FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS FC HALIFAX TOWN

1. The second coming of Ade Azeez.

By finding the back of the net with what turned out to be the crucial goal for the Gulls against FC Halifax Town, Ade Azeez made it a second debut to remember for Torquay United. In doing so, Azeez earned the distinction of having scored on his debuts in two seperate spells with United - he was also on target in his first debut for the Gulls against his current parent club Newport County in the 2013-14 season.

2. Little setback.

Losing midfield talisman Armani Little to a hamstring injury after 20 minutes was undoubtably a blow for Gulls manager Gary Johnson. However, with the Gulls' previously lengthy injury list now easing, Johnson had the luxury of being able to send on Jake Andrews as his replacement. And Andrews ended up playing a key role in United's winning goal, as it was free-kick that picked out skipper Asa Hall, whose header was parried by Halifax keeper Sam Johnson into the path of Azeez who headed home the winner in the 68th minute.

3. Defensively resolute.

United's clean sheet against the Shaymen was the third that they have managed to keep in the current calendar year and it was achieved after starting the game with a back three consisting of Joe Lewis (20), Robbie Cundy (22) and Kyle Cameron (23). The loan signing of the experienced Gary Warren from Exeter City had brought more stability to the Gulls' backline, but Lewis, Cundy and Cameron all produced assured displays which will bode well for United's future as well as their own individual futures.

4. Longridge shows why Johnson was keen to keep him.

After the week that saw him agree a loan deal to remain with the Gulls for the remainder of the 2019-20 season from parent club Bradford City, Jackson Longridge showed just why Gary Johnson was so keen to keep him at the club for the rest of the campaign. After starting the game as a left wing-back, but switched left-back following the introduction of Jake Andrews in place of Armani Little, but he maintained the same high standard of performance throughout the course of the match.


5. A second double for United.

In defeating FC Halifax, United completed their second double of the season - and also ended the Shaymen's seven-match unbeaten run in the Vanarama National League in the process. The result was also a small measure for the Gulls' exit from the FA Trophy at the hands of the Shaymen in January. AFC Fylde are the other side that United have defeated home and away.

DAVID GRAHAM AND MARTIN GRITTON - TORQUAY UNITED'S SCOTCH DOUBLE

The recent documentary Everton: Howard's Way tells the story of Everton's last great heyday in the mid-1980's which saw the Toffees lift four trophies between 1984 and 1987 under the late Howard Kendall.

Central to Everton's success during this period was their Scottish strike duo of Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray, who played a key part in helping to get the ball rolling for the Toffees as they both found the back of the net in their 2-0 win over Watford in the 1984 FA Cup final. This was soon swiftly followed by two league titles in 1985 and 1987 as well as the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1985.

For many decades Scottish football has had a big influence on the game in England and in 2002 another forward partnership featuring two players who both hailed from north of the border were performing a key role in helping to transform Torquay United from relegation strugglers into promotion contenders under the managerial reign of Leroy Rosenior.

Those two strikers in question were David Graham and Martin Gritton and although they were both compatriots – their respective journeys to Plainmoor were markedly different.

Edinburgh-born Graham had progressed through the youth ranks of Scottish giants Rangers and made a handful of appearances for the Gers – which included a UEFA Cup tie with Irish side Shelbourne and a substitute appearance in an Old Firm game against Celtic – and was capped eight times by Scotland at Under-21 level. After failing to break into the Rangers’ first team under Dick Advocaat, Graham joined Dunfermline Athletic – but several managerial changes saw him fall out of favour with the Pars and when Colin Lee signed him for United on non-contract terms in March 2001 his career was at a crossroads. Two goals in five games played a key part in helping the Gulls beat relegation – including United’s third in their infamous 3-2 final day decider against Barnet.

If Graham took the high road to South Devon then it could be argued that Gritton took the low road. His route to Plainmoor was not the one that would be considered to be orthodox for most professional footballers. A life-long Celtic fan, Gritton’s family moved from Glasgow to Cornwall when he was five years old and his footballing education came through playing for Porthleven in the Jewson South Western League. He combined this with University football – he graduated with a degree in Sports Science from the University of Portsmouth in 1999 – before joining Plymouth Argyle. Initially at Home Park he struck up a promising partnership with Ian Stonebridge, but found himself down the pecking order following the arrival of former Dundee United and Scotland striker Paul Sturrock as successor to Kevin Hodges. Gritton was loaned out to Yeovil Town and Shelbourne in the Republic of Ireland before becoming one of Rosenior’s first signings ahead of the 2002-03 season.
 
Owing to a suspension carried over from the previous season for Graham, which saw him miss the first three games of the season, there was a delay in the duo starting together on the opening day of the season against Bristol Rovers. Despite this it proved to be an occasion to remember for Gritton, as he headed home a cross from fellow debutant Neil Prince to score the Gulls’ equaliser on the stroke of half-time as United won 2-1 – with Alex Russell adding United’s second from the penalty spot in the second half.

The pair started together for the first time on September 7^th, 2002 in an away game against Oxford United which the Gulls drew 2-2 with Graham finding the target along with Tony Bedeau. Just under a month later, on October 5^th 2002, Graham and Gritton were on target in the same match for the first time in a 2-1 away win versus Carlisle United at Brunton Park.

Gritton’s goal against the Cumbrians was his first for United since the opening day of the campaign, and he then went on to finish the season with 16 goals in all competitions to his name whilst Graham ended the campaign with 15. Gritton’s efforts also saw him voted as runner-up in the club’s player of the year award – sandwiched between Jason Fowler in third and the overall winner Alex Russell.

If the 2002-03 season belonged to Gritton then the 2003-04 campaign was very much the property of Graham, as he found the back of the net 23 times - in all competitions, lifted the Gulls’ player of the year award and was named in the PFA Division Three team of the season for 2003-04. His impressive displays soon attracted the attention of clubs higher up the footballing food chain as Wigan Athletic paid United £215,000 for his services in the summer of 2004.

Gritton, however, would remain at Plainmoor a little longer as he left for Grimsby Town in December 2004 for a fee of £7,500, after finding the back of the net six times for the Gulls in League One. This included a brace in a 2-0 win over Stockport County that gave United their first away win in the third tier since the 1971-72 season.

The pair would return to the Gulls later in their careers on loan; Graham in the 2006-07 season and Gritton in the 2010-11 campaign. Both their respective loan spells saw them fail to find the back of the net, but the magic of their first spells will live long in the memory of those who witnessed them in action.

IS IT TIME FOR THREE UP, THREE DOWN BETWEEN LEAGUE TWO AND THE NATIONAL LEAGUE TO BE INTRODUCED?

As we enter a new decade for non-league football, one question remains whether the number of clubs promoted and relegated between League Two and the National League should be increased from two to three in the near to distant future.

Previously the popular wisdom on the idea of whether the number of teams promoted and relegated between the League Two and the National League should be increased has always been thus: if you finished second in the National League it's a good idea, and if you finished 22nd in League Two it's bad one.

Promotion and relegation between the old GM Vauxhall Conference and the 'old' Fourth Division was first introduced in the 1986-87 season - replacing the old re-election system - when Torquay United famously stayed up in no small part to Bryn the Police Dog's infamous bite on Jim McNichol, and Lincoln City instead became the first team to be relegated from the Football League.

A second promotion spot was introduced ahead of the 2002-03 campaign - 16 years after the one up- one down system replaced the old re-election system - which saw Yeovil Town finally end their 108-year wait for league football as Gary Johnson guided them to the Nationwide Conference title.

In its present form the National League could easily be described as a hybrid of a 'old' Division Four and GM Vauxhall Conference from the late 1980's-early 1990's. If you look back to the 1989-90 season, seven teams currently appearing in the National League featured in the 'old' Division Four (Aldershot, Chesterfield, Halifax, Hartlepool, Torquay and Wrexham) and five in the Conference (Barnet, Barrow, Chorley, Sutton and Yeovil). Also nearly all the teams within it are now full-time, as opposed to part-time.

Yours truly has long believed that it is easier to make a case for three teams winning promotion from the National League, as the quality of the division has improved over the years, than it is to argue for League Two to receive a third relegation slot.

In the 2013-14 season, Bristol Rovers were relegated from the Football League for the first time in their history despite only being in the League Two relegation zone for the last 56 minutes of the campaign. The subsequent 2014-15 season then saw the Pirates bounce back to the league at the first attempt after beating Grimsby Town in the final on penalties at Wembley. Had an extra automatic promotion spot from the division was available then Rovers, who finished second during the regular season, wouldn't have needed to go through the lottery of the play-offs. The Pirates then followed up this feat by winning a second consecutive promotion into League Two - making them one of eight teams to have achieved this feat.

Since then the National League have expanded their play-off system to include the teams who finish sixth and seventh, which now sees the sides who end the season between second and seventh place compete in a series of one-off matches with the final taking place at Wembley.

At the time of writing Yeovil and Notts County, both relegated from League Two in the 2018-19 season, are vying for an immediate return to the Football League. For the first time since the two up-two down system was introduced both teams relegated into the National League are now vying for an immediate return at this stage of the season. While in the current climate this might be seen as an anomaly, if it was to occur again in a few years then a re-think might be required - particularly amongst League Two clubs fearing the loss of league status.

However, in an era where many clubs in the National League are getting crowds that are equal or greater than many in League Two with playing budgets that are on par with that of league sides and nearly every club in the National League now operating on a full-time basis.

The question now is: have we now reached a stage whereby increasing the number of teams promoted and relegated between the two divisions to three is now a necessity?