Torquay United manager Gary Johnson will be aiming to start the new 2023-24 campaign in a similar manner to which they ended last season, by trying to recreate the run which almost saw them avoid relegation from the National League.
The Gulls managed to win five, draw three and lose two of their final ten league games, which included a run of five successive wins against Boreham Wood (a), Scunthorpe Unired (a), Eastleigh (h), Maidenhead United (h) and York City (h). Sadly, it was proved to be a case of too little, too late as they were relegated by two points on the final day of the campaign.
However, Johnson has managed to retain the majority of the squad who fell short of retaining their National League status, with only Southampton loanee Nico Lawrence and striker Frank Nouble not returning to Plainmoor for the 2023-24 campaign.
Kevin Dawson, Jack Stobbs and Lewis Collins have all rejoined the Gulls on a permanent basis following successful loan spells from Gloucester City, Oldham Athletic and Newport County respectively. Then United's former QPR loanee Dillon De Silva then followed suit by signing permanently for the Gulls following his release by the R's.
Johnson has also bolstered a defence which already includes Shaun Donnellan and the veteran Dean Moxey with the signing of former Plymouth Argyle prospect Finley Craske, and another former Pilgrims youngster Ollie Tomlinson appears to have come on leaps and bounds during loan spells with Taunton Town and Chippenham Town.
Argyle midfielder starlet Will Jenkins-Davies has also arrived from Home Park on loan. He will looking to follow in the footsteps of Adam Randell, who has established himself as a first team regular following his loan spell at Plainmoor in the 2020-21 campaign.
Up front, Bradley Ash will be looking to fill the void left by Nouble's departure after signing from Weymouth. Ash scored 18 times in all competitions for the Terras in the 2022-23 campaign, and the early signs from pre-season are that he could form a strong partnership with United's leading scorer and player of the season from 2022-23 Aaron Jarvis.
As former Gulls boss, the late Dave Smith once said when asked what a side needed to win promotion, he replied 'score goals, lots of them' - and goals were crucial to United winning the National League South title under Johnson in 2018-19.
If Ash and Jarvis can approach the figures achieved by Jamie Reid and Saikou Janneh of 32 and 19, and if the midfield can chip with the amount of goals the likes of Jake Andrews, Kalvin Kalala, Connor Lemonheigh-Evans and Asa Hall, the only survivor from United's 2018-19 squad, then a second promotion from the NLS will be firmly in their sights.
Player to Watch: Lewis Collins
The former Wales Under-21 international has been a revelation since he moved from being a striker to being a wide player by Johnson. After scoring three times in 15 appearances whilst on loan from Newport in 2022-23 he will be aiming to better than tally in the forthcoming campaign.In: Kevin Dawson (Gloucester City), Jack Stobbs (Oldham Athletic), Bradley Ash (Weymouth), Lewis Collins (Newport County), Callum Thomas (Under-18s), Finley Craske (Plymouth Argyle), Will Jenkins-Davies (Plymouth Argyle, loan), Dillon De Silva (QPR)
Out: Frank Nouble (Yeovil Town), Ali Omar (Larne), Ben Wyatt (St Albans City), Olaf Koszela and Alex Moyse (Dorchester Town), Jack Winsor (Bideford), Lewis Brooks, Jacob Mensah
