STABILITY KEY FOR COX

With many football clubs, history has shown that many periods of great stability are often followed by long spells of instability.

Take Manchester United for example, when Sir Matt Busby retired in 1970 he had been the Red Devils’ only post-war manager. However, by the start of the following decade – in 1980 – four others had taken charge at Old Trafford, a list featuring Wilf McGuinness, former Torquay manager Frank O’Farrell, Tommy Docherty and David Sexton.

Between the time Brian Clough called time on his 18-year stint in charge of Nottingham Forest in 1993, during which time Forest famously won two European Cups, and the end of the 1998-99 campaign – their last season in the Premiership to date – a further four managers occupied the dugout at the City Ground.

They included Frank Clark, Stuart Pearce, David Bassett and Ron Atkinson; and since the turn of the century they have since been joined by another 13 names and Pearce even returned for a second spell.

In both cases with each club, the level of stability established by the aforementioned manager all but disappeared; and that is the challenge facing Paul Cox as approaches the start of his first campaign as Torquay United manager.

The former Eastwood Town and Mansfield Town boss will be looking to bring the one thing to Plainmoor that has been absent for a number of years: stability.

Since Paul Buckle’s departure to Bristol Rovers in the summer of 2011, Cox is the fourth man to take charge of the Gulls – following in the footsteps of Martin Ling, Alan Knill and Chris Hargreaves.

During Buckle’s four years in charge between 2007 and 2011, the Gulls re-established themselves as the Football League club and even reached in the League Two Play-off final prior to his move to the Memorial Stadium.

Ling proved to be a capable successor to Buckle and led the Gulls to the Play-offs again in the 2011-12 season, where they were beaten at the semi-finals stage by Cheltenham Town.

However, economic realities forced the sales of Bobby Olejnik and Eunan O’Kane in the summer of 2012 and left Ling with a depleted side and Torquay began to stagnate.

In January 2012, Ling was forced to stand down from his duties due to a stress-related illness that later turned out to be depression, and Alan Knill was appointed as interim manager in his absence.

After leading the Gulls to safety, Knill was handed the job on a permanent basis as Gulls’ Chairman Thea Bristow decided to dispense with the services of Ling.

Nevertheless, Knill’s appointment didn’t turn down to be a successful one, as he was sacked in January 2014 and the Gulls’ board opted turned to Conference promotion winning hero Chris Hargreaves.

Unfortunately, Hargreaves failed to replicate the glory of his playing days at Plainmoor as he was unable to keep Torquay in the Football League; and in their first season back in the Conference, he led the Gulls to their lowest ever league finish of 13^th.

This is where the Gulls currently find themselves under Cox; and if he can emulate the success of his tenure in charge of Mansfield, where he led them to the Play-offs in first season which he followed up with a title winning success in the following campaign. If Cox is able to do this at Plainmoor then he would have more than ensured that the Gulls were in a better state than they were he first arrived.

RECORD BREAKERS

A 21^st minute strike from Natasha Knapman was enough to secure victory for Yeovil Town Ladies over Millwall Lionesses, in front of a club record attendance of 722 in their first fixture at Huish Park in over two years.

The Lady Glovers started the brightest, forcing a succession of corners in the opening five minutes before Nicola Cousins headed over following a cross from Corinne Yorston.

On 19 minutes, it looked as though Yeovil had taken the lead when Sarah Wiltshire reacted quickest after Annie Heatherson’s powerful drive cannoned back off the post to turn the ball home, but she was adjudged to have been in an offside position.

Two minutes later, the Lady Glovers finally made the breakthrough when Knapman headed home Wiltshire’s cross from the left hand side.

Yeovil came close to doubling their lead on 36 minutes when Heatherson powered a header against the post, which bounced clear to safety.

On the stroke of half-time, Wiltshire had a shot from the edge of the area that hit the crossbar and bounced over as the Lady Glovers continued to exert their dominance.

Yeovil started the second half as they finished the first, as Stephanie Williams had a free-kick saved by Millwall keeper Sarah Quantrill - after Wiltshire was felled by Naomi Cole.

On 59 minutes, Fliss Gibbons looked well placed to score an equaliser for the Lionesses - only to be denied by a late saving tackle from Lady Glovers’ skipper Natalie Haigh.

In the final ten minutes of the game, Heatherson blasted over and Wiltshire was denied by Quantrill as Yeovil returned to winning ways to move within six points of second placed Reading Women in the FA Women’s Super League Two.

 

EXODUS: CHAPTER 20

If Torquay United were looking for a cult hero to spearhead their new era under Paul Cox, then Exodus Geohaghon could turn out to be that very player.

Having been a late comer to professional football - after spells in the West Midlands non-league scene, which he combined with studying for a degree in Video and Film Production at the University of Wolverhampton–he first came to prominence with Kettering Town, who he found the back of the net for in a 1-1 draw with Lincoln City in the 2008-09 season.

Geohaghon then had stints with several league clubs, including Peterborough United, Port Vale, Rotherham United and Shrewsbury Town.

In addition to this, he is also an experienced non-league campaigner – having appeared 18 times under Cox for Mansfield Town when they won the Conference title in the 2012-13 season.

The phrase ‘have boots, will travel’ could easily be applied to him as the Gulls are now his 20^th club in senior football and had spells with Nuneaton Town in the Conference Premier, Whitehawk in the Conference South and Stourbridge in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier.

Key aspects of his game include a long throw, and with a 6ft 5 inch frame there are very few challenges that he isn’t capable of winning in the air.

During his earlier spell at Kettering, Geohaghon played alongside another centre back who is very familiar to Gulls’ fans in the form of Guy Branston – a player who could prove to be a great inspiration to him.

When Branston first arrived at Plainmoor in the 2009-10 season, he had fallen out of favour at Burton Albion and there were probably many in the game who believed he was finished with professional football.

However, Branston proved those doubters wrong by establishing himself as a first team regular and won the club’s Player of the Year award in the following season, and was also named in the PFA League Two team of the season.

If Geohaghon can have that kind of impact, then the Gulls will have acquired themselves a very good player indeed.

His move comes shortly after the news that Ryan Bowman has joined Gateshead for an undisclosed fee and Northern Irish left-back Levi Ives has agreed a deal with Bristol City.

WSL COMES TO SOMERSET FOR WILTSHIRE RETURN

Following the euphoria of the England women side's third place finish at the Women's FIFA World Cup in Canada, Yeovil Town Ladies return to action next week against Millwall Lionesses at Huish Park.

The Lady Glovers normally play their home games at the Jones Stadium, the home of Sherborne Town, but they now have the opportunity to showcase their talents on a greater stage at a time when the women's game has captured the public's imagination.

As well as the match being the first time a Women's Super League fixture has been held in Somerset - Sherborne is of course in Dorset - the game will also see the return of last season's top scorer Sarah Wiltshire.

Wales international Wiltshire scored ten times in 11 appearances last season for Yeovil after signing from Watford Ladies; a run of form before earning herself a professional contract with Manchester City Ladies.

However, the move didn't quite work out as she had hoped and opted to re-join the Lady Glovers during the mid-season break.

If she can replicate that showing in her second spell, then there is every chance that Yeovil Town Ladies will close the nine-point gap that separates them from second-placed Doncaster Rovers Belles.

Next Sunday's fixture will be the first time that the Lady Glovers have appeared at Huish Park since 2013, when they hosted Leeds United Ladies in a Women's FA Cup tie, which attracted over 600 spectators.

It is hoped that - with the increasing interest in women's football following the World Cup - that figure will be comfortably beaten.

SHEPHERD JOINS GULLS' FLOCK

Torquay United's squad building ahead of the 2015-16 season is continuing to gather pace after manager Paul Cox completed the double signing of Zimbabwean winger Shepherd Murombedzi and striker Waide Fairhurst.

Murombedzi, 20, started his career as a junior with Manchester United before joining Reading, where he was part of their Academy side - which is managed by former Exeter City manager Eamon Dolan.

A number of talented players have emerged from the Royals' academy in recent years, including Republic of Ireland striker Simon Cox, Wales internationals Simon Church and Hal Robson-Kanu as well as Swansea City's Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Other academy players have carved out successful careers elsewhere such as Plymouth Argyle defender Carl McHugh and former Gulls' loanee Scott Rendell.

Murombedzi's capture was swiftly followed by the signing of Fairhurst, a player with plenty of experience of the lower divisions of English football - particularly the Conference.

Fairhurst started his career with Doncaster Rovers and had loan spells with Shrewsbury Town, Southend United and Hereford United.

He then had two spells with Macclesfield Town, which came either side of a one-year stay with Lincoln City in the 2013-14 season.

In the previous 2014-15 campaign, Fairhurst was part of the Silkmen side that almost reached the Play-offs and scored the equalising goal in Macclesfield's 1-1 draw with the Gulls on the final day of the season.

SUMMER TRANSFER ROUND-UP #2

Torquay United manager Paul Cox has continued to strengthen his squad ahead of the start of the National League campaign, which begins at home to Macclesfield Town on August 8th, with the signing of left-back Dan Butler.

Butler, 21, made 30 appearances for Portsmouth last season and has also had loan spells in non-league circles with Havant and Waterlooville and Aldershot Town.

Another South West manager embarking on his first campaign in charge Plymouth Argyle boss Derek Adams has also been busy in the transfer market.

As well as signing striker Jake Jervis and midfielder Graham Carey, who both played under Adams at Ross County at various times, Adams has also recruited former Rangers and Scotland Under-21 wide man Gregg Wylde.

One of Adams' predecessors as Pilgrims manager, Paul Sturrock has also been active in the transfer market. Sturrock has added former Argyle winger Ryan Dickson, who ironically was released by the Pilgrims under Sturrock during the 2008-09 season, and defender Stephen Arthurworrey has agreed another loan deal from Fulham.

The former Dundee United has also signed Jamie Burrow, a young forward from Rangers who his contact described as either being 'Pele or smelly.'

Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale has bolstered his defensive options with the signing of Troy Brown, who was released by Cheltenham Town in the summer, and also running the rule over former Watford, Bristol Rovers, Brighton and Hove Albion striker Will Hoskins and ex-Mansfield forward Alex Fisher.