After much speculation linking names such as Paul Tisdale and Kevin Nicholson to the vacancy, former AFC Totton manager Jimmy Ball was appointed as the permanent successor to Paul Wotton as Torquay United manager.
Neil Warnock had briefly had a spell as interim manager, assisted by his trusted lieutenant Ronnie Jepson, but Ball has now been entrusted with leading the Gulls' charge towards the play-offs and a return to the National League.
The son of 1966 World Cup winner Alan, Jimmy Ball has fashioned a promising coaching career, which included spells as caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, which saw him win four games out of eight, and assistant manager of Stevenage before taking charge of Hampshire-based side Totton.
After a successful playing career, which also included a title win with Everton in 69-70, as part of the midfield holy trinity alongside Colin Harvey and the late Howard Kendall and a 'double' win with Arsenal in 70-71, Ball senior had a mixed career as a manager, which included promotion to the top-flight with Portsmouth in 86-87 and relegation from the Premier League with Manchester City in 95-96.
However, Ball junior has carved out a decent reputation of his own, particularly with a spell in charge of AFC Totton that saw him win two promotion in three seasons prior to the start of the current campaign.
He also has had a brief taste of Football League management on CV with Forest Green in April 2021, in between the departure of Mark Cooper and the arrival of current Wolves boss Rob Edwards, and if he can get the Gulls punching at their weight, then he can put himself within a shot of adding to those appearances.
United's first game of his reign didn't quite go to plan as they lost 1-0 away to Dagenham and Redbridge, but with two successive home games coming up against league leaders Dorking Wanderers and Horsham Ball has a chance to put down a marker heading into the final stages of the campaign.
