It wasn't supposed to end this way, surely?
When the Bryn Consortium were unveiled as the new owners of Torquay United after bringing the club out of Administration, with Neil Warnock being announced as football advisor and Paul Wotton appointed as manager, it really did feel like a dream team to take the Gulls forward again, following several years of stagnation.
In Wotton, United appeared to have found an upwardly mobile managerial talent who would be the man to lead the club back into the National League challenge for a return to the Football League.
After he finishing his playing career in his second spell with hometown club Plymouth Argyle, Wotton remained at Home Park as first team coach and assistant manager under John Sheridan and Derek Adams respectively before taking his first steps into management with Truro City in 2019.
Following a couple of Covid-19 curtailed campaigns, Wotton eventually led the White Tigers to promotion from the Southern League Premier Division South through the play-offs in the 2022-23 season. This was then followed by a 16th place in National League South prior to his appointment at Plainmoor.
Wotton went about building his squad in a pragmatic manner; for any former player who can count Warnock, Paul Sturrock and Tony Pulis amongst their former managers fitness and organisation were always likely to be a given when they became a manager themselves, and so it proved with Wotton.
He built a new squad virtually from scratch, with central defender Austen Booth the only player under contract at the time of his arrival. United started the 2024-25 campaign with a side that was set up to be tough to beat with a 3-5-2 formation that had a strong defensive trio of Jordan Dyer, Sam Dreyer and Jay Foulston. The three aforementioned names also formed part of a strong spine of goalkeeper James Hamon, his former Argyle charge Oscar Threlkeld in centre midfield and Cody Cooke up front.
It was a move that paid early dividends as the Gulls won four of their opening six matches of the 2024-25 campaign. However, a set back would come in the FA Cup second qualifying round when they were beaten 3-0 by Bishops Cleeve of the Southern League Division One South.
As his first season went to, Wotton added more flair to his squad with arrivals of Jordan Young and Dylan Morgan mid-season and they were followed in January 2025 by the capture of former Exeter City captain Matt Jay following his release by Colchester United.
Despite a strong finish to the season, which included winning their last four games against Slough Town (h), Truro City (a), Weymouth (h) and Hemel Hempstead Town (a), United missed out on the title on goal difference to his former club Truro. Then, in the play-offs, the Gulls were beaten by a Boreham Wood at Plainmoor, who would go on to win promotion and are currently in the play-off places in the National League at the time of writing.
Nevertheless, Wotton set about refreshing his squad for another crack at promotion to the National League adding to midfield with Sonny Blu Lo-Everton and Matt Worthington, who had both won promotion from National League South with Yeovil Town in the 2023-24 campaign. Zimbabwean midfielder Monashe Sundire also joined with Tamworth and experienced attacker Louis Dennis arrived following his release by Bromley. Callum Dolan a loanee from the Gary Johnson era returned to the club on a permanent basis.
At the start of the season, it seemed to be going to plan as United won their opening five home league fixtures for the first time since the 1982-83 season under Bruce Rioch.
The Gulls' form in January 2026 also helped to earn Wotton the manager of the month award for January 2026, but their form in the next five games - four defeats and a draw - ultimately cost him his job. There were calls for him to go in his final game in charge against Chelmsford City, as there had been earlier in the campaign, but many supporters were prepared to back him until the end of the season.
Injuries also conspired against him, against Chelmsford he was without influential centre back duo Jordan Dyer and Sam Dreyer after having already lost Callum Dolan for the remainder of the campaign. Cody Cooke also added himself to the list after going off with a shoulder injury.
With a record in all competitions that reads played 87, won 44, drawn 20 and lost 23, Wotton can leave with his head held high, but his departure also reflects the levels of expectation at Plainmoor. Parallels can be drawn to managing a side who used to be in the Premier League, who were relegated from the Championship and then fell through to League One. Those expectations became increasingly higher after the Gulls went so close to winning the title in his first campaign in charge.
In spite of his departure, the hope is that Wotton won't be lost to the game forever, and personally I think it's unlikely that will prove to the case.
The challenge now is to revive United's fortunes in the final 13 games of the campaign, starting with Farnborough at home with Warnock in interim charge.
