Non - Torquay United

davidwhitehead

davidwhitehead

Fans' Favourite
I've been watching Torquay's results over the past few months - since Gary Johnson took over last autumn, they've had an incredible turnaround similar to us in 2012/13. They have a helluva game tomorrow at Woking, which if they win, will mean they get back into the National League.

I've often thought that if fate had dealt us a different hand we also could so easily have ended up down in the non-leagues, and historically, we weren't so very different to Torquay in terms of size and status.

So well done Torquay, let's hope we see them back in the FL before long.
 
How things change is such a short time. Almost 19 years ago we were playing Torquay in a league game, now we’re 136 places apart.

This could have so very easily been us, and yet many of us today whinge and gripe about aspects of our ‘lot’, which often boils down to insignificant irritations in reality. Reading the article below reminds me of just how very, very fortunate we are.

inews.co.uk

Torquay United are drifting aimlessly and the fans have had enough

For 80 years, Torquay United were proud members of the Football League. Now, thanks to an owner's skewed priorities and a doomed stadium plan, they have reached their lowest ever ebb
inews.co.uk inews.co.uk
 
afcb_rednblack said:
How things change is such a short time. Almost 19 years ago we were playing Torquay in a league game, now we’re 136 places apart.

This could have so very easily been us, and yet many of us today whinge and gripe about aspects of our ‘lot’, which often boils down to insignificant irritations in reality. Reading the article below reminds me of just how very, very fortunate we are.

inews.co.uk

Torquay United are drifting aimlessly and the fans have had enough

For 80 years, Torquay United were proud members of the Football League. Now, thanks to an owner's skewed priorities and a doomed stadium plan, they have reached their lowest ever ebb
inews.co.uk inews.co.uk
Click to expand...

They used to invite us into their supporters club, one season we literally drank the place dry. Were we banned one year due to some bother ? Great trip anyway, just like Exeter who must look at us with a bit of envy nowadays.
 
The Torbay area shares some similarities with BCP in that it's 3-4 towns merged together in a string along the coast. It's population should be possible to sustain a reasonable sized club.

On the flip side I'd guess the population is even less locally rooted than ours, in terms of people having moved down there from all over, bringing allegiances and interests from elsewhere with them. I wouldn't be surprised if the average age is even higher than BCP also.
 
Old Rattle said:
5th highest arrests for Torquay this year! 26. Didn’t know they had that many fans!!
Click to expand...
Went down there in the 90s for a cup? game, me and a few chaps popped into a pub which just happened to be their lads pubs, everything was fine until we walked out then we got pelted with beer glasses, obviously popped back in for a chat and gave them a bloody good hiding..never been back since, horrible place full of snidey scagheads
 
Does make you think, there but for a selection of local businessmen/characters running the club, then selling to an ambitious multi-millionaire, who in turn sold to a richer more ambitious businessman, whilst employing rank amateurs to run things, that could have been us : )
 
Not completely on topic.
In the late 70’s we were playing Plymouth away on Easter Monday. We decided a few weeks beforehand that we’d head to Torquay in a transit van on the Saturday.
Word got round. It ended up with around a hundred of us there for two nights sleeping in 2 transit vans, a Luton van (that ended up on its side in the Plymouth car park) and ten or so cars.
Fun!!
 
For anyone that does need reminding, United, who needed a draw on the final day of the season to escape a potential disastrous exit from the Football League, were trailing 2-1 against Crewe with only minutes left.

It was in those dying stages of the game that Police dog Bryn chose to intervene, by taking a bite out of right-back Jim McNichol’s thigh to halt proceedings. The resultant four minutes of injury time allocated for the disruption gave The Gulls just enough time to grab their status-saving strike through Paul Dobson, making Bryn the unlikley hero of the hour!

Bryn’s Actions Recalled 33 Years On - Torquay United

It was 33 years ago today, on May 9th 1987, that United secured their Football League status with a 2-2 draw at home to Crewe Alexandra. As all Gulls fans know though, that only tells half the story. For anyone that does need reminding, United, who needed a draw on the final day of the
torquayunited.com torquayunited.com

 
Last edited:
borisatha said:
Not completely on topic.
In the late 70’s we were playing Plymouth away on Easter Monday. We decided a few weeks beforehand that we’d head to Torquay in a transit van on the Saturday.
Word got round. It ended up with around a hundred of us there for two nights sleeping in 2 transit vans, a Luton van (that ended up on its side in the Plymouth car park) and ten or so cars.
Fun!!
Click to expand...
I reckon this must have been 1974 if it was Easter Monday. We lost 0-2. We also played Plymouth at home on Good Friday. Almost 50 years ago, yikes!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

;