SEASON PREVIEW 2016-17: TORQUAY UNITED

Imagine this scenario – a team are bottom of their league at Christmas time but go on an incredible run in the second half of the season to stay up before carrying that momentum on into the following campaign to win their league.

For Leicester City, that became reality as they lifted the Premiership title in the 2015-16 season pulling off a near miraculous escape in the campaign prior to that – and Kevin Nicholson will be hoping that Torquay United can draw inspiration from the Foxes’ feats.

Certain parallels can be found with Leicester’s achievements and United’s performances last season, the Gulls were bottom of the league on Christmas Day before showing promotion winning form to clinch the title.

During his seven years as a player with the Gulls, Nicholson served under both Paul Buckle and Martin Ling amongst others and, particularly during the last three months of last season, he has demonstrated that he has learned plenty from the two aforementioned individuals whilst playing under them.

The Conference promotion winning side that Nicholson played in under Buckle was very much a ‘Conference team made for the Conference’ full of strong characters, perhaps typified by their Play-off final win over Cambridge which included a goalkeeper with a broken jaw (Michael Poke), a centre back with leukaemia (Chris Todd) and a centre forward with a fractured cheekbone (Tim Sills).

Nicholson’s Gulls of 2016 possess a strong spine with American goalkeeper Brendan Moore between the sticks, skipper Angus MacDonald has proved to be an important lynchpin in the centre of defence is leaving for Championship side Barnsley, however summer signing Sean McGinty – who has the distinction of being the last Manchester United player to be released by Sir Alex Ferguson – could yet fill that role, Luke Young has the potential to be hugely influential dictating play from the centre of midfield and last season’s leading scorer Nathan Blissett will be looking to lead the attack.

Much of Nicholson’s squad building has been overshadowed by the ‘will they, won’t they’ takeover saga involving Swindon-based firm Gaming International, which has now collapsed, but with the budget he has been given he has – on the face of it – used it wisely.

Whilst there might be some uncertainty following the takeover deal with GI falling through, it is also worth remembering that in the past Torquay United have often been at their strongest when all the odds are seemingly against them.

Nicholson has also made some other important acquisitions in the returning Damon Lathrope and Lathaniel Rowe-Turner as well as Dan Sparkes, who famously netted a hat-trick against United for

Last season injuries proved to be something of an Achilles heel for the Gulls– with Young in particular experiencing a lengthy absence – but if physio Gareth Law ends up spending much of the season twiddling his thumbs, then it could be a sure sign that United have done very well indeed.

In: Aman Verma & Lathaniel Rowe-Turner (Kidderminster Harriers), Dan Sparkes (Braintree Town), Brendan Moore (Fleetwood Town), Brett Williams (Forest Green Rovers), Damon Lathrope & Sean McGinty (Aldershot Town), Jamie Robba (Unattached), Jamie Reid (Exeter City loan), Chey Scrivens (West Bromwich Albion loan)

Out: Angus MacDonald (Barnsley, undisclosed),Toby Ajala (Gateshead), Daniel Butler (Newport County), Oneil Odofin (Corby Town), Iffy Allen (Aldershot Town), Shaun Harrad (Wrexham), Grant Fisher (Buckland Athletic), Liam Prynn (St Austell), Exodus Geohaghon, Danny Racchi

Player to Watch: Sam Chaney

One of the products of the Gulls’ now defunct youth set-up, Chaney was given his first taste of first team football by Nicholson, and even earned a favourable comparison with former United midfield maestro Eunan O’Kane, now of Bournemouth. In his first team outings towards the end of last season, Chaney proved that those comparisons were more than just a passing compliment and it will be interesting to observe his progress in the forthcoming campaign.

 

ROCK OF GIBRALTAR

In the midst of the uncertainty surrounding their proposed takeover, Torquay United have strengthened their squad with the signing of Gibraltar international goalkeeper Jamie Robba on a one-year deal.

Robba, 24, has won seven caps for Gibraltar and appeared in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, which saw them drawn in the same group as Germany, Poland, Republic of Ireland and Scotland.

Aside from a spell in France with US Le Pontet, Robba has spent most of his career playing in Gibraltar will provide competition to United's first choice goalkeeper Brendan Moore.

Also this week, the Gulls also signed Jamie Reid on a three-month loan deal from Exeter City. Former Northern Ireland Under-21 international Reid, who was born in Torquay and grew up supporting the Gulls, also came to United on loan during the 2014-15 season but only made two appearances.

He joins a striking roster that includes Nathan Blissett and Brett Williams who he will be competing against for a place in manager Kevin Nicholson's starting eleven.

WILTSHIRE TYPIFIES LADY GLOVERS' CHARACTER

Yeovil Town Ladies banished the memory of their defeat to Everton moved back to the top of the FA Women's Super League Two with a four-goal win over Durham at Huish Park.

It was a victory that was described by two-goal striker Annie Heatherson as ' a real test of our character of us as a team and as a unit', but no one typified their character more than leading scorer Sarah Wiltshire who at the end of the game, in which she playing 65 minutes and scored the opening goal, announced that she was pregnant and wouldn't be appearing again in Green and White for the remainder of the campaign.

Wiltshire, 25, is the Lady Glovers' top scorer 12 goals - a tally which includes a hat-trick against Aston Villa Ladies - but will be missing the rest of the campaign, but will be cheering the team on from the sidelines in their quest for promotion.

Yeovil's 4-0 win over Durham brings down the curtain on Wiltshire's second spell with the Lady Glovers, she first joined the club in 2014 from Watford Ladies before moving onto Manchester City Women shortly afterwards following a number of impressive displays.

However, after failing to settle in the North West she returned the Lady Glovers' fold midway through the 2015 and she once again proved to be an influential figure for Jamie Sherwood's side.

Nevertheless, Sherwood announced after the game that her number 7 shirt, which she has worn with great distinction, will be waiting for her once she is ready to return.

And it is not beyond the realms of possibility that her third spell with Yeovil Town Ladies could start in FA Women's Super League One, a division that the Lady Glovers have strived to reach for the last couple of years.

ALL EYES ON PLAINMOOR

The takeover of Torquay United by Swindon-based firm Gaming International is in the balance and could collapse if the new owners are unable to purchase Plainmoor.

Plainmoor, the Gulls' home since 1921, is currently owned by Torbay Council and if they cannot agree to the sale by July 31, 2016 then the deal will be called off as revealed by United Chairman Dave Phillips.

However, if the council were to agree to this option there are several questions that they would require answers for, owing to the club's importance to the local area and also its economy.

Firstly, if a new stadium is built for the Gulls, who would own and manage the stadium?

Torbay council are the club's current landlords, but as with several of Gaming International interests in Speedway - most notably Poole Pirates - the stadium is leased from Poole Borough Council by GI and managed by them and Poole Pirates sub-lease the stadium from GI.

Would a similar agreement exist with a new stadium for the Gulls?

There is also the question of rent for the new stadium and any ancillary revenues associated with the development.

As mentioned previously on this site, Coventry City were forced to leave the Ricoh Arena in 2013 for over a year for an exile in Northampton over a rent dispute.

If such a situation did arise as a result of such a dispute as this, then it could deprive the Torbay and South Devon economy of revenue from visiting away fans staying in the Bay and surrounding areas on the weekends of matches.

Also if their plan is based around making Torquay United sustainable as a football, which has been previously stated, then surely some agreement should be in place that the club can make use of the ancillary revenues at the stadium, otherwise it would defeat the purpose of ensuring that the club can become self-sufficient.

And let's not forget that United's current ground Plainmoor which, following the construction of Bristow's Bench in 2012, rates amongst the best in the Vanarama National League and League Two and compares favourably to several in League One.

Any new stadium proposals would therefore be a tough act to follow, and if GI are unable to deliver on that front, then it will almost certainly defeat the purpose of their planned relocation.

GULLS IN TAKEOVER DELAY

Whilst Kevin Nicholson has set about building a competitive Torquay United squad ahead of the 2016-17 season, the takeover of the Gulls by Swindon-based firm Gaming International remains unresolved.

Chairman Dave Phillips had hoped to make a definitive announcement at last week's club AGM but was unable to do so, and expressed his frustration at not being able to.

One piece of information that did emerge from the meeting was that GI had loaned the club a five figure sum to United to cover their running costs during the close season.

It had been announced that a Memorandum of Understanding had been agreed between both parties on 30 March, 2016.

Gaming International currently operate Speedway and Greyhound stadiums in Swindon and Poole, and a new home for the Gulls is believed to be part of the plans once the deal has been finalised.

One possibility as to what could be holding up the process is any negotiations with Torbay Council over a potential move away from Plainmoor, with a site at Nightingale Park in Barton widely being seen as a future home for United.

However, as a former site of the town's former rubbish dump the land being earmarked for usage by the council for the Gulls would need to be decontaminated before any building work could commence.

And then there is the question of what would happen to Plainmoor and the Swimming Pool and Bowling Club, which both serve as amenities to the local community.

Nevertheless, if the council wished to build new houses on the site of Plainmoor they would need to seek the permission of the Cary Estate, who possess a convenant on the ground which states that it can only be used for recreational purposes. The Gulls required the blessing of the Estate when they wished to construct Bristow's Bench in 2011.

The ground has also been listed as an 'Asset of Community Value' by the club's Supporters Trust - TUST - meaning that if Plainmoor becomes available for sale a community group has six months to submit their own bid for the ground.

It is hoped that some new information will emerge at the end of the month, when the period of exclusivity ends and hopefully the fans might have a firm answer from all parties.

Whilst having a new ground has helped clubs such as Burton Albion, Morecambe and Shrewsbury Town progress in recent years, through ancillary funds raised from commercial activities, there is always the tale of Coventry City and Ricoh Arena to be observed with caution.

Since it was opened in 2005, the Ricoh Arena has played host to Coventry City, Olympic football during London 2012 and Wasps RFC amongst others.

For a brief time in 2013, the Sky Blues were forced to share Northampton's Sixfields Stadium for over a year due to a rent dispute with the stadium owners.

The Gulls faithful will be hoping for the former, rather than the latter, should the deal be completed.

JOCK LOOKING TO ENSURE PROGRESSION FOR NOMADS

After the euphoria of Wales' Euro 2016 campaign, the attention switches back to club football as former Plymouth Argyle central defender Andy 'Jock' Morrison looks to guide Gap Connah's Quay Nomads into the third qualifying round of the Europa League.

The Nomads trail Serbian side Vojvodina 1-0 after the first leg in Novi Stad, and the second leg on Thursday, 21 July at Rhyl's Belle Vue promises to be a keenly fought contest.

Following the exits of Bala Town and Llandudno, the Nomads are now the only Welsh representatives remaining in their competition and an encounter with Belarussian side Dynamo Minsk or St Patricks Athletic awaits them in the third qualifying round should they progress.

Morrison started his career with the Pilgrims in 1987, after making his debut against Aston Villa, and remained at Home Park until 1993 when he joined Blackburn Rovers.

He combines his role with the Nomads with his work as a Fan Ambassador with Manchester City, the club where he finished his playing career in 2002.

GULLS PLAY OUT DRAW WITH PILGRIMS

Nine years ago to the day that they faced each other in Kevin Hill's testimonial, Torquay United played out a draw with Devon neighbours Plymouth Argyle as both sides continued with their preparations for the 2016-17 campaign.

For some fans, it was the opportunity to see their new summer signings - which was especially true in the case of the Pilgrims for whom Luke McCormick, Gary Sawyer and Graham Carey the only survivors from their Play-off final defeat to AFC Wimbledon.

On the other hand, the only new faces in the Torquay line-up was Dan Sparkes - signed from Braintree in the summer - and one-time Manchester United starlet Sean McGinty. Damon Lathrope, Lathaniel Rowe-Turner and Kaid Mohammed also marked their returns to Plainmoor (albeit the latter did so on trial).

The Gulls started strongly as Blissett had a goal bound effort blocked after three minutes.

Ten minutes later, Argyle’s David Goodwillie was denied by United keeper Brendan Moore.

The action then switched to the other end of the pitch, as Torquay’s former Pilgrims’ starlet Luke Young was denied by Luke McCormick.

In the 37th minute, Graham Carey linked up with Jimmy Spencer for Argyle but dragged his effort wide.

Two minutes before half-time, the Pilgrims edged ahead when Goodwillie turned home a corner from Carey.

The Gulls equalised from the penalty spot through Blissett in the 53^rd minute after substitute Sam Chaney was upended by McCormick.

Blissett was denied a double in the 64^th minute, as McCormick tipped his close range effort behind for a corner. 

In the closing stages, Carey narrowly cleared the crossbar from distance and Argyle substitute Jordan Slew also  forced a save from Torquay replacement keeper Cory Harvey as the spoils were shared.

 

LATEST DEPARTURES SIGNAL THE END OF AN ERA FOR ARGYLE

The departure of Plymouth Argyle skipper Curtis Nelson to Oxford United brought down the curtain on a seven-year association with the Pilgrims.

Nelson originally arrived at Home Park as a 16 year-old apprentice in 2009, after he was released by Stoke City, and made his debut for Argyle at the start of the 2010-11 season in a League Cup tie against Notts County under Peter Reid.

It proved to be the first of 211 appearances for the Pilgrims, as Nelson started to become increasingly involved in first team duties during what ultimately turned out to be a very difficult season for Argyle, as they were relegated to League Two after receiving a ten-point deduction for entering Administration.

However, Nelson made the most of the opportunities that came his way and displayed a level of maturity beyond his years, which stood him in good stead when he was eventually appointed as club captain by John Sheridan.

Owing to his long service, Nelson had been the only Pilgrims' player who was with the club at the time they entered Administration in 2011.

Also leaving Home Park are Kelvin Mellor, who has signed for Blackpool, Tyler Harvey, Reuben Reid and Carl McHugh.

Reid returned to Home Park for a second spell under John Sheridan and went on to become the first Pilgrims' striker to score 20 or more goals in a season since Tommy Tynan, a feat that he managed in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

Irish midfielder Carl McHugh, who converted into a more central role by current Argyle manager Derek Adams, had looked set to remain with the Pilgrims for the forthcoming season, after initially agreeing to stay, but has instead opted to join Scottish Premier League side Motherwell.

One thing is for sure that he will be a very different Argyle side that takes to the field against Luton Town on the opening day of the 2016-16 season to the one that featured in the League Two Play-off final against AFC Wimbledon.