GARY JOHNSON'S FOUR YEARS AS TORQUAY UNITED MANAGER

Since he was appointed as Torquay United manager on September 13, 2018, Gary Johnson has taken the Gulls from 14th in National League South to the brink of a return to the Football League. In the 2018-19 season, he led United to the National League South title and two years later he followed up this achievement by guiding the Gulls to the National League Play-offs, where they lost out to Hartlepool United on penalties at Ashton Gate. 

Johnson is now of the longest serving United managers in recent times – having surpassed both Paul Buckle (June 2007 to May 2011) and Leroy Rosenior (June 2002 to January 2006). In addition to this, he is the fourth longest serving manager in the National League, behind Alan Devonshire (Maidenhead United), Luke Garrard (Boreham Wood) and Phil Parkinson (Altrincham). Also, only nine of the 92 managers in the Premier League and the Football League have been in their current roles longer than Johnson has been in charge at Plainmoor. 

In addition to this, his reign as United manager is third longest spell of his career, behind his first stint in charge of Yeovil Town, which lasted for four years and three months (June 2001 to September 2005), and his tenure as Bristol City manager of four years and six months (September 2005 to March 2010) – which is the longest spell of his career. 

• Games managed: 183 (33 in National League South, 129 in National League, ten in the FA Cup, nine in the FA Trophy, one National League Play-off semi-final, one National League Play-off final). 
• Goals scored (all competitions): 335 Goals against (all competitions): 217 
• Points won: 267 
• League titles won: 1 (2018-19 National League South) 
• Biggest win: 7-0 vs Lymington Town (A) FA Cup second qualifying round 2018-19 
• Biggest defeat: 2-6 Yeovil Town (A) National League 2019-20 
• Most number of games won in a row: 10 (13 November 2018 – 5 January 2019 – a club record).
• Longest unbeaten run in the league: 16 (22 September 2018 – 5 January 2019 – a club record).
• Highest individual goal scorer: Jamie Reid 66. 

Position on the list of the Gulls’ longest serving managers: 

1. Eric Webber 13 years and 7 months (October 1951 – May 1965) 
2. Frank Brown 6 years (May 1932 – May 1938) 
3. Mike Green 4 years and 2 months (March 1977 – May 1981) 
4. Gary Johnson 4 years (September 2018 – present) 
5. Paul Buckle 3 years and 11 months (June 2007 – May 2011) 
6. Leroy Rosenior 3 years and 7 months (June 2002 – January 2006) 
7. Frank O’Farrell 3 years and 5 months (May 1965 – October 1968) 

(All figures correct prior to United’s home fixture against Solihull Moors on September 13, 2022)

AN EMOTIONAL HOME COMING

Many signings completed in the summer 2022 transfer window would have been accompanied by greater fees, but none would have matched by Jay Stansfield's loan move to Exeter City from Fulham for poignancy. 

Stansfield, 19, is of course the son of former Grecians' striker Adam Stansfield who sadly passed away in 2010 from bowel cancer. As a mark of respect for Stansfield, City opted to retire his number nine shirt; however, the now iconic shirt number has now been handed to Stansfield junior for the 2022-23 season, as he returns to the club, who he appeared for as an academy player, on a season-long loan. 

Prior to his cancer diagnosis, Stansfield senior had helped City to win promotion from League Two in the 2008-09 season, where he was a teammate of current Grecians manager Matt Taylor, before helping the club establishing themselves in League One in the 2009-10 campaign.

Stansfield's junior, who has appeared for Fulham in the Premier League this season - and even managed an assist in their recent win over Brentford, made his debut for the Grecians from the sub's bench against MK Dons. Fittingly, they marked it with a 1-0 win - their first victory in five matches - and hopefully he will play a starring role in many more victories.

FIVE TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS BOREHAM WOOD

 1. A game of two goalkeepers. 

Although the encounter was ultimately decided by Jamal Fyfield's early strike, both goalkeepers Mark Halstead (Torquay) and Nathan Ashmore (Boreham Wood) played their part too. The Gulls had Halstead to thank for making a number of important stops in the first half, most notably an effort from Lee Ndlovu which he saved with his feet. In the second half, Ashmore made a string of saves to deny Brett McGavin, Corie Andrews, Ryan Hanson and skipper Asa Hall - in what was an end to end affair. 

2. Would Aaron Jarvis had made a difference for the Gulls? 

With Boreham Wood opposition managers often know what they are going to get from them; solid, organised; physical. So you have to wonder how United might have fared against them if they been able to call upon Aaron Jarvis. The presence of Jarvis against a back three of Femi Ilsanmi, Will Evans and Jamal Fyfield might have given them a little more to think about than Will Goodwin and Corie Andrews, who both tried hard but to no avail. 

3. Referees in the spotlight again. 

In his post-match interview, Gulls boss Gary Johnson had plenty to say about the performance of referee Matthew Russell. In the first half, Boreham Wood defender Will Evans escaped without caution following 'off the ball' incident with Corie Andrews, which saw Andrews fall to the ground. Then in the second half, it could argued that Torquay could have had a penalty when Will Goodwin appeared to be impeded shortly before Ryan Hanson and Tom Lapslie were denied early in the second half. 

There has been plenty of debate about the standard of refereeing up and down the country in the National League in the last few years, but in the opinion of yours truly the standard of player in the National League has become closer to League Two in the past few years and the standard of officiating needs to follow suit. 

4. Only two conceded, but only one scored. 

Whilst United currently have one of the strongest defences in the National League, they also have one of the least potent attacks. Only FC Halifax Town, who are yet to score, have scored fewer goals than United. However, with Corie Andrews having returned from an injury lay-off, things might change soon in that regard. Stoke City loanee Will Goodwin has stepped up to the plate following Aaron Jarvis' absence through injury, and he has come close to hitting the target - hitting the bar against Oldham and Bromley, and he also had an effort chalked off for offside against Bromley. 

5. Dean Moxey continues to be a talismanic figure. 

United defender Dean Moxey produced a display which belies his 36 years of age, as he picked up the sponsors man of the match award. As is often mentioned in this column, Moxey's move from left back to centre back has given him a new lease of life.

MICKEY EVANS: PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH APRIL 1997

As the Premier League celebrates its 30th anniversary, we will now take a closer look at the career of Mickey Evans, Devon's only Premier League player of the month. 

After starting out with his hometown club, Plymouth Argyle, in 1991 Mickey Evans enjoyed a successful career which included a spell in the Premiership and international recognition.

A product of Argyle’s youth side, Mickey made his debut for the Pilgrims in the 1990-91 season as a substitute against Port Vale. However, Mickey would have to wait until the 1991-92 campaign to score his first goal for Plymouth, in a Zenith Data Systems Cup tie against Millwall.

During the 1992-93 campaign Mickey joined Blackburn Rovers on loan, but didn’t make an appearance for Kenny Dalglish’s side.

He became a regular member of the Plymouth side during the 1995-96 season following the arrival of Neil Warnock as Argyle manager. He found the back of the net 12 times during the campaign as the Pilgrims won promotion from the Third Division, beating Darlington 1-0 in the Play-Off Final at Wembley.

In March 1997, Graeme Souness paid £750,000 to sign him for Southampton. Mickey made an instant impact in the Premiership, scoring his first goals in their 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest on 5 April 1997. He was later awarded the Carling Premiership Player of the Month award for April 1997.

However, the appointment of Dave Jones as Saints manager saw Mickey fall down the pecking order at the Dell and he left to join West Bromwich Albion in November 1997.

A year later, he won his solitary cap for the Republic of Ireland in a friendly against Romania.

Mickey left the Baggies in August 2000 to join Bristol Rovers. His stay at the Memorial Stadium proved to be a brief one as Paul Sturrock paid £30,000 to bring him back to Home Park in March 2001.

His return to Plymouth coincided with a revival in the Pilgrims fortunes. In the 2001-02 season, he was an integral part of the Plymouth side that clinched the Third Division title with a record 102 points.  

He played an influential role in helping Plymouth to return to the second tier of English Football, after a 12-year absence, when they lifted the Second Division Championship in 2004. Mickey scored the Pilgrims’ decisive second goal in the 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers which secured them the title. He also won the club’s Player of the Year award in the 2003-04 campaign.

His stay at Home Park lasted for another two seasons as the Pilgrims established themselves in the newly formed Football League Championship. Mickey marked his final appearance for Plymouth by scoring the winning goal in their 2-1 victory over Ipswich Town on last day of the 2005-06 season.

After leaving Plymouth, Mickey joined Torquay United in 2006. He appeared 14 times for the Gulls and scored one goal before retiring from professional football after a bereavement in a friend’s family caused him to re-think his career plans.

In 2008, Mickey is celebrating his testimonial year which will culminate on April 29^th 2008 with a testimonial match at Home Park between two team made up of his former teammates, one managed by Mickey himself and the other managed by former Argyle boss Paul Sturrock.  

An abridged version of this article appeared in the Scunthorpe United versus Plymouth Argyle programme on March 11th 2008.

SIX TALKING POINTS FROM TORQUAY UNITED VERSUS OLDHAM ATHLETIC

 1. Dean Moxey makes his experience count. 

At the age of 36, Dean Moxey was comfortably the oldest player in the United side and made his experience count with an assured display as part of a back three with Ross Marshall and Ali Omar.

Moxey produced a real captain's display and continued to exert the same level of influence after handing the armband to Asa Hall when Hall entered the fray in the 76th minute. 

2. Will Goodwin unlucky not to get on the score sheet. 

During his reign as Gulls boss, Gary Johnson has made a number of astute signings in the loan market and the early signs are that Will Goodwin could be set to add his name to that list - following his arrival from Stoke City. In the fourth minute, Goodwin rattled the bar after Ali Omar nodded a free-kick from Kieron Evans into his path. Four minutes later, Goodwin found himself through on goal again - only to be denied by a point blank save from Latics keeper Magnus Norman. 

In the second half, he found himself playing up front on his own towards the end of the game after Olaf Koszela was replaced by Asa Hall - and won practically everything in the air.

3. Brett McGavin looked promising. 

Had Corie Andrews managed to find the target in the 14th minute when he was denied by a heavy challenge from Magnus Norman, which saw him stab his eventual effort wide, the pass from Brett McGavin which sent him in goal would have been talked about as much as the goal itself. 

McGavin showed great vision to pick out Andrews and in the second half he sent left wing-back Ben Wyatt away down the left, a pass which no-one else on the pitch saw was on. The former Ipswich Town starlet, who many Gulls' fans will remember from facing United last season whilst on loan at King's Lynn Town, certainly displayed glimpses of the ability that convinced Gary Johnson secure his signature as a replacement for Armani Little. 

4. A first clean sheet for Mark Halstead. 

It might have taken a while, but United goalkeeper Mark Halstead can now celebrate his first clean sheet as a Torquay United player. The former Blackpool custodian didn't get off to the best of starts with the Gulls, a combination of a concussion injury and the return of Shaun MacDonald saw Halstead lose his place in the United starting XI. 

However, he re-emerged towards the end of last season following an injury that MacDonald sustained against Stockport County in their penultimate game of the campaign, in which he came on as a sub. He then kept his place for the final game against Southend United, and after an impressive display against Exeter City in pre-season, he produced another solid performance against the Latics.

5. Injury list mounting. 

Gary Johnson went into Saturday's game against Oldham without Aaron Jarvis, Tom Lapslie and Shaun Donnellan and club captain Asa Hall was only fit to start from the bench. Once the game was underway, Johnson was dealt further blows with the losses of Corie Andrews in the first half and then Ali Omar for the final few minutes of the second half. 

Monday will see the arrival of a new physio, following the departure of Kai Hepworth to Yeovil Town, and don't be surprised to see Johnson dip into the loan market befor the Gulls' trip to FC Halifax Town next Saturday. 

6. The Shezzarection could be more than just a play on word for the Latics. 

Much like United's new look side, it would have been very much a case of getting to know you for John Sheridan's Oldham Athletic after a summer overhaul at Boundary Park. However, following their takeover by Frank Rothwell, the Latics have a brighter future to look forward to off the field. On the pitch, if they can gel quickly there are signs that Oldham could be in contention - and if Sheridan could manage to lead to an immediate return then the Shezzarection would be a fitting term to describe the achievement.

SEASON PREVIEW 2022-23: YEOVIL TOWN

After Darren Sarll left for Woking towards the end of last season, Yeovil Town have now turned to former Torquay United manager Chris Hargreaves who returns to full time management for the first time in seven years. 

Hargreaves of course has a working knowledge of the National League from his spell as a BT Sport pundit, which he combined with number of years coaching at Bristol Rovers, where he held a variety of roles - which have included a brief spell as assistant manager and taking charge of the club's Under-21 side. 

As well as drafting in former Gulls teammate Chris Todd, Hargreaves has also brought in ex Glovers striker Marcus Stewart as head of player development - as Yeovil aim to build a team around younger players with a focus of youth development. 

Much of the Glover's side who finished 12th in the 2021-22 National League has been maintained whilst Hargreaves has also looked to improve his goal scoring options with arrivals of Ollie Hulbert and Malachi Linton, in addition to the return of Alex Fisher. He has also used his contacts across the South West to bring in Sam Pearson and Finley Craske from Bristol City and Plymouth Argyle respectively. 

Jamie Reckord will also help add experience to a defence who have lost Luke Wilkinson, who has rejoined with Sarll at the Kingsfield Stadium. 

On the eve of the start of the campaign, Hargreaves was dealt a blow following the departure of Tom Knowles to Walsall. Since his arrival from Cambridge United in 2020 Knowles had emerged as a key player for the Glovers, and scored 11 times in all competitions last season - so his departure will be strongly felt. 

Player to Watch: Malachi Linton

After a promising loan spell with King's Lynn Town last season with eight goals in 20 appearances, Malachi Linton looks set to spearhead the Glovers' attack in 2022-23, following his release by Wycombe Wanderers. With Knowles now gone, there is now greater emphasis on the Yeovil forward line to find the back of the net and he certainly has the potential to reach double figures with the right service. 

In: Ollie Hulbert (Bristol Rovers), Malachi Linton (Wycombe Wanderers), Jamie Reckord (Boreham Wood), Alex Fisher (Newport County), Chiori Johnson (Torquay United), Sam Perry (Walsall, loan), Sam Pearson and Will Buse (Bristol City, loan), Finley Craske (Plymouth Argyle, loan)

Out: Reuben Reid (Weston Super Mare), Luke Wilkinson (Woking), Dale Gorman (Barnet), Tom Knowles (Walsall), Alex Bradley (Tamworth), Adi Yussuff (St Joseph's FC, Gibraltar)

SEASON PREVIEW 2022-23: TORQUAY UNITED

The timing of Torquay United's play-off final defeat to Hartlepool United at the end of the 2020-21 season left manager Gary Johnson with little time to rebuild ahead of the subsequent 2021-22 campaign.

However, as the Gulls knew their fate much earlier this time around Johnson has had more time to get his recruitment done as the Gulls aim for another tilt at promotion from the National League.

With several players departing Plainmoor for the Football League, including Armani Little (Forest Green Rovers), Joe Lewis and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans (Stockport County) and Shaun MacDonald (Cheltenham Town), Johnson has looked to try and replace quality with quality. 

Cardiff City loanee Kieron Evans and Brett McGavin, who arrives from Ipswich Town, will bring plenty of creativity to the Gulls midfield to compensate for the departures of Little and Lemonheigh-Evans. Johnson has also added Ross Marshall to his defence following Joe Lewis' move to Stockport, and the former Stevenage man will form a central defensive trio with Ali Omar and Dean Moxey. 

There's also a brand new forward line at Johnson's disposal after Danny Wright decided to leave the club in the summer in the form of Aaron Jarvis, Corie Andrews and Will Goodwin. 

In goal, Rhys Lovett, who played under Johnson at Cheltenham, will be vying for the goalkeeper's position with Mark Halstead. 

At right-back, Dylan Crowe - another arrival from Ipswich Town - fills the void left by the departure of long serving Ben Wynter to Barnet. 

However, perhaps the most interesting of Johnson's close season acquisitions is the capture of left-back Ben Wyatt, who was part of the Sutton United side, who pipped the Gulls to the National League title in 2020-21. Wyatt's arrival increases the number of players who have won promotion from the National League in their careers to three (the other two are Asa Hall and Dean Moxey). 

If Johnson does manage to lead the Gulls to promotion from the National League, it will be for the third time in his career. He led Yeovil Town to the title in 2002-03 and then repeated the feat in 2015-16 with Cheltenham Town. When Johnson won the National League with the Robins, Danny Wright, Dan Holman and Billy Waters - who have all served under him at Plainmoor at various times - scored 22, 16 and 11 goals respectively. If Messrs Andrews, Jarvis and Goodwin can achieve similar returns in front of goal then United could cause more than a few surprises in 2022-23.

Player to Watch: Brett McGavin

United fans would have caught a glimpse of Brett McGavin during his loan spell with King's Lynn Town from parent club Ipswich Town last season. With Armani Little and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans now departed for the EFL. McGavin's role will be to bring a touch of class to the Gulls' midfield, and after scoring three time in 36 appearances for the Linnets he will be hoping to hit double figures with United.

In: Kieron Evans (Cardiff City- loan), Dylan Crowe & Brett McGavin (Ipswich Town), James Hanson (Dover Athletic), Aaron Jarvis (Scunthorpe United), Ross Marshall (Stevenage), Ollie Tomlinson (Plymouth Argyle), Corie Andrews (AFC Wimbledon), Shaun Donnellan (Maidenhead United), Rhys Lovett (Billericay Town), Will Goodwin (Stoke City, loan), Ben Wyatt (Sutton United) Lewis Brooks & Jack Winsor (Under-18s)

Out: Armani Little (Forest Green Rovers), Connor Lemonheigh-Evans & Joe Lewis (Stockport County), Ben Wynter (Barnet), Shaun MacDonald (Cheltenham Town), Danny Wright & Jake Andrews (Havant & Waterlooville) Joe Felix (Dulwich Hamlet), Louis Slough (Dorchester Town), Marcin Brzozowski (Hayes & Yeading), Klaidi Lolos (Oxford City), Keelan O'Connell (Weymouth), Gabby Rogers (Kidderminster Harriers)