In modern times they have been a number of players who have joined Torquay United after leaving Plymouth Argyle, but Alan Welsh, who has sadly passed away recently, bucked that trend.
After starting his career with Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic in his native Scotland, Edinburgh-born Welsh joined Millwall in 1965 and made five appearances for the Lions before he was first enticed to Devon by Frank O'Farrell in 1967, when the Irishman signed him for Torquay United.
He made his debut for United on November 5, 1967 in an away fixture to Mansfield Town as part of a new look strike pairing with the legendary Robin Stubbs. A month later Welsh scored his first of the seven goals that he would score for United in the 1967-68 campaign in a 2-0 victory over Southport on December 5, 1967, as he finished his first season at Plainmoor as United's joint-second top scorer with Ronnie Barnes. It was a contribution that proved to be valuable for United as they recorded their highest ever league finish of fourth in the 'old' Division Three - now League One - agonisingly missing out on promotion to the 'old' Second Division (now Championship).
Welsh remained at Plainmoor until 1971 when he joined Plymouth Argyle for a fee of £15,000. The irony of this move was that arguably his finest hour in a United shirt came against the Pilgrims on November 5, 1968, when he scored United's second and decisive goal as they beat Argyle to secure their first ever league win at Home Park. The result led to a sparky response from the then Pilgrims' manager Billy Bingham who declared that Torquay were 'a lucky side' and 'over my dead body' would they win the return fixture.
In addition to this, Welsh also won United's player of the year for the 1969-70 season - a campaign which he finished as the Gulls' leading scorer with 15 goals.
His move to Home Park also coincided with the Gulls' relegation from Division Four and a time when many of his former Plainmoor colleagues headed to AFC Bournemouth where another of his former United teammates John Bond was manager. It was a period in the Gulls' history known as the 'Bond Burglary'.
Whilst with the Pilgrims Welsh formed a fine striker partnership with a young Paul Mariner - who Waiters had plucked from non-league Chorley.
He was also a virtual ever-present for a period of 18 months during which time he helped Argyle to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup in the 1973-74 season under Tony Waiters. Welsh made an important contribution in their run to semis, as he netted a brace in their 3-0 fourth round win over QPR at Loftus Road and was also on target in their 2-1 victory over Birmingham City in the fifth round.
Following their semi-final defeat to Manchester City, which the Pilgrims lost 3-1 over two legs, he was described by BBC commentator John Motson as 'a player who should be playing in the top division'; a fine compliment when you consider he was partnering Mariner who would later win a UEFA Cup winner's medal with Ipswich Town in 1981 and represent England in the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
The semi-final defeat to City proved to be his final appearance for the Pilgrims as he was sold to Bournemouth for a fee of £30,000. Welsh later made a brief return to Millwall and had short spell in non-league football with Maidstone United before finishing his career in South Africa with Cape Town City.
