2010-11
Two years after their return to the Football League, the Gulls would be involved in the League Two
Play-offs, following a seventh-place finish during the 2010-11 league campaign.
In the semi-finals, United faced a Shrewsbury Town side who
they had beaten 5-0 at Plainmoor a couple of months earlier in which Jake
Robinson had netted a brace for the Gulls while on loan from the Shrews.
Robinson lined up for United again in the first leg at home, but he wasn’t on
target on this occasion as efforts from Chris Zebroski and Eunan O’Kane secured
a 2-0 win for United. A goalless draw in the return fixture at the Greenhous
Meadow set up a meeting with Stevenage at Old Trafford.
Due to Wembley hosting the 2011 UEFA Champions League
between Manchester United and Barcelona, both the League Two final between the
Gulls and Stevenage and the League One final between Peterborough United and
Huddersfield Town were switched to Old Trafford. 20 years beforehand,
Manchester United had beaten Barcelona in the 1991 European Cup Winner’s Cup
final and Torquay had beaten Blackpool in the Fourth Division Play-off final –
the question was could lightning strike twice?
Sadly, both the United’s of Torquay and Manchester lost
their respective finals 1-0 and 3-1 – and the Gulls’ defeat proved to be Paul
Buckle’s final game as manager as he departed Plainmoor for Bristol Rovers.
Shrewsbury Town W 2-0 Chris Zebroski, Eunan O’Kane
Shrewsbury Town A D 0-0
Stevenage N L 0-1
2011-12:
Despite Paul Buckle’s move to the Memorial Stadium, the Gulls regrouped and rebuilt under his successor as they reached the Play-offs again in the 2011-12 season, after missing out on automatic promotion on the final day of the campaign. However, United fell short in the semi-final with Cheltenham Town as they lost 2-0 at Whaddon Road in the first leg before slipping to a 2-1 defeat in the second leg at Plainmoor, with Taiwo Atieno netting what proved to be a mere consolation goal.
Cheltenham Town H L 1-2 Taiwo
Atieno
2020-21:
United were relegated back to the National League at the end of the 2013-14, season and four years later they were relegated again - this time to National League South in 2017-18.
However, the appointment of Gary Johnson as manager in September 2018 led to a revival in the Gulls' fortunes - as they won promotion to National League South at the first attempt in 2018-19 as champions.
Two years down the line, after missing out on the National League title at the expense of Sutton
United, a new play-off format awaited the Gulls in the Covid-19 impacted
2020-21 campaign.
A one-off home tie with Notts County awaited United after the Magpies
won their 5th versus 6th play-off eliminator
with Chesterfield.
Returning striker Danny Wright gave Torquay a dream start with
just 30 seconds on the clock as Dean Moxey throw to Joe Lewis, and his curling
cross found Wright eight yards out. The header was helped in by a deflection
off County's Adam Chicksen, but it sent a sun-soaked Plainmoor crowd into
raptures.
Wright's
return was a closely-guarded secret in the run-up to the game, and he couldn't
have hoped for a greater impact.
Torquay
continued on the front foot and pushed forward at every opportunity and
visiting keeper Sam Slocombe needed to be quick off his line to deny the
impressive Lemonheigh-Evans as Torquay pushed on in search of a second goal.
However,
County levelled matters before the break when Ruben Rodrigues headed home at
the near post.
Wright
restored the Gulls’ lead in the opening minutes of the second half, sweeping in
a Randell cross, but Adam Chicksen quickly levelled the scores again.
With no
further score in the 90 minutes, the game went into extra time.
United
skipper Asa Hall gave the home side the lead for the third time with a stooping
header in the 100th minute, and in stoppage time at the end of the first period
Dean Moxey scored United's fourth from the penalty spot to seal the Gulls’
passage to the final at Ashton Gate against Hartlepool United.
Torquay were livid when they controversially had a seventh-minute goal
ruled out for a push after Cameron had got his head on the end of Adam
Randell's floated free-kick, with replays not immediately picking up the
infringement that referee Simon Mather spotted.
That seemed to galvanise Pools as Armstrong had two chances to put his
side ahead soon after, first seeing his close-range effort deflected over by
Joe Lewis before he had a header pushed wide by a diving Covolan.
It was Armstrong - who was a thorn in Torquay's side for much of the
first half - who provided the breakthrough as the forward excellently
controlled Rhys Oates' shot on the edge of the six-yard box and had the
strength to turn Sam Sherring and blast in off the underside of the crossbar.
The Gulls were lucky not to be two goals down in the final seconds of
the half as Oates found himself unmarked from a corner and saw a powerful
header parried over the bar by Covolan.
Cameron had another goal chalked off after an hour, this time being
adjudged to have fouled goalkeeper James as he went for the ball, and it seemed
as though it would not be Torquay's day as Hartlepool almost scored a second in
the final five minutes as Mark Shelton and Gavan Holohan had shots blocked.
Torquay threw everything at their opponents in the final minutes and
Billy Waters missed a close-range effort in the 89th minute before Covolan came
up in the fifth minute of stoppage time for Torquay's final corner.
Although it was initially cleared, Covolan stayed up field and when the
ball was played back in, he rose highest to head past James and send the game
into an extra 30 minutes.
Waters had a couple of efforts blocked in the first period of extra time
as his Torquay team-mate Jake Andrews was stretchered off with a
serious-looking leg injury, but with both sides tiring chances were few and far
between before Danny Elliott had a shot blocked for Pools in the final minute
as the game went to penalties.
Johnson’s men were hoping to emulate the Class of 1990-91 who won
promotion to Division Three at Wembley on penalties. Sadly, this time though,
the shoot-out went against them.
Neither side started the penalty kick contest well.
Nicky Featherstone saw his saved by Covolan, before Waters slipped and
saw his effort go wide.
Armstrong, a scorer in normal time, also saw his effort palmed away by
Covolan, before Wright struck the upright.
Mark Shelton was the first to succeed, and Hall followed suit. Jamie
Sterry scored, then Lewis matched him.
Luke Molyneux put his away, as did Little, so we moved to sudden death.
Danny Elliot sent Covolan the wrong way, and Lemonheigh-Evans coolly slotted
his in to draw level again.
Hartlepool had the advantage of going first, and when Ryan Donaldson
scored, the pressure on Matt Buse was immense. Sadly, he missed, hitting the
bar, leaving Hartlepool to celebrate.
2024-25:
Two years after losing to Hartlepool at Ashton Gate, the
Gulls were relegated back to the National League South and were placed in
Administration by then chairman Clarke Osborne a year later.
The club were rescued from Administration the Bryn
Consortium, set about rebuilding the club. They appointed Neil Warnock as a
football advisor, with former Plymouth Argyle skipper Paul Wotton joining the
club from Truro City to become the club’s new manager.
With only one player under contract, Wotton set about
building a hardworking side who were tough to beat, but added more flair to his
squad over the course of the campaign.
On the final day of the National League South campaign, the
Gulls travelled to Hemel Hempstead Town needing to better the result of
Wotton’s former club Truro to clinch the title, and a return to the National
League after two years away.
Despite United winning 4-1 against the Tudors, with Cody
Cooke netting a hat-trick and Jordan Young also finding the target, they ended
up finishing second on goal difference – and Boreham Wood awaited them in the
play-offs at Plainmoor.
Unfortunately, the Gulls found the Wood too strong an
opponent, as they lost 1-0 courtesy of Matthew Rush’s 59th minute
effort for the visitors.
2024-25
Boreham Wood H L 0-1
