It wasn't meant to be this way.
After losing in the National League South play-off final to Hornchurch last May, many fans expected Torquay United to bounce back and be challenging again for promotion.
However, for one reason or another, that hasn't happened for the Gulls as yet and they find themselves 16th in the National League South table after 13 games, with four wins, five draws and four defeats.
Manager Jimmy Ball has had to deal with a serious period of transition which has seen United lose a source of over 50 goals following the departures of Jordan Young (18), Louis Dennis (16), Dylan Morgan (13) and Callum Dolan (5) - with the former three all departing Plainmoor following the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
In addition to this, last season's first choice centre back pairing of Jordan Dyer and Sam Dreyer - which was arguably the best in the division - has been dismantled due to an ACL injury to Jordan Dyer and Sam Dreyer's move to Harrogate Town.
All this has served to crank up the pressure on Ball.
Attacking midfielder Sonny Blu Lo-Everton currently leads the Gulls' goal scoring charts with five goals, which includes a hat-trick against AFC Stoneham in the FA Cup second qualifying round, but he is currently injured.
Deon Moore was a sensation last season, scoring eight times after joining on a short-term deal following his release by Maidstone United, but has only scored three times in a season which has seen him miss a number of games due to an international call-up for Guyana.
Nevertheless, points wise, United are closer to the top seven than they are to the relegation zone and need to hit a winning run, starting with Walton and Hersham away tomorrow, or they risk disappearing beyond the point of no return as far as reaching even a play-off spot is concerned.
