Two in the 2006-07 season.

Midway through the 2007-08 campaign, he returned to Home Park for a second spell after Ian Holloway left the Pilgrims to accept the manager's position at Leicester City.

At this point Argyle were in the Championship, but despite a 10th placed league finish in the 2007-08 season - their highest since the mid-1980's - Sturrock failed to re-create the magic of his first spell.

In the 2008-09 campaign, they narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship. By this time, he had also been diagnosed with a mild form of Parkinsons disease.

Half way through the 2009-10 season, he accepted an offer to become the club's Business Support Manager and Paul Mariner was appointed as Head Coach.

Sturrock left Home Park again at the end of the 2009-10 season and, in the summer of 2010, he was appointed as manager of Southend United, where he was assisted by former Pilgrims' defender Graham Coughlan.

During his time at Roots Hall, the Shrimpers reached the League Two Play-offs, where they were losing semi-finalists along with the Gulls, who were then managed by Martin Ling.

He departed Roots Hall on March 24th 2013, after he had ensured that they had reached the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, which was due to have been played on April 7th 2013. He was invited to lead the team out for the final, but he declined.

Whilst he never managed Chris Hargreaves as a player, his departure as a player at Home Park came several months after Sturrock's arrival, two of his former charges are currently employed at the Launa Windows Stadium.

Hargreaves's assistant Lee Hodges played under him with the Pilgrims, and youth coach Craig Easton served under him at Dundee United, Swindon and Southend.

LOANEES SET TO FEATURE FOR PILGRIMS VERSUS BREWERS

Plymouth Argyle's deadline day loan signings Gethin Jones and Zak Ansah are set to start for the Pilgrims on Good Friday.

Jones, 19, a Wales Under-21 international joined Argyle from Everton and Ansah, the son of former Southend United midfielder Andy Ansah, who arrived from Charlton Athletic. He scored on his debut against Cheltenham Town last Saturday after coming off the bench.

Whilst Ansah was helping his new teammates maintain their play-off bid, Jones was on international duty with the Welsh Under-21 squad in their 3-1 victory over Bulgaria at the Cardiff City Stadium.

He joined up with his new colleagues at Home Park shortly afterwards.

Jones has also featured for Everton this season in the Europa League against FC Krasnodar.

Argyle's opponents Burton Albion, managed by former Leeds United striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, are currently top of League Two.