Very often in life perspectives on a subject matter can differ
from person to person.
For example, in the eyes of former Ipswich Town chairman, the
late John Cobbold, the idea of a crisis was the boardroom at Portman Road
running out of claret! It wasn't necessarily an opinion shared by every
chairman up and down the country, but it meant that Bobby Robson free to manage
the Tractor Boys between 1968 and 1982, when he left to become England manager,
with minimal interference.
The same principles can be applied to the current situation
Torquay United find themselves in under Gary Johnson. After last season's
Play-off final defeat to Hartlepool United, hopes were high that Johnson's new
look Gulls' side could challenge for promotion once again. However, two defeats
in their opening three league fixtures have left some fans worrying about their
prospects in 2021-22.
A 3-1 defeat on the opening day of the campaign at home to
Altrincham was followed by a hard earned 1-1 draw against Notts County, in
which United took the lead through Danny Wright shortly after going down to ten
men following central defender Ali Omar's dismissal on 25 minutes.
Therefore, when the Gulls faced Woking at home, in what was
remarkably the 17th meeting between the two sides since United were relegated
from the Football League for a second time in 2014, hopes were high that they
could secure their first win of the season. Sadly, the opposite proved to be
the case as the Cards came away as 4-0 winners - and in truth it could have
been more.
However, despite the doom and gloom, it is worth remembering
that in the season when United last won promotion from the fifth tier
(Conference/Blue Square/National League) they did so by recovering from one of
their worst starts to a season in living memory.
In the 2008-09 season under Paul Buckle, the Gulls only won once
in the opening seven league fixtures and only managed two draws in addition to
that. Much like Johnson's class of 2021-22, Buckle had added several new faces
to his squad. The turning point came on September 7 2008, when a 90th minute
penalty from Tim Sills secured a 2-1 win over Northwich Victoria, which proved
to be not just a turning point for Buckle, who was coming under increasing
pressure at the time, but the entire club as well.
United then went on to clinch a Play-off spot with a 2-1 over
champions elect Burton Albion on the final day of the campaign before beating
Histon in the Play-off semi-finals and then Cambridge United in the
final.
This was also achieved following a failed title challenge from
the previous season, which saw United miss out to Aldershot Town in a similar
manner to their near-miss with Sutton United in the 2020-21 season. And that's
before you even discuss their nightmare Play-off campaign, which saw them lose
out to Exeter City in the semis.
United's fortunes can change, but it may need a 'Tim Sills
penalty' moment to swing the balance back in their favour.
