SEASON PREVIEW 2019-20: TORQUAY UNITED

After winning the National League South title in the 2018-19 season, Torquay United manager Gary Johnson now has his sights set on a possible return to the Football League for the Gulls.

United were 14^th in the National League South at the time Johnson succeeded Gary Owers in the Plainmoor hotseat. However, he transformed their fortunes to such an extent that they clinched the league title by finishing ten points clear of second placed Woking. In the close season, all the noises coming out of Plainmoor suggest that he has made it clear that the Gulls won’t be in the National League merely to consolidate their newly found status.

Johnson has previous when it comes to ensuring that his sides don’t rest on their laurels. In his first spell as Yeovil Town manager, he led the Glovers to the brink of the play-offs in their first season in the Football League – the 2003-04 campaign – after winning the Conference title, as they only missed out on the play-offs on goal difference. While at Bristol City, he led the Robins to the 2008 Championship play-off final, where they succumbed 1-0 to Hull City courtesy of a Dean Windass strike, one year on from securing automatic promotion from League One, so Johnson has plenty of previous form for maintaining success at a higher level.

Since the introduction of National Leagues North and South in the 2005-06 season, four teams have won promotion to the National League and then into the Football League (Fleetwood Town and Salford City from the north and AFC Wimbledon and Newport County), and it’s a list that the Gulls are aiming to add their name to.

Over the summer, Johnson has opted for a ‘nip and tuck’ operation instead of major surgery and has added four new players over the close season, with Jake Andrews joining the Gulls on a permanent basis after scoring 12 goals from midfield while on loan from Bristol City. Andrews isn’t the only midfielder making a return to Plainmoor as Frank Vincent has re-joined on a season-long loan from AFC Bournemouth.

With Connor Lemonheigh-Evans and Saikou Janneh returning to Ashton Gate, following their loan spells, Johnson has moved to fill the gap left by their departure with the signing of Armani Little, who impressed for Woking against the Gulls whilst on loan from Oxford United, and Dutch striker Manny Duku from his former club Cheltenham Town.

Johnson has also brought in Brazilian goalkeeper Lucas Covolan from Isthmian League side Worthing FC as competition for Shaun MacDonald, who made the goalkeeper’s position his own last season after Alex Bass returned to parent club Portsmouth.

In defence, Ben Wynter recovered from a slow start to become a dependable performer at right-back and Liam Davis proved to be amongst the best left-backs in National League South. Both players are expected to continue their fine form in the National League.

As for the centre of defence, the recent loan acquisition of Joe Lewis Jean Yves Koue Niate and Kyle Cameron formed a capable partnership after Johnson switched from the 3-5-2 system favoured by Owers to 4-4-2.

In midfield, Ruairi Keating showed plenty of promise after switching from being a striker to the right wing and prior to his substitution through injury in United’s 3-3 draw away to Woking last season he had provided assists for six of the previous seven goals that the Gulls had scored until that point.

In addition to this, Keating also found the back of the net six times and goals from midfield played a big part in United’s success. Skipper Asa Hall chipped in with seven and Lemonheigh-Evans scored four whilst Jake Andrews and Kalvin Kalala both hit double figures with 12 and 10 respectively.

The latter two may not equal their respective tallies at a higher level, but it won’t be a surprise if they get mighty close to them.

Up front Jamie Reid was a man transformed by the arrival of Johnson; the former Northern Ireland Under-21 international had scored just the once in the 2018-19 season under Gary Owers, but went on to finish the campaign with 32 goals to his name. It was a transformation which drew parallels with former Yeovil striker Paddy Madden who scored 22 goals to help the Glovers win promotion to the Championship under Johnson after having only netted twice in 32 appearances for his previous club Carlisle United.

It’s fair to say that the chances of Reid bettering the six goals that he scored in Torquay’s last National League campaign in 2017-18 are hugely stacked in his favour.

At the time of writing all the signs that United will not be in the National League to make up the numbers as their revival under Gary Johnson enters its next phase.

 

 

ENGLISH SPORTING TRIUMPHS COINCIDE WITH GULLS' SUCCESSES

So 2019 has thus far proved to be a good year for followers of Torquay United and the England Cricket team in the wake of the Gulls' National League South triumph and England's glorious 'champagne super over' victory over New Zealand in the final of 2019 Cricket World Cup.

However, it is not the first time that a highly successful campaign for United and a great English sporting triumph have occurred in a similar timescale.

In 1966 Alf Ramsey's 'wingless wonders' 4-2 defeat of West Germany at Wembley to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy happened several months after Frank O'Farrell had led Torquay United to promotion from Division Four.

There was a particularly strong connection between the two achievements, as former West Ham United defender John Bond was key to United's success and three of his former Hammers' team-mates Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters starred for England. Moore captained the side while Hurst famously scored the only World Cup final hat-trick and Peters was also on the score sheet. Two years earlier, Bond had appeared alongside Moore and Hurst for West Ham in the 1964 FA Cup final against Preston North End before O'Farrell, himself a former teammate of Bond from his own playing days at Upton Park, persuaded him to make the move to Plainmoor midway through the 1965-66 season.

On 22nd November 2003, Jonny Wilkinson's last gasp drop goal secured a first Rugby World Cup triumph for England by securing a 20-17 victory over Australia in their own backyard in the early hours of the morning UK time. Later on that day, the Gulls took another step closer to winning promotion from Division Three under Leroy Rosenior with a 2-1 win away to Kidderminster Harriers thanks to a brace from Kevin Wills. On the final day of the campaign, another 2-1 away win - this time over Southend United with goals from David Graham and Steve Woods - saw United pip Huddersfield Town to the third and final automatic promotion spot.

In 2019, the Gulls celebrated winning the National League South title under Gary Johnson, which was followed later in the summer by the super over drama against New Zealand. Both sides were tied on 241 runs each after 50 overs, which sent the match to a super over.

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler made 15 off their allocated six balls, which left the Black Caps needing 16 from their super over. With one ball remaining they needed two runs, but Jason Roy's throw to wicketkeeper Buttler helped to run out New Zealand's Martin Guptill to clinch a first Cricket World Cup for England in the most dramatic of circumstances as they won by virtue of scoring more boundaries - 26 to New Zealand's 17.

Although they were 14th in the table at the time of Johnson's arrival, United's National League South success proved to be more straight forward. They finished the campaign ten points clear of second placed Woking and won the title with three matches out of their 42-match league campaign to spare.

JOHNSON AGREES NEW CONTRACT WITH THE GULLS

Ahead of their return to the National League, Torquay United have agreed a new contract with manager Gary Johnson.

After replacing Gary Owers in mid-September 2018, former Yeovil Town, Bristol City and Cheltenham Town manager Johnson led the Gulls from 14th place to the National League South title, which they won after finishing ten points clear of second-place Woking.

And Johnson, who has made four new signings over the summer in the form of Lucas Covolan, Armani Little, Manny Duku and Jake Andrews - with the latter returning to Plainmoor on a permanent basis after spending last season on loan from Bristol City - didn't need a lot of persuading in terms of putting pen to paper.

“It was a no-brainer for me,” said Johnson. “I really have enjoyed my time here. I just thought it was a natural thing to do because I’ve got no thoughts of going anywhere, doing anything else, because I’ve enjoyed what’s been happening to the football club, and I’m pleased to be a part of it.”

This news comes straight after the release of the 2019-20 National League fixtures which sees United start the season at home to Boreham Wood, who they bowed out of the FA Trophy to after extra time in December 2018.

They will also be facing Johnson's former club Yeovil as part of a festive double header as the Gulls travel to Huish Park on Boxing Day. The two sides will then meet again on New Year's Day at Plainmoor, shortly after Woking, who were promoted from National League South along with United, visit United on 28th December.

Since Johnson's appointment the Gulls have also broken a number of records which include:

• Biggest FA Cup win (7-0 v Lymington)
• Most consecutive league wins (10)
• Most league games unbeaten (16)
• Most goals (93)
• Best goal difference (+52)
• Most league wins (27)
• Fewest league defeats (8)
• Most points (88)
• Fastest ever goal (10 seconds, Kalvin Kalala v St Albans – away)

SHAKERS MIGRATION TO HOME PARK CONTINUES WITH SIGNING OF AIMSON

After pulling off the signing of attacking midfielder Danny Mayor from his former club Bury, Plymouth Argyle manager Ryan Lowe has returned to the Shakers to sign central defender Will Aimson.

Aimson, 25, becomes the latest player to leave Gigg Lane, following the financial turmoil that has engulfed the club, and takes a number of close season signings made by Lowe to three - in the wake of the arrivals of Mayor and former Bristol City and Yeovil Town midfielder Joe Edwards from Walsall.

The signing of Mayor will provide the Pilgrims with some much needed creativity after the departures of Graham Carey and Ruben Lameiras to Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia and Portuguese top-flight club FC Falmalicao respectively.

It is also Aimson, the grandson of Paul Aimson who played for a number of Football League clubs including Manchester City, Bury, York City, Huddersfield Town and Bradford City, will fill the void left by the summer departures of centre backs Ryan Edwards and Yann Songo'o.